Thank you for this review. I have the Sanford pencils from the 90’s, and loved them. But, when it came time to buy a new set, I decided to get the Polychromos because of all the complaints about the new Prismacolors. I do not like the Polychromos at all because they are too hard. So, I ended up buying the Prismacolors, too. I totally agree with everything you said here. There is nothing like a creamy Prismacolor pencil!
I actually have a set of 16 old "Barol Prismacolor" that I have never used. My mother in law had from around 1970. I don't even own the new ones since I'm more of a watercolorist. Thanks for sharing! Love your videos.
Hey, Lindsay :) FYI - you can use any similar sized unsharpened pencil and glue your short pencil to it. You get to use all your pencil that way and don't have to bother with pencil extenders which don't always work well :)
I wonder if you can take a cheap cheap cheap colored pencil and cut it with a scroll saw to give you a flat side. Or cut it into several pieces and glue a pencil nib to each side to make them more travelable... now my mind is racing lol
Was looking into these pencils to buy, and you answered all the questions I had concerning the bad comments I'd been reading. Thank you! It set my mind at ease a lot!
I have loved my prismacolor through the years as well. I had a giggle with you using them with the cardinal as the grey was a discontinued color and the people who can never substitute will go crazy to find that color.
Wonderful comparison and really love the artwork you created with these! Lovely! I haven't had any failures with the newer versions, but my older Berols are still holding up. I will say though, when I pick a pencil out of my container, I will often put the Prismacolor back in favor of my old Spectracolors, every time. They just seem softer and more pliable, especially on heavier coloring. Thanks for sharing your observations on these! Well done! :)
Thanks Mark! I really had to hold myself back from ordering a big set of these (for when my massive collection runs out LOL!) I love soft smudgy pencils and I am so pleased that Prismacolor got their act together and corrected the problems they were having.
Thanks for the comparison, my prismas are from the 70s and 80s. I bought a new 150 set the past summer. I have about 10 colors they no longer make and have discovered there are a couple of colors that are labeled the same but are different shades. I thought I was going crazy about the lead size being a little different. Thanks for letting me know, I not!
Thank you for all the research you do you have saved me a lot of money and time. I've used Prisma for almost 3 decades and I've noticed a small difference but nothing enough for me to stop buying or using. Also like using electric sharpener vs regular manual one, I know they say not good to do but I prefer it.
So glad you did this video. I love my prisms pencils. I inherited them from my mom. It's been sad to hear all the grief they've been given lately. Your flower is gorgeous. I wish I could color like that.
Hey Lindsey!! Just so you know...you are not the only one who can’t keep a plant alive!! I’m horrible with plants!! I’m really happy that you did this video I’ve been hesitant to purchase the Prisma colored pencils because everyone said they were having problems with them breaking. And would you think about doing a video on making the rice bags? Sewing isn’t really my thing...but I would really like to learn how to make them! I wouldn’t know about what kind of fabric to use or the amount of rice...maybe you’ve already done a video...if you have I would appreciate a link!! Thank you Lindsey...you are an awesome person and teacher!! 🦋
+Cheryl Cullen I did one. I can't link on my phone but search "rice bag" on my blog or search bar (looks like a magnifying glass) on my CZcams channel page.
Great video Lindsay! 😁 I have about 120 of the Sanford prismacolor. I picked up the 150 set on black Friday for $49. I figured for that why not & get 30 colors I don't have. 😉 I have noticed the cores have a slight size difference, but they are a little cheaper in price too, so that works. I remember buying them open stock for around $2.79 a pencil back in 2006 & when I picked up a few open stock a few months ago they were $1.89. I also have the verithins. They are great for details, I like them as well, they aren't too hard. I use them on my burnings. The biggest thing that helps them not to break as much are the shorter sharp leads vs long & sharp. You may have to sharpen more, but it saves having to do tricks to fix or buy a new pencil. The style of sharpening that they come in now seems to work the best. I do remember the all day sharpening when I got my set of 72 in 2005... lol 😆
I have some old Berol and Laurentien pencils too, I sort of miss the old brands. They remind me of the fun I had as a kid coloring stuff with those pencils. Thanks for this comparison Lindsay, it's very useful! (And that trick to re-fuse a lead in the pencil is brilliant!!)
I just bought a set of 150 for approximately $65 from Jerry's artarama. I love them! I had some cheaper quality pencils and treated myself last month. I saw the sales on Amazon and shopped around a bit. The 72 piece set was a poor value in comparison to the Jerry's price of the 150 so that's what I bought. I am happy with them and definitely noticed a big difference from the lesser quality pencils I had. I am super happy with the way they layer and take to the page. I have several coloring books and the quality of the paper is less than ideal, but, the pencils themselves are really good. Thanks for the update Lindsay. It's nice to see that even though you have been using them for a very long time, you can still be objective.
I'm so so glad you did this, Lindsay! I've heard you sharing those comments about broken leads and less consistency of pigment, etc., and I got my set of 48 last year for Christmas (or was it two years ago?) and I've had none of the issues mentioned. I love my Prismacolor pencils. I spent so much money on craft stuff on Black Friday and then on Cyber Monday that I didn't dare to buy even a $20 set of pencils after all that. ;-) But I'll be watching for a good deal for the larger set, although even the set of 48 makes me happy. :)
Thanks Lindsay that was really helpful! I’ve used prismacolors for years and hesitated buying the new ones because of all the issues I’ve heard...watching you work with them gave me a shot to see them in action. I might splurge and get a small set to give them a try! Thanks again😊
Thanks for the rice heating pad idea for heating the pencils that you might have broken leads. I'm definitely going to try it. I heard about turning the sharpener instead of the pencil and think it works better too. Love this review!
My mom was an architect student in college in the 80s and still has lots of her old Prisma Colours left over from that time, many of them relatively unused, besides the black and white ones. Since I only had about five proper Prisma Colours (Which I had stolen from my art studio in school) she said I could use them. Suprisingly, they worked about as fine as the newer ones, besides the obvious hardness of the pencils. The only problem was that since they had been sitting in a metal spaghetti tin for over 30 years, lots of them had the tips broken off, which left me having to sharpen them for about an hour. PS the Sharpner that she had in the tin (which is even older, probably from the late 70's) is THE BEST sharpener I've ever used. This baby has been sitting in that tin for decades, then comes out with the tiniest amount of rust on it, and is sharpening pencils like there's no tomorrow.
my mom did almost the exact same to me, but I never knew anything about her past, and I was just so amazed when she just had this metal toolbox full of berols and verithins
Thanks for the review Lindsay. This is reassuring to know as I just purchased a set of 48 for my nieces Christmas gift. This will be her first set of artist grade pencils. She's 10 and colored pencils are her favorite medium. Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday season. ✨💞✨ 🎄🎄🎄
What a great video Lindsay and how cute that you had your first set of Prismacolor Pencils bought for you when you were five years old. You obviously showed talent in art at a very early age. :O)
Just stumbled across this video and thank you - I was in the US a while ago and I was excited to buy a set of Prismacolor (which are expensive here in the UK) and I was so disappointed with the quality. I sharpened one almost half way down and it splintered and broke, even with brand new sharpeners. I only used it once. I would be very interested to see if the newer sets have solved a lot of the issues - it would be insane of Prismacolor to not listen to the reviews and sort out the quality control. But since then I've found other pencils I like better and the quality is more consistent, so I don't think I'll be buying any more from them. Glad to hear that the quality seems to be improving.
Lindsey, AC Moore has the Prismacolor 36 count tin on sale this week for $10.00. The regular price is $59.99. I personally love them and have quite a collection so I got some to give as gifts.
Thanks for the review of the newer pencils. I've been using them since elementary school, but I don't have any of my old ones left. However, my hubby and I have the newer full set and we love them.
Hi Lindsay! I find people like to complain and then it's trendy to complain. I've wanted a huge set of Prismacolors for years but could never afford them. A year ago after many years after college of figuring out what I wanted to do in the insurance industry I found a great job with a great company, bought a house in October (because I knew I'd be at this company until I retire and before that I commuted two hours ONE way 5 days a week) and now that everything is comfortable and my mortgage is less than what I spent in gas a month I bought the 150 set when they went on sale a monthish ago. My first thought was they're changing packaging and I learned later I was right. As with all media I'm hardly proficient but I'm determined to learn. I bought your drawing course and also have the bluprint colored pencil course (I really like it). The bluprint course introduced color recipes and I found myself just spending down time combining only 6 primary colors. I find it theraputic and something to do while on the couch when I don't want to drag out a set and try to color an image. Also got me use to how the pencils feel and to practice my pressure. I also purchased a book on color theory and watched some great videos online about it so I knew I was going to try to make other palettes of the split primaries. Needless to say I worked some poor pencils down to near stubs. I was going to buy openstock but I anticipate replacing a lot more anyway in the coming montgs and when I looked online they were still on sale but with the new packaging so crazy me bought another full set. I just really like them. I dont plan on ever selling my work or holding on to it forever and ever. It brings joy just doing it and I'm unsentimental. I didn't have "old" versions or other brands to compare them to so maybe thats why I like them so much and a 1.19 pencil that may need replacing more often or break more often is still better to me than a $5 pencil that I wouldn't be able to just sit and make color recipes with because I would be wasting it in my mind. Anyway I've watched you for years and just love watching you make stuff lol. I'm working on doing more than watching.
Hi Lindsay I have prismacolor for about 20+ years and my son for longer than that. Some colors the wood is not glue correctly and have some break. I use the heat technique with them. About a year ago purchased the complete set. I love them. But I find that people use them hard and it’s a soft pencil that you could blend and blend. The only negative for me is that I can’t see well the writing on it. Some of us with not great vision the color and shining of the pencil doesn’t work well this our eyesight. Other than that I Love ❤️ them. Thanks for all sharing your talent with us. Many Blessings for you and family. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁
I find using an exacto blade and sandpaper negates the breakage issue with sharpening. It also helps by not sharpening as much lead away as a traditional sharpener, so my pencils last longer too. I also use the green straws from 711 as pencil extenders. The diameter of the straw fits snug around the pencil and i stick an unsharpened end in the other side for stability without having to glue another pencil to it. I keep the finally unusable nubs (and when i get the, for me, very rare point breakage) for crushing the leftover pigment and using it with a solvent for background "smudges".
Thanks for the video. I have stayed away from them due to all the negative feedback, but I really like the creaminess of the pencils, the color vibrancy and the lower price, so I think I'll give them a try. We like to use the Kutsuwa STAD T'GAAL Angle Adjustable Pencil Sharpener with a setting of "1" to get a shorter color section and that helps with tip breakage.
Hi Lindsay, I have some of the older ones and love them, I do have an other brand but they are not nearly as good, but they will do in a pinch when I need a colour that I don't have in Prismacolor , always good to have a review, TFS, Cheers Anna.
Thanks for the updated information. Great video! Bought a new 150 set from Dick Blick for $74! I plan on making a color chart and always laminate my charts. Can Prismacolor pencils withstand thermal lamination? Thanks !
Thanks Lindsay. Phew! So glad you think that Prismacolor are good pencils. I just paid $140 for the full set in Australia. Hope you and your family have an awesome Christmas. Marion
Thanks for doing this. I love my Prismas but I have had breakage issues. The tip you gave with the heating pad is great and something I will be trying the next time I have a break. I have been supergluing my broken pencil tips back in and that works but I want to try your tip, so, thank you.
I bought a set of (non-colored) drawing pencils by Derwent years ago and it came with a small but quite heavy manual sharpener with two different holes for two different angles of blade. What's nice about the manual sharpeners is that you can see exactly what part of the pencil you are cutting and exactly what angle. The holes are big enough that you can turn the pencil however you want, thereby adjusting the cut angle even further. The problem with every other kind of sharpener, is that you're cutting blind (you can't see what's happening) and I'm not surprised people experience issues while sharpening.
I got a set a few months ago and love them. Haven't had any issues at all even despite my clumsiness and many, many drops. I use a hand crank sharpener so I guess it's the same as turning the smaller sharpener manually. The thinner lead doesn't bother me because I sharpen the tip well before I get to the point where I would be using the very edges of the lead.
Thank You so much for this video. I purchased several Prismacolor sets in the last year & had no idea that "artists" thought they were no good until the last week or so. I am very relieved to have watched this & to have gotten a few hints from you too. I love Lachri's channel, glad you approve! Thanks, TreeZ'S
I have the complete set, and have used prismacolor since the early 80s as well. I do have trouble with barrels cracking on the new. The colors are still rich though and so I use them daily and use them to teach. 😄
I just had to check my 132pc Premiere set for country of origin. Bought it online way back in 2010 from Blick, and at the time they were not pre-sharpened yet. Must have been about the time they were transitioning to Mexico because I had 4 Mexico pencils mixed in with the rest of the US ones. There's a small "USA" or "Mexico" blind embossed on the barrel, but the difference is also in the font of the brand "Prismacolor" on the barrel. The USA ones are in a skinny capital font, while the Mexico ones are in a blocky capital font. I have to say, though, that the leads in some of the US pencils were not immune to being off-center. The leads of the US-made pencils also varied in diameter from color to color. I bought Premiere blender pencils along with the set, and they were made in Mexico.
I hope they are doing well for you, I still love my prismas, there is noting like the color payoff and opacity in the pastel range for me. It seems like they have gotten their act together again, I think there were issues when they first moved factories. Ihope you are still enjoying yours!
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich I haven't sharpened them all, but the ones I did (all USA) have been good. :) Now that there's a 150 set, I'm craving the other 18 colors I don't have, lol. You got your set sooo cheep ($59)! @_@
Excellent video comparison Lindsay. I have both old and when the price really dropped before it began to go up again when the coloring book craze started I bought the new ones for next to nothing. I found many with off center leads, and they split and cracked. I am only about half way through your video so forgive me if you are going to speak on this, but they are using a lighter or softer wood also. I think it is still a cedar of some sort but I think it is lighter weight too. I still like them but yes the quality control is poorer. I have heard that if you have an off center pencil they will replace it but I am unsure if this is true and I have never tried. I do find that many have broken lead inside, and I am going to have to try your heating method. Thanks for the video. I’m also wondering if maybbe the subtle changes in pigment could be bbecause some were old enough that lightfastness changed over time. I mean obviously the lea inside a pencil should remain the same but maybe the wax base changes the pigment slightly. Who knows, but I don’t think it was enough to be a probblem.
I really appreciate your honesty on this one. I think this is a much more honest version of the one you did a way back. Being brand loyal and having to admit some of the faults I know is hard. I too have the Barol ones and stanford and even verithin from decades ago, I am going to dig them back out because I think also Eagle and some other manufactureres of prismacolor exist too but it might be a slight variation of the name to capatilize on its popularity in the past. I like Lachri also but I went and dug through to find my favorite colored pencil review and those are both from Jason Morgan - Wildlife Art from back in 2015 his Best white colored pencil review - Polychromos, luminance, Derwent ETC - Jason Morgan, and his "Colored pencils review - Derwent, Polychromos, Prisma, faber-castell" reviews. He also speaks of what a lot of new artists are not really aware of and that is "lightfast" and what it means if your going to be serious and responsible about selling your art. Was pleased to see Lachri Fine Art finally address the lightfastness issue in one of her more recent videos awhile back as well. If I find some legit prismacolor makers other than the ones you stated in my stash, I'll update this.
Looks like pencils are not the only thing your hard on, chill out woman geez. Maybe you need to look into her past Prismacolor videos and yes the faults she mentioned were indeed a big deal at the time and sometimes as she clearly shows, still are.
Thank you for this comparison! I use prismas frequently as I like how well they blend. I also use them to teach with in my studio. I dont get the hate for them at all LOL! I have had some quality issues with the splitting and such over the years that I have used them, but I do feel they have worked on some of the QC issues. Also, that toned paper is wonderful with conte and charcoal too. My students love it as well as the gray toned.
I still have my Berol Prismacolors from the late seventies!!! (They are really small but I love them!). In Venezuela, Berol P. was the standard brand for color pencils. I'll check what other makers I have now. Thanks for the review!
I guess im lucky for receiving an older set of the sanford prismacolors from my grandmother as a gift since she had never used them. They were brand new!
You can email Prisma or call customer service about the pencil that is off center and they may replace it, I have known several people that have done that.
Hi, Lindsay. Thank you so much for this video. After years of waiting, I finally got my Prismacolor Premier 150 set of colored pencils. I got them last August, 2022, before the notification came out that two of the purple pencils were going to be discontinued. I have no idea how to put these pencils in color family order, and wondered if you had family color order swatch sheets that I could purchase for this set. I have a download from another reviewer I follow, but you are my number one go to person for accurate, honest reviews and videos on how to use different coloring products. I learn so much more from you than other reviewers and teachers. I trust your color order for these pencils more than anyone else. Do you have any family color order swatch sheets for this set that I could purchase?
Hello, Lindsay, I'm so very sorry for asking. Please don't be offended with me. I have no idea what the correct family color orders are for any pencils, so I bought some swatch sheets from another reviewer. As good as they are at color theory, I knew your insight would be better. I know you don't swatch your pencils, I just thought that, because they are the Prismacolor Premium 150 set, you might have had others with no knowledge of color theory asking about the correct order. I am very sorry, because an artist of your caliber would have no need and no time for anything like that. I hope the sincere comments of admiration that I have made over the years about your beautiful artwork, your wonderful talent in so many different art mediums, and the great gift that you have for teaching will make up for my blunder. You give us so much in tips and how to use our art supplies that we would never get from anyone else. I get writer's cramp taking notes.
Wow! Thanks for doing this video. I hadn't seen this one before. I have a large set of the Berol Prismacolor color pencils too...purchased in the late 80s and wondered about the difference. I know the new ones have the soft core, and I have some of them too. And now I've fallen in love with FC Polychromos. But I'd like to see what you think. So I'm gonna watch now.😁
At first I was put off getting Prismacolor because so many arty acquaintances online had expressed their dissatisfaction regarding quality and breakage issues. I bought the 72 set last year for £30 from Amazon because they suddenly got cheap and just fancied trying them out for myself- seeing if they really had issues or if they were as amazing as some others had said. They are great value for money pencils, no doubt I prefer my Polychromos but Polys are more than double the price! I do like my Prismacolor- the blending and smooth application is quite unique, but I don't find myself using them very often- the majority are not as lightfast as I'd like them to be, so the Polychromos end up getting favoured. Perhaps I'll start using them more for sketchbook pieces... :)
+Claudia Sketches I have prismacolor art that has been hanging on the wall for 15 years with no fading so I am not too concerned. I always frame them under glass which helps bit honestly I use them mostly for cards or in my sketchbooks. I prefer to work on colored paper or over watercolor so the opacity of prismacolor is wonderful.
Great review.....this was very informative and I may just have to try them again! Mine break constantly and I will try the new sharpening method and see if that helps! TFS
I'm new at it, but haven't had a single problem with the Prismacolors (and I sprung for the 150 set in a fit of Corona hoarding weakness, ha). I've even done some burnishing with them, and no problem. After hearing of the breakages, I did store them near a sunny window for a few days (springtime temps, tho), in case the warmth would meld any broken ones together. But I find them absolutely wonderful. It's one of those "if loving them is wrong, I don't wanna be right, because being right means spending about 4 times as much on the polychromos and I'd rather live a prismacolor life!" I'm pretty sure that's how the old song lyrics go, right, ha-ha. I have not regretted this buy for a second. Thx.
I have purchased the Mango set just to try the primas and was not disappointed in their creaminess and color ability. I did buy the 72 set at Amazon for $24 with free shipping. I use a brass barrel sharpener and turn the sharpener rather than the pencil and it works lickers split. They have become my go-to set for coloring and drawing.
This is very helpful. Funny, I also bought the Manga set to try. Didn't get the deal you got but still. I got it because there was less overlap on colors, so if I got a bigger set later I wouldn't duplicate every color. I also wanted to try the Verithin and this was a cheaper way. Thanks.
I have prismacolors that still have Eagle on them which was the original company that started them in 1938 through 1969 when they became berols...I even have a few berols, those pencils at the time were unsurpassed...they still give me amazing results
Same for me Lindsay, know i erase just like you did, this is the best tip this Lady gave because i never had any trouble to have a nice sharp point on my Prisma colored pencils! I saw on Amazon the New Prismacolor pencils and the price was 199.99 US. so i don't know if they sell the company but one thing is shure every where the Prismacolor Pencils are on special at a very cheap price. Thank you for the great video!
What a awesome video. I love Prisma Colors, but still trying for best results. I always gives me the wax bloom. Had tried all the tips and techniques. Don't pressure to hard etc. You seem to use a LOT of pencils over each other. How did you prevent it for wax bloom? Or are you coloring over the wax bloom?
@@thefrugalcrafter Thanks so much for your VERY quick response and tips. Love your videos. They made me laugh and I enjoying them. Hope there will be more pencil video's. :)
Great to have this review. I always like to know if a company improves in time. Sadly not in this case. I have a lot of Prismacolor pencils from different time periods. The oldest were the best.
Lindsey? Did YT pull your ads on this or did you post without? Really neat to see a trusted crafter spend time to show a comparison. Really appreciate your commitment to testing before recommendation
I just got a 72 set a few months ago (cheap from Amazon) for my Colors class and I couldn't be happier with them. They were creamy, smooth, layered so beautifully. They sharpen perfectly as well, so I have no complaints. I do dislike using an electric sharpener, I feel it eats away too much of the pencil when it sharpens. (A classmate borrowed a few of my lovely pencils--It was difficult to allow him to do so! lol) and used the teachers electric sharpener and the pencil came back to me a third gone. So, I prefer a manual sharpener and in fact, Prismacolor makes one that I love so much I've got three in three different locations depending on my needs! I also would encourage holding the pencil and turning the sharpener.
Not sure why gluing pencils together would be a problem. Just glue the end of the old pencil to the unsharpened end of the new pencil, giving you two pointed ends. Use up the old pencil as far as you can after gluing, sharpening as you go. When the old pencil is used up, just flip the pencil over to the new pencil's already sharpened end and keep coloring. Would that work, or does the core have a grain that has to be worked from the same direction, top to bottom of pencil?
I had a similar issue with my Goldenrod... There was a standard one in the set instead of the premier brand pencil, so the company sent me a replacement. I love my PrismaPremier colored pencils, they were recently purchased, but also my Caran D’Ache ones. Great tutorial on layering with the petals. Thanks, Lindsay!!
I only noticed the problem after the change. Even though, there were some problems. I never gave up on the Prismacolors. I love the Prismacolors Thin ones too! They are great for detail. My kids stole my pencils.
The reason that blue 1040 is so streaky is because it's a fluorescent color. If you shine a blacklight on it it glows exactly how it's named, a beautiful electric blue.
Thank you for this awesome video! I’ve been working with my Berol set I bought back in high school. I recently bought a 72 set of Prismacolor on amazon and the quality was awful! Very hard and streaky. I assumed Prismacolor had just changed over the years. But your video led to more investigation. A quick trips to my local art store to test out their Prismacolors and they were awesome. Almost exactly like my old Berols just as this video shows. I am hesitant to assert that counterfeits are being sold on amazon but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time I bought something on amazon that turned out to be counterfeit junk. Anyway, I’m going to do a quick CZcams video on the experience soon. I’ll link to your video. Thanks!
Huh, I never thought about that. The prices now are the same as Jerry's and blick so you can order from a supplier. Thete was a few years of bad production quality and the electric blue color is conistantly awful but the rest were great.
I doubt anyone will see this, but I recently started using prismacolors. I have a prismacolor set from multiple years ago and a new one. I wonder if I shouldn’t mix them when I organize them just in case the formulas are different. Any suggestions?
What I miss is my Prismacolors Metal Anniversary container! Did you have one? A schoolteacher, took it from my son! He needed colored pencils. So of course, He took Moms! The swiped that Metal Prismacolors Container. She threw it away!
Love love your videos and generosity of sharing! :) to be honest though, I'm saving my money for the prismas after trying a small set and they're so easy on a slightly disabled hand - you're right, the more videos coming out praising prismacolor premier, will increase the price beyond many people's funds. Social media reviews ruined their reputation and now scared I and others will miss out. Certainly not blaming you! 'Tis the nature and power of social media, so fingers crossed can save enough in times After some amazing deals over Xmas/new year, missed out and a full set shot up from seventy dollars to one hundred and ninety one dollars! Eek! xo
If you are still saving by next christmas AC Moore usually runs specials, they had the 36 set for $10 and they had a lot of them and they had the 72 set on black friday for 20 but Amazon run similar sales too. Just check amazon often and also look at the different package deals as sometimes the sets with the pencil sharpener is cheaper than without.
I mainly work with polychromos, but for students it'll be cheaper for me to get them to use prismas. I'll buy a small set to give them a try. They do seem to give great colors.
I haven't had major problems with breaking. Been using Prisma's since 1961, think they were Eagle at that time and now with over 1200 pencils in my stash, they are still my "go to" when all else fails. The only huge disappointment was the new Polychromos, they break, laydown is miserable and the oil shine is just unacceptable. The old Poly's were probably as nice as the old Prisma.
I don't think anything is ever happening to Prismacolor. I'd say they're definitely the go to artist quality pencils for most people. Every single one of my art/drawing professors has required that we use them, and I have found them to be an absolute dream to use, personally.
My biggest problem with the prismacolor is them breaking. To me thats what changed more so than the color. The cores are not always centered in the newer ones. I got a whole set where the core was slightly off with the whole set. They are impossible to sharpen.
+Gina Phelps how long ago. I am aware of the issues but I think those were the the first ones from mexico. The recent ones seem better. They might replace them if the leads are off center. Take a photo and email them.
I'm glad the quality suffered for a while as it caused me to splurge on the Luminance pencils by Caran D'Ache. Prismacolors and Luminance are wax based, which is why they go down so creamy and you can fix the leads with heat. Polychromes are oil based and much harder. Luminance pencils are everything I love about prismacolors times ten! They are pricy but I had Amazon gift certificate to cover part of the full set and I've never been happier. Check out some of Lachri's comparison videos!
They have changed quality or so I'm told. I still have the two 120 sets of Sanford's from 1995 or so and some spares. I know a youtube poster (Lachri Fine Art) who did mention this a few years ago. Mine were made in the USA. I see you made a comment on her posting about Prismacolor vs Faber Castell.
I have to say Prismacolor step up a bit on their quality control issue. I bought a tin by Rubbermaid, and never have a breakage issue at all. The only problem is the same as your white. Some pencils I can see where the wood casing glued together.
I've been using prismas since 2009 and noticed that a year or two after that they spit a lot to the point that I would waste a good portion of the pencil sharpening it without putting it to good use. There was a hack stating that when buying open stock to inspect both ends to see if they were center and found that it helped a lot. But recently I started buying open stock again and found that the presharpened, black text pencils are better than 2011-2013 prismacolors. So I think they're safe to buy again for anyone interested in creamy, opaque pencils(I prefer harder, more buildable pencils such as CarenD'ach's Pablo and Faber Castells) I don't really use exclusively prismacolors anymore. My collections is mostly Blick Studios and Faber Castells with openstock prismas and other brands.
FreaklessEvolution all the higher end brands are useful. I personally prefer to start softer with washes and blended washes and reserve broken pieces for this purpose then go to building more layers and when you can’t get a needed final layer-here comes a soft and creamy Prisma to the rescue.
Hi Lindsay, I have a set of 36 Prismacolor Premier colored pencils that don't tell me until the bottom of the tin that they are water soluble. If both Prismacolor pencils, regular and water soluble call themselves Premier on the tin, how can you be sure what you are ordering online when the water soluble is not shown in the description? Also, how can you be sure your order will be well padded when packed for shipping so they do not break? I have heard enough about so many quality problems with the "new" Prismacolors that I am very nervous about getting the really big 150 set I would like to have. I am not an artist, but would like to have high quality pencils to help to turn out the best coloring and blending that I can. Thanks! Dee
I've only ever colored with Crayola and Prisma. I used to spend all my time with Prismas. Mainly because of how creamy they are! And yes pencils are very time consuming, hence why I hardly ever upload colored pencil videos to my channel anymore D: Thought about getting the Polychromos set but I'm still hesitant to try them out. Buuut they're on my Christmas list so maybe someone will be nice enough to get them for me !
Oops, there goes that pencil! 😂 I almost died laughing. Guess that one will need the heating pad treatment. I bought a full set last year and I only have one problem child, I mean pencil, that keeps breaking, of course it's one of my most often used colors, I'll have to try that heating technique. Thanks for the video!
Thank you for this review. I have the Sanford pencils from the 90’s, and loved them. But, when it came time to buy a new set, I decided to get the Polychromos because of all the complaints about the new Prismacolors. I do not like the Polychromos at all because they are too hard. So, I ended up buying the Prismacolors, too. I totally agree with everything you said here. There is nothing like a creamy Prismacolor pencil!
I actually have a set of 16 old "Barol Prismacolor" that I have never used. My mother in law had from around 1970. I don't even own the new ones since I'm more of a watercolorist. Thanks for sharing! Love your videos.
Hey, Lindsay :) FYI - you can use any similar sized unsharpened pencil and glue your short pencil to it. You get to use all your pencil that way and don't have to bother with pencil extenders which don't always work well :)
I never thought of that. great idea!
What a good tip!! Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if you can take a cheap cheap cheap colored pencil and cut it with a scroll saw to give you a flat side. Or cut it into several pieces and glue a pencil nib to each side to make them more travelable... now my mind is racing lol
Was looking into these pencils to buy, and you answered all the questions I had concerning the bad comments I'd been reading. Thank you!
It set my mind at ease a lot!
I'm guessing the black writing provides better contrast against the white and cream pencils.
oh, that makes total sense, thanks!
I have loved my prismacolor through the years as well. I had a giggle with you using them with the cardinal as the grey was a discontinued color and the people who can never substitute will go crazy to find that color.
hahaha, life is too short to worry about a discontinued color (a discontinued perfume or lipstick, now that is a different story LOL!)
Wonderful comparison and really love the artwork you created with these! Lovely! I haven't had any failures with the newer versions, but my older Berols are still holding up. I will say though, when I pick a pencil out of my container, I will often put the Prismacolor back in favor of my old Spectracolors, every time. They just seem softer and more pliable, especially on heavier coloring. Thanks for sharing your observations on these! Well done! :)
Thanks Mark! I really had to hold myself back from ordering a big set of these (for when my massive collection runs out LOL!) I love soft smudgy pencils and I am so pleased that Prismacolor got their act together and corrected the problems they were having.
Thanks for the comparison, my prismas are from the 70s and 80s. I bought a new 150 set the past summer. I have about 10 colors they no longer make and have discovered there are a couple of colors that are labeled the same but are different shades. I thought I was going crazy about the lead size being a little different. Thanks for letting me know, I not!
Thank you for all the research you do you have saved me a lot of money and time. I've used Prisma for almost 3 decades and I've noticed a small difference but nothing enough for me to stop buying or using. Also like using electric sharpener vs regular manual one, I know they say not good to do but I prefer it.
So glad you did this video. I love my prisms pencils. I inherited them from my mom. It's been sad to hear all the grief they've been given lately. Your flower is gorgeous. I wish I could color like that.
Hey Lindsey!! Just so you know...you are not the only one who can’t keep a plant alive!! I’m horrible with plants!! I’m really happy that you did this video I’ve been hesitant to purchase the Prisma colored pencils because everyone said they were having problems with them breaking. And would you think about doing a video on making the rice bags? Sewing isn’t really my thing...but I would really like to learn how to make them! I wouldn’t know about what kind of fabric to use or the amount of rice...maybe you’ve already done a video...if you have I would appreciate a link!! Thank you Lindsey...you are an awesome person and teacher!! 🦋
+Cheryl Cullen I did one. I can't link on my phone but search "rice bag" on my blog or search bar (looks like a magnifying glass) on my CZcams channel page.
Great video Lindsay! 😁 I have about 120 of the Sanford prismacolor. I picked up the 150 set on black Friday for $49. I figured for that why not & get 30 colors I don't have. 😉 I have noticed the cores have a slight size difference, but they are a little cheaper in price too, so that works. I remember buying them open stock for around $2.79 a pencil back in 2006 & when I picked up a few open stock a few months ago they were $1.89. I also have the verithins. They are great for details, I like them as well, they aren't too hard. I use them on my burnings. The biggest thing that helps them not to break as much are the shorter sharp leads vs long & sharp. You may have to sharpen more, but it saves having to do tricks to fix or buy a new pencil. The style of sharpening that they come in now seems to work the best. I do remember the all day sharpening when I got my set of 72 in 2005... lol 😆
you got a great deal!
I have some old Berol and Laurentien pencils too, I sort of miss the old brands. They remind me of the fun I had as a kid coloring stuff with those pencils. Thanks for this comparison Lindsay, it's very useful! (And that trick to re-fuse a lead in the pencil is brilliant!!)
+Eve Bolt - Bolt's Vault thanks Eve!
I just bought a set of 150 for approximately $65 from Jerry's artarama. I love them! I had some cheaper quality pencils and treated myself last month. I saw the sales on Amazon and shopped around a bit. The 72 piece set was a poor value in comparison to the Jerry's price of the 150 so that's what I bought. I am happy with them and definitely noticed a big difference from the lesser quality pencils I had. I am super happy with the way they layer and take to the page. I have several coloring books and the quality of the paper is less than ideal, but, the pencils themselves are really good. Thanks for the update Lindsay. It's nice to see that even though you have been using them for a very long time, you can still be objective.
+mvass294evr wow. That is a good price!
I thought so too so I pulled the trigger pretty quickly on that one. Oh and free shipping too.
I'm so so glad you did this, Lindsay! I've heard you sharing those comments about broken leads and less consistency of pigment, etc., and I got my set of 48 last year for Christmas (or was it two years ago?) and I've had none of the issues mentioned. I love my Prismacolor pencils. I spent so much money on craft stuff on Black Friday and then on Cyber Monday that I didn't dare to buy even a $20 set of pencils after all that. ;-) But I'll be watching for a good deal for the larger set, although even the set of 48 makes me happy. :)
Thanks Lindsay that was really helpful! I’ve used prismacolors for years and hesitated buying the new ones because of all the issues I’ve heard...watching you work with them gave me a shot to see them in action. I might splurge and get a small set to give them a try! Thanks again😊
I think the 72 set for $24 is the best deal per pencil, I kinda wish I got that one and if I knew how good they were I would LOL!
Thanks for the rice heating pad idea for heating the pencils that you might have broken leads. I'm definitely going to try it. I heard about turning the sharpener instead of the pencil and think it works better too. Love this review!
My mom was an architect student in college in the 80s and still has lots of her old Prisma Colours left over from that time, many of them relatively unused, besides the black and white ones. Since I only had about five proper Prisma Colours (Which I had stolen from my art studio in school) she said I could use them.
Suprisingly, they worked about as fine as the newer ones, besides the obvious hardness of the pencils. The only problem was that since they had been sitting in a metal spaghetti tin for over 30 years, lots of them had the tips broken off, which left me having to sharpen them for about an hour.
PS the Sharpner that she had in the tin (which is even older, probably from the late 70's) is THE BEST sharpener I've ever used. This baby has been sitting in that tin for decades, then comes out with the tiniest amount of rust on it, and is sharpening pencils like there's no tomorrow.
These were the Berols btw
+ALunarAnimation 312 I am glad you van use them.
my mom did almost the exact same to me, but I never knew anything about her past, and I was just so amazed when she just had this metal toolbox full of berols and verithins
Thanks for the review Lindsay. This is reassuring to know as I just purchased a set of 48 for my nieces Christmas gift. This will be her first set of artist grade pencils. She's 10 and colored pencils are her favorite medium. Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday season. ✨💞✨ 🎄🎄🎄
I've got my berol 60 set from 1984. I don't use them they are the only thing I have from my kid days. Glad I'm not the only fan.
What a great video Lindsay and how cute that you had your first set of Prismacolor Pencils bought for you when you were five years old. You obviously showed talent in art at a very early age. :O)
I was a pretty lucky kid:)
Just stumbled across this video and thank you - I was in the US a while ago and I was excited to buy a set of Prismacolor (which are expensive here in the UK) and I was so disappointed with the quality. I sharpened one almost half way down and it splintered and broke, even with brand new sharpeners. I only used it once. I would be very interested to see if the newer sets have solved a lot of the issues - it would be insane of Prismacolor to not listen to the reviews and sort out the quality control. But since then I've found other pencils I like better and the quality is more consistent, so I don't think I'll be buying any more from them. Glad to hear that the quality seems to be improving.
Lindsey, AC Moore has the Prismacolor 36 count tin on sale this week for $10.00. The regular price is $59.99. I personally love them and have quite a collection so I got some to give as gifts.
thank you for always providing good information. I enjoy your videos.
Thanks for the review of the newer pencils. I've been using them since elementary school, but I don't have any of my old ones left. However, my hubby and I have the newer full set and we love them.
Thanks so much... Love my prisms and have been panicked by the comments I have bee hearing about new sets. Glad to see that they seem to be comparable
Yeah, that is why I bought a small set to see but they seem really good still, I wish I bought a bigger set LOL:)
Hi Lindsay!
I find people like to complain and then it's trendy to complain. I've wanted a huge set of Prismacolors for years but could never afford them. A year ago after many years after college of figuring out what I wanted to do in the insurance industry I found a great job with a great company, bought a house in October (because I knew I'd be at this company until I retire and before that I commuted two hours ONE way 5 days a week) and now that everything is comfortable and my mortgage is less than what I spent in gas a month I bought the 150 set when they went on sale a monthish ago. My first thought was they're changing packaging and I learned later I was right. As with all media I'm hardly proficient but I'm determined to learn. I bought your drawing course and also have the bluprint colored pencil course (I really like it). The bluprint course introduced color recipes and I found myself just spending down time combining only 6 primary colors. I find it theraputic and something to do while on the couch when I don't want to drag out a set and try to color an image. Also got me use to how the pencils feel and to practice my pressure. I also purchased a book on color theory and watched some great videos online about it so I knew I was going to try to make other palettes of the split primaries. Needless to say I worked some poor pencils down to near stubs. I was going to buy openstock but I anticipate replacing a lot more anyway in the coming montgs and when I looked online they were still on sale but with the new packaging so crazy me bought another full set. I just really like them. I dont plan on ever selling my work or holding on to it forever and ever. It brings joy just doing it and I'm unsentimental. I didn't have "old" versions or other brands to compare them to so maybe thats why I like them so much and a 1.19 pencil that may need replacing more often or break more often is still better to me than a $5 pencil that I wouldn't be able to just sit and make color recipes with because I would be wasting it in my mind. Anyway I've watched you for years and just love watching you make stuff lol. I'm working on doing more than watching.
Hi Lindsay I have prismacolor for about 20+ years and my son for longer than that. Some colors the wood is not glue correctly and have some break. I use the heat technique with them. About a year ago purchased the complete set. I love them. But I find that people use them hard and it’s a soft pencil that you could blend and blend. The only negative for me is that I can’t see well the writing on it. Some of us with not great vision the color and shining of the pencil doesn’t work well this our eyesight. Other than that I Love ❤️ them. Thanks for all sharing your talent with us. Many Blessings for you and family. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁
I have a hard time reading the metallic writing too but I do find that the painted barrels represent the color quite accurately.
I find using an exacto blade and sandpaper negates the breakage issue with sharpening. It also helps by not sharpening as much lead away as a traditional sharpener, so my pencils last longer too. I also use the green straws from 711 as pencil extenders. The diameter of the straw fits snug around the pencil and i stick an unsharpened end in the other side for stability without having to glue another pencil to it. I keep the finally unusable nubs (and when i get the, for me, very rare point breakage) for crushing the leftover pigment and using it with a solvent for background "smudges".
I like both :) This is very interesting to know, thank you for reviewing them!
Thanks for the video. I have stayed away from them due to all the negative feedback, but I really like the creaminess of the pencils, the color vibrancy and the lower price, so I think I'll give them a try. We like to use the Kutsuwa STAD T'GAAL Angle Adjustable Pencil Sharpener with a setting of "1" to get a shorter color section and that helps with tip breakage.
Hi Lindsay, I have some of the older ones and love them, I do have an other brand but they are not nearly as good, but they will do in a pinch when I need a colour that I don't have in Prismacolor , always good to have a review, TFS, Cheers Anna.
Thanks for the updated information. Great video! Bought a new 150 set from Dick Blick for $74!
I plan on making a color chart and always laminate my charts. Can Prismacolor pencils withstand thermal lamination? Thanks !
Thanks Lindsay. Phew! So glad you think that Prismacolor are good pencils. I just paid $140 for the full set in Australia. Hope you and your family have an awesome Christmas. Marion
Merry christmas to you too:) Enjoy your new pencils!
Thanks Lindsey! I love my prismacolors!
Thanks for doing this. I love my Prismas but I have had breakage issues. The tip you gave with the heating pad is great and something I will be trying the next time I have a break. I have been supergluing my broken pencil tips back in and that works but I want to try your tip, so, thank you.
I bought a set of (non-colored) drawing pencils by Derwent years ago and it came with a small but quite heavy manual sharpener with two different holes for two different angles of blade. What's nice about the manual sharpeners is that you can see exactly what part of the pencil you are cutting and exactly what angle. The holes are big enough that you can turn the pencil however you want, thereby adjusting the cut angle even further. The problem with every other kind of sharpener, is that you're cutting blind (you can't see what's happening) and I'm not surprised people experience issues while sharpening.
Hi Lindsay, I have had great success with electric sharpeners both with coloured and ordinary sketching pencils 😃
I got a set a few months ago and love them. Haven't had any issues at all even despite my clumsiness and many, many drops. I use a hand crank sharpener so I guess it's the same as turning the smaller sharpener manually. The thinner lead doesn't bother me because I sharpen the tip well before I get to the point where I would be using the very edges of the lead.
Thank You so much for this video. I purchased several Prismacolor sets in the last year & had no idea that "artists" thought they were no good until the last week or so. I am very relieved to have watched this & to have gotten a few hints from you too. I love Lachri's channel, glad you approve! Thanks, TreeZ'S
I have the complete set, and have used prismacolor since the early 80s as well. I do have trouble with barrels cracking on the new. The colors are still rich though and so I use them daily and use them to teach. 😄
I just had to check my 132pc Premiere set for country of origin. Bought it online way back in 2010 from Blick, and at the time they were not pre-sharpened yet. Must have been about the time they were transitioning to Mexico because I had 4 Mexico pencils mixed in with the rest of the US ones. There's a small "USA" or "Mexico" blind embossed on the barrel, but the difference is also in the font of the brand "Prismacolor" on the barrel. The USA ones are in a skinny capital font, while the Mexico ones are in a blocky capital font. I have to say, though, that the leads in some of the US pencils were not immune to being off-center. The leads of the US-made pencils also varied in diameter from color to color. I bought Premiere blender pencils along with the set, and they were made in Mexico.
I hope they are doing well for you, I still love my prismas, there is noting like the color payoff and opacity in the pastel range for me. It seems like they have gotten their act together again, I think there were issues when they first moved factories. Ihope you are still enjoying yours!
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich I haven't sharpened them all, but the ones I did (all USA) have been good. :) Now that there's a 150 set, I'm craving the other 18 colors I don't have, lol. You got your set sooo cheep ($59)! @_@
Excellent video comparison Lindsay. I have both old and when the price really dropped before it began to go up again when the coloring book craze started I bought the new ones for next to nothing. I found many with off center leads, and they split and cracked. I am only about half way through your video so forgive me if you are going to speak on this, but they are using a lighter or softer wood also. I think it is still a cedar of some sort but I think it is lighter weight too. I still like them but yes the quality control is poorer. I have heard that if you have an off center pencil they will replace it but I am unsure if this is true and I have never tried. I do find that many have broken lead inside, and I am going to have to try your heating method. Thanks for the video.
I’m also wondering if maybbe the subtle changes in pigment could be bbecause some were old enough that lightfastness changed over time. I mean obviously the lea inside a pencil should remain the same but maybe the wax base changes the pigment slightly. Who knows, but I don’t think it was enough to be a probblem.
I’m glad you did this because the 150 set is $50 on certain days of the week (sounds weird I know).
wow, that's a steal!
I really appreciate your honesty on this one. I think this is a much more honest version of the one you did a way back. Being brand loyal and having to admit some of the faults I know is hard. I too have the Barol ones and stanford and even verithin from decades ago, I am going to dig them back out because I think also Eagle and some other manufactureres of prismacolor exist too but it might be a slight variation of the name to capatilize on its popularity in the past. I like Lachri also but I went and dug through to find my favorite colored pencil review and those are both from Jason Morgan - Wildlife Art from back in 2015 his Best white colored pencil review - Polychromos, luminance, Derwent ETC - Jason Morgan, and his "Colored pencils review - Derwent, Polychromos, Prisma, faber-castell" reviews. He also speaks of what a lot of new artists are not really aware of and that is "lightfast" and what it means if your going to be serious and responsible about selling your art. Was pleased to see Lachri Fine Art finally address the lightfastness issue in one of her more recent videos awhile back as well. If I find some legit prismacolor makers other than the ones you stated in my stash, I'll update this.
Looks like pencils are not the only thing your hard on, chill out woman geez. Maybe you need to look into her past Prismacolor videos and yes the faults she mentioned were indeed a big deal at the time and sometimes as she clearly shows, still are.
Thank you for this comparison! I use prismas frequently as I like how well they blend. I also use them to teach with in my studio. I dont get the hate for them at all LOL! I have had some quality issues with the splitting and such over the years that I have used them, but I do feel they have worked on some of the QC issues. Also, that toned paper is wonderful with conte and charcoal too. My students love it as well as the gray toned.
I still have my Berol Prismacolors from the late seventies!!! (They are really small but I love them!). In Venezuela, Berol P. was the standard brand for color pencils. I'll check what other makers I have now. Thanks for the review!
atrinka rac
I guess im lucky for receiving an older set of the sanford prismacolors from my grandmother as a gift since she had never used them. They were brand new!
Can you link to a video which describes how you make the heating pad and repair the colored pencils? Thanks!
please
You can email Prisma or call customer service about the pencil that is off center and they may replace it, I have known several people that have done that.
Hi, Lindsay. Thank you so much for this video. After years of waiting, I finally got my Prismacolor Premier 150 set of colored pencils. I got them last August, 2022, before the notification came out that two of the purple pencils were going to be discontinued. I have no idea how to put these pencils in color family order, and wondered if you had family color order swatch sheets that I could purchase for this set. I have a download from another reviewer I follow, but you are my number one go to person for accurate, honest reviews and videos on how to use different coloring products. I learn so much more from you than other reviewers and teachers. I trust your color order for these pencils more than anyone else. Do you have any family color order swatch sheets for this set that I could purchase?
No I don't sell swatches. Heck, I usually don't even swatch my pencils 😆
Hello, Lindsay, I'm so very sorry for asking. Please don't be offended with me. I have no idea what the correct family color orders are for any pencils, so I bought some swatch sheets from another reviewer. As good as they are at color theory, I knew your insight would be better. I know you don't swatch your pencils, I just thought that, because they are the Prismacolor Premium 150 set, you might have had others with no knowledge of color theory asking about the correct order. I am very sorry, because an artist of your caliber would have no need and no time for anything like that. I hope the sincere comments of admiration that I have made over the years about your beautiful artwork, your wonderful talent in so many different art mediums, and the great gift that you have for teaching will make up for my blunder. You give us so much in tips and how to use our art supplies that we would never get from anyone else. I get writer's cramp taking notes.
@@deepowers3117 no worries at all
Wow! Thanks for doing this video. I hadn't seen this one before. I have a large set of the Berol Prismacolor color pencils too...purchased in the late 80s and wondered about the difference. I know the new ones have the soft core, and I have some of them too. And now I've fallen in love with FC Polychromos. But I'd like to see what you think. So I'm gonna watch now.😁
At first I was put off getting Prismacolor because so many arty acquaintances online had expressed their dissatisfaction regarding quality and breakage issues. I bought the 72 set last year for £30 from Amazon because they suddenly got cheap and just fancied trying them out for myself- seeing if they really had issues or if they were as amazing as some others had said. They are great value for money pencils, no doubt I prefer my Polychromos but Polys are more than double the price!
I do like my Prismacolor- the blending and smooth application is quite unique, but I don't find myself using them very often- the majority are not as lightfast as I'd like them to be, so the Polychromos end up getting favoured. Perhaps I'll start using them more for sketchbook pieces... :)
+Claudia Sketches I have prismacolor art that has been hanging on the wall for 15 years with no fading so I am not too concerned. I always frame them under glass which helps bit honestly I use them mostly for cards or in my sketchbooks. I prefer to work on colored paper or over watercolor so the opacity of prismacolor is wonderful.
I got the 36 count for $10 at A.C.Moore week before Christmas. Thanks for the demo.
I recently bought a set of Prismacolor pencils and they’ve been great so far, I’m really enjoying them.
good to hear:)
Great review.....this was very informative and I may just have to try them again! Mine break constantly and I will try the new sharpening method and see if that helps! TFS
You could still glue them together it's just you would have two sharpened ends
Great tip on turning the sharpener not the pencil! Still love prisma.
I'm new at it, but haven't had a single problem with the Prismacolors (and I sprung for the 150 set in a fit of Corona hoarding weakness, ha). I've even done some burnishing with them, and no problem. After hearing of the breakages, I did store them near a sunny window for a few days (springtime temps, tho), in case the warmth would meld any broken ones together. But I find them absolutely wonderful. It's one of those "if loving them is wrong, I don't wanna be right, because being right means spending about 4 times as much on the polychromos and I'd rather live a prismacolor life!" I'm pretty sure that's how the old song lyrics go, right, ha-ha. I have not regretted this buy for a second. Thx.
I have purchased the Mango set just to try the primas and was not disappointed in their creaminess and color ability. I did buy the 72 set at Amazon for $24 with free shipping. I use a brass barrel sharpener and turn the sharpener rather than the pencil and it works lickers split. They have become my go-to set for coloring and drawing.
good to hear!
This Video was very helpful. Is there anywhere I can get original prismacolor pencils from the 90’s?
Jaedyn Laanstra check eBay
This is very helpful. Funny, I also bought the Manga set to try. Didn't get the deal you got but still. I got it because there was less overlap on colors, so if I got a bigger set later I wouldn't duplicate every color. I also wanted to try the Verithin and this was a cheaper way. Thanks.
I have prismacolors that still have Eagle on them which was the original company that started them in 1938 through 1969 when they became berols...I even have a few berols, those pencils at the time were unsurpassed...they still give me amazing results
Turning the sharpener and keeping a sharp blade is key.
I use my Prismacolor sharpener and the lead breaks a lot in soft core but my Verithins sharpen nicely. I’ll have to try your tips.
Same for me Lindsay, know i erase just like you did, this is the best tip this Lady gave because i never had any trouble to have a nice sharp point on my Prisma colored pencils! I saw on Amazon the New Prismacolor pencils and the price was 199.99 US. so i don't know if they sell the company but one thing is shure every where the Prismacolor Pencils are on special at a very cheap price. Thank you for the great video!
What a awesome video. I love Prisma Colors, but still trying for best results. I always gives me the wax bloom. Had tried all the tips and techniques. Don't pressure to hard etc. You seem to use a LOT of pencils over each other. How did you prevent it for wax bloom? Or are you coloring over the wax bloom?
You can buff it off or use solvent to remove it or fixative
@@thefrugalcrafter Thanks so much for your VERY quick response and tips. Love your videos. They made me laugh and I enjoying them. Hope there will be more pencil video's. :)
Great to have this review. I always like to know if a company improves in time. Sadly not in this case. I have a lot of Prismacolor pencils from different time periods. The oldest were the best.
Well, they are better than a few years ago when they first moved factories so that is good. Tough to beat the Berol line though:)
Lindsey? Did YT pull your ads on this or did you post without?
Really neat to see a trusted crafter spend time to show a comparison. Really appreciate your commitment to testing before recommendation
+rubymimosa my channel has ads enabled but they might not have any to show at the moment. They have not pulled ads on any of my videos. I am lucky:)
I just got a 72 set a few months ago (cheap from Amazon) for my Colors class and I couldn't be happier with them. They were creamy, smooth, layered so beautifully. They sharpen perfectly as well, so I have no complaints. I do dislike using an electric sharpener, I feel it eats away too much of the pencil when it sharpens. (A classmate borrowed a few of my lovely pencils--It was difficult to allow him to do so! lol) and used the teachers electric sharpener and the pencil came back to me a third gone. So, I prefer a manual sharpener and in fact, Prismacolor makes one that I love so much I've got three in three different locations depending on my needs! I also would encourage holding the pencil and turning the sharpener.
which Prismacolor one do you like, the long skinny one or the more hourglass looking one? I am always on the lookout for a good one.
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich The hourglass shaped one.
Not sure why gluing pencils together would be a problem. Just glue the end of the old pencil to the unsharpened end of the new pencil, giving you two pointed ends. Use up the old pencil as far as you can after gluing, sharpening as you go. When the old pencil is used up, just flip the pencil over to the new pencil's already sharpened end and keep coloring. Would that work, or does the core have a grain that has to be worked from the same direction, top to bottom of pencil?
Wax has no grain so that would be fine
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question, Lindsay. I know you are really busy, and I appreciate your taking the time. Dee
I had a similar issue with my Goldenrod... There was a standard one in the set instead of the premier brand pencil, so the company sent me a replacement. I love my PrismaPremier colored pencils, they were recently purchased, but also my Caran D’Ache ones. Great tutorial on layering with the petals. Thanks, Lindsay!!
I only noticed the problem after the change. Even though, there were some problems. I never gave up on the Prismacolors. I love the Prismacolors Thin ones too! They are great for detail. My kids stole my pencils.
The reason that blue 1040 is so streaky is because it's a fluorescent color. If you shine a blacklight on it it glows exactly how it's named, a beautiful electric blue.
oh, good to know, thank you:)
Thank you for this awesome video! I’ve been working with my Berol set I bought back in high school. I recently bought a 72 set of Prismacolor on amazon and the quality was awful! Very hard and streaky. I assumed Prismacolor had just changed over the years. But your video led to more investigation. A quick trips to my local art store to test out their Prismacolors and they were awesome. Almost exactly like my old Berols just as this video shows. I am hesitant to assert that counterfeits are being sold on amazon but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time I bought something on amazon that turned out to be counterfeit junk. Anyway, I’m going to do a quick CZcams video on the experience soon. I’ll link to your video. Thanks!
Huh, I never thought about that. The prices now are the same as Jerry's and blick so you can order from a supplier. Thete was a few years of bad production quality and the electric blue color is conistantly awful but the rest were great.
I doubt anyone will see this, but I recently started using prismacolors. I have a prismacolor set from multiple years ago and a new one. I wonder if I shouldn’t mix them when I organize them just in case the formulas are different. Any suggestions?
I mix mine, they all work great together!
@@thefrugalcrafter thank you so much. You are a miracle worker 😅❤️
What I miss is my Prismacolors Metal Anniversary container! Did you have one? A schoolteacher, took it from my son! He needed colored pencils. So of course, He took Moms! The swiped that Metal Prismacolors Container. She threw it away!
Love love your videos and generosity of sharing! :) to be honest though, I'm saving my money for the prismas after trying a small set and they're so easy on a slightly disabled hand - you're right, the more videos coming out praising prismacolor premier, will increase the price beyond many people's funds. Social media reviews ruined their reputation and now scared I and others will miss out. Certainly not blaming you! 'Tis the nature and power of social media, so fingers crossed can save enough in times After some amazing deals over Xmas/new year, missed out and a full set shot up from seventy dollars to one hundred and ninety one dollars! Eek! xo
If you are still saving by next christmas AC Moore usually runs specials, they had the 36 set for $10 and they had a lot of them and they had the 72 set on black friday for 20 but Amazon run similar sales too. Just check amazon often and also look at the different package deals as sometimes the sets with the pencil sharpener is cheaper than without.
What kind of glue would you use to glue them together ?
I mainly work with polychromos, but for students it'll be cheaper for me to get them to use prismas. I'll buy a small set to give them a try. They do seem to give great colors.
the wood barrel around the core is also thinner on the new
I haven't had major problems with breaking. Been using Prisma's since 1961, think they were Eagle at that time and now with over 1200 pencils in my stash, they are still my "go to" when all else fails. The only huge disappointment was the new Polychromos, they break, laydown is miserable and the oil shine is just unacceptable. The old Poly's were probably as nice as the old Prisma.
I don't think anything is ever happening to Prismacolor. I'd say they're definitely the go to artist quality pencils for most people. Every single one of my art/drawing professors has required that we use them, and I have found them to be an absolute dream to use, personally.
My biggest problem with the prismacolor is them breaking. To me thats what changed more so than the color. The cores are not always centered in the newer ones. I got a whole set where the core was slightly off with the whole set. They are impossible to sharpen.
+Gina Phelps how long ago. I am aware of the issues but I think those were the the first ones from mexico. The recent ones seem better. They might replace them if the leads are off center. Take a photo and email them.
I use the toned tanned paper for colored pen cells and I agree that paper is wonderful.
+Creating With Crystal what is a colored pen cell? That sounds interesting:)
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich haha it's a really fancy typo! Love the videos Lindsay :) keep it up!
+Creating With Crystal oh! Haha:) I thought it was a new technique lol;)
I'm glad the quality suffered for a while as it caused me to splurge on the Luminance pencils by Caran D'Ache. Prismacolors and Luminance are wax based, which is why they go down so creamy and you can fix the leads with heat. Polychromes are oil based and much harder. Luminance pencils are everything I love about prismacolors times ten! They are pricy but I had Amazon gift certificate to cover part of the full set and I've never been happier. Check out some of Lachri's comparison videos!
Forgot to add that the lightfastness on the Luminance pencils is excellent, better than most.
thanks for the recommendation:) Lisa is great:)
Thank you so much for this video
I think you are right:)
Thank you!!! I loved this comparison :)
They have changed quality or so I'm told. I still have the two 120 sets of Sanford's from 1995 or so and some spares. I know a youtube poster (Lachri Fine Art) who did mention this a few years ago. Mine were made in the USA. I see you made a comment on her posting about Prismacolor vs Faber Castell.
+Candace Buck I think they had growing pains when rubbermaid bought them but they seem to have improved now:) I am happy I gave them another chance:)
You should try Caran d’ache luminance
I have to say Prismacolor step up a bit on their quality control issue. I bought a tin by Rubbermaid, and never have a breakage issue at all. The only problem is the same as your white. Some pencils I can see where the wood casing glued together.
Thanks so much! Looks like Amazon still has some good deals!
Awesome review!
I've been using prismas since 2009 and noticed that a year or two after that they spit a lot to the point that I would waste a good portion of the pencil sharpening it without putting it to good use. There was a hack stating that when buying open stock to inspect both ends to see if they were center and found that it helped a lot. But recently I started buying open stock again and found that the presharpened, black text pencils are better than 2011-2013 prismacolors. So I think they're safe to buy again for anyone interested in creamy, opaque pencils(I prefer harder, more buildable pencils such as CarenD'ach's Pablo and Faber Castells)
I don't really use exclusively prismacolors anymore. My collections is mostly Blick Studios and Faber Castells with openstock prismas and other brands.
+FreaklessEvolution thank you for the specific observations:)
FreaklessEvolution all the higher end brands are useful. I personally prefer to start softer with washes and blended washes and reserve broken pieces for this purpose then go to building more layers and when you can’t get a needed final layer-here comes a soft and creamy Prisma to the rescue.
+Richie Journey do you dissolve the broken lead in paint thinner.
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich yes. Use your favorite brand. Apply “like” water color.
Hi Lindsay, I have a set of 36 Prismacolor Premier colored pencils that don't tell me until the bottom of the tin that they are water soluble. If both Prismacolor pencils, regular and water soluble call themselves Premier on the tin, how can you be sure what you are ordering online when the water soluble is not shown in the description? Also, how can you be sure your order will be well padded when packed for shipping so they do not break? I have heard enough about so many quality problems with the "new" Prismacolors that I am very nervous about getting the really big 150 set I would like to have. I am not an artist, but would like to have high quality pencils to help to turn out the best coloring and blending that I can. Thanks! Dee
I've only ever colored with Crayola and Prisma. I used to spend all my time with Prismas. Mainly because of how creamy they are! And yes pencils are very time consuming, hence why I hardly ever upload colored pencil videos to my channel anymore D: Thought about getting the Polychromos set but I'm still hesitant to try them out. Buuut they're on my Christmas list so maybe someone will be nice enough to get them for me !
Maybe someone asked...what were the Eagle Prismacolors?
Loved your review.
Oops, there goes that pencil! 😂 I almost died laughing. Guess that one will need the heating pad treatment. I bought a full set last year and I only have one problem child, I mean pencil, that keeps breaking, of course it's one of my most often used colors, I'll have to try that heating technique. Thanks for the video!
The thin prismacolor pencils are great for when one has a long skinny sace to color. They hold the skinny point longer