Faber-Castell Polychromos Artists Color Pencils - Tin of 120 Colors - Premium Quality Artist Pencils

love the pencils! Disappointed in the condition they arrived--- seemed to be packaged well. When I took the plastic off the tin- there were many different colors of small particles of pigment all over the inside of the plastic as well as on the outside of the tin. Inside- the same issue. Colors all over the inside of the tin- as well as pieces of the tips of the pencils broken off. The tin was well closed- so it appears that it was packaged this way- not something that happened in transit. Sad since the pencils are of high quality and expensive. Frustrating to receive them this way but not worth the hassle of returning them.

I love these pencils! The first thing I do when I receive new pencils/pens/markers is to make a color chart so I can say even those I just received them today, Ive used every single pencil already. I love the variety of colors,especially the cool colors. They are gorgeous and I cant wait to use them. Ill upload a photo of my color chart so you can see what I mean. While the colors themselves are not quite as brilliant and rich as Prismacolor pencils, I really like the smooth texture of these pencils. These lay down color very smoothly and layer easily. They blend better than I expected, but not quite as well as the Prismacolors. They also keep a point well so they will be great at detail work. Hopefully I wont have to sharpen them as often and they will last longer. I think these are a bit of an extravagance unless you are an artist, but for me they are so worth it. Im going to love working with them.

These are beautiful pencils. The pencils lay down like butter and the colors are rich and vivid and easy to blend. The pencils hold a point and sharpen beautifully. They are a pleasure to use, but I still find it hard to say if I like them better than the Prismacolors. Where other people have had a lot of trouble with broken pencils, I havent. Both of these sets are my go to pencils, with Derwents being a very close second, but then you can never have enough pencils and each set brings something new. I do think that none of the other cheaper sets of pencils reach the quality of the polychromos, prismacolors or derwents.

These are pretty impressive--and should be at the price. I hate to admit how much I spent to color in books but I love these. I imagine if you are a real artist youll have your own opinions but I think these are highly valued by experienced folks. The colors are vibrant and its a joy to have so many. I have been able to keep them in the trays in the box, something I was not able to do with other brands that came in a box--and its because each tray has side handles to lift the tray in and out. You do have to master the art of tapping the bottom of each pencil just right so it pops up and out but its easier for me to see and choose colors when theyre laying flat in order and not in pencil holder. They give me a lot of joy to use.

I absolutely loved everything about these pencils. Multiple layers possible, sharpen to a razor point with no breakage. Oil so no bloom. I had them 2 years& unfortunately were stolen by a substitute healthcare worker ( disabled) from my home after she put me in the tub& left me there alone for 10 minutes. They were a once in a lifetime purchase & my heart was broken. I can’t replace them. They were 5 star all the way&i highly recommend purchasing them.

What can I say about polychromos other than they are by far one of the best colored pencils that Ive tried. They go on smoothly and blend exceptionally well. The price is high, but the quality of what you get makes it well worth it. No wax bloom like you get with prismacolor pencils as they are oil based and just glide across the page, and you dont have to press hard to get a solid coat of color. Highly recommend these!

New comment: dont know why I love them...but I do! Id give them a 5, except they have a fault which is a pretty serious one (below). First, what I love about them is the laydown. As much as I love PrismaColors, they tend to go down heavy. Having that buttery laydown and being able to layer colors and burnish - all great characteristic to have, and I think Prismas do all these much better that Polychromos. But, when you dont want full color laydown, but would rather have a rougher laydown, with some paper exposed behind the color - Polychromos are great for that. They erase much more cleanly, too, probably because they arent as heavy & waxy. Its hard to describe, but the laydown is really nice & you can get great effects. Where these are also way superior to Prismacolors is that the lead doesnt break when you sharpen it. Many Prisma users know the frustration of literally sharpening away 4 of pencil, just trying to get a workable point...you give up on trying to get a sharp point, you just want something you can apply to the paper, you can truly lose 1/2 the pencil length just on 1 sharpening session. (btw - if you have a breaker try microwaving the pencil for about 7 seconds...carefully - they get hot fast & you can blister the paint, but if you soften the lead & then leave it & let it cool you can firm up the broken sections, oftentimes.) Anyway, Polychromos tend not to have that problem, in my experience. The drawback is the STREAKING. The lighter colors frequently streak darker colors (yellow, for example, will suddenly streak red). It happens with the lighter colors - not constantly but regularly. This occurs because they arent mixing the wet lead thoroughly enough - during manufacturing the scraps or other reworks are frequently mixed into a new batch of lead...a perfectly legitimate thing to do - but if you dont those pieces thoroughly, its like mixing colored sprinkles into cake batter, you get flecks or pieces of color in the finished product. Great when its a cake, not so much when its on your artwork! This is a pretty bad issue...if it wasnt for the streaking thing, Id give these pencils 5 stars easy!! I bought the 36 set some months ago, Im graduating up to the 120 because they are nice pencils!! Prisma still rates #1...but these are a pretty close 2nd!

I’ve tried several brands of colored pencils, for relaxing coloring in adult coloring books, nothing major or pro. It is true that you get what you pay for. Prior to these, the best I used are the Prismacolor premieres, 2 diff kinds of Staedleter, a lower tier Faber Castell(which are great & have awesome color-laydown), every level of crayola, & various quality but generic types. I’d been dying to try these, the Fab.Cas. Polychromos. Just to start w/, I bought the 12 pack that comes in a neat thin metal case. The colors are pretty much vibrant, they lay down well, though a bit too heavy imo,as I find I can’t color a light shade w/ them, it’s either to rich or nothing. Also, they’re too thick for my taste, the entire penicil I mean, as well as the leads, just somewhat too thick. Truth be told, some common normal colors, such as a few blues, pink, orange, are not my favorite, whereas in other brands typical colors to me look nicer. Not too sure now if I’ll go for any of the bigger sets, the 24/36/60 etc. I do still honestly think that Faber-Castell is a top notch top of the line brand. High Quality. Unless I received a set that may have been exposed and left to high heat, or what have you, causing my pencils to not function the way they’re meant to, I believe they may be either a little overrated or, very overpriced.

These colored pencils are amazing. Their colors are rich and vibrant the pencils are well balanced and easy to hold. I love that the colors on the outside of the pencils are basically what you’ll see on the page. They are excellent for layering. So, why, you ask, did I give the pencils a 4, instead of a 5. Well, after unwrapping my beautiful (and pricey) pencils, the first thing I noticed was that the ivory pencil had a chunk missing from the tip of the pencil and the remainder of the ivory pencil was split, right down to the wood. All of the remainder of the pencils in the top tray had some degree of damage. It was as if the top tray had been dropped, prior to being put into the case. Once the pencils are sharpened, I imagine that all will be well, but I was truly disappointed to see so much damage when I opened my new box of colors. But I do love them and would highly recommend them.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pencils! They glide on, are so easy to blend, and make everything come out more vibrant! Made with oil instead of wax, it comes out looking like somewhat like a cross between a watercolor painting and a richer oil painting. I owned about 10 that I bought separately, and couldnt wait to receive the rest of the colors. If you celebrate your own birthday, as I do mine, by being able to buy myself something special from myself, youll want to to celebrate early ( I ordered mine a month earlier than my Birthday) as soon as youre finished reading this review. While the wax pencils definitely have their place and can be blended with the oil in these pencils, the FaberCastell wins the triple crown without having to think twice about it! So order yours now - even if your birthday is 6 months away. Easily, the best in show!