When I first discovered LION all I’d seen were the entry level pencils that didn’t impress me, compared to the big 4. I wrote it off and let years go by before I got reacquainted with the brand, thanks to a couple of members here. I learned about the 31x0, 32x0, 34x0 and 35x0 series.
The 34x0 and 35x0 were the most appealing to me… and I felt a bit miserable that I missed out on opportunities to buy them years ago. However, a little patience and luck brought me the 3430 from the 34x0 series, and the 3570 from the 35x0 series.
They are well built. I’d say that they’re similar to Newman in terms of quality and fitment. The 3570 is similar to Uchida level quality.
There is one caveat – the 3430 is a moderately heavy pencil for a 0.3 mm and thus the lead pipe is vulnerable. I discovered this first-hand, HERE. A while back I’d bought a Spoke Design silicone pencil guard and it fit nicely on the 3430.