Well pigmented and lays down nicely.

I originally bought these because Lindsay Thefrugalcrafter on youtube raves about them. I waited for it to be a lightning deal so I paid about $20. Regularly it has been priced at around $25 which is about the same price as Prismacolors at the time I am writing this review. With that in mind, if you already have a 72 set of prismacolors, then you don't need these. If these Arteza colored pencils are priced cheaper than the Prismacolors, then I would say go for it if ypu want to try them out. They are not as soft as prismacolor and some are not as pigmented either. That is why I think is is an excellent set for a beginner artist or art student. The thickness of the lead reminds me of Kohinoor polycolor colored pencils. One similarity I noticed between prismacolors and arteza colored pencils is that there are always some pencils that have leads which are not centered. One pro for the Arteza pencils is that they have the light fastness rating on each pencil and prismacolors do not. Another pro about these Arteza colored pencils is that they are semi water soluable. I also have their watercolor pencils and in my photo show the difference between the two. The watercolor colored pencil dissolves better of course, but to have some versatility with these is pretty cool. You could add some interesting effects to your art and experiment with blending them with water.

The pencils are very pretty. There are lots of greens and browns. They come pre-sharpened but if I d if I sharpen them the lead tends to be a bit softer. They sharpen to a nice point that hasn't broken in my hands yet and I'm pretty heavy handed. I find they do not layer or blend that well similar to other hard lead pencils. They do have names on 5he pencils and a coordinating number, but the names are hard to tell what the color actually will be. There is no red, blue, purple etc...they all have names like rose red, Mykonos blue, etc... i'm Not a swatch maker but I feel I will have to to know what color I'm using. I would say these are above average but if you can afford the Polychromos I would get them.

These pencils are great! The lead is thick and the spread smoothly. That's why I have two sets.

I live for colored pencils with vibrant colors! These are it!! Beautiful colors that blend surprisingly well! I would highly recommend to anyone who loves to color or sketch. I'm no professional artist, but I enjoy coloring as a hobby and these pencils have easily became a favorite! I have tons of colored pencils, including prismscolor and the colors of these pencils are extremely nice!

Each pencil has the color written on the barrel. I haven't had any issues with sharpening or breaking. I am truly happy with this purchase!