Berol Karismacolor (Vintage)
The Berol Karismacolor pencils are beautiful to use – They are like a Prismacolor pencil, but without the breakage. Unfortunately they are no longer in production, making them very expensive and hard to find. Collectors pay a lot of money for unused sets, and even the used sets aren’t cheap!
Price Range: High
Where to Buy: No longer available
Berol Karismacolor (Vintage) Color Range: 129 Colors
Blackwing Colors
Honestly, the Blackwing Color pencils were a bit underwhelming for the price. The packaging included no colors or numbers, the colors weren’t very vibrant, and they weren’t excellent at anything in particular. I expected more from the Blackwing name and the high price, and I wouldn’t recommend these.
Blackwing Color Color Range: 12 Colors
Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901
The Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencils are one of the best pencils in the world, and a personal favorite of mine. They have a wide range of rich, vibrant colors and a high lightfastness rating on every pencil. They are expensive, but their exceptional blending and layering abilities make them worth the price. The Luminance pencils combine the blendability from the best wax based pencils with the ability to hold a decent sharp point for finer detailed work. They perform best on bristol or textured paper. They are a must-have for any serious artist.
Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 Color Range: 100 Colors
Derwent Lightfast
Derwent Lightfast pencils are some of the best colored pencils money can buy. They are almost identical in performance and quality to the Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils. They are expensive, but are worth the investment for their top-quality, professional performance. All of the pencils in this collection are highly lightfast, with a value of 1 or 2 on the ASTM lightfastness rating scale. This means that the colors are guaranteed not to fade for up to 100 years. I highly recommend them.
Derwent Lightfast Color Range: 100 Colors
Holbein
Holbein Color Range: 150 Colors
Set Sizes available: 50
Available as open stock: Yes
Price Range: High
Where to Buy: Amazon
Mitsu-Bishi
Mitsu-Bishi pencils are nice to use with a firm and smooth core. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find and quite expensive. They are great at layering and are water-resistant. I did pick them as one of my favorites overall but were eliminated due to not being open stock.
Set Sizes available: 12, 24
Available as open stock: no
Price Range: High
Where to Buy: Japanplaza
Mitsu-Bishi Color Range: 24 Colors
Sanford Karismacolor
Sanford Karismacolor Color Range: 72 Colors
Set Sizes available: 72
Available as open stock: No
Price Range: High
Where to Buy: Ebay Australia
Sanford Prismacolor (Vintage)
Sanford Prismacolor pencils are a vintage set of pencils that, unfortunately, are no longer in production. They are a beautiful pencil to use and blend and layer wonderfully. Their performance is the same as the modern Prismacolor Premier Soft-Core pencils, but they are sturdier and break less often. Finding a set is a rare treasure!
Price Range: High
Where to Buy: No Longer Available
Oh I had no idea the quality (in terms of durability at least) of Prismacolors had changed! I still have my old (pre-2004) set somewhere. Does age affect their performance at all? I really should try to locate them as I’ve been wanting to get back into colored pencil work. Your guides have been super helpful!
Thank you for this in depth account of these pencils, I actually like the Derwent Lightfast better than others, the names are easier to read and they are very smooth.