Customer Reviews

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, 24 Assorted Color Pencils

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Prismacolor pencils are well-known for their range in rich colors and vibrant laydown, setting them apart from any other type of colored pencil.

I've tried them myself and I agree. The lead is wonderfully soft, and therefore makes blending colors and pushing them into one another an ease to do.

The downside is that the lead is a little too soft, and makes it harder to get the colors smooth (it's easier to do with Crayola because Crayola has harder lead). It can be done, however, and these are great pencils that especially go well with Prismacolor markers. :)

There are many excellent colored pencil brands available today, with some of the premier labels being Caran D'Arche (Switzerland), Conté (France), Faber Castell (Germany), Talens (the Netherlands) and Koh-i-noor (Czech Republic). Each pencil brand has its own loyal following, and it is certainly true that the performance characteristics of each leaves a unique "signature" on paper (i.e., the experienced eye can sometimes tell which brand of pencil was used for a different piece of artwork by examining luminosity, reflection, depth of color, and others). I have used all these brands myself, having brought back from Europe entire sets from various manufacturers, and often in different sub types ("artist," "student," and so on). Some also have added touches that really make a pencil set shine, including rounded triangular shafts with subtle inlaid grips, bonded coatings between the lead and the pencil wood to minimize lead shattering, and soft textured surfaces for improved gripping and comfort. Some sets are now even beginning to adhere to the lightfastness specifications as developed by the Colored Pencil Society of America.

So, what should we think about a set of American made colored pencils when they are competing with these premier brands, some of which have been in business for centuries? The answer might be surprising to hear: after using all these brands for an extended period of time, I can say that these Prismacolor "Premier" pencils easily hold their own against the world's best colored pencils.

What are the characteristics of the Prismacolor "Premier" pencils that make them so good?

1. Smooth, silky, and rich laydown of color
2. Little smearing, even when laying down dense patches of color
3. Ability to blend colors as needed
4. Wide range of available colors
5. Relatively inexpensive (by comparison to other premium brands)
6. Availability of the Prismacolor "Verithin" pencil sets, which duplicate the colors of the "Premier" line pencil by pencil (matched by color codes), but in an extremely hard lead that permits a high level of sharpening for detail work which will not quickly wear down.

At first glance, it might seem that these Prisamacolor pencils are expensive, but when one reflects on the fact that some of the more "esoteric" (for lack of a better word) pencils can run upwards of $3 - $4 per pencil, the Prismacolors are nothing short of a bargain. (If you hunt long enough, you can even find the large set of 120 pencils that comes in a two tiered wood case with lining to house your collection and you'll still be paying far less per pencil than other high end brands.)
But the proof is certainly in the putting. Get one of these in your hands, and lay down some color on a sheet of paper and see if you don't experience the very thing I am describing here. These are rich and smooth leads with an almost creamy feel. That's not to say you can point them up to a needle: you can, but you just must be careful not to press too much when doing so in order to keep the point from breaking. You can also use these in a duller point to lay down large swaths of rich, deep color. (Again, pairing this set up with the "Verithin" set can be very helpful for detail work.)

Are these pencils perfect? No. There are a few issues, some minor, but nevertheless relevant for this review:

1. Lead shattering seems to be an issue for the company. My first set had no less than 10% of the pencils shattered all the way down to the end, rendering all those colors useless. This is either manufacturing problems, or some improvement in the cases in which the pencils are transported and sold is required to further reduce shock from transport. It is an unacceptable result when purchasing a large pencil set.
2. Along those same lines, it would be wonderful if Prismacolor could look into a similar technology such as Staedler uses in its colored pencils, which is a coating of inner material between the lead and the wood to reduce breakage. I've never had a single Staedler pencil break on me yet. Not one.
3. The triangular shaped shafts of both the Faber Castell and Staedler pencils is in my view a superior design than the round format of the Primscolors, allowing greater control and improved comfort.
4. The Prismacolors do not use any type of friction coating on the outside of the pencils to help improve grip. Both Staedler and Faber Castell do (and in different manners), and this adds immeasurably to their performance characteristics.
5. The printing on the shaft of the Prismacolor to identify color name and code can be almost illegible, with blurry, imprecise lettering. In some lighting conditions, the markings are nearly impossible to read. (The newest editions of the Prismacolors seem to have addressed this, but don't count on getting those in the boxed sets anytime soon until existing stock is sold and replaced with new models.)
6. The Prismacolors are not "finished" on the end with any type of cap or closure, and the pencils also arrive unsharpened. (Compare the Faber Castells, which both come fully sharpened and are mounted in a manner that makes them resistant to any type of breakage during transport; these also, as most other brands, have a nice finishing cap on the end of the pencil.)

Let me be clear. These minor quibbles all fall away once you get one of these in your hand an experience how they perform. These are simply a delight to use, and many artists swear by them. After using them myself, I can see why. I still am extremely impressed with the best of the offerings Europe produces, but these Prismacolor pencils deserve to be counted right among them. If they ever addressed my minor quibbles above, they might vie for a role as a de facto standard with one or two of the other most expensive brands three times their price.
Five stars for performance. Five stars for price. Five stars for fun. And five stars for rich , creamy, deep color!

Note: Although these pencils come in many sizes of sets, I recommend the 72 color set. This gives you a wide range of colors, and does not run you into issues with the larger sets where you have multiple colors so close to one another you cannot easily see the difference. Of course, if you want the beautiful wood case, you'll need to get the 120 set.

Bought these for my son as he is into art/shading/sketching. These pencils are top quality and hold up. The lead is so thick that it does not break like most other art pencils. Great Value too.

I am sorry I bought this particular brand, they are not quality and so far every pencil I have used has broken color stick, it keeps falling out of the wood casing as you sharpen, either these were badly abused in transit or they just are not very well made.

These pencils are very nice... And the price is decent compared to how much they cost in Art stores... however when I opened the box, one of the pencils was cracked and the lead was broken. It really wasn't worth sending them back and waiting another 2 weeks to receive more. Heard this is the case a lot of times. Wish the company did a better job of making sure that all pencils are not cracked and delivered carefully.

When I first saw the texture of the color the pencils leave, my immediate thought was why did I spend this much money on these as opposed to just buying a big box of crayola crayons. Since I was coloring the Victorian Houses adult coloring book, I soon knew why. The detail I was able to achieve with these coloring the trim and such, I could never have done with the regular crayons. Since these are the first time I've used these for such a project I can't compare them to other coloring pencils I've used in the past since I've never needed this sort of detail with color pencils. My only regret is that I didn't buy the 48 color box since I could have gotten 2x as much for only 10 more bucks. Sometimes while coloring I wish I had more color variations of red, beige and orange including a grey. I imagine everything I've been wanting is in the 48 box. Overall, very good pencils. I find that the sharp tip is more durable than at least one reviewer stated.

i love it, pratically erasable.It also gives off great color,and the best part of its is sharp point.

best colored pencils ever!!!
i just drew with it and it was amazing color and depth!!

These colored pencils are wonderfully smooth and rich in color. They are great for working on black paper as well! I'm very happy with my purchase. Shipping went fast and without any problems.

Compact unit that I carry with me fishing. When the fish stop biting, I start drawing. Smooth performance with good color.

This is a wonderful product. The colors are so amazing. My ex boyfriend used these, and loved them, so I thought I would try them out. Very bright coloring. Makes me wonder if there is anything better.... Hmm!!!