Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought these wondering what Staedtler's higher-end colored pencils could do. I had a set of 24 Noris Club already, but these are way, way more fun to use. You can layer colors easily and the set of 24 colors gives you enough variety for most projects. I love to casually doodle in my sketchbook with a brush pen or fineliner, and then relax by coloring in whatever I've drawn. I also have the set of 24 Triplus markers and the colors of these pencils are just as vibrant as the markers! It's amazing--I can color in big shapes with the markers and then come in with the Ergosoft pencils and continue working. Since you can use the Triplus markers as watercolor pigments with a water brush as well, it makes sense to use the Ergosoft pencils for details in watercolor pictures. The Ergosoft pencils are not water-soluble and will not run with the water. The white pencil is not very useful on dark paper, (in fact the white pencil is one of the weaker parts of the set) but white can be used to blend layers of other colors or burnish. These are a little bit tricky to sharpen but I take it slow and use the Staedtler manual sharpener, which works well. I have a 72 colored pencil set from another manufacturer that cost a lot, but I like this set just as much, if not a bit more. Plus, one of those pencils broke inside in a few places, but I have yet to come across a broken Ergosoft core. I wish the Ergosoft line was available in open stock and with more colors, but a) it's not like it's a huge bummer to buy a brand new set of colored pencils periodically and b) I can blend up almost any color I need right now with the set of 24.