I have quite a few large sets of various brands of colored pencils. I think that overall, this is actually my favorite set! Yes, there are obviously better brands, and these pencils are not in their league, neither for performance nor price!! All things considered, especially the price, that's what makes these my favorite standard colored pencil!! No, these aren't a budget set, and you might even find some pencils that perform more to your liking at a much lower price, it's all just a personal preference, after all.This was the first set of Castle Arts pencils that I bought, over a year ago, and have since purchased the Gold set, the metallic, the pastel "macaron" and the water color sets, always the largest quantity available in the zipper pouches. I try not to spend too much on art supplies, but all those other purchases were me chasing the quality of this set. This particular set is hands down superior to any of the others offered by this brand, but that's just my opinion. I would definitely purchase this again, not totally certain if I would invest again in any of their other sets, but possibly would if I use them all up.These pencils perform comparably to the Crayola brand of colored pencils, except these are a little bit smoother and brighter. This set would be a logical next step-up from Crayolas if you've started there, like their performance, but are looking for something a little bit fancier. To be fair, a lot of people want to complain about Crayola, which I think is just based on their availability at every discount and mass retailer. I actually use them at times, even with owning tons of other, more desirable sets. If it's just a coloring book, why burn through professional grade pencils?? These Castle Arts are a great option for coloring books, especially if you opt for them in the zipper case. Very convenient presentation with a sheet to swatch the colors. My love for this set is honestly based a lot from their presentation and the convenience of the color guide.The pencils come with some instructional info, also. I love how well these layer and blend. Yes, there's some wax bloom, but you'll get that with any kind of pencil. To compare this set vs. their Gold set, these layer and blend way way better, but the Gold set has more vibrant colors, and sets down more color with less pressure or more color in a single pass. I would recommend these over the Gold set if you're more of a traditionalist with colored pencils and take your time building layers and ranges of tone. These are the best pencils I have found for layering short of some of the higher priced Derwents. To clarify, yes I compared these to Crayola in some aspects, but these layer better than Crayola. The Gold pencils don't let you build the range of subtle layers and effects like these pencils. The Gold pencils are "oil" pencils. All colored pencils have wax binders, but some pencils have added oils, or a somewhat different blend, all subjective, and all depending on the particular brands formulation. I have several different sets of pencils that are labeled as oil pencils, they lay down a lot more color, but they just don't layer and blend quite as well. Personally, I know of a lot of people who claim they "hate" colored pencils, that they just want to color with markers or gel pens because pencils are too soft and light colored. Of course a lot of coloring books are designed with images on both sides of thin paper, so in that case you're limited to pencils, and if you think you hate pencils, you might want to try oil pencils, like the Gold set.Bottom line, for me this set has been almost the perfect set of pencils. There's a good range and balance of colors in this set, too. They sharpen well. I've not had too many issues with poorly blended spotchy nor "scratchy" areas like you always get with cheaper pencils. I have had these for over a year, no problems. The case is durable, and also the pencils seem to be a good hardness. They hold a point well. They're a consistently good product that allows the versatility to use in coloring books, or stand alone art!

UPDATE 17 APRIL 2023...since posting I received communication from Carlos at Castle Art Supplies! Even though Castle Art Supplies is not responsible for the packaging used at the Amazon warehouse or how the carriers handled the shipment, they have offered me a set of 120 pencils in the tin box! What FANTASTIC customer service! I would like to thank Castle Art Supplies, Carlos especially, for taking my disappointment in shipping breakage as their opportunity to make me happy. I truly enjoy the results of my coloring pages using the Castle Art Supplies Soft Touch colored pencils. They have dedicated customer for sure!I received my order last November and saved them for myself for Christmas, which is why my review comes later than normal for me.When I received my Castle Art Soft Touch wax pencils, I was a bit concerned about the packaging. The case holding the pencils was inside an unprotected, thin sheath of plastic. I know how things are tossed around during shipping, having witnessed it first hand on many occasions. My concern has been proven correct. Without proper packaging, I have had many difficulties with the leads being broken. For me, it is extremely frustrating to have to repeatedly sharpen new pencils because the cores are in pieces. Greens are the worst offenders, at times being more crumbs than core! It's not the way I sharpen my pencils as I have been coloring for years and know how to sharpen pencils correctly. This is a problem that I am sure others will have experienced.Now for the wonderful things! Absolutely beautiful layering of pigment, blends nicely. Fantastic for the smoother and slightly glossed paper of high end books such as Klara Markova and Hannah Karlzon. I am able to put a dozen or more layers of my combos on the paper to create pages I am very happy to share with friends and family. The Castle Art pencils also work pretty well with cheaper papers, as long as light layers are used! Press too firmly and the tooth of the paper gives out too soon.My suggestion...request protective packing before ordering. I would have been giving more stars, had the cores not been damaged. For a budget priced pencil, a good depth of color can be achieved.

A bit expensive but worth the purchase for variety, quality and consistency of the colors. I purchased two more for friends as gifts and they love the containment and ease of use in having a place and system for each color. Great product, and makes a great gift!

I've been using these consistently for 3 months. They are excellent. Lovely blending and great shades. Get a good quality sharper and you are all set. These look great layered and can also be used with a a colorless blender pencil. There are a few colors that aren't as smooth, but it's not huge deal. I typically do several layers of color so it's no problem. I'm already eyeing the pastels and metallic pencil set to add to my collection. Would totally recommend this brand.

They are wonderful colouring pencils . They are made in China like most of colouring pencils our days. What is not a bad thing to hold the price reasonable. This set has not the chemical stench like my first castle art supplies 120 set purchased nov.2018 which needed a week airing ! This new set scent is wood ! The soft case is very well made , not one split pencil and no breakage !!!! Of course you have to invest in a decent sharpener. Mine is a Helix desktop crank handle , a really useful buy . The colours are bright and beautiful. The palette is all’s and more what you ever need on variety. They are highly pigmented and not to soft or to hard . They can hold a fine point for detailed work . I owe also the full set of goldfaber(48) of faber-castell and some polychromos . I don’t understand the hype around them. They are just not for me , the polys I mean . Castle art are in my opinion much like goldfaber . But with a much larger colour range . Like with most colouring pencils the very light colours need a bit more work than the rest . I use them for Adult colouring books and they are just perfect. I was lucky, I got the 120 set middle of March As a special offer for £29.99. But I would pay the regular price for them . They blend and layer beautifully. There is nothing not likeable in this set , for less than £0.38 per pencil including a superb case with place for a few accessories like rubber and sharpener I can only advise to buy it before it is again sold out ! Like so many times the past months .

got it during a sales. love that it comes with a case! lovely colours and easy to blend.

I've included as many photos as possible because I am so impressed by this brand.I am not an artist but I enjoy coloring.This set is so well packaged for shipment, it was in three boxes.First, I purchased the 120 color pencil set, the case itself is really sturdy, I won't need anything more durable however, I do wish there was a carrying handle on the side of the case.When you open the case, you'll find a tutorial booklet, a color and product guide, a tester sheet, a help card, a booklet on care, color theory and techniques - this is wonderful for the beginner (like myself).Some reviews mentioned cracked or broken tips, I only had one that was cracked in half, once I removed the broken piece, I was able to use that half without it breaking further.If you're going to use the tester sheet, check each pencil to ensure it matches the number on the sheet, once I made it through the yellows and pinks, I assumed they were all in order, but some of my blues were not and I ended up coloring the wrong blocks on the sheet before I caught the mistake.When applying the pencils to paper, the color goes down like butter, it is so smooth and so beautiful to use, I never thought about colored pencils in that way before but these are top quality, just absolutely wow!Not one of them broke/splintered during coloring and I did use more pressure but the tips remained intact.The blending is just superb and the pigmentation is stunning.I haven't had to sharpen any pencils yet, so I can't write on this area to know how the tips will hold up, but Castle has provided sharpening techniques in their booklet (wish a sharpener was included).I love these pencils and the quality Castle Arts has put into these products.💯 recommend.

I use it for my designs🙏

Buena calidad de lápices, suavidad y cremosos.Con alta aceptación entre capas de uno y otro color. Estuche con buena presentación y práctico. Lo recomiendo

I have quite a few large sets of various brands of colored pencils. I think that overall, this is actually my favorite set! Yes, there are obviously better brands, and these pencils are not in their league, neither for performance nor price!! All things considered, especially the price, that's what makes these my favorite standard colored pencil!! No, these aren't a budget set, and you might even find some pencils that perform more to your liking at a much lower price, it's all just a personal preference, after all.This was the first set of Castle Arts pencils that I bought, over a year ago, and have since purchased the Gold set, the metallic, the pastel "macaron" and the water color sets, always the largest quantity available in the zipper pouches. I try not to spend too much on art supplies, but all those other purchases were me chasing the quality of this set. This particular set is hands down superior to any of the others offered by this brand, but that's just my opinion. I would definitely purchase this again, not totally certain if I would invest again in any of their other sets, but possibly would if I use them all up.These pencils perform comparably to the Crayola brand of colored pencils, except these are a little bit smoother and brighter. This set would be a logical next step-up from Crayolas if you've started there, like their performance, but are looking for something a little bit fancier. To be fair, a lot of people want to complain about Crayola, which I think is just based on their availability at every discount and mass retailer. I actually use them at times, even with owning tons of other, more desirable sets. If it's just a coloring book, why burn through professional grade pencils?? These Castle Arts are a great option for coloring books, especially if you opt for them in the zipper case. Very convenient presentation with a sheet to swatch the colors. My love for this set is honestly based a lot from their presentation and the convenience of the color guide.The pencils come with some instructional info, also. I love how well these layer and blend. Yes, there's some wax bloom, but you'll get that with any kind of pencil. To compare this set vs. their Gold set, these layer and blend way way better, but the Gold set has more vibrant colors, and sets down more color with less pressure or more color in a single pass. I would recommend these over the Gold set if you're more of a traditionalist with colored pencils and take your time building layers and ranges of tone. These are the best pencils I have found for layering short of some of the higher priced Derwents. To clarify, yes I compared these to Crayola in some aspects, but these layer better than Crayola. The Gold pencils don't let you build the range of subtle layers and effects like these pencils. The Gold pencils are "oil" pencils. All colored pencils have wax binders, but some pencils have added oils, or a somewhat different blend, all subjective, and all depending on the particular brands formulation. I have several different sets of pencils that are labeled as oil pencils, they lay down a lot more color, but they just don't layer and blend quite as well. Personally, I know of a lot of people who claim they "hate" colored pencils, that they just want to color with markers or gel pens because pencils are too soft and light colored. Of course a lot of coloring books are designed with images on both sides of thin paper, so in that case you're limited to pencils, and if you think you hate pencils, you might want to try oil pencils, like the Gold set.Bottom line, for me this set has been almost the perfect set of pencils. There's a good range and balance of colors in this set, too. They sharpen well. I've not had too many issues with poorly blended spotchy nor "scratchy" areas like you always get with cheaper pencils. I have had these for over a year, no problems. The case is durable, and also the pencils seem to be a good hardness. They hold a point well. They're a consistently good product that allows the versatility to use in coloring books, or stand alone art!

UPDATE 17 APRIL 2023...since posting I received communication from Carlos at Castle Art Supplies! Even though Castle Art Supplies is not responsible for the packaging used at the Amazon warehouse or how the carriers handled the shipment, they have offered me a set of 120 pencils in the tin box! What FANTASTIC customer service! I would like to thank Castle Art Supplies, Carlos especially, for taking my disappointment in shipping breakage as their opportunity to make me happy. I truly enjoy the results of my coloring pages using the Castle Art Supplies Soft Touch colored pencils. They have dedicated customer for sure!I received my order last November and saved them for myself for Christmas, which is why my review comes later than normal for me.When I received my Castle Art Soft Touch wax pencils, I was a bit concerned about the packaging. The case holding the pencils was inside an unprotected, thin sheath of plastic. I know how things are tossed around during shipping, having witnessed it first hand on many occasions. My concern has been proven correct. Without proper packaging, I have had many difficulties with the leads being broken. For me, it is extremely frustrating to have to repeatedly sharpen new pencils because the cores are in pieces. Greens are the worst offenders, at times being more crumbs than core! It's not the way I sharpen my pencils as I have been coloring for years and know how to sharpen pencils correctly. This is a problem that I am sure others will have experienced.Now for the wonderful things! Absolutely beautiful layering of pigment, blends nicely. Fantastic for the smoother and slightly glossed paper of high end books such as Klara Markova and Hannah Karlzon. I am able to put a dozen or more layers of my combos on the paper to create pages I am very happy to share with friends and family. The Castle Art pencils also work pretty well with cheaper papers, as long as light layers are used! Press too firmly and the tooth of the paper gives out too soon.My suggestion...request protective packing before ordering. I would have been giving more stars, had the cores not been damaged. For a budget priced pencil, a good depth of color can be achieved.

A bit expensive but worth the purchase for variety, quality and consistency of the colors. I purchased two more for friends as gifts and they love the containment and ease of use in having a place and system for each color. Great product, and makes a great gift!

I've been using these consistently for 3 months. They are excellent. Lovely blending and great shades. Get a good quality sharper and you are all set. These look great layered and can also be used with a a colorless blender pencil. There are a few colors that aren't as smooth, but it's not huge deal. I typically do several layers of color so it's no problem. I'm already eyeing the pastels and metallic pencil set to add to my collection. Would totally recommend this brand.

They are wonderful colouring pencils . They are made in China like most of colouring pencils our days. What is not a bad thing to hold the price reasonable. This set has not the chemical stench like my first castle art supplies 120 set purchased nov.2018 which needed a week airing ! This new set scent is wood ! The soft case is very well made , not one split pencil and no breakage !!!! Of course you have to invest in a decent sharpener. Mine is a Helix desktop crank handle , a really useful buy . The colours are bright and beautiful. The palette is all’s and more what you ever need on variety. They are highly pigmented and not to soft or to hard . They can hold a fine point for detailed work . I owe also the full set of goldfaber(48) of faber-castell and some polychromos . I don’t understand the hype around them. They are just not for me , the polys I mean . Castle art are in my opinion much like goldfaber . But with a much larger colour range . Like with most colouring pencils the very light colours need a bit more work than the rest . I use them for Adult colouring books and they are just perfect. I was lucky, I got the 120 set middle of March As a special offer for £29.99. But I would pay the regular price for them . They blend and layer beautifully. There is nothing not likeable in this set , for less than £0.38 per pencil including a superb case with place for a few accessories like rubber and sharpener I can only advise to buy it before it is again sold out ! Like so many times the past months .

got it during a sales. love that it comes with a case! lovely colours and easy to blend.

I've included as many photos as possible because I am so impressed by this brand.I am not an artist but I enjoy coloring.This set is so well packaged for shipment, it was in three boxes.First, I purchased the 120 color pencil set, the case itself is really sturdy, I won't need anything more durable however, I do wish there was a carrying handle on the side of the case.When you open the case, you'll find a tutorial booklet, a color and product guide, a tester sheet, a help card, a booklet on care, color theory and techniques - this is wonderful for the beginner (like myself).Some reviews mentioned cracked or broken tips, I only had one that was cracked in half, once I removed the broken piece, I was able to use that half without it breaking further.If you're going to use the tester sheet, check each pencil to ensure it matches the number on the sheet, once I made it through the yellows and pinks, I assumed they were all in order, but some of my blues were not and I ended up coloring the wrong blocks on the sheet before I caught the mistake.When applying the pencils to paper, the color goes down like butter, it is so smooth and so beautiful to use, I never thought about colored pencils in that way before but these are top quality, just absolutely wow!Not one of them broke/splintered during coloring and I did use more pressure but the tips remained intact.The blending is just superb and the pigmentation is stunning.I haven't had to sharpen any pencils yet, so I can't write on this area to know how the tips will hold up, but Castle has provided sharpening techniques in their booklet (wish a sharpener was included).I love these pencils and the quality Castle Arts has put into these products.💯 recommend.

I use it for my designs🙏

Buena calidad de lápices, suavidad y cremosos.Con alta aceptación entre capas de uno y otro color. Estuche con buena presentación y práctico. Lo recomiendo