Bruynzeel Design Color
The Bruynzeel Design Color colored pencils feel similar to the Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils and have a nice, smooth texture. However, they are thin, so they may wear down quickly during use. They are amazing at blending, and have beautiful vibrant colors. They don’t seem to have any lightfastness ratings. Overall, they are a very nice pencil.
Bruynzeel Design Color Range: 48 Colors
Caran d’Ache Pablo
The Caran d’Ache Pablo colored pencils are a high-quality option for artists, with exceptional blending abilities and a wide range of vibrant colors. They are similar to the Luminance pencils, but they keep a sharper point and are more suited to fine details. They’re also a more affordable option than the Luminance collection. They are a great choice for any artist looking for a high-quality pencil. Personally, I like to use them alongside my Luminance pencils, although I still use the Luminance the most. They include lightfast information.
Caran d’Ache Pablo Color Range: 120 Colors
Caran d’Ache Swisscolor
Caran d’Ache Swisscolor have a firm, smooth core and are able to hold a very sharp point. They aren’t as nice as some of the other Caran d’Ache ranges of pencils, but they are also more affordable. Their pencil labels don’t include color names or numbers, so I wonder if these are intended to be marketed as a student-grade option for aspiring artists? While the website states that these pencils have high lightfastness, I was unable to find any actual lightfastness testing results.
Caran d’Ache Swisscolor Color Range: 40 Colors
ColourBlend by Spectrum Noir
Colourblend pencils are soft and blendable, but, I’ve found that the pencil performance varies a lot between colors. They are often scratchy and difficult to sharpen, and the colors weren’t as vibrant as other brands around this price point. Spectrum Noir claims that their pencils have impressive lightfastness, but I have not been able to find any evidence of this. Personally, I would not recommend these pencils.
Set Sizes available: 24
Available as open stock: No
Price Range: Mid-High
Where to Buy: Amazon
ColourBlend by Spectrum Noir Color Range: 120 Colors
Cretacolor Mega
The Cretacolor Mega Colored pencils are very vibrant and blend beautifully. They have a large, thick core and work well on different types of paper. Because of their size, they are not ideal for fine details, but work well for filling large areas. They require a larger sharpener and all 36 colors are rated at LF1 or LF2 for lightfastness.
Cretacolor Mega Color Range: 36 Colors
Derwent Artists
The Derwent Artists Pencils are nice to use, quite smooth, easy to blend, and hold a sharp point well. They have a large variety of colors and are great for beginners. They are firm and not soft, so they are not as easy to blend as other pencils. Each pencil has a lightfastness rating.
Derwent Artists Color Range: 126 Colors
Derwent Chromaflow
Derwent Chromaflow are some of the best at blending out of all the pencils I’ve tested. If you’re looking for a high-quality Prismacolor alternative, this is a great option. These pencils are very lightweight and all pencils have a lightfastness rating, using the blue wool testing method. Although they didn’t score a 5 or above in the blending and layering categories, they still made it to my top 6 best overall pencils.
Derwent Chromaflow Color Range: 72 Colors
Derwent Studio
Derwent Studio pencils are good for fine details and can maintain a sharp point. The pencils are durable and all have lightfastness ratings using the Blue Wool Testing System. I recommend using them with Bristol Vellum paper for the best results. However, I did find the pencils to be a bit scratchy compared to other brands and they weren’t one of my favorites at this price point.
Derwent Studio Color Range: 72 Colors
Faber-Castell Goldfaber
The Faber-Castell Goldfaber pencils are a great choice for blending. They are similar in quality to Prismacolor Premier, with great blending and color intensity. However, these pencils are not available in open stock which is why they were eliminated from the best overall pencil ranking. Faber-Castell claim they have “amazing lightfastness” but I am unable to find any evidence of this.
Faber-Castel Goldfaber Color Range: 48 Colors
Koh-I-Hardtmuth Tri-tone
Koh-I-Hardtmuth Tri-Tone Color Range: 24 Colors
Set Sizes available: 12, 24
Available as open stock: Yes
Price Range: Mid-High
Where to Buy: Amazon
Lyra Giants
Lyra Giants Color Range: 18 Colors
Set Sizes available: 12, 18
Available as open stock: Yes
Price Range: Mid-High
Where to Buy: Officeworks Australia
Marco Square
Marco Square pencils are an affordable pastel set, but they don’t offer the best quality compared to other brands at a similar price. Their performance is scratchy, and they don’t allow for much layering. There are no lightfastness ratings for these pencils.
Set Sizes available: 24
Available as open stock: No
Price Range: Mid-High
Where to Buy: Amazon
Marco Square Color Range: 24 Colors
Marco Tribute
The Marco Tribute pencils have a large range of colors and are beautifully presented in different series. They were really pigmented and felt nice to use, although they were more expensive than I would have expected for the quality. They blended and layered well. There are no lightfastness ratings available.
Set Sizes available: 48, 72, 120
Available as open stock: No
Price Range: Mid-High
Where to Buy: Amazon
Marco Tribute Color Range: 150 Colors
Staedtler Ergosoft
Staedtler Ergosoft Color Range: 42 Colors
Set Sizes available: 12, 24, 36
Available as open stock: No
Price Range: Mid-High
Where to Buy: Amazon
Winsor & Newton
The Winsor & Newton colored pencils were really nice to use. They blend well and feel similar to a Prismacolor pencil, with very vibrant colors and good performance on any paper. I think they are a great alternative to Prismacolor, and a really nice pencil overall.
Winsor & Newton Color Range: 48 Colors
Wanted to add about the Faber-Castell Goldfaber: They are available as open-stock. At least in Germany and, I assume, the rest of Europe. They are about 1€ per pencil.
I like them for coloring books with lesser quality paper. The Polychromos are wasted on that and don’t perform that well but Goldfaber gives good results and they are much more affordable.
Hi, The Faber-Castell Goldfarber are also available as open stock in the U.S. at Blick stores.
Yep, and Jerry’s Artarama, also in the US.
Hi. The Tombow Irojiten are available open stock in Europe.
The Goldfaber’s are available in open stock at Michael’s in NY.