Polychromos Tin - 12 Pencils

This product from Germany Faber-Castell Polychromos are one of the best colored pencils in the world with the highest lightfast or light resistance that will last you a lifetime 💘😍🫠💖. I tried them up, they color wonderful as is was an extension of my own desires and designs to color with love and intent when coloring the things I want the most if anyone learns the important fundamental of color theory and layering also the fundamental if drawing, it will be key for having great art. These colored pencils are base of pure Oil and high quality pigments for any desired color of the user chooses to color with… smear resistant it is, durable yes depends of how harsh you use you own set but that doesn’t mean it will be total resistant for harsh treatment ( all art tools must be treated with respect same with art itself and you will be rewarded with patience and grace). These Polychromos do wonders, its biggest weapons compared from the rest of the market is their ability to layer as many times as you want with the right quality paper and tooth to meet the desire results and maintain a sharp point in depth for amazing precision could compare with, the lead pigment last 3 times longer and has strong lead than any other brand I tried for example Holbein, Caran D’ache or prismacolor premier. Derwent lightfast and Derwent Chromaflow may be the exception and could be rival but somewhat of a lesser yet worthy of a match when it comes only with the advantages with pure Oil colored pencils that are renowned for the Polychromos which are translucent which helps layering colors with amazing color combinations in the world of art 💖. The Polychromos are a wonderful set of 120 colors for any level from beginner to professional for those who can afford it or worthy if anyone knows who to use them to the fullest potential. For the price is totally worth it and no regrets because these are a true gem 💎✨🌟🔵🧊🌘 🔮 I hope everyone enjoy this drawing I had done using with Polychromos both a sketch as guideline then a fully colored. She is a Heavenly Venerable Divine Dragon 🐉 Valkyrie archangel a powerful mage and someone which she is not joke to mess with. Thank you to anyone who finds this review helpful!! 🌟 Remember always love 💗 what you like to do and never give up!!!

Okay, here begins the fangirling over my took-me-three-years-to-get-them Polychromos coloring pencils. I LOVE THEM!!! I did buy them a special fabric case, since I did not intend to keep them in the tin (which is actually a nice tin, by the way). I love colored pencils, and have a lot of different sets. Cheapies, mid-ranges, and my beloved Polychromos. I do tend to save these pencils for special artwork I plan to display. Color-fastness and all that good stuff. Once you sharpen these, you quickly learn they hold their points for a good bit of time. I use a lightish touch with them, but it goes beyond that I'm not pressing hard; they are made to last, and they do. They blend well, layer well, have rich pigmentation, and have a good-sized lead so they aren't going to get you through one picture and need replacing. The colors are gorgeous, with a full range. They are not super-hard, but you can't call them soft, either. They are what you would expect an oil pencil to be. But these are a high quality oil pencil, so I applaud their functionality as versatile colored pencils. As stated, they are vibrant, layer and blend, and feel really good in the hand. They do cost a bit, and it took awhile for me to fit them into the budget. I'm poor, so some will just order these and not have to do without some other supply they need more. These are worth the price, and a plus is that they are available open stock. I find that very attractive. If you are not sure you will like a harder pencil like a Polychromos, try buying one of the small sets, or a few pencils open stock, and see if you like them. If you do, start saving and looking for sales. You won't regret it. Quality is worth paying for.

Absolutely the best colored pencil I have ever used and I have tried them all. I seriously was buying different colored pencils every other week trying to find ones I really liked, everything from Amazon’s brand (which aren’t that bad) to Prismacolor (which I’m not crazy about), and I finally found a brand that I’m in love with! They are great for adult coloring, which I use them for, almost daily as a way to wind down, and they are lasting in a very long time, even the greens, which I always run out of first! Tons of colors to choose from. A little bit expensive but totally worth the money me buying multiple sets every few months.

This set is the best colored pencils ever produced. Let me explain the big reasons why, from where I'm coming from. I have been a hardcore Prismacolor fan from 2001 onward, and their quality has gone extremely downhill. Originally Prismas were made by Sanford which then became bought out by Rubbermaid-Newell. Their products are now consistently off-center (making sharpening hell- you repetitively lose segments of leads which can then only be used by fingertip and friction action), the leads are brittle, they only take 4-6 layers with extreme pressure which makes their colors harder if not nigh-impossible to blend smoothly (and the colorless blender is a joke- picks up colors, etc), and the wax bloom is *ridiculous*, which- if you're sharing your work online- makes decent scanning somewhat troublesome despite excellent DPI. (That's a whole other side topic.) I just got this set of Polychromos for Christmas as a gift, and I'm not looking back at Prisma. Polychromos (Let's call 'em FC for short after the company name) are awesome. There's a really insignificant amount of bloom, but it's an oil base so this really isn't an issue. The laydown is even more buttery than Prisma. They are softer due to the oil-base, and the colors are very rich. Quirks I discovered were the names. I'm coming from a Prisma background so to me, "Pompeian Red" is "Salmon", and "Mauve" is actually their very rich purple hue- which to my former mindset is usually that pale pink/lavender mixup color. So the names will take some getting used to since they're more in line with "painterly" names such as Pthalo Blue, Hooker's Green, etc. So that at least will benefit you if you come from a painting experience. (I do also so it's at least semifamiliar, but still something to get used to). It says something when I have six of the same colored pencil by Prisma and they're all in various states of use/disrepair/broken- and the money behind that does add up. It's frustrating to say the very least, and although that company accommodated my needs by fixing the issue every time (which was often!!) I had flawed items that were interfering with my professional work, honestly just go for the FCs- they're a lot higher quality, plus the leads are bonded and securely centered as well as 3.8mm thick- thicker than say, Crayola (*gag*) colored pencil, so you're getting more product for the money and less wood (which, let's face it: is just a disposable casing). Same amount as per Prismas, but with much less breakage/sharpening issues. To clarify: Someone called Geri B. in the Q&A says that FC don't glue their polychromos pencils. From their own website: " SV Bonding is a process of gluing the full length of the lead to the wood casing of the pencil. This strengthens the lead and prevents breakage which allows for better sharpening, and produces a fine point. SV Bonding is a Faber-Castell trademark. " They're 45c more expensive per pencil than Prismacolors (1.74 vs 1.29 as of this writing) on dickblick.com for replenishment. But considering on average I've lost at least 5 5mm-long leads per pencil (yep: terrible!), that translates to something like a half inch or more lost. One pencil is 7 inches brand new and sharpened, ie almost 178mm. After breakage, you're paying $1.29 for 153 mm (or less than 158 depending on number of breaks), and you're losing 18c per pencil. Some are outright unusable and splinter. Polychromos are the same length. .009c vs .003c; less than a penny either way, but those pennies do definitely add up- and the bottom line even after doing the numbers for the heck of it is- that you're losing product and money every time a Prismacolor pencil busts or fails to perform. I'm totally not a penny pincher. I'm providing this as a breakdown moneywise for the innately curious. And people should NOT have to pay for items to break repeatedly. Prisma tried to address this issue by making pastel-like colored pencil sticks with no lead, as long rectangles- this didn't fix the issue as they're too unwieldy for detailed use; that's a side rant. PROS: -FC are not too much more expensive per pencil than Prismas (buy 10 of each; spend only $4.50 more for world-class quality) -Outstanding laydown -Oil vs wax-based: better blending -VIVID colors, yet not overwhelmingly bad -Traditional style naming conventions as a throwback to the formal pigmentation for artistic references -More realistic results (google up some of the prisma vs polychromos showdowns on Youtube- the video with the grapes painting is what I'm referencing here in particular) CONS: -Haven't seen any yet, will update this review if I do

As a life long artist and fan of coloring I use colored pencils quite a bit as my medium of choice. I am also am admitted pencil hoarder and have tried several dozens of different brands trying to find the perfect pencil, and while I have come close to finding it on a few occasions I often felt I was missing out on the professional pencils I used during my art school years which were Faber Castells. I purchased this smaller tin set before splurging for the 120 set to be sure that these would be what I long remembered, in fact they are. These pencils, like so many artists and colorists describe, are really soft and buttery to use. The cores are durable and retain a nice point when compared to the softer counter part brands which are wax based. These sharpen without any issues, the tips do not break when using a sharp, clean blade, quality pencil sharpener. Because these are oil based cores and are hard so to speak they produce more color with less lead than wax based cores, in other words my comparable name brand wax brands and not so name brands are constantly needing sharpened which in turn ends up wasting lead, these pencils do not. These pencils do lay down well and blend quite well, colors are rich and vibrant, and even with a small set of 12, you can obtain many different hues and or colors by layering. There is no doubt that this is "the" best professional set of pencils to own. Pricey? Yes, but worth every single penny. I am so happy with these pencils that I purchased the 120 set and can't wait for it to arrive. It is worth noting that working with quality oil based pencil is a different experience than wax based and so if you are in doubt I do suggest you purchase the 12 count tin set for yourself and see if you enjoy them as much as I and thousands of others do.

The pigments in these pencils are SUPER bright. And they're so smooth to draw with-- way, way better than any wax based pencils. People compare Polychromos to Prismacolor a lot, and I have to say both are very high quality. But I much prefer Polychromos. It's not even close. But it depends on what kind of art you like to do. Polychromos gives finer lines but prismacolor is soft and easy to blend. Besides the performance, these pencils are so pretty. And so is the metal tin. Definitely worth buying if you're an artist/have artist friends. It might look pricey at first, but if you ask me you're paying for top-notch quality.

New comment: don't know why I love them...but I do! I'd 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 don't 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 aren't as heavy & waxy. It's 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 doesn't 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 aren't 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 don't those pieces thoroughly, it's like mixing colored sprinkles into cake batter, you get flecks or pieces of color in the finished product. Great when it's a cake, not so much when it's on your artwork! This is a pretty bad issue...if it wasn't for the streaking thing, I'd give these pencils 5 stars easy!! I bought the 36 set some months ago, I'm graduating up to the 120 because they are nice pencils!! Prisma still rates #1...but these are a pretty close 2nd!

Let me start by saying that I am not an artist. I do, however, enjoy coloring in adult coloring books. I like trying different techniques with colored pencils, watercolor pencils, gel pens, and markers. I had purchased cheaper colored pencils such as Marco Raffine, Artist Loft, and a few other brands. Then I purchased Prismacolor Premier pencils and realized that they were much better than those cheaper sets. I can blend, shade, lighten colors, & deepen colors much more effectively. I had been looking at Faber Castell Polychromos, which are quite a bit more expensive than Prismacolors, and really wanted to see what they were like. I purchased just a few to start and then I decided to purchase the 120 ct set. Obviously, the Faber Castell pencils put the cheap sets to shame. But, I'm not sure I like them as much as Prismacolor pencils. Prismacolors are more vibrant and much easier to blend and shade with. That said, it's very hard to keep a sharp point on a Prismacolor pencil. They break easily if you apply too much pressure. Where as the Faber Castells do hold a point without breaking easily. They are harder than Prismacolor. So, they last longer. I highly recommend having both sets if you can afford them as they provide different colors and finishes. I can blend the Faber Castells. It's just more difficult. The Faber Castell pencils offer colors that can be used for skin tones that the Prismacolor pencils do not. While these are more expensive than Prismacolors, they are worth the price as they will last longer. To me, the cost will be the same in the long run. I'm happy with this purchase and will order them again in the future. At least Amazon makes them affordable. I priced them at several online art suppliers and couldn't have offered them anywhere but on Amazon.

Veio bem embalado, a entrega foi dentro do prazo. Os lápis são exatamente como eu havia visto em outras avaliações, são macios, mesclam bem entre si, as cores são bem intensas, a espessura do lápis é confortável para segurar e a qualidade do material é excelente. Recomendo a compra.

These coloured pencils really are worth the extra money over cheaper options. This is my second set of these pencils and I couldn't be happier with the purchases. Presentation The Pencils just look premium as soon as you see them or pick them up. They come in a metal tin, giving beautiful presentation and a professional look. Quality The quality of the pencils is of a very high standard, when you move up from buying Caryola coloured pencils to these, you can really see why they cost that little bit extra. The pencils also sharpen very well, I haven't had any breaks in the lead. Usage The pencils are Polychromos - for those of you who aren't massively 'into' art and different types of pencils, this basically means they are blendable. They produce very vivid colours - even more so when colours are added on top of one another to produce layers making the colour stand out on the page. I would highly recommend these pencils to anyone looking for a more professional or quality set. The range of colours provided is sufficient for a beginner like me.

Aantrekkelijk geprijsd. Goede kwaliteit en goed verpakt.

The complete set of the Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils as 3 trays of 40 each inside a metal tin. These are true artist grade pencils (a term which is widely misused) with highly pigmented thick cores all of which have lightfast ratings, which are also available as open stock. The barrels are rounded and the pencils come pre-sharpened. They have excellent weight and thickness and their high quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up and start to use them. Polychromos are at the harder end of the spectrum of colour pencils, while still being soft enough to be a pleasure to use. This means they hold their points well and are more durable than softer pencils and are exceptional at fine details, shading and layering. The colour range is great with tones just far enough apart, and includes an exceptional range of greys, something some other sets tend to blank on. Do not expect to find punchy neons or artificial colours here, but the set is perfect for any natural/realistic art from landscapes, botanicals, cityscapes and still life through to animals and portraits. 3 metallic pencils are included which are good for metallic coloured pencils, but you should not expect any metallic coloured pencil to appear truly metallic in the way some other media can. Do note, that as with any truly good pencil, the best results do require good paper. While the price may seem a lot to those used to budget pencils, for anyone who uses their pencils a lot, the thick core, durability and ability to replace the pencils you use most as singles rather than the whole set make these better value than a quick glance at the price may imply, and they are one of the cheaper options of professional artist grade coloured pencils. For amateurs and colourists who may not care about lightfast ratings they are still a pleasure to use and they put a smile on my face when I use them. I would note that the tin, while it provides excellent protection for the pencils in transit, is not the easiest to use the pencils from on a day to day basis and you may wish to consider artist drawers or a folder-style pencil case with individual loops. If you are moving to this tier of pencils I would advocate checking out video reviews of the different artist grade brands from a variety of sources first, and potentially consider buying a couple of open stock singles as a test to ensure they are the right choice for you before investing in the full set. (Edit 23/12/2025: Added swatch of Polychromos as 1, 2, 3 and heavy layers on Strathmore 300 Bristol Vellum)

J'ai choisi la boîte métallique de 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos et je suis absolument ravi de mon achat. La qualité est au rendez-vous dès l'ouverture : la présentation est soignée et le large choix de couleurs permet de répondre à tous les besoins, du croquis rapide aux illustrations les plus détaillées. Les crayons offrent une excellente pigmentation, avec des couleurs riches et lumineuses qui se superposent très facilement. La mine est à la fois résistante et précise, ce qui permet de travailler les détails sans craindre les cassures fréquentes. Les dégradés sont fluides et le rendu final est particulièrement professionnel. Les crayons glissent parfaitement sur le papier et se taillent facilement. Après plusieurs utilisations, ils confirment leur réputation de référence dans le monde du dessin et du coloriage artistique. J'ai complété avec un set polychrome de PRISMACOLOR (couleurs plus vives et mines plus tendres (et plus cassantes..)). C'est un budget mais le rendu est archi pro. En résumé : un coffret complet, de très grande qualité, qui justifie pleinement son prix. Que vous soyez amateur exigeant ou artiste confirmé, les Polychromos sont un excellent investissement. Je recommande sans hésitation.