Koh-I-Noor Polycolor Colored Pencil Review

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Koh-I-Noor Polycolor Colored Pencil Review

Рет қаралды 23,929

Күн бұрын

Today we are going to look at the Polycolor pencils from Koh-I-Noor. I bought this set of 24 colors at a local store for $24.99 buy you can find them for less at Blick online: shrsl.com/2a4xi (affiliate links used)
Product description from Blick: Polycolor premium oil-based drawing pencils cased in California cedar wood offer the ultimate control on paper, laying down smoothly with no wax buildup. Use them for drawing, illustrating, and coloring. They're easily blended and overlaid for limitless hues and formulated with the highest standards of lightfastness. These pencils are pre-sharpened.
These pencils are harder and drier than Polychromos. They feel similar to Derwent Studio. These are available in open stock as well as sets ranging from 12 to 144 including some specialty sets.
Here is the coloring book I showed: amzn.to/3cMyjos
Pros:
Smooth, effortless laydown of color
No bloom or wax build-up
Easy to change tone with pressure making a smaller set versatile
Layers well
Dissolves easily with solvents.
Works well on a variety of paper
Sharpens to a fine point
No breakage (in my experience) with hand held or electric sharpeners
No smudging
Good lightfastness rating overall with the exception of some pinks and purples and at least one blue.
Although they are hard they lay down well with little pressure, kind of like a pastel pencil would but with enough oil/wax to keep them from smudging.
Cons:
Less vibrant than Prismacolor or Polychromos
White and black are weak
Not good for burnishing as the hard lead fills the tooth quickly.
Bottom line:
These are a hard, dry feeling pencils. I found them well suited to smooth coloring books where I had trouble getting enough color with other oilier feeling pencils. They also performed well on watercolor and drawing paper. I recommend these pencils to anyone who likes a well-pigmented dryer feeling pencil. If you don't like how slick Prismacolors are you will probably like these. These would also work well as a bottom layer under oilier pencils increasing the layering ability of your colored pencil work.
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Пікірлер: 95

@TheArtGearGuide 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent review Lindsay and thanks for mentioning me as well I always appreciate it. You are so right about the recipe of the pencils and the colour names on the actual pencils. I have been corresponding quite a bit with Koh-I-Noor and the pencils that now have pigment names actually on the barrel will not always line up with older Color charts that people would have had to refer to prior to the names being printed on the barrels. Some colors have been renamed which when I done the review of the 144 took me ages to work out what was going on. I added like a spreadsheet to my written review of the 144 set of the Color available in all the different sets they do which again was something that took quite a while to develop. Anyway wonderful review Lindsay, I am as sick as can be right now and your video popped up in my announcements which made me really happy. Hate being sick and not being able to get out of bed. Take care and wonderful review

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Harry for confirming my suspicion on the older pencils. I hope you feel better soon. Take care!

@twingytwango6971 Жыл бұрын

I love the Koh I Noor! I also got the 144 set of polycolors. I find I use them more than the Polychromos, but maybe that’s just me not wanting to use out my Polychromos. I’m also in love with the Caran d Ache Pablo. They are nice and fine too.

@Linda-qq5mg 4 жыл бұрын

I trust your reviews, and enjoy watching them! The samples of the pictures you showed are so beautiful! Thank you so very much.😀

@watercolourartincapetown2919 4 жыл бұрын

Am I the only one obsessed with your colour swatches 😍😍😍 I’d really love to see your watercolour swatch file in its entirety

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

Maybe I'll do a video:)

@grannysharp772 4 жыл бұрын

I love your reviews. I have bought a couple brands due to your reviews plus you’ve answered my questions and help me along. I appreciate that.

@kirstyclark85 4 жыл бұрын

Omg!! when I saw you had bought these pencils I jumped up off the sofa and said to my other half "Omg the frugal crafter is reviewing the pencils you got me for my birthday!" I commented on one of your Insta post asking about a white that I could use for a poppy drawing i done, as the white in this set wasn't great. I'm new to coloured pencils and this is my first set, I quite like them, but I have ALOT to learn still. I had a large area of sky to colour, and I got alittle bored with it and rushed it, looks a hot mess at the moment but saw u had used gamsol (Not sure if I have spelt that right) i may pick some of this up and see if I can improve it some way. Thank you for reviewing these, I hope one day my my drawings will look as good as yours do!😊

@lisamr40 4 жыл бұрын

When I started getting into coloring books I started with Crayola pencils. Any time I got a little money I would go to A.C. Moore or Michael's with my coupons and get a set of colored pencils that I thought were artist quality (better than Crayola). I have that set and the woodless pencils and Derwent colors colorsoft pencils. These were the pencils I used for awhile before I decided that yes, I definitely wanted to spend the money to get the Prismacolors and continue with adult coloring book crazy. I still use them all even though I have the 150 set of the Prismacolors. Stay safe!

@JA-ed1tj 4 жыл бұрын

You also reviewed their watercolor pencils. From what I glean from you reviews, I think these would be good for the serious beginner.

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, I'd even day there watercolor pencils are a better quality and rival other professional brands.

@shannonwolff2599 4 жыл бұрын

Just an FYI if you want a pencil that would be the "poor man's polychromos" I would try the Lyra Rembrant Polycolour. They were owned by Faber Castell a few years ago and they are quite similar in a lot of ways including quite a few of the colours have the same name and are identical. Thanks for another great review!!! I had to laugh though I am one of the ones who find the koh-i-noor softer than the polychromos and I feel the lyra are closer.

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

Those are good, I gave my set to my sister because she needed an oil based pencil and I also had a set of polychomos.

@vanessadesousa 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for doing these reviews for us, always appreciated since i can find these here in europe 👍

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

If you cant order direct from the company I think Simon Says Stamp carries them and ships worldwide

@TheWipal 3 жыл бұрын

👀👀 We meet again, tee hee

@vanessadesousa 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheWipal destined 💅

@twingytwango6971 11 ай бұрын

I doubt that there was a change in the recipe, I first purchased a set of 72 sometime in 2016. Then a year ago I purchased the 144 set and they still seem the same I n my opinion. When I think what the 72 cost back then (2016), it was a third of the present price. Now I have almost all of their products. Love the mid range price and performance.

@watercolourartincapetown2919 4 жыл бұрын

I got the koh-I-noor white pencil ✏️ and I loved it.. but I have very little experience worth pencils... I’ve been curious to try the set... so excited to see you have a review

@selbarton 4 жыл бұрын

I wish Koh-I-Noor would update their site because they still say polycolor only goes to the 72 color range and the 144 set was a school kit of 12 packs. Really sad they have nothing on their site to even show the 144 with a hopeful release date. If it weren't for art gear Guide, I would think the Ebay auction was 100% faking the range completely rather than just taking advantage of their being no way to verify if it's an official set. I have the 12 set from a few years back, and I wouldn't really call them scratchy or creamy, just kind of in the middle. But I use a really light hand which could make a difference. (I can't get pigment to lay down with crayola pencils enough to bother and have no idea how people get them to look presentable when I can spend 5 minutes trying to get the hint of color to show.) I would say they aren't that far behind the prismacolor set I broke down and got because it was $18 for the 36 set. But I don't really call them creamy either. They don't look like what I would call creamy until I use solvent on them. I might just be too picky and specific in my head on definitions, which tends to be the case in other areas of life. I wonder if Artist Loft is having the open stock pencils made by Koh-I-Noor. They sport the same markings and Czech on the side. They look very similar, and I noticed in a few reviews, posters mentioned the open stock Artist Loft were not the same as the sets (in a good way). I mentioned thinking it was Koh-I-Noor making them as well, so I don't feel as bad thinking it looked that way.

@serenity2288 4 жыл бұрын

I just got myself a set of Derwent Coloursoft and did some comparing - my old set of Polycolors feels much closer to the Coloursoft than the Artists, which proves the change in formulation. I'm a bit sad they changed it because it makes my old, half-used set feel precious as I won't be able to get the same product again. Time to save up for the Polychromos, I think

@anniebeanie710 11 ай бұрын

When it comes to the price they will be the cheaper the closer you live to Czech Republic. To give you idea ... Here in Czechia the 24 piece set would be from 13 usd, 72 piece set from 32 usd and 144 set around 111 usd. Plus open stock is easily available. Hence very favorite and we are so used to them i would not even call them hard :-) . When i try any other affordable brand of colored pencils i end up at the point where they dont perform as i would wish ... but koh-i-noor polycolors do manage to fix it. Like when i tried colourblends they failed to layer pretty soon but koh-i-nors had no problem whatsoever to put another layer over them. So i like them. Czechia has lower average salaries then USA, Germany, Switzerland etc ... so there are lower labor costs to make them.

@thefrugalcrafter 11 ай бұрын

Makes sense

@tiasmom6225 4 жыл бұрын

Great review Lindsay, and I love your drawings. You're quite the artist, very talented.❤️🌹

@twingytwango6971 11 ай бұрын

Mine do snap but I still love them unconditionally.

@booboo8115 4 жыл бұрын

Here I sit coloring with my Prismacolors, thinking what am I missing that everyone else knows? They are my favorites too! I always enjoy your reviews❣️❣️❣️

@tsariaalbrecht1009 4 жыл бұрын

Ah this is just what I needed. So much happening and lots of it tough. I would much rather look at pencils or anything art related. ;-) Pencils are my nemesis. I just want good pencils. How hard is it. ha ha.

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

I agree! Art supply reviews can take our mind off the crazy right now:)

@LindaSmith-vq1br 4 жыл бұрын

I love that colouring book. Stunning graphics. I will consider them for my next purchase for my colouring books. Thank you for the information!

@sharonferrera9049 3 жыл бұрын

I just got this 24 set at Michaels for $20. I love them went threw so many brands trying them out for Bible journaling and coloring I prefer they way this brand lays down so smooth and high pigment ...

@ChristinaTodd1970 4 жыл бұрын

Ahhhh, Lindsay. It’s covid-19 time, you can’t sit in the hospital anymore. My teenager had to have an emergency appendectomy last month and they wouldn’t even let me in the hospital! I sat in my car for 15 hours waiting. I could have gone home I guess, but I wanted him to know I was right outside the building. I was soooooo mad!

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

Oh no, I would be frantic! I hope you child is ok. My eldest has his first wisdom tooth coming through and I am a nervous wreck trying to decide to have them all out now or wait it out as the one tooth coming in is, well coming in strait. I had mine out one at a time as they popped through. Omg, would you like my life story or what lol! I guess I am desperate to chat haha!

@ChristinaTodd1970 4 жыл бұрын

thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich If I were you, and I have been with three sons, ages 26, 17, and 16, I would have them all pulled at once if you get the ok from your orthodontist. That way he’ll be put under for the whole shebang and cal heal all at once. That way you and he don’t have to go through it again. It also avoids getting impactions which are super painful. And yeah, I haven’t talked to anyone but my boys and my dogs in forever.

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

@@ChristinaTodd1970 Luckily none of the kids ever needed braces so we just have a regular dentist. I hate the idea of my kids being under anesthesia (what if they don't wake up!) so I'd rather do the least invasive.

@ChristinaTodd1970 4 жыл бұрын

thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich Gotcha

@serenity2288 4 жыл бұрын

@@thefrugalcrafter For what it's worth, I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed (they hadn't come out yet) and they did it with just regular local injection anaesthesia. It was quick and painless, unlike the recovery period that followed...

@helendelman Жыл бұрын

Thanks great video, I am very interested in these pencils, so great to watch a video about them.

@lizbethy3214 11 ай бұрын

I have that coloring book and it is gorgeous!

@annettefournier9655 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Lindsay. Gorgeous fruits. You do such fabulous food ! 💖💖💖👍

@mjpete27 3 жыл бұрын

Nice review! I love my Koh-i-noor pencils! I thought they were the only company that made watercolor pencils. We only had 1 art store in our town when I was a boy. They only carried the Koh-i-noor brand of watercolor pencils. They had Faber Castell's and Prismacolors but only in wax or oil. Only The Koh-i-noors had them all! I know now it was because they were cheaper to stock and sell at higher margins! I believe the owner liked them best as well! I know I have made this comment before, but maybe not on your channel! I have used these pencils for years and my first set was very firm, circa 1969 but in the 1980's I bought a bigger set and they were so soft! I thought they were mis-labled! Nope like you said formula change! I would like to have the 144 set but I just do not "need" them right now so I will wait until I need more pencils or they go on sale cheaply enough for me to not be able to pass them up! Good to find these jewels in your library Lindsay, Thanks! Please take care and have a lovely evening!

@thefrugalcrafter 3 жыл бұрын

The art gear guide us doing a giveaway of the 144 set so go sign up. You might get lucky!

@lynncooper1781 4 жыл бұрын

"After all, I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood. " Anne Morrow Lindbergh Thank you lindsay,awesome colored pencils.❤😊👍👌

@Tippel3 4 жыл бұрын

I can tell you theses are wax based. KIN gave a statement about that (I think 2-3 years ago?) in Germany, and told that they are mostly wax based and the confusion about it came through a translation error. The company is very well known in Germany, I guess in most of Europe and imho their products have a very good price/value balance. If I want to try anything new out and Koh I Noor has it, I likely go with it because I know I won't get crap and will get a product that will give me the real feel about the new supplie. They are not highest artist grade as Polychromos but for the price range they are in, it's hard to find comparable supplies. While I was shocked about the prices for these you have in the US, I think it's the same reason i.e. that Prismas are very expensive in Germany.

@bullseye11b 3 жыл бұрын

I have the 72 set. They have the color names. In Germany it’s about 50 for the set in a tin. And only 38 for the set of it comes in card board. If you already have a pencil case to put them in it’s a great deal. I want to try Prismacolor, but here they cost more than Faber-Castell polychomos.

@ladyhecate9450 2 жыл бұрын

I just received these pencils. I switched them out. They seem too pastel. You mentioned breakage with Prismacolor. I've been using PC pencils for three years now. I also bought this great manual sharpener Dahl 133 and it is fantastic. I no longer have breakage of PC. But I also handle PC with care. No drops at all. These two rules I follow I now have no issue with breakage with PC Premier. With bloom, I get bloom/shine with the cheaper oil based pencils as well. Oh...my sharpener has a handle to it . Kind of reminds me of school. I have bought expensive oil based pencils and I ALWAYS return to Prismacolor (PC). Cheap pencils, I've had enough of those. I wish PC Premiere would have a 200 pencil set. That is the only reason I bought some 180 pencils but nothing like Prismacolor even against FB Poly pencils.

@serenity2288 4 жыл бұрын

It definitely seems like they've changed the formula, my old ones are definitely not that opaque on black! Looks like they went more into wax and that made them harder

@CornellyCo 3 жыл бұрын

Ohh that’s a bummer . I am debating between these and faber castell ones ... I like when the colored pencil is “clayish”, not “slippery”. I got castle arts and they are not so good. They’re ok so I want to buy new set and return castle arts

@tatisoap Жыл бұрын

Thank you for a great review. I agree with you that it's difficult to read metallic writing on pencils like the Prismacolors, so the black writing on these looks great. The only problem I found though, is that the colour name and number is about midway on the pencil, so once you've sharpened the pencil more than half way, you've lost that information. That can make it more difficult to buy a replacement pencil if you don't remember the colour name or number. I own Prismacolors, Polychromos and Derwent Coloursoft (and love them all) and they all have the colour name and number close to the top end of the pencil, thus mitigating that problem.

@thefrugalcrafter Жыл бұрын

Good point!

@waymire01 Жыл бұрын

These do have a color number at the end on the gold side. The first number is the series, then a slash, then the individual color number.

@tatisoap Жыл бұрын

@@waymire01 Thanks, I didn't know that!

@janetsjewellery 4 жыл бұрын

I have the Chameleon colour tones pencils which come from Austria and the Koh-i-Noor tri tones pencils which are from the Czech Republic. If I ever get my pencils used up I have my eye on the Prismacolour pencils.

@ianjackson5834 4 жыл бұрын

I have there 72 set of watercolour pencils and like you say they do the job, I am not a big user of colour pencil so they fit my level, TFS

@ColorfullyOptimistic 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome review. I have been on the fence whether or not to buy these, so I've been searching for reviews on them to see if it is worth it.

@ChiseledDiamond 4 жыл бұрын

Was wondering if you could try their grey tones set? I have it and love it!

@ElvisLivesUpstairs 4 жыл бұрын

Just got grey and brown set they are gorgeous. I'm sure I heard somone said they don't have names on them. Mine do.

@lizbethy3214 Жыл бұрын

I absolutely love the Prismacolor Art Stix Woodless Colored Pencils but I wanted to buy a new box and discovered that they were discontinued recently!!!! Since I so recently became enamored with them, as I had them for years but neglected them to collect dust on a shelf, then when I finally took them down I was wowed to true art supply love ❤️, was so excited to order a larger set only to discover, alas, they're discontinued. Do you have a DUPE FOR PRISMACOLOR ART STIX????????? ALL HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

@twingytwango6971 11 ай бұрын

It is absolutely problematic to read the gold paint on pencils. I do not understand why the prominent companies don’t lead the way and change it. Many people have problems reading the gold and sometimes silver colours. Personally, I have a piece of magnifying glass to read these pencils and I wear reading glasses and they are still difficult to read.

@arayasands3008 3 жыл бұрын

I just got that exact set of Polly color on Saturday lol

@franziska9260 4 жыл бұрын

well it's midnight here but I suppose I'm watching anyway!

@twingytwango6971 8 ай бұрын

I have a question to these pencils, do you find that they bloom like the Prismacolors? This is not a trick question. My usage of them is limited to colouring Mandalas. I’ve never used them for anything larger or complicated.

@thefrugalcrafter 8 ай бұрын

I haven't noticed that they have a more drier feeling than the waxy feeling prisma has, and I often use solvent, and that removes a lot of wax and all the bloom. To be honest I haven't used them since this review and I don't remember any bloom but it's been a while. Have you noticed a bloom?

@twingytwango6971 8 ай бұрын

@@thefrugalcrafter I don’t think I would call it bloom, I think what I see is more related to the quality of the paper I use. But when I use the Prismacolor I always have to go over it again like the next day or so, the colour just seem to shrink or shows less coverage than when I’d just finished colouring. I hope for larger projects and on better paper that the koh i noor will perform better. I must be the only person on the planet that cannot work with Prismacolors. Thanks for your quick reply. I appreciate it.

@azzuparis 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Lindsay, your reviews are always so useful! I don't use colored pencils a lot. What I find difficult is to choose the right colors to create art with, comparing to paints. If I had to buy a bunch of open stock pencils to start with, which colors would you suggest? I have the Arteza 72 coloured pencils set (the old one) but there are so many colors to choose from and it can be a little overwhelming.

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

I'd start with the Arteza ones you already have:) you will learn by experimenting! I would pick up a white prismacolor to go with these tho.

@azzuparis 4 жыл бұрын

thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich Thanks Lindsay 😘

@theresesprinkle2103 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the review I am looking for better ones.

@user-kx9dz7pz8w 10 ай бұрын

Magnifique

@carmencasillas3793 4 жыл бұрын

I have those pencils, I so many others, because I am crazy my husband says.

@shortyangel2010 2 жыл бұрын

I just got my hands on these and found that they laid down beautifully on ohuhu's mixed media paper as opposed to strathmore's mixed media paper. I was also wondering what paper you used to swatch and if you noticed any differences based on paper type? Thanks for this!

@thefrugalcrafter 2 жыл бұрын

I honestly don't remember but they worked great on Stonehenge and Hahnemulhe toned grey watercolor paper

@avenart110 2 жыл бұрын

I really like these pencils but for some reason the paper I use they don’t seem to lay down well. They seem kinda scratchy so I want to try them on mixed media ohuhu. Any other smooth paper suggestions?

@jendesign5537 Жыл бұрын

Hi Lindsay. I just received the 144 set. I have a quick question for you. I noticed when I was coloring with them in a coloring book that once you color with a pencil & you try to use another color over it, it was almost like it was burnished and did not want to except anymore color. Sort of a strange feel. Sis you experience this? The color selection is beautiful but there behavior is not what I expected. I have some of the koh-noor pencils that are woodless & they are really nice.

@thefrugalcrafter Жыл бұрын

I used Stonehenge paper so it may accept more layers than your coloring page. I only have 24 colors so I had to blend and layer all the colors and I thought it did ok.

@suebouch4074 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Lindsay... my 72 set of KIN Poly do not have color names... I think I got them about 5 years ago? I spent a lot of time coloring about then (love mandalas as they're like kaleidoscopes). I've accumulated some beautiful pencils that have been neglected. Your 15set review sparked my interest in them again. I'm going to do a "personal review" of them and will let you know my results LOL... I know I want to encourage you to look again at the Irojeten pencils as those and Caran D'ache Pablo's are my favorites along with Derwent Colorsoft although they are a totally different type of pencil. I was not impressed with the Derwent Procolor that reminded me of their Artist line that I also didn't care for. OK... I hear myself rambling on so will go check out your amazon link to your favorite things because I do want to support you and I appreciate today's video didn't have internal ads. Thanks for what you do... have a great day! 🙂

@ArtistRebeccaLS 4 жыл бұрын

I like Comic Sans - such a fun font 😍 I’m still thinking Prismacolor may be better ? Super video 😍

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

I prefer prismacolor because I like a softer lead

@ArtistRebeccaLS 4 жыл бұрын

thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich ah! Thank you ☺️ as when I come to getting into colored pencils it’s those I was going to go for, so thank you ☺️

@justacatwhocantype 4 жыл бұрын

Hey friend, nice to see you here! 🙋

@kathypatterson4630 4 жыл бұрын

Could you explain what 'wax bloom' is? I am obviously not an artist, just a crafter. And, do you every use gamsol with colored pencils? I haven't seen you do this, but when I color mandalas I get a lot of lines. As soon as I wrote that I saw the bottle of gamsol in your hand...

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

wax bloom is a white haze that shows up on burnished (heavily colored) areas

@stephensapos6491 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Lindsay, Would you review Cezan colored pencils these are not Cezanne colored pencils both are on Amazon

@thefrugalcrafter 4 жыл бұрын

Scroll back 2 weeks on my channel and you will find the rewiew on the Ceazanne pencils:)

@mememex-t1v 3 жыл бұрын

Just Beautiful Lady, i have a question are polycolor similar to Pablos?

@thefrugalcrafter 3 жыл бұрын

I have not tried the Pablo but these are hard and feel dry when use use them but they are well pigmented. They are oil based like Pablo. I hope that helps.

@mememex-t1v 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot dear Lady !!! Of course it helps me a lot, besides i really like My polycolor.