I hate charcoal drawing, but it's usually mandatory for many drawing classes in high school and college; In my opinion, if you are an artist or student new to charcoal and aren't sure if you'll like the medium, these are *the* ones to get. They very cheap but MILES better than vine or willow charcoal in a variety of ways (better marks, less mess, last longer). Unless you are absolutely destitute (which, I get it) there's no reason to downgrade when general makes a product this good for this cheap.