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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.
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I own these pencils and I personally think they are great. I have the 72 color set and I think the creamy leads are excellent because they are soft and free of impurities that cheap colored pencils have. I have not had trouble with blooming or layering so far. I really like the fact that you can reorder specific colors through the Prismacolor website. Be sure to buy an appropriate pencil sharpener. The Prismacolor Colored Pencil sharpener is a good one but you can only sharpen one or two pencils before needing to clean it out. That is the only drawback I have found.Best Deals for Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, 72 Colored Pencils
A beautiful way to prevent your prismas from breaking or cracking the lead is to use an Xacto knife to sharpen them and avoid dropping them if at all possible. The lead is very fragile, and a fall may break them. Using a knife is a really gentle way to take care of the lead and prevent the wood around the pencil from wearing down so fast. It will give you about twice as long life for each pencil, because you can shape the wood around the lead instead of shaving the lead off. Granted, a bit of practice is needed, using a crayola pencil is probably the best way to assure your coordination with the knife.Honest reviews on Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, 72 Colored Pencils
I'm not sure what happened in recent weeks, but a friend of mine ordered these pencils and received exactly what the product description says is included: 72 pencils, bonus art stix and sharpener. I ordered mine last week and received a smaller tin with the 72 pencils, but no bonus art stix or pencil sharpener (luckily the pencils come sharpened now!). The picture associated with this product shows that I should have received two stix and a sharpener, as does the product description:"These colored pencils are artists' quality for every level of expertise. Pencils contain high quality pigments for a rich color saturation and feature soft, thick cores which create a smooth color lay-down for superior blending and shading and the thick leads resist breakage. This package contains one 9-3/4 by 8-1/8 by 1-1/8-inch tin with 72 pencils ... and 2 bonus art stix: a woodless colored pencil core for coverage of large areas (art stix colors vary). "
I'm assuming that the product has changed at the factory level (and cutting costs means cutting bonus stuff). THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION NEEDS TO REFLECT THIS CHANGE. No art stix or sharpener included!
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, 72 Colored Pencils
First of all, the guy above who was dissatified, you can't use a reg. pencil sharpener to sharpen Prisma's, becuase what happened to you, will happen. Prismacolor pencils come w/ a special sharpener just for these pencils. Inside the box it explains why you can't use a reg. sharpener on these pencils.As for my review, I draw tattoos. Every tattoo artist i've ever talked too all use Prismacolor Pencils, and all have rave reviews... I didn't believe them until 1 of the tattoo artists let me try out his set. After i tried his out for a few hours (cuase i was that happy w/ them), i had to have my own set. Once i went Prismacolor, i never went back to the crappy crayolas i was using before. Crayola differs from Prisma becuase most pencils in your store are chalk-based, while prisma's are oil based... They blend like paint..
These are the greatest pencils i've ever seen and used. Though they are expensive, it's well worth it.. It's better to buy a bigger set, like starting out w/ the 48 color set or more.
