Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I tried four different types of colored pencils before ordering these. But I kept hearing how great they are, so I had to try a small set. First, if you are coming from Prismacolor Premier pencils, these are superior. No doubt about it. But if, like me, you're coming from other oil-based sets, like those made in the Koh-I-Noor factory in the Czech Republic, you may wonder what the big deal is. From what I can tell, a key difference between these and Koh-I-Noor, Blick, and Utrecht colored pencils is the color variety. The first three really don't offer the difference in colors that you can get here, and even let many similar colors into their collections. This is disappointing. So I was pleased to hear that the Polychromos line has a nice color spread. Another difference is in the lightfastness. But if lightfastness is really that important to you, have a look at other expensive products too, because superior lightfastness can be achieved. To me, lightfastness is of practically zero importance until I have a paying project or family project that expects longevity. At that time I will just go out and buy the most lightfast set that fits my need, and the price premium will be already taken care of in my estimate or in my overall project considerations. Another thing to mention is the fit and finish. These are really nice-looking, nice-feeling pencils. The case has actually been pretty annoying to me. Why would I want it to open up vertically, on a hinge? The hinged lid finds a way to make itself unwanted pretty fast, because there's usually something in its way. Ditch the case and use another method of transporting these. I use a Nite Ize Gear Tie. Finally, this particular 24-color set contains a strange assortment of colors. No purple, excessive reds, and warm blue hues that I wouldn't have picked. The purple, not a big deal--blend it up. The blue hues though, well that's actually pretty annoying. I can't just blend up a nice light cool blue. But when I'm ready to dish out another $35 or so for some open-stock additions, this should make a nice set. I thought about buying a larger set, but a) some colors I want only come in the very large sets, and b) I don't like very large sets right now because I don't want to lug them around all the time, between home and office, home and vacation, etc. Also I like trying different types of pencils and find variety more fun. If you are really budget-conscious, and are not really an experienced colored pencil artist, and are wondering if the actual experience of using these is worth it vs. the generic Czech pencils like Blick or Koh-I-Noor or Utrecht (now owned by Blick) offers, I really suggest that you start out with a small set of these Polychromos or just order a large set of the Czech stuff first. If your expectations are that these will blow your mind and that you'll be in love from the moment they touch paper, prepare for some potential disappointment. They are just colored pencils, and while the Polychromos name does have that cool cachet, it's really got to match your personal circumstances and needs to be worth it. I'm including a small drawing...that could be done with just about any colored pencil set on the market. :-) But still, these are nice pencils, and you might like them.