Sanford Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils 150 kg, 150 Count (Pack of 1)

I was delighted to finally own a full set of the Premier after testing three singles. It's important to note these are the ones manufactured in Mexico, changing the quality of the pencil and the width of pencil ever so slightly. The originals are nicer however very hard to get hold of as singles and I haven't seen a set at all. Despite these feeling cheaper to their predecessors and in comparison to Faber Castell Polychromos, they are still every inch a wonderful pencil. I use them for art and colouring regularly, getting used to the difference blending with a wax to an oil. These are wax based pencils and allow for amazing blending abilities, laying down colour vividly and well on a range of smooth and toothy paper. Some cheaper wax pencils don't lay down well, these are very creamy and easy to use. If you're not used to wax pencils ... persist, I did and I love them. It always takes some time getting used to a new pencil brand, especially if you aren't a full time artist. Being wax they do wear down faster than my oil pencils, however it is easy to buy single stock online and amazon often do great deals on some of the smaller sets. People often complain about pencil tip breakage - this is something I was deeply concerned about before buying my own. There really is no need from concern - at least from my experience of both my single and these. Find a sharpener that suits you .. I've tested many and my favourite is the TGAAL - using the number 1 setting keeping the tip short and protected but still are a fine point. I've had one breakage so far and this happens to my other pencils too sometimes. The blending ability allows you to make a whole new range of colours from what you already have. The colour choice is one of the largest out there. The skin colours are particularly versatile. The lilacs and pinks have a bit of a better selection than the Polychromos. (I used these for comparison as they are my other top end pencil set, which I also love and use regularly.) The only con to mention is that several of the pencils arrive with hairline cracks down their bodies - I've heard of this from several places and it says the pencil will often break fully at a later date. The good news is I told amazon, the refunded me an amount suitable to cover the cost of me buying the singles elsewhere. I appreciate this was inconvenient and at the time I would have probably given 4 stars. It does reflect on the cheaper build but there is nothing we can do about this, except hope Sanford change their manufacture which is unlikely, or boycott them until they do, lol this is unlikely to make a difference. I got these at a good price when purchasing, it fluctuates so keep an eye on it :). I adore these pencils ... so despite a few cons they still get a 5 from me. I would buy the full set again in the future should I need to. I've added a finished picture of mine to show you what they can do. This piece is from Johanna Basfords Secret Garden.

I was a little concerned having read bad reports of the quality of Prismacolors made in Mexico - however when my set arrived I was a bit more reassured and none of my pencils are suffering from cracked wood. I've bought these as a replacement for my old Karismacolor pencils which are no longer made and having just done myself a swatch chart, I'm happy with the performance and the colours - which really do match the old Karismacolors like for like. Yes, the discontinued Lilac and Lavender colours are missing (due to a pigment problem apparently) replaced with an extra white and a blender pencil (which works nicely). Being super critical - the wood isn't as good quality as my older pencils (Karismacolors were made of lovely wood), but this seems common now in most pencil brands. Some of the printing of colour numbers on the pencil barrels is smudged and a bit hard to read, and yes - you need to sharpen these pencils very carefully to avoid lead breakage as they are super soft. Having said that you really don't need much pressure to lay down plenty of colour, and the pencils blend really well. There is a really good selection of grey tones and flesh tones included which is nice.

Blend beautifully, wonderful colours, all in all beautiful 😍

I've been a lucky girl this year and had a wooden box of Polychromos Faber Castell for a Christmas and birthday present. They are fantastic pencils and are absolutely beautiful in the wooden presentation box. However, back to Prismacolour premier pencils. I was very nervous awaiting the delivery of these pencils as a lot of the reviews were terrible. Saying they were substandard, cracked wood on quite a few of the pencils, broken lead right through, the lead not being central etc. I have to say mine were delivered as promised. They came perfectly packaged. There isn't one pencil I can see has a crack or any of the leads broken or off centre. I must have just been lucky and got a perfect set! The reason I bought these pencils even though I have the Polychromos, was because I had watched a review on black pencils and that the prismacolour Ebony was the one to buy. I did purchase a pack of two. I've used it on my first ever colouring and it is a joy to use, so creamy and soft to use. Lays down good colour and is easier, less strenuous to use than the polychromos (although, they are fantastic). There's also a lot of reviews and videos regarding prismacolour premier pencils and they look fantastic. Another point is the prismacolour pencils, 150 in a box, were half the price of the faber castell pencils 120 in a box. So now I'm spoilt for choice and have a fantastic colour range with the two sets as one is better than the other say the greens are better in one set than the other, I know that prismacolour have a better skin tone range! Buy them you wont be disappointed!

I am biased, I've been a huge fan of Prismacolours for a long time and I finally got some money together to purchase the full set. They are soft and blend well even over other, opposite colours in the colour wheel, which is great if you've put the wrong colour down or changed your mind. They do flake a bit and can smudge but I keep a little brush by me to sweep the crumbs of colour away. The colours are amazing <3 I love them all and will be replacing my favourites one by one via pencil sellers online as time an money affords. I have most other pencil sets, Arteza and Castle arts are very close to Prismas, if you're looking for an inexpensive alternative, but I find they wear down much quicker. I have Polychromos as well, which are oil based and don't flake but I find they make my arthritic hands ache badly.

Waited and waited for these pencils to be reduced after Christmas so I could afford the large set, checked every 2 days sometimes daily they really do fluctuate! I wanted to make sure I bought from a reputable site as so many rip offs you hear about. My wait was worth it, arrived well packaged and quickly I was so pleased they appears to be no transit damage I haven’t used every pencil yet but so far no breakages. Love the pencils, soft creamy and blend well just as I was hoping I’m no expert but I seem to get a better finish with these pencils and easy to use. Price is good if you can save for the large set just over a pound a pencil which compares well to other well known brands. Highly recommend.

I use coloured pencil for my art. I own Faber Castell Polychromos, and Caran D'Ache Pablo artist pencils, and whilst browsing other brands, I came upon Prismacolor Premier. I nipped onto YouTube, and it seemed like everyone was using them, and raving about them, and quite frankly, I was getting fed up hearing people going on about "how smooth" they are, and "how buttery" they are, and " the best pencils ever had" etc.. I couldn't sleep for wondering what they're REALLY like. Then I read about the persistent problem of breaking lead, and how they were impossible to sharpen, but they were still fab! So I put myself out of my misery and bought a small set. I was VERY nervous of them, but when I started to use them, this is what I found... They are exceptionally smooth, They are sooo buttery! And they are now ranked as one of my favourite pencils I own ( Polychromos may still be number one) I was really scared to sharpen them, but I haven't had one breakage so far. They really are lovely. Now the downside for me, which isn't much. Firstly, the look of them. They haven't got a sealed end, as with other brands. I had a couple in the set with a few gouges in the shafts, and the printing on the pencils are not uniform. Most of the pencils have silver writing, but a couple have black writing. None of which bothers me. I liked the pencils so much, I invested in this 150 set. I felt very extravagant, but delighted when they arrived (which was within 4 days) in the entire box, I think the colours are beautiful. It includes 3 neon colours, which are amazing, but probably won't use, and one pencil has a slight hairline crack running down the entire length of the pencil, I've sharpened it with no problems up till now. I use a staedtler pencil sharpener which collects all the shavings. The red topped one, which is excellent. You can get a fine point to these pencils, but unless you have a very light touch, it will break off. The leads are very soft. I am very impressed with their blending ability, but less impressed with their selection of greens. They have quite a few darker, muted tones with an olive look to them, and some lovely clear bright ones, but only one or two mid greens. There's about 21 greens, but I still prefer the colour graduation that the Polychromos provide.I can't really fault the colours, I'm just giving my opinion based on what Ive worked with so far. So, in conclusion, I'd recommend these pencils without any hesitation. If I run into trouble with sharpening them, I'll edit this review. I have included a photo of a frog I copied from a picture I found on the Internet. I did the whole thing in prismas, but must admit to using Polychromos for the finer details, like the leaf veins, because they're slightly harder, and keep a lovely sharp point. Oh, and I like the box too. It's made of very thick, hard cardboard, and has a magnetic closure on the flap, which I love, as I'm not a fan of metal boxes. I hate the sound of them.

Hubby purchased them for my Valentines gift in 2020 he ordered this set just when covid struck us in the UK. So glad I was able to get them they arrived safely well packaged and quickly. I was dubious when my hubby said he had ordered them as some are selling fake pencils but thankfully these were original. Lovely to work with in adult colouring books such as soft and creamy wax that blends easily. Make sure you buy a decent sharpener or you will loose valuable pencil wax due to breaking.