Faber-Castell Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils - Tin of 24 Colors - Premium Quality Artist Pencils

I've been making art for well over a decade now, and I've never found colored pencils that work this well before. I've tried Prismacolor, Crayola, and other brands that aren't as well known like Star Joy, but none of them have even come close to comparing to the Polychromos.They're creamy without being TOO creamy, they sharpen and hold a point well, and you can really build up the intensity of the color, something I've found more difficult with other pencils. It's easy to get get light washes or brilliant swaths of color depending on how much pressure you use.The variety of colors in the 24 pack is perfect! There are enough options that you can make the color you want by layering but not so many options that it feels overwhelming. The metal tin is wonderful for storage too.Honestly, I can't wait until I can afford to buy more of these. I cannot recommend them enough!

So I’ve used quite a few colored pencils. Prismacolor was my favorite because I thought it could not get any better than Prismacolor. Come to figure out, it’s no longer my favorite colored pencil anymore. Polychromos is expensive, but the investment is worth it as these are very high quality. I’ve not had a single breakage after 4 full color drawings and they hold a point for a LONG time, they are very pigmented and layer beautifully, no wax bloom, beautiful colors, nice thick core, easy to hold and color with, they sharpen well and not to mention the lovely shavings smell of cedar wood! Knowing that each color is lightfast with no fade for a lifetime is icing on the cake. Polychromos is the best colored artist pencil I’ve ever used. I highly recommend these colored pencils to anyone who has the patience to use these correctly with the right paper to just buy these! It is not a waste of money and I’m getting a larger set.

These penciled are great. They don’t break, colors are bright and go on smooth not chalky or like graphite. They don’t have a good green or a brown at all. I wish the set came with a blender pencil, but Injust used the white. I’ve tried other brands and these are the best quality. They’re fun and functional.

I bought this set to compare with my Prismacolor Premiers and Lyra Rembrandt Polycolors. After using these FC Polychromos I can say I will never purchase anything else. There are many pros to these pencils.In no particular order:1) They look and feel great and have a nice finish that matches the color of the lead;2) The barrels are slightly thicker than the Prismacolors and Lyras. Makes them easier to hold with less hand cramping;3) They lay down a nice color immediately with little pressure.4) Wonderful for blending and shading.5) The tin is high quality and the pencils stay in place while being transported6) Easy to sharpen with a hand held sharpener and they hold their points. So far no crumbling leads or breaking wood in the hand held sharpeners (unlike the Prismacolors and a couple of the Lyras)7) Oil-based leads that are water resistant and8) Each pencil has a rating of *, **, or *** denoting it's light-fastness.The only Con I can think of for these is the price. They are pricey pencels but you are getting a very high quality product. I would definitely recommend these to friends and suggest you buy the largest set your budget can afford. The 24 set is adequate but you will feel limited in your color selection. I feel the color range in the set of 24 is very nice in the yellows-reds, the blues are adequate, but I really would appreciate some more natural green shades. Browns and greys seem adequate for me.

I tried four different types of colored pencils before ordering these. But I kept hearing how great they are, so I had to try a small set.First, if you are coming from Prismacolor Premier pencils, these are superior. No doubt about it.But if, like me, you're coming from other oil-based sets, like those made in the Koh-I-Noor factory in the Czech Republic, you may wonder what the big deal is.From what I can tell, a key difference between these and Koh-I-Noor, Blick, and Utrecht colored pencils is the color variety. The first three really don't offer the difference in colors that you can get here, and even let many similar colors into their collections. This is disappointing. So I was pleased to hear that the Polychromos line has a nice color spread.Another difference is in the lightfastness. But if lightfastness is really that important to you, have a look at other expensive products too, because superior lightfastness can be achieved. To me, lightfastness is of practically zero importance until I have a paying project or family project that expects longevity. At that time I will just go out and buy the most lightfast set that fits my need, and the price premium will be already taken care of in my estimate or in my overall project considerations.Another thing to mention is the fit and finish. These are really nice-looking, nice-feeling pencils.The case has actually been pretty annoying to me. Why would I want it to open up vertically, on a hinge? The hinged lid finds a way to make itself unwanted pretty fast, because there's usually something in its way. Ditch the case and use another method of transporting these. I use a Nite Ize Gear Tie.Finally, this particular 24-color set contains a strange assortment of colors. No purple, excessive reds, and warm blue hues that I wouldn't have picked. The purple, not a big deal--blend it up. The blue hues though, well that's actually pretty annoying. I can't just blend up a nice light cool blue. But when I'm ready to dish out another $35 or so for some open-stock additions, this should make a nice set. I thought about buying a larger set, but a) some colors I want only come in the very large sets, and b) I don't like very large sets right now because I don't want to lug them around all the time, between home and office, home and vacation, etc. Also I like trying different types of pencils and find variety more fun.If you are really budget-conscious, and are not really an experienced colored pencil artist, and are wondering if the actual experience of using these is worth it vs. the generic Czech pencils like Blick or Koh-I-Noor or Utrecht (now owned by Blick) offers, I really suggest that you start out with a small set of these Polychromos or just order a large set of the Czech stuff first.If your expectations are that these will blow your mind and that you'll be in love from the moment they touch paper, prepare for some potential disappointment. They are just colored pencils, and while the Polychromos name does have that cool cachet, it's really got to match your personal circumstances and needs to be worth it.I'm including a small drawing...that could be done with just about any colored pencil set on the market. :-) But still, these are nice pencils, and you might like them.

Awesome colored pencils!

Great quality and colors

Great pencils. Bright colors.