Alvin, Heritage Arts, SPC36, Roll-Up Pencil Case with Leather Strap - Holds 36 Pencils...

I carry colored pencils to my art studio rolled in cases such as this Alvin roll up. In three weeks time, the seams at one end became undone, which will probably spread. I loved this roll because it has flaps to cover the lead and ends of pencils when rolled up, especially more delicate colored pencils. This Alvin roll up fid its job for three weeks, but I expect at least three years or more, since I have other rolls ( like Niji) that have lasted longer than that, though they do not have internal flaps that protect leads, which is why I bought the Alvin. The first word used in the description of this roll up is Durability, though Fragile would be more appropriate. I clicked on the product warranty link and it led me to an empty white webpage, so I recommend the maker Alvin to improve the stitching quality, perhaps have an active warranty webpage, and to the buyer, just compare and BEWARE!

I only purchased one case to try it out, even though I have 48 pencils, It works as well as the reviews said. I like that it's heavy canvas fabric rather than plastic, which doesn't last as long. The flaps at the top and bottom work well to hold the pencils in so they don't fall out the top or bottom, but when I'm in a coloring mood, I put the pencils on top of the flaps and they haven't fallen out yet. (If I weren't going to use them for awhile, I would put the flaps over the pencils so I wouldn't lose any.) I got a blank piece of paper and made wide marks with each color, in order of the numbers, so I would have an accurate guide for choosing which color I want to use, as it's hard to tell by the pencil point or end cap. This worked so well that I ordered a second case. Part of me wishes I had ordered one for 48 pencils, but these are shorter and make it easier to lay them out as I usually work in my easy chair and the end table wouldn't hold a longer one. The included metal sharpeners work very well, unlike the ones I get at the store. They don't take away too much of the tip or the wood, so the color tip doesn't break off and too much pencil isn't ground away, just leaves a sharp tip. It's easy to sharpen just enough to expose the color again and still have a point that's not too sharp for shading, as well as sharpen it to a fine point for tiny work. There are elastic loops for accessories you can add, like a blender or eraser, and the snaps are heavy duty and easy to work.

I bought this nice case for my 6 th grader. She is in middle school this year and has a locker and has to change classrooms. Her science class requires colored pencils and since she is very particular I knew she would want at least a 24 count. She also had to have Sharpies for art. I didn' t want her to have to carry around a plastic noisy box and I wanted her stuff protected and easily accessible. This little gem is fabulous. She put 24 pencils and 12 Sharpies in it with no problems at all. Her teachers and classmates have oohed and aahed over it too, which makes her pretty happy. She just picks it up and packs it in her hand to class when she needs it or leaves it in her locker when she doesn't, no pencils rolling around or bulky packages to carry. Everyone who saw it wanted one like it. Very nice and not too expensive. The straps are just the right size and she has an eraser on the end with the strap for it. She does say she has to make sure she rolls it tight to fasten but it has never been a problem for her.

I was looking for something that was portable and could hold all of my drawing devices while being durable enough to just throw in a backpack and not worry that things will be broken as they might be in a traditional hard case. Plenty of room for a colored pencil set, full graphite set, some charcoal pencils, and my . I love the fact it is washable because the flaps that cover the ends gets really dirty from the charcoal pencils so this was a pro for me. Appreciate the slots for an eraser and a sharpener, and the loops are very snug keeping everything in place. A couple of things keep this from being a 5 star item. First is when it is rolled out it is incredible long and if you fill every, or nearly every loop it rolls up very bulky. Second is the loops are really meant for things the width of a traditional pencil so, using them for the Sakura Pigma Microns is a very tight fit and requires some work to stretch the loop before they will fit. The pens will also need to be placed either top to bottom, or allow a space between each one because the metal clips on the cap will prevent it from rolling up correctly. The flaps at the top, while nice, get dirty even with regular pencils so be prepared to wash this regularly. Even smudged finger prints contribute to its overall dinginess and the color doesn't help. Still a really solid portable case that can hold many pencils or pens while protecting them quite well. Some of the customer images show alternate uses so this really can be a versatile case that is only limited by your imagination.

Like many people, I used to carry around my travel colored pencils and the like in a school pencil box. While this scored high on portability, it was not so good on organization. Since I like to use colored pencils, graphite, and charcoal as the mood strikes me, the box contained a mix of all three, which made finding the right thing at the right time a pain. This roll-up case changed all that. Little bigger than a pencil box, the roll-up case cleverly houses 36 pencils, an eraser, and a sharpener. Each pencil is secured by a secure elastic loop, and a flap protects the delicate points. Simply unroll the item and everything is easily seen and well organized. Clean up is also a snap. This is, of course, not an original idea. There are many similar products out there. What differentiates this version is its capacity, relatively large, size, relatively small, and price, really low. You can spend triple the money for the Derwent version of this product, which also works nicely, but is no better than this design. Relative to its competitors, the Heritage easily offers the best value for money. Highly recommend.