Quick update, you MAY be able to snag these on Amazon Japan still (they seem to go in and out). However, as I said in my review, I still wouldn't buy them for that, because the pencil itself (regardless of price) isn't for me. That said, you might be able to snag them cheaper via Amazon Japan if you want!

What i appreciate the most about this review, and something I wish everyone would do with all pencils they review, is that you described the coloring style and paper requirements to be successful with these pencils!

I actually just released a video with an official statement from Holbein about the lightfast testing methods they use, and they are actually lightfast (I called the company up and they sent me that info - and it’s not a plug. I’m just commenting here because you may want to know that to clear up any confusion) That being said, colored pencils preferences are entirely personal. Just because you didn’t end up liking them doesn’t make your opinion invalid, and I’m sorry there were so many nasty comments from people. Especially the comment of you’re “just a colorist”. That’s just elitist and patronizing. Your opinion is valid, and it doesn’t have to be the majority. As your fellow KZfaqr, I understand when people say nasty things, they can be very dehumanizing. It takes thick skin but we’re not all bulletproof. Just remember it’s more about the person being nasty than it it’ll ever be about you! ♥️🙌

Thank you for being brave enough to give your honest opinion and explain why you feel that way!

I appreciate this review. One thing I have come to accept is that there is no such thing as a perfect pencil. We have preferences based on how we color and the look we prefer. I have many sets of pencils and adjust for each set. I enjoy the differences because of their different palettes and overall look. I think that the holbeins would be really good for me. But I would expect to use them differently and let them guide me in their use. I think that we have the tendency to expect money to equal coming closer to perfection. We have to change that expectation. I think that you might still come to like these pencils. The palette has much to offer you. But that is my take. Do what makes you feel happy.

Great review, Kori!! When pencils are as expensive as these, you need to know what you’re getting into. Both the positive and negative sides of the pencil. Really appreciate this ☺️

Wow! I can’t believe another “artist” said a “colorist” isn’t an artist or coloring isn’t art! I’m so sorry. I got started on my art journey by coloring in coloring books and although watercolor is my jam now and I don’t color in books anymore I still could never match some of the colored pencil art created by “colorists.” Not only that but I think colorists definitely know their stuff when it comes to colored pencil. Art can be a snobby community and I hate that the community puts down colorists. Because, damn! You guys produce some stunning art.

Girl, I thank you and I’m sure my husband thanks you for this review. I’m a heavy-handed Primacolor Premier and Caran D’Ache Luminance “colorist” and I’ve been on the edge of buying these. You just saved me hundreds of dollars and years of buyer’s remorse/frustration if I had followed my full-set-syndrome and gotta have it all take on my art supplies. Keep up the great work with your honest review because there are a lot of us that tend to color in the same fashion you do. TFS!

I know this comment is over a year after your posting, but I just want to thank you for explaining what you desire in a pencil and who may not love these. I am sorry that you had felt such pressure and feared the negativity that would come your way by speaking your honest opinion about a pencil. I plan to buy a couple of open stock to try but I will not jump in like I usually do with any new endeavor I take on. Major props to you for your bravery, I appreciate it immensely. I think I'll grab a couple Luminance to try too. (I hope your fears did not come to pass.)

The most gorgeous pencils I have ever used and I have loads of colored pencil sets in a variety of price ranges to compare. I have found my Holbeins are top of the list as being far the most enjoyable. Could care less about light fastness. I don’t sell my art and are not sure of how many people watching this review actually do. If I did you can always sell numbered prints. So lightfastness is of no issue at all except for originals. All sets are pretty easily available now as well as open stock. I have a variety of quality papers and have used them on most with great results. Everyone has different budgets they may want to spend on their art but I can sure think of other hobbies and creative occupations that are much, much, more expensive then Holbein pencils. I have no issue at all with the price for such a great pencil. Would highly recommend these pencils to anyone who wants a silky soft gorgeous colored pencil with no wax residue or sharpening issues. A pleasure to use and worth every penny.

I very much appreciate your honest and fair review. Different colonists ha e different preferences. Its not personal. People shouldn't take it that way. Great job Kori.

Thank you for this review. I am a beginning colorist (I don’t blend or layer anything) and watching lots of videos and seeing all the books, pencils and supplies it makes you want to get everything. You really reinforced for me considering my style and budget before buying new supplies.

I've only heard someone say negative things about Holbeins a couple of times and it always shocks me. I absolutely LOVE my Holbeins. I got mine on Amazon US (yes they sold them for quite awhile) for about $300 and I never had any regrets. Now I hardly ever use them because I am scared to use them up. The Blick price shocked me, so ridiculous! But of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. I love your channel btw. I just received my copy of Summer Scenes to follow your Inktense tutorial. I have had mine for years and have never used them because they terrified me, but you finally made me brave enough to follow your tutorial!

Yes! Thank you for this! All the hype about blending, etc. made we want to try them (of course I’m not paying that price). I don’t like having to use a ton of layers. I don’t mind some layers but taking forever to color is annoying. Again agreed about the shaming. I HATE Prismas but the world seems to husband shame if you don’t.

I really appreciate your honest experience/opinion with these pencils. That’s why your one of my favourite people to listen and watch. Thanks again.

Life is too short to force yourself to use colored pencils that you don't like. Especially when there are plenty that you love. Sell the Holbeins on eBay/Facebook, etc. and use what you love instead.

Why care what others think...Your the bomb chick! You are blessed with talents. I watch your tutorials and drool LOL

First i like to say "you are not just a colorist", to be a good colorist you need to learn techniques, practice over and over. It's nice if you have talent, some do and some don't. But it sure requires patience. So don't let that person bring you down. Second i like your video's, honoust reviews. I only have one Holbein pencil, tried it, but it doesn't feel any better then prismas, polychromos or luminance. I hear so many say that i need them. Well no i don't. I think they are ridiculous pricey. Ive seen masterpieces done with budget pencils. Thank you for this video. And colorists are artist to in my opinion :).

Wonderful! Take courage in your self. Be well, stay strong. You are doing a great job informing the community.

I just want to say thank you for this. I started with Polychromos and much prefer the layering method and slowly building up colour (even if it does take forever) so the Holbein pastels went well for me (especially the light peaches for skintones and other really light colours). Personally, I'm going to have a lot of learning to do with the Caran D'Ache Luminous because I am so not used to pencils that lay down a heavy thick layer even with the lightest pressure :D I will also agree that the lightfast is definitely an issue - I don't know if it's a cultural thing but other Japanese brands seem to be similarly vague on how they tested for appropriate/accurate lightfast values so...I am still learning (yes, despite the mass amount I've spent!) and so I use colouring books/colouring pages to build up my skill, nothing that will be displayed let alone sold. If I did get to that point, I'd definitely do my own lightfast testing to verify it for myself. I still love the soft white though - Prismacolour are difficult to get here in the UK, open stock even more so. Even when I can find the Prismacolor white, it's about the same price as the Holbein soft white anyway, so I just loaded up on holbein instead.

Thanks for your review. I think it's a good think to hear why someone didn't liked the Holbeins, all the reviews are just I'm so loving these... And I'm gonna share an unpopular opinion too ( so maybe the haters will take their hate on me instead of you lol ) I don't like Johanna Basford books, I have 4 of them and I colored 1 image in them. It's just not for me ;)

Than you so very much for your honest review! Such a big help. Really great to see someone e who e plains their coloring style etc and why a pencil may work for some but not others. I am also just love to smush and burnish so this review was a huge help 💜

This is a long one ❤️… Good on you Kori! I really appreciate your honesty. I also own Holbeins 150 set… I love them but haven’t used them a great deal and I think it’s probably due to the price tag. I know there are now available open stock so hopefully will get more use of them. I’m very fortunate to own many sets of pencils. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had rude and harsh comments. My 10 year old nephew actually checks all my comments on here. It’s very sweet but at the same time quite sad that even a 10 year old knows how mean people can be. Thanks again for sharing. Very much appreciated ☺️💖

I appreciate your honest opinion on these pencils. I think it is a great idea about buying open stock to try a few before jumping in and purchasing the entire set.

Thank you for a honest review. These pencils are very expensive and I needed both sides of the argument before spending that amount of money. Thanks to your honesty I will tried a smaller set.

Omg! You just saved me, my money…and possibly a fight with my honey. I was just about to purchase the 150 set on EBay for $302.00, very expensive for me. But I thought I’d wait and sleep on it. I’m like you, I want instant gratification, so I smush quickly. Thank you so much! This review is invaluable! ❤️

What a bunch of jerks. I’m so sorry. You absolutely have a right to your opinion. It’s not a big deal if you don’t like a colored pencil. Each person colors differently. Don’t let them get you down. You seem like a kind and genuine person.

As a colorist AND artist, I just want to say what a waste of emotional energy it is for any human being to get upset about any other human beings opinion. There is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ pencil. Just like there is no food or bad FOOD. It’s all relative to the person using the pencil or eating the food. What’s great to one person is garbage to another, in any given scenario under the sun. While I appreciate artists like yourself taking the time to create these reviews and put your opinion out into the universe, any artist who has been coloring for more than a week knows that the most due diligence any of us can do before investing our hard earned money into our craft is do your research, consider your sources, and while listening to OR READING any review on any product, be careful to weed through the authors “personal opinion” and actual FACTS. If ten different human beings say they hate a product or love a product, I will listen to their reasons why, and if more of them than not say similar feedback about a product, I will put a pin on that *fact* in my mind while assembling all the information that I deem necessary to have before making a purchase. I personally don’t take any reviewers “facts” about a pencil as truth with a capital T. Someone says “X brand pencils do not blend well”. Could that be true? Possibly. Could it also be true that the same KZfaq reviewer sucks at blending techniques? Yep: At the end of the day, thanks for your opinions on the Holbeins, I take it with a grain of salt because to be honest, I’m not going to sit here for an hour and listen to you tell me all your “feelings” about this pencil. I’m certainly not going to take anything you say about them personally. And any fools who get on here and want to dispute your opinion because it’s different than theirs? Well, lady, those people are why the world is at war with one another. Lack of respect for their fellow human being. But that’s a whole other conversation. 😄 To that end; I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Holbeins, what I consider their faults and all weighed in the balance against the other 17 sets I own; my Holbeins are my go-to babies; and they rock my world and changed my entire coloring experience. And I’m totally okay if it was a different pencil that brings YOU joy. Just keep coloring and creating peace and joy and spreading it..: the world needs it now more than ever, especially the internet trolls. 😂 Xoxo 🦋Michelle Berens🦋 ColorDreams by Michelle.Facebook.com ✌🏻

Your opinion is valued. They are like bellybuttons, everyone has one 😊

First off, I don' use coloring pencils for use with a coloring book, so I don't know about " tooth, smooshing, or burnishing. I use my Prisma's for Bible journaling and coloring stamped images. That being said, I love to watch the creativity that you have with your coloring. I watch others also and am amazed at the pictures you all produce. I also appreciate the information that you give. Although I never heard of Holbein pencils, i knew I would get a lot from your review. I did, in fact, learn a lot! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for us, even for those of us that are new to the "coloring world". I don't know what other folks mean by "colorist", but I think that a "colorist" is definitely an artist. A rose is still a rose, and you are certainly a very talented artist. Thank you for your review, time and sharing your talent!!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to articulate exactly why these pencils don’t work well for your style, as well as which papers and styles they might work for!!!!

You said it in your review: these pencils are meant to be used with multiple light layers. I don't have the patience for that and they were scratchy and crumbly. I decided to use them for backgrounds with multiple light layers, more layers for shadows.

You demonstrated the necessity (and power) of knowing your style and preference for methods and materials. Every artist is not the same and no two artists approach a project in the same way. It's absolutely imperative for peace of mind, and efficiency as well, to know what method you prefer to use, and what mediums and materials best suite you AND help you achieve your desired results. It's never a good thing to jump on trends/bandwagons just for the sake of it. 1) it's expensive and 2) you set yourself up for disappointment. But if you're like me, and are an art supply fiend (ROFL) it can take a lot of self control to put that into action. I'm really glad you did this video. I'm always suspicious of nothing but positive reviews because some of them are regurgitating other opinions. I want the good, the bad, and the ugly of a product before I invest a large amount of money into it. Typically on Amazon, I look for the negative reviews first, then the customer images, and only then will I read the good reviews. I want the whole picture. It's saved me a ton of money, time and frustration over the years. On a side note, many people don't realize there are professional colorists in the illustration industry. Artists often have a lot of deadlines to meet and don't have time to color every piece or to put lines to it. So, they send their sketch to a line artist, and from there to a professional colorist. Again, not all artists are the same. We love different aspects of the art process, not necessarily every step. I don't particularly enjoy ideation, sketching and plotting frames. I don't get excited about a piece until it's time to lay down lines and especially add in the color. Procreate makes ideation easier, thank the good Lord but it's still not something I overly enjoy. God bless the artists who love the entire process! ROFL Keep up the good work! And btw - I don't like Holbein either (except the white OP501 and OP500 - it's stellar for highlights and masking color strays). It's over priced. I'm not only an artist, I'm also a business grad and project manager - believe me, a lot of the price is marketing, supply chain pay and import/export tax bloat.😉

I would love a future video on how you use polys in your coloring style. I like like the polys but I’m not in love with them as a beginner and a heavy handed person. I do appreciate this review. I learned early on that I was heavy handy and that is why I was so happy when I found a color along with the square bruts and you said that was your style. Sorry, but I was hooking my car to your wagon to learn once I saw that! I have found how to work with my black widows, and Windsor and Newton. I am almost there with my prismas I still need to work with them but I am in love so I don’t mind working with them. Oh and my 20 lumis! I am in love with those with just playing around, I need to actually do a page with them! I am leaving for Wisconsin tomorrow and I can’t choose what pencils to bring!

Thank you so much for such an honest review and truly wish this was out when I bought mine from Japan in 2020 and paid $300 as well. I have experienced everything that you have and was so disappointed. Thank you for being so brave and posting this video you did a fine job!

Thanks for review. It's always good to see both sides of any set. I think you were very fair.

I got mine on line 315$ US. They took some getting use to. I was so use to prisma. Then I got my poly set I finally figured out how to use them. They are a lil different to use they don’t blend the same way as prisma. To me they seem to layer more so than blend. Artist Jane Bush just did a video on Holbein lightfast. Which made my day because I have come to love my Holbein set. I don’t use them on everything I do. When I do use them, I use only them. I use them on special pieces mostly stuff I do for me! Just because the expense of the pencils. I think your review is fare and honest. I’m a huge fan of Holbein

You said it. They are not ment for smooth coloring book papers. You have taken a ferrari and driven it off road so to speak. Use these on artist quality paper with some tooth, layer them and blend with blender. Best to use these as an accent pencil with polys or another hard pencil for the detail work. Do not buy them for coloring books. Light fast ratings are shown on the lid of the new box. They use the astm scale please see the really interesting video that Jane Bush has done on her channel as well as read the leaflet that comes in the new style box. Still in doubt then do your own test on them and please share your results.

Thanks for your review. I love when there are differing experiences, and so opinions, among artists. Viewers can have a variety of experiences and this can make them feel less alone. Thanks for your honesty, as there is no one right way or tool for everyone.🌻

So love your candid review on the holbeins!! BTW, I ended up buying the pastels to try holbeins… and to get my own perspective… well. I don’t like them either…. I have the same coloring style as you and wondered why it was so sticky and felt like the layers were not performing as expected!! haha. Thank you for saying exactly how I feel about these pencils. I applaud you for saying like it is. :) I will stick to my prismacolors, derwent lightfast, polys and lumis. I also love my fellisimo tokyo seeds too! 💜

yes they are hard and expensive for this quality ! happily i live in japan it is more cheap ! and the people who are jealous and leave bad comment for that, they must go to hospital :) ! Be what you want to be ! it is not bad to said your opinion !

Hi Kori, Everyone has the right to have an opinion and I respect their right to have a different point of view even if it differs from my own. It is not necessary to put someone down because they hold a different point view. It isn't about being right or wrong. It is a view point. I like my Holbeins. I have been able to collect mine open stock at a price a little bit less than a luminance pencil in my part of the world. I enjoy the colour range. As with any pencil, some perform well on certain types of paper and not on others. It isn't a big factor for me.

Thank you! Awesome review and really good to hear someone giving an absolutely honest opinion that these "suck the kumara" for you. And everyone is different, and has different styles and needs. I am in NZ, where colouring pencils cost a fortune anyway. I have a similar attitude to yours with colouring, I just don't have time to do endless layers. Price is out of this world for something that won't work for me. Because cost down under generally is such an issue, I really don't like looking at US videos saying Prismas are cheap. They're not here. Polychromos today are $43.50/12, $473.50/120. Prismacolor are $39.99/12, $499/150. Luminance $7.60 per pencil. So I generally look but don't even try to hit that buy button on Holbeins...I could buy 12 for $79.95 from Ali Express. But that's more than I paid for my Nyoni 120 which I love, so I would obviously go for a second set of those first. Or even Marco Tributes/Renoir.

I'm so glad you did this. I could tell from your voice in the video you were kinda dreading it. And I think you don't want to be disappointed in such an expensive pencil, but you are. And thank you so much for being honest about that. I'm an honest person and that's the way I roll. We are all entitled to our opinion and to feel the way we want. As long as we are respectful to others opinions and we don't disparage other for liking or hating something, it's all good. I'll never understand those who are mean to others for not feeling the same way about something as they do. I don't have Hollbein pencils. I have lots of pencil sets: Polychromos, Prisma, Art-N-Fly, Star Joy, Black Widow, and many others. I love pencils. I am not sure I was really thinking about getting the Holbein's myself as, well, I have lots of pencils I enjoy using already. I do want Derwent Lightfast and Luminence pencils. I'm like you, I don't do a ton of layers. And not all pencils work well on all paper. Love your channel, love your pictures. You are so much fun! Thanks for being true to yourself and honest with us. I know it's not easy sometimes. Hopefully you feel better now that it's out there. :)

I appreciate your honest opinion in this review. As someone who wants to make educated decisions regarding pencil purchases it's important for there to be a variety of viewpoints out there so that I can spend my hard earned money wisely. It helps a lot to know what style of coloring/art these pencils are used for prior to buying them. Thank you for putting yourself out there!

I think you are wonderful! Don’t let anyone call you ‘just a colorist’ !

Oh goodness. I feel exactly the same way about the caran d'ache luminance. As soon as I swatched them, I knew they weren't for me. I know that people love them and that they are lightfast. But, I totally don't like them. For me, they are way overpriced. Tu chey...

I have just ordered the pastel set, in my opinion something is worth what you are prepared to pay. they might be worth $5 to you so that's what you'd pay. they may be worth $500 to somebody else. so that's what they pay. everyone's opinion is valid, regardless of whether or not we agree with each other. Kudos to you for having an opinion. and standing by it. that's what makes people respect your views

I'm a heavy-handed colorist as well and I also color from dark to light so I'm gonna trust you on this one. In fact as you were giving your review I notice a lot of the things you pointed out before you actually mentioned them. There's also the fact that I can't justify spending $300 on colored pencils lol😁

I have put these in my buy box the store has them on hold for me. Until I decide. Our creator of creation made sure I see your channel first. I’m so grateful for you being brave to share your input with us all. Will call shop tomorrow and cancel my order. Thank You, you help convince me these are not with their hype. Hugs❤

Thank you for your review! I bought the Holbein's basic set last week. However, I didn't know how much layering was involved and on top of that I used smooth paper! But thank you for letting us know how to use them!

Thank you for your opinion! I truly appreciate it. Love it when an artist is honest and balanced in their assessment of a particular tool they have used. AND yes, you can be "eh" about anything you use to make art!

Thank you for your review. Funny enough I followed the hype about Luminance the same way you got into these and I must say I don’t like Luminance. They are scratchy, very uneven and sometimes stop giving any pigment until I sharpen more to get to the better part of a pencil. BTW Luminance have now 100 colours :). I don’t have Holbein’s (just yet :) but as far as I know they are not just mixture of oil and wax - they also have fat in them, according to Holbein Japan website. Anyway thanks again for your point of view!!

Thanks for the detailed review. I have a question. I have Polychromos, Luminos, and I just got the Derwent Lightfast. I looked at these as I like to mix and match colors, and that's how I use mine as they all have pros and cons at the end of the day. How do you find they mix and match with other colors? I see some say they blend well with themselves but are greasy and don't play well with others. Did you have any problems blending them with your other brands? Your advice would be most appreciated!

Thank you so much for your review. You explained really clearly why you disliked these pencils and it is super valid. I am also a colour pencil artist and I have been very curious about the hype of these pencils especially the lack of bad reviews, so I was really happy to find your review. Just as you mentioned, everyone who uses coloured pencils has a preferred way of using them and they are all different. I like to work in layers, from light colours to dark ones, blend and spend my time on smaller sections (which sounds like something you would not enjoy) so my taste in brands might be different than yours. Even if we used our pencils in a similar way, we may still not like the same brands, and that is also ok. I love that there are different brands for different tastes and different techniques. I wish there had been more information and reviews back when you bought made this big purchase, but then again, your review would not exist and I think you did a great job with it. I may be inclined to get just the pastel set, when the time is right (ie, when a get some money saved up). Thank you for your hard work.

I'm not a full set syndrome person so getting a few at a time for any open stock pencil is okay for me. I want to say that your opinion was not negative rather constructive criticism. I have a tendency to not do what everyone else is doing but wait until the "dust settles" before I make up my mind about the issue at hand. I had decided to get my 6 Holbein pencils and see if I like them. If I do, then I'll continue collecting 6 pencils at a time. Next I'd like to say that anyone who has taken a pot shot at you because they don't like your opinion about any one product shouldn't be in the color community at all. We are here to help each other and to learn new things to help us grow in our artistic endeavors. That being said, keep doing what you are doing and I'll be here to view your videos.

I appreicate your review. I actually saw your "regret buys" video first. I find these to be more informative and useful, compared to the "monthly art supply hauls" video.

Kori, you are entitled to your opinion of a product and that is all that should matter. If a product doesn't do what you want, or expect it to do, you shouldn't be criticized for not liking it; that's ridiculous. Personally, I love my Holbein's, but that's my opinion. I started out with Prismacolor pencils, but they're not my personal favorite. Do you hate me for saying that? ...Well, of course not, lol! My favorite colored pencils are Polychromos, but I do enjoy placing down light layers and watching the beautiful color come to life. We all color differently and thankfully, there is an abundance of colored pencil brands on the market for each of us to pick and choose from.

Great review, and I think that you set the gold standard 🏆for colored pencil reviews! Very thorough. Thanks and you get a lot of 💖💝💕💓💗❤ from me for that! Sad that you got the negativity. That’s why I thought lemme say something cuz I do appreciate your efforts and think you deserve flowers for that 💐

I found something interesting regarding lightfastness with the Holbeins… Now let me say that this wasn’t an official test according to the ASTM or Blue wool standard, nor could this solidify Holbeins claim on lightfastness. Lori Green from Color My World did a test in 2019 purely for the sake of curiosity on how pencils would survive her lightfast test for 30 days in the Mojave desert. She tested several pencils ( some budget ones, Holbein, Pablo, Coloursoft, Prismacolors) both sealed and unsealed and the results were very interesting. She did a kind of funny portion in the beginning but then she went on to explain her findings. I highly recommend watching it all the way through. Type in the search bar color my world shocking colored pencil test results and you will find the video. Kori, have you seen this?

Thanks for your honest opinions! Colored pencil preferences are very personal & unique to individuals. I respect that you give clear information on why you like/dislike products. That allows me to decide for myself if the pencils might be right for me to try.

Congratulations on paying off your car. I paid off my 2019 Mazda last month. Feels so good! Maybe I should buy the full set of Polychromos. I would have more than half a car payment amount left over. 😊

I jumped on the band wagon and purchased the Holbeins, from Amazon Japan, I never would have paid the DB price. That said, I too regret my purchase. Although the colors are lovely, I simply to not get the results that I get from other pencils. I am not an artist, just a colorist but I for me, I enjoy all my Derwents, Caran D'ache and Prismas over the Holbeins. I am going to give them another shot in a few more books, but they may be up for sale very shortly.

I love your honesty. I’ve tried many different pencils that influencers have given rave reviews for and have been disappointed way to many times. Different pencils are going to work for different people, for sure. Sometimes I wonder if influencers reviews are clouded because they are given products and then feel like they have to give it a good review. Or maybe they give better reviews when they see so many others giving certain pencils good reviews so they do as well, who knows. But either way it’s hard to find influencers who give honest reviews and arent afraid to go against the crowd when they really don’t like something. Thank you for your honesty.

I'm heavy handed too, I spent years loving Prismacolor as my number one brand. Back in 2013/2014 (?) I found the Holbeins and I wanted to buy them but you couldn't buy them open stock at the time in the US so I decided not to buy them. Now I regret it immensely because they were so much cheaper then than they are now. I'm so irritated with myself still that I didn't even tho I was like 13 at the time and I really didn't need pencils that expensive at the time. They've been my dream set ever since. After watching this video I'm considering buying some open stock from Blick since I have some things I need to pick up there anyways. I used to dislike Caran D'Ache Pablo pencils and Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils for years because I didn't like that layers were needed for them to really work to their full potential. Recently, I've been using either brand (I have a set of 30 Pablos and a few open stock of those then several open stock Polys and a 12 set) because I didn't want them to go to waste just sitting there. I ended up falling in love with either brand, especially my Polychromos pencils. I'm going to buy some Holbeins open stock, like I said, so we will see if I end up liking them. Could even be that later on I'll end up liking them down the road as I did the Polys and Pablos and might not like them right away. I'll need to save up for a long time before I could ever afford a set anyways, but I'm looking forward to trying out a few of them some time soon. Anyways, I appreciate your honest review, I don't believe I've ever seen a negative review of them before this and this information is definitely something that a lot of people probably should know before buying. I'll keep this information in mind as I move forward. Just a side note: Blick will randomly have sales on various items through the year and prices on items will fluctuate from time to time. The cardboard boxes for Holbein is cheaper now than when you made this video, I think they're about $290 right now as I'm writing this comment. I always recommend keeping an eye on the prices of items on Blick before making a purchase, especially if its a more expensive set. I can't remember if they do Black Friday sales or not, I haven't ever wanted a big set during one of their sales, but I would definitely look and see during that time if they do, just as a tip to anyone reading this. Anyways, as I said before, I appreciate the review!

Great review! I bought these a while ago and tried using them but couldn't work out why I didn't 'love' them. Now I understand why....so thank you for that. 🙂 I'm like you and don't really like to layer. I bought the 50 set which included the whites and some pastels as well as some normal colours. I will use them again and see how I go layering but I'm not patient by any means 🙂 I think you were pretty fair in your review

It is very valid opinion. You know there always be people who thinks that the price of their stuff is everything. But even if you got the more pricey thing ( and with the quality of course) BUT it don’t fit your use or liking, not liking this pricey thing is totally valid opinion. No matter other may think. It is not your problem, it is their problem. And by the way the number of people who got the Holbein and paid so much that they are afraid of using them because of the price … So what’s the point ? I like using the thing I buy… But in the coloring world it is hard to resist to the “I want to test this pencil” appeal 😅 And I talk for myself 😂. Keep the good work and keep as you are (even if you change your mind, it will be still a valid opinion because it is yours) (Sorry for my English 😅)

it´s been a year since you done this video. I´m in the process of choosing pencils so I watch lots of videos to find pencils to try. This video and the review of Holbeins is GOOD and well based on your experiences. Please don´t let "ugly" comments get to you!! I like the way you describe your way of coloring. Heavy handed, like to smosh color down, and not gently layering layer upon layer. I don´t like layering!! I get this. I´m not the biggest fan of Prisma colors though, beaucause they cost a fortune here in Sweden were I live. But I´ve got Brutfuner Square and I LOVE them. Now I need a harder pencil to make thin strokes with. thanks for sharing your knowledge!! 😊😘

Props for you being honest about these. The best thing to do is try out pencils open stock before buying a set BUT these pencils were really really hard to find and weren’t available open stock in the US until recently. So that’s a really tough one. You could maybe resell them to someone else at a better price than Blick and make most of your money back. I’ve tried a few of these open stock and the feel of them is odd, definitely different to most pencils I’ve tried. Apparently they use fat or something in the formulation (especially the soft white) but it’s not completely clear. I bought the soft white separately and I love it because it’s soooo bright. Regardless I’m not going to buy these anytime soon- if anything I’m interested in the pastel range and that’s the only set I could see being a unique addition to my collection. It’s not that the pencils don’t match my style because I very much love layering and polychromos are my favorite pencil, however, the holbeins are just soooo expensive. If I’m going to spend a chunk of change I think I’ll try a set of derwent lightfasts instead :) again thanks for your honest thoughts on your review!

I’m glad you did this review as i have been having issues myself. I first bought the set of 12 pastels and i loved them so i got the 50 set of pastels and was happy so i thought I’d by singles of the other colours and think i got another 50 pencils in the other colours and then tried a page using those and i was not happy. I agree with you they are really sticky that’s exactly what i thought about them too and i didnt get it as i loved the pastel ones. But I haven’t continued buying the rest of the other 50 and i wish i had just stayed with the pastel set as i too dont like the other pencils in the set and was so disappointed as they are soooo much money and i was super excited about having them cause of all the hype and then didnt like the other colours. I do like the pastel ones and will continue using them but really not keen on the other ones so i thank you for this review as i dont feel alone in my thoughts with this and its good to know someone else has had a similar experience so thank you.

Thank you for your honest and justified review! I don't trust those KZfaqrs who love everything they try - comes across to me as they're just trying to sell one more thing to me, rather than being honest!

Thank you soooo much for this honest review. I'm extremely light-handed and always use layers, working from light to dark, so they are right up my street. On my part, I struggle with Primsas, total war and carnage 😂 New sub here, by the way. You're funny!

So glad to see an honest review, I was going to buy these pencils because of all the good reviews,then I got some in a palettful packs box and hated them. I ended up getting polychromos and love those. So glad I didn’t waste my money on Holbein even though some of those colors are so pretty

Excellent review! Wish I had seen something like this before I bought them several years ago. I’ve only used them once but will try again. Thanks so much!

Thank you 🙂 that saved me a bunch of money. I love smooth paper! I’ll stick with my Prismacolors. 🤗

I like my Holbein's and you are very correct it is a matter of opinion and style I colour very differently then you I also tend to colour dark to light but I also tend to layer a lot more I am not a huge fan of Prismas unless I am colouring in a colouring book I find the Prismas work better in a colouring book then on some of my toothier paper but absolutely you need to find your style and find the best type of pencil for you 💖🤗 Great video .. I get the corner feel when I say I dont like the Prisma's lol

THANK YOU! I color in the same manner you do and I had purchased some open stock. I am horribly disappointed in the amount of dust and crumbling they create. And colorists are artists 😘

Thank YOU!! For your objective opinion! It is Valuable!!! 💖 Yes I have them.. bought them from Amazon Japan earlier this year(because I had the extra money to work with), but haven't used them very much! Mostly thinking "Oh they are Gold" I should wait until I'm a better colorist! I may NOT have purchased them after seeing your review though!? Like you found everyone raving about them! I will get them out Now and work with them! Thanks Again for Sharing!

Thank you for your review and opinion on these pencils. I tried, I really tried to like these pencils. In my opinion, the pastels are very hard to blend, seem a bit to chalky. The colors are beautiful, but I could not love them, and for the price I should. They are a bit too soft, wear down very easily. However, the Soft White is the best white I have ever used. In the end, I sold them on eBay. Just not my cup of tea.

There is 2 methods for coloring: Press coloring or layer on layer coloring. With oil bases pencils it is better to use layer on layer coloring . With wax based pencils we can use these 2 methods, but it takes more time for the layer on layer technique.

Thank you for your honesty. I am tempted but they are on the pricey side. ( i not an artist. I just love doing adult coloring books Done coloring in from off very young age ) So agree every colour pencil set is a huge different story for everyone ,you either like them or you don’t . 🥰 Sorry for the 2 nd answer i kicked to fast before i was finished .

Thank you so so much for your review.....it is sooooooo much money. I have your style and i bought Brutfuner macaron pastel pencils to have such pastel and I think you will like them too,they are better than from Castle arts pastels.........again,thank you so so much

thank you so much for your honesty. I think its important to have different options.

I wish I would have known this before I purchased them lol. I color a lot like you do and have had very similar results with my Holbeins. While I also love the colors I get frustrated with them every time I attempt to color with them. So thanks for your honesty, you are not alone in your assessment of them. They are beautiful to look at though lol

I absolutely love my Holbeins. And with all color pencils you need paper with tooth. So I really don’t understand that you review them on smooth paper?

I like Holbein but I thought your review was super informative. Also your nails are so pretty!

I haven’t really seen a lot of your stuff, but I did only .buy the Holbein because of the hype, I did buy them 2019 I think, but didn’t get them and I was just learning.. there is so much that you don’t know about yourself especially when you don’t no what your doing.. but my prismas fell apart always.. I think your my new hero!

I do layer and I dislike these pencils so much. Sticky and nasty. Luckily I only bought 12 pastels. I am an artist but also colour in books. Either way I am using the same techniques. Still an artist.

Just seeing your review and truely appreciate your honest opinion. I wish people would lighten up. It's sad that you can't critique a product without being bashed and insulted on your opinion. In watching swatching or opinions on products from other content creators, I sometimes feel like they sugar-coat their opinion. With these pencils, I heard its a learning curve but you gave it a honest try and determined they are not your cup of tea. I'm not heavy handed but also don't like adding lots of layers either. I was curious and bought a few pencils and expected more from them too but in full disclosure, I haven't given them a chance. Once again, thank you for your honest critique on these pencils.

This is a great review. I purchased several of these pencils open stock from Blick to try them. So far I am not sufficiently impressed to buy a full or partial set. I'll take Derwent over these any day. Thanks for the comprehensive review.

I'm like you. I have a heavy-handed style of drawing. I kind of use my color pencils like I'm painting with them. I have the pastel set of Holbeins and I realize that once you burnish them it's hard to layer/smudge other colors on top (which is still possible to do with Prismacolors). Although I do like how they kind of create this solid, streak-free, almost glossy area of color - Like you mentioned: they work for a cartoonish style. My question to you is: Do the darker colors work the same way? Or are they harder/streakier than the pastels/lighter tones? Thank you for a great and honest review! PS. I don't understand why you receive hate for having your own opinion on something! I want more critical reviews. I hate how most reviewers in the art community here on KZfaq are so hesitant to point out flaws of products or just say that this or that pencil doesn't work for their unique style. If I want to use a colorbook and I follow a colorist that I find inspiring, I want to hear their opinion of how it works for THEM. As long as you're making clear that it might have or even is intended for other uses.

I tested a few of my colored pencils next to each other on the same paper and noticed that this sticking happened to several types. I got stuck with some of my Derwent Drawings, Colorsoft and Lightfast. I don't like it because I automatically use more strength to move the pencil again and then often move it too far and would paint over it using line arts and accidentally end up in a different color. That was also always the case with the colored pencils that felt a little too much wax in the binding agent and were more like wax crayons. Strangely enough, I didn't get stuck with the Prismacolor, probably because they have a softer wax. With my Pablo's it looked a bit like crayons, but I didn't get stuck with them. The Pablo's got the price for the worst black from the artist-quality colored pencils. It didn't want to be darker than a dark gray, it is even lighter than that of the Faber Castell Classics colored pencils. I don't have enough colors of the Luminance and the Procolor to be able to compare them with the others. I try to have at least a 12 color set for the tests.

I got sucked into these too, luckily I only bought 10 pencils. Luminance are where it's at for me! Thanks for the review!

Here, here for Luminance!! 🤩👍🏾 Thank you for this honest opinion. 🥰💕🤘🏾 This is how I felt about the Irojitens, overhyped and very disappointing to color with!! BTW, whose ‘skin’?? 🥺😔

Wow! Grateful for the honesty! Sorry to hear that you’re “just a colorist,” as I’m coming to count on your videos to make my days more entertaining and informative in my current hobby-of-choice. What the heck does that make those of us who color, but don’t teach our methods/techniques?? I think you’re a brave, honest, hard-working person who doesn’t feel those of us with the curiosity, but not “the means,” don’t over-extend ourselves and then be forced to live with regret, so THANK YOU (for not “drinking the koolaid” and giving us the cult-following opinion of the masses).

I am using my for the first time! I totally agree with your review, I was expecting a totally different result. Hope I will eventually like them, since I spent $300 on them.

Very nice review, I also don’t want to layer for days, why don’t you just sell them? I’m sure a lot of people would grab them off you hands and then you can buy another set or another art supply you REALLY want and like! 🥰

I agree. I am not a colorist as in books the beautiful books, I don’t know if that is the word I would use but I tried some and they nearly permanently messed up a picture. They are super oily like oil pastels. In fact that is the approach that would work with them. But they do not blend with other pencils such as Polychromos, Luminance, Lightfast or Derwent Procolour or drawing pencils. And, and I can’t use them because they are not professional which means their “in house” lightfast testing doesn’t hold up. So artists know that means that they were not ASTM or Blue Wool tested. Having said that I have other Holbein products like gouache and some of their watercolor. To me the price is horrendous for a pencil that is not professional. Other colored pencil artists that I know have said the same. But they are in the style of how popular oil pencils are in Japanese culture which is different from here.

Frankly Speaking I love the package and colors of these colored pencils however they seem to break as much as my prismacolors which annoys me a lot considering its price in my country.

I got mine from Amazon Japan on sale, with shipping I paid just under $245