I've used the Kuru Toga for years. The mechanism is so good that I don't see the argument for any other pencil. Which is actually a shame, as I can't get excited for other pencils anymore.
During my school years we had all kinds of discussions and comparisons for best pencils, best pens, best erasers.
As for erasers - do you recall anything that beats out the Pentel Hi-Polymer block eraser for the overwhelming vast majority of use cases?
I seriously couldn’t gear over just how bad Staedtler block eraser performed when I’d seen so many rave about it. I haven’t tried much other than it & the Pentel when it comes to erasers tho.
I'm happy with my Sakura Foam eraser but the Pentel is certainly a classic. Not sure about Staedtler but everyone I've known throughout grade school and college coalesced onto Japanese brands, presumably for a reason ;)
During my school years we had all kinds of discussions and comparisons for best pencils, best pens, best erasers.