Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I do a lot of colored pencil painting using Prismacolor Premier pencils and frequently want to blend and burnish for a smoothed look that resembles more of a paint in appearance. To accommodate the extensive layering, blending and burnishing, I use paper that has a medium tooth and a bit of weight to it. I have tried this Derwent Blender and Burnisher Set, in addition to the Koh-I-Noor Polycolor blending pencil, the Prismacolor Colorless blending pencil, blending with white and cream Prismacolor Premier pencils, and Turpenoid. For my purposes, this Derwent set is what I use most often use. I find both the Derwent blender and the burnisher pencils to have softer tips that work more quickly, and to the effect I desire, than the other blending and burnishing options. I would note that I also like Turpenoid very much, but it's rather messy and fussy, and I find the Derwent pencils to be just as good. So rather than reaching for a bottle of Turpenoid and a brush, the Derwent blender and burnisher pencils find their way into my hand most often. Each of the products I have tried have their advantages. The Koh-I-Noor Polycolor is a very hard point that takes more effort and time than the other products I mentioned above. However, they have a more gradual effect and offer more incremental control over the blending and/or burnishing. It just takes a lot of work and pressure. If you use thinner paper, it may cause some paper damage. The Prismacolor Colorless blending pencil has a bit softer point and takes a bit less effort than the Koh-I-Noor. Using Prismacolor white and cream Premiere pencils worked nicely, but they change the color value. If you don't mind this, you're good. Turpenoid works very well, and if you don't mind the mess it can be, and having to find a satisfactory brush to apply it, prepare to be impressed. Once I use it, I just can't seem to keep an oily residue off my hands. It's comparatively expensive but goes a long way. I have attached a scan of some blending and burnishing examples using each of these products. The first box on the left is a Prismacolor Premiere True Blue applied using medium pressure. All of the other boxes started with this, so you can see how they worked.