Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Schpirerr Farben's are totally new to the colored pencil market. And they are a natural competitor to existing well-known brands, so it makes sense to compare them. So I did. I did a quick comparison of the same composition of colored drinking glasses (both done on the same Sax 90 lb Drawing paper). Faber Castell Polychromos vs. Schpirerr Farbens. Impressions: they are both nearly identical in terms of feel as they hit the paper. The SF might be a bit softer than the FCs because I noticed less of the paper grain showing through with the FCs but that is easily just fixed with some burnishing and more layers. The layering for both was very good and I found they both took a good point and kept it. The wood casing on the SFs are very high quality--very smooth and tight grain, sharpening easily and cleanly. These are a bargain for the quality, and I'd have no problem recommending them to anyone who wants to step up their game from cheap wax-based pencils. If I had to sum it up, if light fastness was not important to you (time will tell) and you want to get an oil-based pencil that can indeed stand up to the venerable Polychromos, at a fraction of the price, the Schpirerr Farben pencils are a great start. I see no reason, so far, to shy away from these. They are handsome, come in a beautiful tin to boot. Note: I did pay for these and was not asked by the manufacturer to do this for anything in return; I was just curious!