Review: Koh-I-Noor Polycolor Coloured Pencils

Koh-I-Noor Polycolor are budget coloured pencils are made by Koh-I-Nor Hardtmuth, the popular

There's a total of 144 colours in the Polycolor product line. And these coloured pencils are sold in sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 144. Individual pencils are kinda difficult to find though. I bought my set from Overjoyed, a local art store in Singapore, where they have a shelf stocked with Koh-I-Noor products. I just wanted to try these pencils and the price of S$16.90 was quite affordable.

These are the colours in this 12-colour set.

According to their brochure, these are oil-based coloured pencils, just like the Faber Castell Polychromos, however, the core is much harder, so it doesn't layout colours as easily as the Faber Castell.

3800 is the product line for Polycolor. The number that flows is the code for the colour. There's no lightfast rating on the pencil or box so you've got to check out the brochure.

These are the 12 colour swatches.

Colour blending seems alright. The paper texture here fine grain and you can see much of the paper white.

The colours can be erased easily, and almost completely off the paper.

The colours are quite vibrant although I've got to say that Faber Castel colours are slightly more vibrant and easier to apply. But considering the affordable price, the quality is quite good, and definitely value for money.

The harder core makes it easier to draw lines longer without having to sharpen the pencil constantly.

Watercolour works well over the pencil lines too.

Overall, the quality is good and price affordable. So this is something I can recommend very easily to beginners. Downside is individual colours are difficult to find.

Availability

Find more reviews at Dick Blick Art Materials (US) | Jackson's Art (UK)