Exposing the Truth about FAKE Prismacolor Pencils

I’m exposing the truth about counterfeit Prismacolor pencils and how to protect yourself when buying colored pencils online. And I’ve uncovered more than I expected.

THANK YOU to the amazing creators who contributed to this conversation! Please check out their channels for pencil reviews, coloring and art tutorials, and more.
Lindsay Weirich - @thefrugalcrafter
Claire Eadie - @ColourwithClaire
Pamela Arias - @PamelasPassionforPencils
Jennifer Stay - @ColoringBliss

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Fake Prismacolor Rumors
01:40 Are These Real or Fake?
03:15 The Real Prismacolors
04:23 Do Fake Prismacolor Pencils Exist?
07:50 The Fake Prismacolors
13:30 The History of Prismacolor
14:18 Vintage Prismacolor Pencils
16:40 NEW Karismacolor Pencils?
20:26 Japanese Prismacolors?
24:20 Should I Be Worried About Buying Fake Pencils?

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MORE OF SARAH:

Find me on social media as Sarah Renae Clark!

#sarahrenaeclark #prismacolor #pencils

[renlish]

It looks like Prismacolor have leased the name to the Japanese company and most likely provided them with the colour recipes as well - the fact that the Japanese versions are way better than the originals does not surprise me at all. The Japanese are extraordinarily good when it comes to manufacturing pretty much anything. I'd be tempted to buy a set to play with.

[SoCraftastic]

This is the sole reason learning to write research papers in school was actually important. 😂 Seriously such great information here! I've heard of fakes before but never took the time to look into the subject. Also, it's cool that you included so much history.

[TemiDansoArt]

This is such a well researched video, loved it!

[birdgirl]

As someone who has used Prismacolor Pencils for at least 45 years (back when they were still "Berol Prismacolor"). It seemed to me that everytime they changed manufacturers, the quality control goes south. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with them. And as Lindsay the Frugal Crafter points out, the real pencils have actually gotten thinner. What hasn't changed, is the creamy core, and the color of the core has been remarkedly consistent. When I compare the color of the new Prismacolors to the remaining Berols and Sanfords I have, the color of the lead seems identical, even if there is a difference in the color of the pencil paint.

[NoDecaf]

I really appreciate how in-depth you got here. I'm more confused now than I was before about Prisma, I've purchased many sets over the years from brick and mortar retailers and was surprised at the breakage and printing issues, but shrugged it off as something that just Happens. I'm happy to see it does. The best advice is exactly what you gave, don't buy from third party sellers if you're worried about buying reputable products. And honestly that applies across the board.

[GypsyxDarling]

The minute you said the Karismacolors were from Japan, I perked up. Japan has phenomenal stationary products. If the pencils are going to be competitive in that market at all, they’d have to be amazing.

[CarrieLemieux]

Honestly, my first impression when you showed the first box was that maybe they were discounted because they didn't meet quality control criteria with the poor printing and off center leads, but then shouldn't they be labeled as such so people know that they are buying real but B grade items... 🤔

[loati]

Knock offs usually look like the real things but perform like the worst pencil you can buy. Makeup also has counterfeits and they copy the colors and packaging identically but then the makeup is rubbish. It would be strange that a counterfeiter was making such good quality pencils.

[ColourwithClaire]

Wow! Thanks for the deep dive into fake Prismas and the history of the brand. Like you, I was shocked to see the Japanese Karismacolor are actually comparable to the unique feel of Prismas! I now see them in a whole new light after spending many years believing them to be counterfeit. Thank you for the feature even though I hate seeing myself on screen and wish I’d submitted a photograph instead 😂 It was great to hear the thoughts of other respected YouTubers, too. Such an interesting and important video for our community, thank you for taking so much time and effort to debunk the myths! Xx

[amypanddirtytoo]

I do love the way Prismacolors perform, but the extremely poor quality control is the reason I no longer buy them. Half the pencils in my full set are unusable b/c the cores are pretty much shattered down the entire length. It's ridiculous. Yeah, they're not as expensive as my Luminance or Polychromos, but the amount I paid for them is STILL way too overpriced for the amount of quality issues I have with them. I wish Prismacolor would fix their quality control issues.

[ChloeRoseArt]

This was SUCH an interesting and well put together video! I really don’t use colored pencils to know much about any of this so it was really interesting to learn a bit more, and super cool you were sent the set of fake one to compare! I’ve never heard of Krismacolor before either 🤯 ✏️

[brigitteparsons]

Great video! I feel like Prismacolor's poor quality control is the main culprit when it comes to the common belief that there are a lot of fakes down there... you showed that quite well with your new set that have so many esthetic flaws, not to mention the uncentered cores, but that are in fact the real thing.
This was a great watch, thanks for doing so much research, and I love that you also got other creators to chime in. Thanks to them as well!

[chainilotus]

I think their right about the rise of popularity, lower quality, high expectations, and the price. Fakes are probably rare but a lot of people are probably just disappointed getting broken or off centered pensils after many people talk them up like they are the pensil holy grail. Especially after paying the high (for people not professional artist) price.

[ScrappyStephy]

Sarah, a few months ago I purchased a set of 72 PC's off of EBAY for $45 US dollars, and I thought I had landed a whale of a deal. I already own a set of 150's, so these were going to be a gift to a friend. As soon as the package arrived (it was touted as "new") I could see the plastic wrap looked strange and the picture on the tin cover (which is the same as the one you show here) was very dark and muted. Red flags went off. I opened the tin and immediately thought the color of the wood barrels looked off. I got my set of real PC's out and started matching them up, number by number. The barrel colors were off, and just as you described above, they did not lay down the same as the "reals" and the pigment colors were off on several of them, a few of them significantly. I did my own research and saw the blurb online about the white line around the sharpened edge, and the fakes I had purchased had that white line, but the real proof to me was in the pigment and quality. The Ebay set was more like a cheap set you could get in a discount store, not the smooth buttery feel of the PC's. I contacted the seller, and listed all the reasons why I believed they were fake. She had an excellent Ebay rating and I did not wish to damage that, so I didn't leave negative feedback, but when I told her what I had discovered, she immediately refunded my $$ and told me to throw them away. I wondered if she knew they were fakes to begin with because she instantly refunded my $$. (As a side note, the manufacturing information on the bottom of the tin was IDENTICAL to the real PC's. Only the front cover picture was off, but the real proof was in the pigment and use of the pencils.) Fakes do exist. And for me, it just goes to show that a deal that is too good to be true isn't always a good deal. Thanks for the video!

[lynnie]

I 100% agree with you about Electric Blue. Feels like a Crayola, and it's the only color in the whole set that feels this way. Obviously a pigment formulation issue.

[RMD]

I am still in the process of watching and this is great! I have bought and owned over 20-30 different sets of Prismacolors and have never had a fake set. I have noticed over the years that the quality of the pencils themselves have really went down, the uncentered cores in the casing, the poor quality casings and the super soft led that breaks all the time but they have always performed with the same buttery smooth application. It is crazy to see that you were able to get your hands on a fake set. Def going home and digging through my Prismacolor collection haha.

[BerserkGriffon]

Now that you mention, everytime I see a "fake" pencil video, they are always about prismacolor. I like how everyone loves prismacolor but I fell like they don't care enough about us to fix the splinters, off set barrels and etc. The japanese ones have a nice box ! Now I don't know which one I will buy XD Amazing video as always ! <3

[PamelasPassionforPencils]

The research that went into this video is so impressive! There is so much valuable information here and I hope it takes away some of the fear of fake Prismacolors for people new and old to the art community. ♥️

[gadiena]

This is such a good deep dive into the story. Licensing a old brand name is something that is relatively common especially if they are not sold in the same country.
Wonder how the story will unfold further and what prismacolor has to share. It leaves us all with a ton of questions.

[andrewmandywilsontatham]

Wow! Sounds as if the Japanese have recreated the old recipe for cores, and with the Japanese coloured pencils generally having a reputation for great building, it's a win for quality Prismacolor Pencils! Having the old recipe would mean colour matching with the vintage pencils AND the same feel...and to have better barrels is a plus. The packaging looked amazing too! Still not on my wishlist though...