I personally prefer this over soapstone. It gives such a fine line. It does not burn away under the torch (I know neither does soapstone) . the red will turn white under the torch I prefer the sliver for torching easier to see. It leaves a more permeant mark than soapstone ex: you could run your gloves on top of the line you made it wont fade, smudge or blow away. It has "similar" consistency to pastel or china pencil and when the steel is hot it will melt the tip faster but leave a brighter or clearer line this leads into the down side. I recommend having a pencil sharpener I choose EX-20 Electric Pencil Sharpener since it can be powered by batteries. me personally I break soapstone alot and the holders are crap but soapstone beats this pencil for the fact it can be sharpened easily with this pencil you would have to have a sharpener, a razor wont give you the fine edge you need. still like this over soapstone its a welders pencil and you need it!!