Hey becca, for better using pencils steadtler mars lumografh use them only for finale drawing. In stead use the sketch pencil for idea's & steadtler graphic for first draw before final drawing, both draw softly don't pres too hard.

Hey, I’ve found that using a clutch pencil has helped a lot in this regard. Plus you’ll find that the weight, and size, of the pencil won’t change throughout the drawing, which helps with your overall control during the process. Faber-Castell TK 9400 range of clutch pencils are great. You can get them with 2B, or HB leads, and then simply switch it out when it’s worn down. Have the added benefit of being able to quickly change the length too, without time spent sharpening/worrying about breaking them. You will need to get a specific sharpener—Staedtler Mars is a really good one. But after you’ve got both you’ll only need to buy lead refills, instead of a whole new pencil. Hope this helps!

I would say it is not that of an problem if they go down fast. Without any pictures its hard to say if it is because of the way you sharp or the way you draw. It is possible that you press to hard though. In my experience the differences of sharpeners are not that big. If your pencil is sharp at the end, its fine. If you are going to use a blade they will probably run down even faster because you will brake a few in the process.