STAEDTLERColored Pencils Set (72-Pack) - Ergonomic Triangular Barrel, Smooth 4mm Lines, Wood - 72 Vibrant Colors in Tin, for Artists & Students

Vibrant colors, no issues sharpening, and no issues with breaking

nice color contrast

First the good. Nice colors - I love all the greens as not a huge fan of the neutral and darks. Nice selection of blues and actually - to me a nice selection overall. The colors swatched out nice enough - the gradient is excellent - they do get very intense in some colors if you want them too. Not as nice as the Design Journey from Staedtler also, however the price!!! Although I got these for a little over 12 dollars on PRIME DAY, even at the regular price they are a bargain. But you have to like holding the triangle pencils.Now for the negatives in my opinion. I do not care for the triangular shape. Weird and although they sharpen OK it's odd. I did a whole picture in these to try them so that I could give an opinion. It was difficult to handle them and know where the color was going! I won't be using these much, but sometimes you need just the right color in a set you do not love. SO - I will most likely keep these. They seem to sharped OK.The tin is absolutely wonderful. I wish you could buy separately the quality tins most colored pencils come in these days. If I ever donate these pencils I am keeping that tin. I have a lot of pencils I keep in sturdy tins from back in the day when Whitman's Chocolates came in holiday tins that were really good. I am so glad I saved those!!I added a picture to show the rather nice vibrancy of these colors in a picture from a little inexpensive coloring book I use to try each brand I buy, and sometimes just to pass a little fun coloring time. You can see how the layers are arranged. I did take these out of the flimsy trays. The trays are not only flimsy but they make it extremely frustrating to get the pencils out of them. So they are not on two layers of batting in their box, and I can root through for the colors I want.I also bought Goldfaber colored pencils in the PRIME time frame and those - well - I love them and will review them in the proper place, but these Staedtler ones are a cut above really cheap colored pencils like the awful Crazy-Art and assorted white label brands etc. I prefer the good brands tried and true like Staedtler and Faber-Castell (and I do love my Prangs and a few Crayolas) anyway.

I hesitated to buy these pencils for months because of the negative reviews but a very reasonable price for a trustworthy brand eventually convinced me to take a chance and I’m glad I did. Consistent with the reputation of the Staedtler brand name, they are excellent quality pencils that perform very well. The color selection is lovely and varied, the pencils keep a sharp point, are great for fine lines and small details, sharpen well, and provide a smooth application. Last but most important, the Staedtler customer service is outstanding. They demonstrate that they value their customers through clear and steadfast actions. Regrettably, I cannot say that about Amazon. After extensive experience indulging in an embarrassing amount of colored pencil set purchases from professional artist quality to hobby brands, I have learned that the problems regarding colored pencil damage with quality brand names is due to Amazon’s negligence in shipping these fragile and breakable items in thin plastic bags even after numerous repeated requests to pack and ship appropriately. It is interesting to note that I ordered a set of 24 count Amazon colored pencils for $2.99 and they arrived triple wrapped in bubble wrap, packed in a thick strong protective carton and shipped in a carton with some paper as a cushion. Contrarily, every other set of colored pencil sets I received, including Caran d’ Ache, Prismacolor, Derwent, Faber-Castell and all others were shipped in thin plastic envelopes.

These obviously aren't artist quality but for their price I'm pleasantly surprised. They're not scratchy on the paper and they do let you blend colors more than expected. My one complaint is that they weren't sharpened properly by the manufacturer and I had to sharpen all of them before using them. One of the 72 pencil's wood cracked when sharpening but that's not a serious concern for me.

These are easy to hold and the colors are great.

I like this brand and own a lot of their drawing and coloring products. The only issues I had are that there is a strong smell of paint when you open the lid. Also, the trays need to be easier to access the different levels as when you try to use your finger you cannot pull up the trays without unseating the pencils. So it would be nice if the trays were a little deeper and easier to lift. Also, the name of the color is not printed on the individual pencils which would also be nice.The colors lay down just fine with little ease. The colors are buildable as well. Overall a good product and a trusted brand for me.

i love staedtler just for this reason. their products are always on point and these colored pencils are no different. the leads are amazingly thick and i was a bit concerned about them breaking during shipment but they stayed intact. they’re also easy to sharpen and use. i personally like them more than prismacolor as staedtler has a more pencilly feel while prismacolor is trickier to use and feels more like oil pastels. the price for the 70 pack was also amazing. i saw these same pencils for about $50 at most craft stores while i got these on amazon for $15. these pencils are super versatile and affordable and are easy to use and blend. i love them