Polychromos vs. Prismacolor!12/8/2015 69 Comments
Here it is at last, the clash of the titans! Let's get straight into it... First of all, an introduction to both pencils. Polychromos are artist quality pencils from one of the world's largest and oldest manufacturer of art supplies, German company Faber-Castell. They are oil based and have fantastic lightfastness (will not discolour over time with exposure to light), and are regarded as one of the best quality coloured pencils on the market. Prismacolor Premier pencils are made in Mexico and are wax based, making them very soft with incredibly vibrant pigments. Each brand has it's pros and cons, so without further ado, let the battle commence! Polychromos
The cores are vibrant and have a fantastic depth of colour, the silky pigments spreading on the paper smoothly and evenly. The key to using Polychromos is LIGHT LAYERS. Do not expect good results by using hard pressure off the bat - these pencils don't work that way. You must lightly build up layers of colour, one on top of the other, to achieve a full saturation of colour. This is one of the big things that separate them from... Prismacolor The largest number of Prismacolors you can buy is 150 pencils. As you can see from the chart above, this set contains many 'in between' colours that are a balanced mixture of bright and muted tones. Unlike the Polys, a light stroke of Prismacolor will produce a rich colour, not needing to be layered up (although you can still use that method if you prefer). The pigments are very vivid and the lead feels remarkably buttery as it glides over the paper, so soft that you hardly need pressure at all, almost like a kohl eyeliner. The name and colour code are printed on each pencil for ease of identification, but these pencils are thinner and have a cheaper production feel than the Polychromos. For colours, Prismacolor wins out. I find the pigments a lot more intense and varied than the Polychromos. The Polys take longer to get the hang of and need more time spending to achievethe same richness, which some colourists will find challenging.
The wax bloom and discolouration on the Prismas when using too many layers sealed their fate for this one, leaving the Polys a clear winner. However if you're light with your layers and don't go too far, this won't be a problem. Prismacolor seem to smudge more than Polys by default as they are a much softer pencil, but neither of the brands have a major problem in that area. As for erasing and sharpening, there's a vast difference. It's unbelievably difficult to erase Prismas, to the point that I had to go over with the rubber again and again just to erase what you can see in the picture! The Polys disappear quite easily though, leaving about 10% of the colour on the paper. I know it looks like I've used more colour on the Prisma but I used exactly the same pressure- it's just the massive amount of deep pigment that lays down without trying!
Prismas are notorious for being fragile and difficult to sharpen without breakages, but I can't say I've had too many problems with them (this could also be due to the sharpener I use). My only qualm is that the Prismas need sharpening much more often than Polys, which, being a harder pencil, retain their point longer. With Polychromos the whole pencil feels stronger, weightier, which probably has something to do with the SV (secure-all) bonding. The whole length of the core is glued to the Cedar wood casing of the pencil, meaning the lead is strengthened throughout and can sharpen to a finer point. If the tip of a Polychromos pencil breaks, it is only the tip that is shattered, not the whole column of lead. The same cannot be said for Prismas, which unfortunately have a track record for splintering and fragmenting with ease. Apparently when Prismas used to be made in the US, the quality was much higher. It's a no brainer for Round 3: Polys come out on top. They are sturdier than Prismas, sharpen brilliantly and erase well. The 120 set of Polychromos retails on average at £140, whilst the 150 box of Prismacolor costs just shy £95. A single Polychromos pencil costs as little as £1.29, and Prismacolor singles sell at around £1.60. You get an extra 30 pencils with the Prismas and at a cheaper price, but the singles are a bit more expensive to restock your set. Polys really are much better quality though, so I can see why they command a higher price than the Prismas. It was a close call in the beginning with all that beautiful creamy colour from the Prismas, but the undeniable build quality and coverage of Faber-Castell's Polychromos makes them the worthy winner in this battle. My advice would be to purchase a few of both and try them yourself. You might favour the buttery, easy to lay down texture of Prismas to the harder Poly lead, or you may love building up layers to create a smooth finish- it really is individual preference. Guess what- even though Polychromos won my comparison fair and square, Prismacolor Premier will always be my absolute favourite pencil and the one I use the most because I love the effortless vibrancy and find them and quicker to use, which is ideal for the impatient colourist like me who just wants to get the page done and move onto the next! 69 Comments Kourtney Ferro 10/8/2015 03:13:56 pm Nice review! Reply Roma M Johnston 28/11/2021 02:28:35 am Helped explain a lot! Very informative! Reply Pat Baxter 10/8/2015 03:25:38 pm very informative! Reply Claire Eadie 10/8/2015 03:42:35 pm Thanks! Reply Claire Eadie 10/8/2015 03:42:50 pm Glad you liked it :) Reply Christina de Sa 10/8/2015 03:59:34 pm Thank you for explains. A review very well done x Reply Prue 10/8/2015 05:07:01 pm Thanks Claire. This is so helpful as most of us don't get to sample both brands. Reply Julie Richardson 10/8/2015 06:16:31 pm You posted all the topics I would wonder about. Thank you! Reply Arlene Croucher 10/8/2015 08:33:40 pm Nice review. Reply Jo pritchard 10/8/2015 11:58:36 pm Great review Claire thank you Reply mihaela filipescu 12/8/2015 02:32:35 pm THANK YOU I WILL ORDER THE FABER CASTELL Reply Dorado 30/4/2017 03:49:56 pm I agree with everyone, nice but i got prismacolor and what you said didn't nearly achieve what I got. Overall, I like the presentation, not the info.... thanks anyway! Reply Lisa Rogers 12/8/2015 08:29:48 pm Very helpful. Want to buy pencils, but there are so many choices... Reply nicole johnson 18/8/2015 07:27:21 am This is one of, if not the best review of this comparison I've seen. Reply Alexandra Aspinall 18/8/2015 02:20:15 pm Loved this review! I've been trying to decide between these two for a while and this really helped! =) Thanks! x Reply Pauline 19/8/2015 01:14:10 am Thanks for this review, really interesting and helpful Reply Susan goldfinch 11/9/2015 08:13:16 am Thank was undecided which ones to buy but polychrome it is. I'm in the UK. Reply Annie Evans 13/9/2015 09:45:50 am Very hard to choose they both have beautiful qualities truly I can't pick would have to buy both 😋 Reply Sheila 20/12/2015 12:26:39 am I absolutely agree with this review. I have both brands and Polychromos wins for me as well. Thanks for the great review Reply Roriann 13/1/2016 11:19:26 pm This is all true but the polychromos aren't wax based they are oil based. That's thy they are studier. But great review. I'll be getting some faber castell! Reply Claire 15/1/2016 10:12:38 am Hi Roriann, my review states that Polys are oil based and Prismas are wax based x Reply Leslie 16/2/2016 02:45:44 am Nice review, but I would have to disagree. Just like all other reviews...this is a matter of opinion. Reply Larry 8/11/2021 07:39:22 pm I use my Prismacolor pencils almost everyday, for 2-3 hours a day. I've tried many different brands of sharpeners. I even have a Bostich electric sharpener. I only use that for new unsharpened pencils. It chews up the pencil to fast. The one hand sharpener that I found to be the best is made by Pro Art. It makes a medium size tip that's strong and to the point.. AC Moore used to sell them until they went out of business. But, they are still out there. Just remember to change them out eventually the blade will get dull and start chipping the exposed tip. I get a little more than a year out of one. Reply Anna A. Buenaventura 26/4/2016 02:42:51 am Thanks for the review up until now I'm still undecided which of these high-end pencils I'll purchase when my coloring skills improve. I was thinking of getting prismas because it's "cheaper" and has 30 more shades than polys. However, with my impatient nature and lack of impulse control, I do believe that I'm better off with polys. The prismas may all break on me before I even finish one simple picture/object. Reply Joan Rowan 27/4/2016 10:57:21 am Thank you, as always, very helpful and informative Reply lena 4/5/2016 09:45:54 pm thank you, dear, for making my decision easier after this long agony of which one to pick. Reply Rachel 7/5/2016 04:12:31 pm Thanks for d information. I'm considering purchasing a box of Prismacolors 72 but after reading your reviews might want to buy d 48 instead. Reply 17/5/2016 08:03:34 pm Hi Claire - thanks for all your reviews. I bought the polychromos 120 box and have bought replacements though art suppliers online which are much much cheaper than buying them in retail shops. The polychromos are brilliant and if you can afford the full 120 well worth it. Some do tend to break more easily than others and the whole lead can sometimes break. this is particularly so for the metal coloured pencils (the bronze, gold and silver - beautiful though and are indispensable!) They all blend brilliantly. The do tend to bleed onto other pages as oil based. Reply Sylvie Bibeau 18/11/2017 12:38:57 am Claire, Reply Kate Richardson 9/6/2016 08:24:56 pm I read your review of the coloured pencils and at the end of May I bought a tin Faber Castell 120 coloured pencils from Amazon, the colours are amazing and they glide over the paper thank you for the review Reply I have been using Faber Castell pencils now for quite some time, but my first set of 'artist' pencils were Caran D'ache aquarelle. Then I went on to the Faber Art Grip aquarelle that are a good partner to the polychromos and I also have a set of pitt pastel pencils too. these three sets from Faber Castel enable me to produce startling results and I love them. Reply Karrie Ann 30/7/2016 02:26:59 pm Thank you for your review. I purchased the Faber Castell but felt like I should have tested the Prisma colors first, but now feel confident that I made the right choice!! Reply Heidi 21/8/2016 09:55:58 pm Great review:) I love my Polys, the benefits of richer colour would be far outweighed by lower durability and needing to sharpen often:) It is worth noting that value for money is dependant on which country you are in. In NZ, Polychromos are way cheaper than Prismas:) Reply Bridget 13/9/2016 09:07:15 am Your review was very good. I started out using Prisma's and later bought the Faber's. I find that I am using them both. I like the wide varity of colors from the Prismas and beautiful color., and I have no problem getting great points on them. I have found an awesome sharpener. Yes, they lead breaks more often but I have never had one pencil with any defects. When I got my Fabers I did get one in the box that the pencil was cracked completely through and I couldn't use it. I love that the lead is harder and last longer but like you said, the color isn't as pretty. So, i still find myself going back to the Prismas. But, both sets sit right next to each other when iI color. :p Reply 17/9/2016 02:01:35 pm Thank you very much for your review, very informative and useful ^^ Reply Neo 7/1/2017 08:33:23 am The best review of the colour pencils EVER. You have tackled every major point ! .... of course, a triangular match with Koh i Noor would also help. Reply Linda 15/1/2017 08:49:40 pm Nice review and I would concur, I have both sets, plus some Pablo's and Derwent pencils, I enjoy the Polychromos and Pablo's much more for their value and sturdiness. While Prismacolor have great colors and lay down, I find the breakages and the need to sharpen so often puts me off, they are not of the same quality, though I still use them all. Reply Maureen 9/3/2017 04:25:39 pm Do these pencil sets play well together in a drawing or must one choose only one set to use? Reply Claire 10/3/2017 11:08:43 am As they are made from two different base substances they don't work very well together I've found. x Reply Jessica Bly 17/4/2017 08:41:41 am What do you mean by smudge? I have both the Polychromos and the Prismacolors. I'm still undecided which I like best myself, I'm trying to get used to the Polychromos as I've always used Prismacolors. That's why I ask what you mean about smudging. Because one of my major issues with the Prismacolors was that the pencil dust would smear at the lightest pressure and ruin the surrounding colors. So frustrating. But they do lay down so easy and with such vibrant colors! Reply WiiWendy 22/5/2017 04:31:59 am I have the Prismacolors 150 the Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor 72. and Faber-Castell Polychromos 60. Purchased in that order. My prismas just sit on the shelf in their box. I did not like them at all. I couldn't quite afford the Faber-Castells yet so Lyra it was. I LOVE LOVE my Faber-Castells and I use them regularly in conjunction with the Lyra's. In my opinion and experience Claire is SPOT ON!! I truly believe that folks who use Prisma that say not so good things about Faber-Castell Polychromos have NEVER used them. When I use my Prismacolors I feel like Im useing crayons. Wax crayons that the grandkids use. Not expensive pencil crayons. I have been colouring comparison pictures just to show myself (Selina Fenech has awesome coloring books with 2 sets of pics. Plus beautiful Grayscale books). In the comparisons you can see a BIG difference in the texture the colour and just the final pictures look. Reply Thank you, I have been looking to increase my coloured pencil range and I wasn't sure which way to go. Your video and comparison inspired me to search out a good deal on Faber-Castell sets. I got a really good deal, the 120 set was on offer and although I didn't request it, the set arrived the next day!! That was today and I enjoyed my afternoon exploring the colours in one of my colouring books. Reply Herbert 17/7/2017 12:40:22 am Have ordered Fabre- castell from amazon and can't wait to,try them. Read several reviews and am convinced as to their quality. Reply Jacqueline Satterlee 21/7/2017 06:30:08 pm Wonderful explanation. Thank you so much! Reply Jessicalink 29/8/2017 01:46:26 am Thanks so much for the excellent review. I have polychromos but am very interested to try prismacolour as well. You really have done a great job of the comparison, so good to see the little colour squares you've done. Reply Amy B 3/9/2017 04:30:13 pm Thank you for this review! Just ordered a set of Polychromos and I'm now even more excited for them! Reply Sylvie Bibeau 18/11/2017 12:35:06 am Very informative. Your review made me able to choose wisely. Thanks, Reply Marco 8/12/2017 07:25:22 am Thank you for the awesome review! At first, I was confused which among the 2 is better than the other. I'm in the mall now & fully confident to buy the polychromos. :) Reply I feel t5hat you are one of the sweetest artistic colorists and youtubers ever.The manner you express yourself and provide such wonderful videos is amazing. I want to say I feel that you have brightened up many lovers of coloring ..Our days are so enriched by your being so giving ... you help us relax and get more confidence in our journey of coloring. May you always have health , happiness and good fortune in your days with your loved ones. I know that your love of coloring has been such a benefit for so many fans who watch your videos and we all wish you all the rewards life can bring for you. Reply Claire 11/6/2018 06:22:18 pm Hi Peggy, thank you so much for your message, you've made my day with your beautiful kind words xx Reply Nancy Mc Fadden 12/7/2018 03:28:44 pm Thanks for the test. In the 70's I bought a set of Venus Spectracolor which I still gave and use, but horde since they went defunt in the 80s? Love these pencils, have tried Prismacolor but their construction sucks, shreding eood, crumbling lead. Im using mostly Dewernt and some Faber Castille, but have been curious about the Polychromes, now its time to find a starter set of 12 to play with. Is there ever enough color pencil types to settle with and use,....... uh, nope, 😉. Reply Sylvia stafford 19/8/2018 01:46:18 am I have three sets off oil pencils and I prefer polychrome the prisma break to easily guang hui the colours don’t seem to be deep enough, polychrome is just right lovely blending all round good guys Reply Awesome review, thank you so much! I'm from Brazil and here Prismas and Polys are so expensive! I was nearly decided to bought Prismas in the future but still thinking in Polys, I have never seen anyone who disliked them. But your review changed my mind! Totally complete with the important points to see when buying an expensive product like this, and considering that I wanna use them for comissions, the fact that Poly lasts longer, are more sturdy and DONN'T make wax bloom because they are made with oil just convinced me! Thank you for your time and patience. Reply I believe Prismacolor quality started declining before they moved production to Mexico. I have a 120-set that I bought in ~2000, made in USA, and several of the pencils have off-center leads. My poor Raspberry pencil's lead is so awful it breaks every time I try to sharpen it even gently. I invested in a 120-Polychromos set the other week and I'm very happy with them so far. Reply Amanda Bowoade 15/3/2019 02:53:43 pm I agree with your review. Polychromos are definitely the better product. I started with them a few years ago, then bought a few of the Prismacolours to compare. I'm sorry, but after using polys, I HATE prismacolours. And that is no exaggeration. I agree with your review--the only thing prismas have going for them is the way they lay down--but that's not worth the effort when you have to sharpen a pencil down to the nub to get enough lead to work with! The way the Prismas break infuriates me. When I spend money on a product I expect it to last longer than a few minutes. Polychromos are incredibly strong, and I've had many of them for years, even though I drop them all the time. They are also the closest thing to oil paints, and many of their pigments are the same as traditional oil paints. Not to mention that they can be used in many of the same ways as oil paints--they are like oil paint in a stick instead of a tube! And the final product they create shows their superiority. What colours they don't have can be supplemented with Caran d'ache Luminance and Pablos. Once you learn to use polys (admittedly this can take a while, I'm still learning) they are THE BEST. Trust me. Reply Marion 8/7/2019 08:27:40 pm I have only this evening discovered your amazing site and foresee countless happy hours of learning ahead. I have Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils and endorse your result wholeheartedly. I was pleased to discover I use the same pencil sharpener and recommend it without hesitation to anyone who might be considering its purchase. Thank you for your exhaustive, comprehensive, educational and hugely inspirational pages; it's great to see a "Brit" winner. Best wishes Marion in North Somerset, UK Reply Irene 2/8/2019 08:40:12 am The reason i read your article is that recently i tried prismacolor pencils for drawing on metal surfaces. I tried a lot to find them because I live in Europe and nobody sells them (only one and I found him ..Ha!) I got really passionate with them and they serve excellent my purpose! I have not any problems at all but they are really expensive in my country (Greece) and I think that I will try Polychromos ( which come really cheaper here than Prismacolor) after reading your article! Thank you!!! Reply Morgan Rutherford 18/9/2019 11:13:47 pm Polys my new absolute fave after years and years of using Prismas. The rich variety of Prisma colors is still amazing and I love every single one. Sadly, Prismas are now made primarily in China and the quality has plummeted. Drawing with them has become an anxiety producing experience as pencil after pencil breaks continually no matter which sharpener I use or how carefully I handle them. I feel betrayed! Thus my switch to Polys. I love the color, feel and ease of these beautiful, sturdy pencils. Reply deb 18/11/2019 09:52:40 pm A wonderful review. Thankyou for taking the time and effort to show people considering to buy these pencils the difference. I can see that Polychromos seem to be the best but I guess it comes down to personal preference. I was scared when I have heard so much about Prismas breaking easily but apparently they do they lay the colour down a lot more easier than Polychromos. It's a bit of an outlay financially so I guess you want to get it right the first time. Thankyou. Reply Michelle 21/4/2020 03:26:04 pm Thanks. I found this very helpful. I have Prismas and I am thinking of purchasing Polychromos. I was wondering what sharpener you use, that is my biggest issue with Prismas. When I go to color it's hard to fined the part of the tip that hits the paper first. When I am close to the line sometimes I end up going out. It is very frustrating. Reply Claire 21/4/2020 06:21:42 pm I use this one: https://amzn.to/2VGmZ7X Reply Beth 17/3/2021 09:35:59 am This is an amazing review. I bought open stock of each to try out. One tip would be if say you are going to buy a set of 60 Polychromos rather than 120 then buy pencils that are not in the 60 set. I find for colouring books we don't need the full set so I bought 60 Polychromos and have added pinks, greens and blues from open stock as they are the colours I use most. I am thinking of buying a set of 72 Prismacolour. Reply NADIA ZABIHACH 10/5/2021 06:48:38 pm this is the best review of the decade Reply Your comment will be posted after it is approved. |
RSS Feed |
FAQs
What is the title of your article? ›
The article title provides a succinct description of the content of the article. Each word is carefully chosen to convey the most information in the smallest package possible, with the goal of attaining maximum "findability" in journal article databases and internet search engines.
How do you give a title to your article? ›Keep it short. It is important for your titles to be brief. This helps your article appear in more internet searches, as there are fewer words surrounding the keyword of your title. Writing a short title also helps you only include relevant and interesting language in your title, improving its quality.
How do you properly title an article? ›Good writing titles should be concise, accurate, and informative, and it should tell the reader exactly what the article is about. This is where the keywords you've identified come in. It's vital to incorporate your most relevant keywords in your title to make your article more discoverable in online searches.
What would be the best title for the article? ›In general, titles should describe what the article is about. A title should make sense in one sentence, and when you describe an article to a colleague, they should be able to tell what it's about after reading the title. If you're having trouble coming up with a title, take a look at other articles in your field.
What is an example of an article? ›English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article. For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book.
What is an example of a title of source? ›Examples of these titles are films, novels, entire books, journals, and entire websites. Example of a journal article title which includes the title of a book: "Unbearable Weight of Authenticity: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and Theory of 'Touristic Reading'."
What are some article names? ›50 Title Ideas When You're Writing Articles/Blogs
- Why I Blog.
- My Love Affair With…
- Interview with (someone who's no longer living – you make up the answers you think they'd give)
- A Charity You Should Know About.
- If I Ran the World.
- 5 Books You Need to Read.
- The One Thing I Do Every Day.
- If Keyboards Could Talk.
The title above a story in a newspaper, magazine ornewsletter is called a headline, or "hed" ("head") in print journalism, or a "heading" in online pages.
How do you find the title of an article? ›Article title: Always on the first page, toward the top. Periodical title: May appear at the top or bottom of the first page.
How do I find the best title? ›The title you choose should:
- Be Unique. It's getting increasingly more difficult to come up with a title that hasn't been done before, but you must. ...
- Be Memorable. ...
- Provide Insight. ...
- Relax. ...
- Brainstorm. ...
- Answer the Reader's Questions. ...
- Use Poetic Phrases.
Why are titles important in articles? ›
For the majority of readers, the title is the message of the paper. This is why it's so important that titles be succinct, accurate, and balanced in their presentation of the results. When readers do decide to read the full text of an article, it is generally because they were interested by the title.
Where do I find the article title? ›Article title: Always on the first page, toward the top. Periodical title: May appear at the top or bottom of the first page.
What is an article title page? ›The title page is the first page of your article, and therefore it is important to have a well-formatted title page that clearly represents your paper. This page should include all the information necessary for a reader to identify the contents of the article, its author(s), origin of the article, and the article type.
What is the title of a research article? ›The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents and/or purpose of your research paper. The title is without doubt the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read first.
What is the article title of a website? ›Often, title tags appear as a web page's title on a search engine results page (SERP). Article title: An article title is the headline or title of a specific article or blog post within a website. It is typically displayed at the beginning of the article or post and summarizes the article's main topic.