Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

When I decided to invest in a new set of colored pencils for my illustration work Prismacolor premier colored pencils were the first brand that came to mind. I had owned a wonderful set in my school days. Researching the various sets available I learned through other reviews that Prismacolor had been acquired by another company and manufacturing had been moved to Mexico. Reading through reviews by other artists I saw the same concerns about broken cores, warped pencils and off center leads cropped up in review after review. There were too many negative statements for me to ignore the issues and I decided to purchase other colored pencils brands. However, after various degrees of satisfaction I broke down and bought the Prismacolor 48 set on a whim. I have used these pencils for several weeks and felt I should add my comments to the ongoing discussion concerning the quality of Prismacolor pencils. First, the bad. The variety of colors in the 48 count set was fine although I would have liked more yellow or greys and the 2 metallic pencils ( silver and gold) were completely a waste in such a basic set. The pencils were packaged in two flimsy plastic trays which allowed the pencils to flop around in the tin. The pencils now come sharpened - a change from older sets and open stock. Upon opening I did a quick examination of the pencils and I must confirm that indeed the quality control at Prismacolor is in freefall. In the set there were 2 pencils where the pencil barrel had been crushed/chipped before the pencil was painted. I found another pencil where the Prismacolor branding, color name and number were blurred/ distorted in a printing mishap. While Prismacolor pencils fall in the more affordable range of artist quality pencils these production issues are inexcusable. A student on limited funds would be upset to have even 1 or 2 junk pencils in the set. Now, the good news. Prismacolor pencils still lay down gorgeous, vibrant and fairly lightfast pigment. Having tried Derwent Coloursoft, Bruynzeel design pencils and Faber Castell Polychromos pencils I found Prismacolor to be one of the best performers. The terms "creamy" and "buttery" are often thrown around when discussing colored pencils but in regards to Prismacolor the terms are accurate. The pencils lay down smooth and the color easily blends to create vibrant, spectacular work. Even with the few bad pencils in my set I felt these pencils were a great value. I found myself returning to the Prismacolor pencil set because they were bright, easy to blend and just a real pleasure to use. The pencils did not smudge or smear but could be manipulated to create gorgeous layers of color. The availability of prismacolor open stock at most art stores allowed me to replaced the bad pencils and adding those costs into the overall price the set was still cheaper than competing brands. Prismacolor sets and open stock maybe harder to get in Europe, Australia and Asia. If you are a customer who does live in one of those territories you may want to think before you purchase a set. Overall, I found myself quite happy with Prismacolor premier pencils. While I do not use them for my commercial work I take them with me on trips to use in my sketchbook. I have not experienced any broken cores and I do advise someone who has never used prismacolor pencils to only hand sharpened the leads. DO NOT USE the Prismacolor pencil sharpener or an electric sharpener. I recommend an Alvin jar sharpener or round brass pencil sharpener if you are not comfortable with using a knife to sharpen. If you purchase a set of Prismacolor pencils examine your pencils closely for damaged pencils. Most hobby shops in the USA offer open stock and the bad pencils can easily be replaced if the pencil is not usable. I'm hopeful Prismacolor will heed the concerns of the art community and step up to resolve the issues. The pencils are truly amazing and a brand worth protecting.