Deception Among Pencil Brands, Don't Get Caught Up In Hype

There is nothing I hate worse than a pencil company that deceives and this week we look at 4 different brands offering their own brand of deception.

While this is usually my favorite link for Prismacolor they really did us wrong this week. From the best last week to the worst this week.

CMW Color Blending System

I am always being asked which products do I use. Below is a list of what I keep on hand and recommend. This list is updated with every video to reflect the best price for the day. Sales go quickly, so you must act fast. Many items default to other products when the original sells out. Please check that the product you are ordering is the exact item I am recommending. This is automatically done by Amazon and does not reflect on the seller.
Not all budget pencils are created equally. Here is a partial list of the ones that have a better quality and I recommend. Never assume that a budget pencil is lightfast. They are not for professional use, such as selling your art. They are excellent for students and people who are coloring in books.

Pencils (Budget)
1. Deli Pencils are among my top 3 pencil choices at the Budget Price Level. They are a fantastic highly pigmented pencil that is almost indistinguishable from Polychromos. This link is hit and miss. If Deli pencils in the hut does not show then they are sold out. You can check back as they come back within a day or two. The link may default to a different pencil. Make sure it's a Hut on the front of the tin box.

4: Amazon Basics : The colors match Prismacolor pencils exactly, but at a budget price. They are not as creamy, but are a close second.
48: Sold Out

Professional Pencils

[moonDolk]

Also known and proven that the Brutfuners 180 = Kalour 180 = Shuttleart 174 = Soucolor 180. Completely exact the same pensils

[SarahRenaeClark]

It’s important as a consumer to understand how “white-labeling” works. It’s not illegal. A manufacturer can create a product and multiple companies can buy the rights to rebrand it with their own name and sell it as their own. That’s clearly what is happening in the pencil world right now, because pencils are obviously popular!

So there’s nothing wrong with collecting pencils, or getting a good bargain, but definitely do your research first so you don’t end up with duplicates.

Or take the risk, but them, and just enjoy them, at the risk that some might be duplicates or not the best quality.

[leesanchez]

Thank you, Lori, for exposing bad business practices and lousy art supplies. You provide a real service to the coloring public.

[stacyl]

I bought 180 Brutfuners pencils. A few months later I bought Soucolors pencils 180. I opened and said these look exactly like Brutfuners. Well they were. Same color name, same color number, same barrel colors. The only difference was the name Soucolor on bottom of barrel instead of Brutfuners. I thought that was so deceptive. About 3 weeks ago I bought Kalour 180 set. Again it was the same as the Brutfuners and Soucolors, color names, barrels, numbers. Very disheartening but very eye opening to what is happening. Keep up the great work informing us of the practices of these companies/manufacturers.

[sahdogwrangler]

Don't hate me but why, as colorists, do we keep buying more pencils? When do you stop & be satisfied with what you have? I'm feeling the pressure to buy the Polish pencils everyone is talking about. I just bought the Monarch set & honestly, I was disappointed. They are lovely in the tin but waxy & not vibrant as they would seem. I have Prismacolors from many years ago & then got the very expensive Polychromos which I still feel guilt about. Next come the Lyra & Irotijen which are my favorites. Why do I need more? I had to stop watching coloring videos which convinced me I needed the next new thing. Not proud of myself I got the June Gold AND the refills. It's absolutely NUTS! If I was just starting out & needed a good, low cost pencil set, then great, I'd need recommendations. But why, why do we keep buying more cheap pencils when we have good quality pencils?! I'm sorry. I just don't get it.

[Finn-qgvv]

It's gotten to the point I can hardly wait for your next video. Like a good mystery novel, lol. Anxiously awaiting yours and Andy's, mostly your pencil set. Thks for everything you do. Love you tons!

[tamarascoloringcoven]

Thank You so much for this video everyone keeps telling me to buy the Brutfuners & Kalours as their different pencils, BUT my gut was telling me NOT to buy them as something is way too shady. I also wonder too if the reason for the sells was because everyone was getting stimulus checks too. I myself personally HATE Prisma's. I prefer my polys & the Dick Blick's with each other. (As everyone has their preferences). BUT my very MOST fav wax pencils are the Derwent coloursofts & now the Derwent chromaflows.

[colleenpoutre]

I just love your video's!! I have the creyart, shuttle art, and ram, and wondered what was going on. I am grateful for your reviews.Thank you

[susanmacdonald]

On the Amazon site here in Canada, there are side-by-side listings for the 150 set...one is for $155, the other is $195. Which one do you think people are going to buy? Last year, after I had bought my set for around $140, they had them on sale for $100, so I bought another set. It way cheaper to buy that set to use as replacements, than buying replacement pencils.

[Rozalyn]

Glad to see another video. Love this series of videos.

[colormewhimsy]

Thank you so very much for all the information and all your hard work. Appreciate you

[pamelamiller]

Thank you Lori for the video. All your information on these pencils is really priceless. You help me make good informed decisions. Nobody wants to waste their money.

[amybergart]

I got my 120 polycromos last week at 160$ there 205$ now I love your videos they are so helpful thank you so much

[LisasColoringCorner]

Wow. How interesting. Thank you for all your invaluable information, Lori.

[kawaiikittydollz]

I have seen reviews of customers on amazon showing in their norberg and linden 120 sets they received creyart labelled pencils in their box

[zumaone]

Prismas are now running $130.00 - $153.00 depending on which 150 set you select. The ones that are running at $130.00 are the same ones that were running in the $60.00-$80.00 price range last week. They are sold by different sellers. This is something to always watch out for when shopping for them.

[carolynpicken]

Yes, I have discovered this myself. Thank you for all you work...as a former NYer I love your accent

[sonjar.]

Thank you for this eye opening video Lori ! I am returning my Creyart 120 set because of this as I found all the colors in my Brutfuner 180 (black barrel) set. In my opnion the Brutfuner are a bit higher quality than the Creayart (better wood / thicker barrel/ more colors / better feeling)

[nicolemitchell]

That was really helpful. Thank you. I just ordered the brutfener 180 black barrel set and haven’t received them yet. The water solubility is something I hadn’t even thought was a possibility. Since I seal almost all my pieces that would be a disaster. I think I’ll be returning them and looking for something else. Thanks again ❤

[FairytaleSF]

My faulty Arteza, which dissolve in water, colour just like the Brutfuner 180 (it said they dissolved in water in the advert, tough).