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.

@abby4684

Жыл бұрын

Japanese paint pens and also fine liners are also the best

@metademetra

Жыл бұрын

Generally speaking, Japanese built products are almost always high quality.

@clarehidalgo

Жыл бұрын

My Dad's prismacolors from childhood that are now mine, are way better than the current ones

@mpetersen6

Жыл бұрын

Prismacolors haven't been jade in the US for some time now. When production was moved to Mexico a number of quality issues arose. Off center cores etc. I'll stick with Faber Castels for the most part thank you. Even the budget friendly Goldfarbers. The one thing that Prisma does do better IMO is the lighter colors. For some colors I admit find Polychromos too dark.

@andrewhite4431

Жыл бұрын

Of course they are better. Japanese are only second to the Germans in craftsmanship.

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.

@kasuraga

Жыл бұрын

Honestly, even the cheaper stuff is better. Growing up I used to get japanese coloring pencils meant for kids from my grandparents, and they were so much better than things like crayola's (I looked them up. I had a set of kero keroppi coloring pencils from the early 90's, which are actually Colleen Polycolour pencils.)

@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I was a bit scared when she said they were from Japan. I watch a few artists' channels who are Japanese and promote Japanese products (though mainly paints), and watch KZreadrs who live in Japan but aren't natives, and they rave about Japan's quality of items. Even their dollar store items are usually better than what you'd find in other places. Happy to hear that it seems the high cost of these pencils might be worth it if they're like the Prismacoflor pencils of yore (not that I'll ever buy them, I'm not good at coloring, lol. But for the sake of others).

@vicgreg7311

Жыл бұрын

@@kasuraga I also just remember my mom got me Japanese pencils in Germany and they were so creamy and the colors were so intense. It was years ago. I wish that I can try some of the new pencils from Japan. I got my first Prismacolor set of 72 from Michaels store in NYC and for some reason I still think they fake. When I watch 100 videos of people coloring the pencils are extremely bright and super soft and creamy, my on another hand don’t feel creamy at all. I had purchased few pencils again in the same store and they again was not as soft. I tried different paper, that did not help at all. I now just got 150 set from Blick art materials. Hope that I can fall in love with them.

@karenneill9109

Жыл бұрын

I bought some Karismacolor from Amazon Japan. The cost was only a touch higher (shipping), but they are AMAZING. The wood is better quality, they’re all centred, and they’re ‘like butter’. The set included a pencil sharpener, and I will be using that sharpener forever. I only got a set of 12, but when I’m ready to get more, they’ll be Karismacolor.

@atwinkleintheireyes

11 ай бұрын

@@karenneill9109oh wow really? I have been thinking about purchasing the prisma color but now you make me think I should go with karisma are you still loving them?

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.

@vortolex

6 ай бұрын

This is a really interesting video as a fellow artist 👨‍🎨 (beginner) it was awesome 👏🏼 😎 you were like one of those show form CSI or Law&Order investigation. This is worthy for a documentary video. Love you content. History has proven regardless of what it is build/made/design/produce/created/borrowed/copy(unusual of them)/created…etc it would meant always high quality because Japanese always build stuff from higher quality than other predecessor. Think about them they have mentality of beauty of perfection (very strict). You get the idea of how Japanese were on the past :3

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.

@melr215

2 жыл бұрын

Try warming the pencil up to melt the cores. I have done this quite successfully. I used a hot wheat bag and heated pencils individually. It didn't take long at all. Let them fully cool to allow the core the harden before you sharpen.

@amypanddirtytoo1926

2 жыл бұрын

@@melr215 OMG wow, thank you so much!!😄😄

@abby4684

Жыл бұрын

@@melr215 smart

@deletedddddddddd

Жыл бұрын

if youre using a traditional turn pencil sharpener, stop, these are death traps for any pencil. start sharpening your pencils with a blade by hand, i switched to that and never looked back, especially for expensive pencils that kept breaking in a normal pencil sharpener...

@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley

Жыл бұрын

@@deletedddddddddd This comment made me think of the art anime Blue Period and how the characters sharpen their pencils with a box cutter, lol. I thought it was crazy, but then I saw they also sharpened it down to expose way more of the lead than you normally would see with a regular pencil, for the sake of shading and using the pencil at multiple angles. At a time when my family didn't have a pencil sharpener (and we'd lost my mom's eyeliner sharpener, lol), we used a kitchen knife to sharpen our pencils. I thought it was rather cheap and a decidedly obvious mark of our poverty (and forgetfulness to just get a darn sharpener). Never in a million years would I have guessed we actually weren't that far off from what actual artists do 😅

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... 🤔

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.

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.

@DylanRomanov

2 жыл бұрын

I’ve had the same issues , I just love the colors but mine were constantly breaking, I’ve learned to use my sharpener differently helps. Move the sharpener not the pencil, feels. Little awkward at first but it really works

Жыл бұрын

I think it's easier to shrug off minor issues if you're buying from a brick&mortar store. They're usually specialised, and they need a license to be there, if they get too many complaints they would end up closing. Plus there's a real person you can talk to if you have any doubts or can't decide what to buy.

@bonnylouwho76

2 ай бұрын

@@DylanRomanov Thank you for your counsel of this. What is your favorite sharpener? I have one that I really like from DickBlick ( I actually ordered THREE of them several years back because you NEVER know when something will disappear. )

This is such a well researched video, loved it!

@dana._shroof

2 жыл бұрын

Hello Temi love you!

@lifewlinna

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Temi 👋

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.

@velvetbees

Жыл бұрын

I have a fishing tackle box of Prismacolor pencils from thirty to forty years ago. I know these are real because some are mine and some are my brothers. He died several years ago and I received his art supplies. Several of my pencils have price tags of $1.09. They are all stamped in gold paint. The lettering is perfect on a straight line going from left to right. On the top side of one (as an example), it says: "Berol PRISMACOLOR Warm Gray PC 1054". On the underside, stamped into the wood without any paint it says, "Made in USA FLEXIBLE LEAD QUALITY CONTROL No 21" The lettering is perfectly cut with no mistakes. The paint is perfectly inlaid into the words. Some of the leads are not perfectly centered in the pencil, but most of them are. You are right. The old pencils were amazingly good. I still use my old pencils that are forty years old. They don't dry out, they don't crumble. They are perfect.

@tristins9644

Жыл бұрын

If only they made things like the used to 😭

@clarehidalgo

Жыл бұрын

I have a bunch of "Berol Prismacolor" pencils that were my Dad's, they are much better than the current ones

@amybradley2514

5 ай бұрын

Agreed that the original (or older Berols) were better. When they got bought out, the overall quality went down, with more core breakage, off center cores, and so on. I bought a complete set of the Berol Prismacolors several years ago because although I had newer sets, I preferred the old ones, and there was a seller who had a good rep. Yes, they cost more but I think it was worth it.

@TehAnnahFoo

2 ай бұрын

I still have a few Berol Prismacolors and the quality between them and the new ones is astounding. I wish the Berol recipe was still in use.

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 🤯 ✏️

@Tyler.does.stuff.

2 жыл бұрын

First replly

@Tyler.does.stuff.

2 жыл бұрын

ilove you chloe

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 KZreadrs, too. Such an interesting and important video for our community, thank you for taking so much time and effort to debunk the myths! Xx

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for talking with me! And you looked lovely! I’m glad you were on camera 😊

@VoicesFromBeyond

2 жыл бұрын

You look lovely!

@ColourwithClaire

2 жыл бұрын

@@VoicesFromBeyond aw thank you x

@Addicted2Colouring

2 жыл бұрын

Claire, I have a genuine set of 72 fakes. I too live in the UK, would you like to experience my fakes? I’ll gladly send them to you hehe xx

@ColourwithClaire

2 жыл бұрын

@@Addicted2Colouring how did you know they were fake, was it the same things like the white around the cores and the totally different lay down? Where did you get them from? Sorry for all the questions I’m so curious to know if this has happened to more people 😅

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!

@lindseytrimble981

Жыл бұрын

I purchased the same set from a seller on eBay and immediately knew that they were fakes. In addition to what you have mentioned the cores of these pencils were considerably smaller than real Prismacolors.

@hansi.llustrations6297

Жыл бұрын

lol the same thing happened to me. i wished for a prismacolor set for christmas a few years ago bc so many artists recommended these. as i unpacked, i was soo disappointed bc these didn‘t feel buttery at all, in fact they were scratching the paper and would not blend at all. i just thought the hype about prismacolors was exaggerated but it turned out my set was a fake. it has the mexico stamp but is off centered, they break waay too fast and they have a white undercoat. i would love to give prismacolor a second try but i do not think they will give me a replacement after 3 years 😂

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.

@DreamQuillRose

2 жыл бұрын

I feel like Electric Blue is meant to go with the Neon colors. Even though the other neons lay down better, the Electric Blue just has the feel of neon pencils from other brands.

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.

Жыл бұрын

Even if it's cheap... you paid money for it. If the pencils keep breaking, have bad colours and you end up buying new pencils again because the ones you have are unusable... then you wasted your money.

@bonnylouwho76

2 ай бұрын

@ And all of your ruined art paper expenses on top of that as well.

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!

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...

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 !

The last time I bought Prismas was about 2 years ago. Mine are definitely real, I double checked everything against your video, and they feel right to use too. But they were ALL broken. Most needed sharpening almost completely away before I got to non broken lead. I tried different sharpeners, and I replaced the blade, and nothing helped. The leads were just broken all the way down on almost all of them. Made a complaint, sent them photos of the absolute mess I'd ended up with, and nothing. Never got them replaced. No one cared. Wasted all that money and I had to save up for them! I was so very very disappointed.

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

That’s so disappointing! I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience. This new set for me was definitely more damaged than the last, and more than it should have been. There were about 13-15 pencils that crumbled on the first sharpen like you saw in the video. I was happily surprised when the distributor here in Australia was so helpful, and I was careful not to give any indication of who I was (I wanted to see how the customer experience was!). I’ve heard mixed responses from people who’ve asked for replacements in the USA.

@Bg-xk1uw

2 жыл бұрын

@@elisabeth2149 I use an electric heating pad, a larger one, wrapped around a handful of pencils at a time. It works without risking a burnt pencil.

@pixiecolors

2 жыл бұрын

@@elisabeth2149 I have been told over and over again to not do this. The core expanding and contracting away from the wood causes more problems. I'm really sorry that you had difficulty with the company. Newell Brands has always been very responsive to me as a customer, to the point where when I inquired about replacing specific pencils from a 150 set (I sent pics of the dozen or so broken ones with the proof of purchase, etc) they just replaced the set, within the week I had a whole new set of perfect pencils in hand. I'm genuinely surprised you heard nothing. I would absolutely try again.

@egobrain6826

2 жыл бұрын

Try a Dahle 133 sharpener, if you haven't. I very rarely have breakage after switching to this sharpener.

@SableCatDog

2 жыл бұрын

I will try again, thank you guys. And I'll try the sharpener and test the radiator thing! I'm in the UK so idk if customer service is different here but it's worth a try.

Very well researched video!

@dana._shroof

2 жыл бұрын

Hello!

@mysterionz

2 жыл бұрын

It’s you!! You’re legendary.

@VexedSinikArt

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Sarah knocked it out of the park.

@fenixdesigns

Жыл бұрын

I was so thrilled to see both you and Jennifer Stay (Coloring Bliss) featured here giving your input (& wisdom) in this video!! I just love that the KZread artsy/crafty/adult colouring community is such a wonderful one! Yay!!! 😍

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.

@gacktist00

2 жыл бұрын

yes I think it's not that wierd if in Japan Karisma pencil brand name is well known already for decades, they don't want/need to rebrand the name🤔

@gadiena3670

2 жыл бұрын

@@gacktist00 exactly. And if they have a good local production location that is similar or better quality. It doesn't hurt the main brands name at all.

@ysl6194

2 жыл бұрын

@@gadiena3670 Agreed. Their performance here is comparable to the old Karismacolor. I've seen Chika Akasu (illustrator of Precious cat story colouring book) using the same set in her colouring videos here. The results were amazing. But the only thing that stopped me from buying Karismacolor Japan was the price tag. I'm content with my current Prismacolor set for now.

@gadiena3670

2 жыл бұрын

@@ysl6194 they are indeed not cheap and especially with shipping to Europe...

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. ♥️

I had a fake set. Everyone told me, they where buttery and soft, but mine weren't. So I bought my second set, they were soft and creamy. So I'm sure my first 72 set was a fake. And the colors were slightly diffrent in color. Both sets had 72 pencils and they felt totally diffrent. Greetings from Germany. I bought mine both on German amazon

@andreasamardzija1496

Жыл бұрын

I finally realize why I was the only person to hate Prismacolors

This is a serious problem on Amazon. I became aware of it while looking for Clark's shoes. The shoes advertised on Amazon were using the well known Clark Name, but when reading the reviews, and then going on the actual Clark's website, it was clear they were knockoffs. And Amazon does not care. If you report it, it's ignored, and yes, the fake products are still up using the brand name. It's also becoming increasingly difficult to find any well-known product on Amazon. If you search anything from coffee cup warmers to oil paint, dozens of products will pop up with crazy names, some just a series of letters and numbers, but want a tried and true, well-known brand? You have to scroll through pages and pages, and the products that are recommended are Always off-brands from Asia. As a result, if I want something that is a respected brand, I go to a physical store now--Not Amazon. I did so recently with paints and brushes. I don't trust Amazon anymore. They aren't trustworthy--their sellers aren't trustworthy---their reviews certainly can't be trusted.

@bonnylouwho76

2 ай бұрын

Amazon is not trustworhty. DO NOT USE THEIR TRY BEFORE YOU BUY clothing items option. I shipped back many items that did not fit right and they lied and said I had never shipped them back. We took them to UPS ourselves as well. They didn't care or withdrew ALL of the money from my account anyway from my bank. I would have done better just to keep EVERYTHING and then resell it, rather than trust them and I lost all of that money as well. I am a product tester from AMZ and that is a completely dishonest scam as well. If you are EVER invited to be a reviewer or tester,just.don't do it. Unless you have a job that pays for everything just fine and you can stand the losses.

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.

Really appreciate all your hard work on this issue. It's good to know there's less fakes about than we are led to believe. Also interesting to see the Japanese version. Still think it's appalling that the genuine Prismacolors have so many quality control issues. I would love a set as I love some of the unique colours but just can't bring myself to order them. Can't risk wasting my money on something that could break all the way down before I could use it. So many artists and reviews love them and don't seem to have many issues but I'm still nervous. I've already got Polychromos and am now going a different route. I"ve been buying open stock Luminance. It's taken nearly 2 years to complete my set but honestly they are so worth it and are absolutely perfect. Now I've started getting Pablo's, as I like them better than my Polys. It may have taken ages to save and you need loads of patience but I'm working on the theory that they will end up costing less as their stronger leads don't break or wear down as fast.

@inkypunk

Жыл бұрын

I haven't tried them personally but Derwent have recently released a line called Chromaflow that's intended to compete with prismacolor

@elizabethireland3192

Жыл бұрын

@@inkypunkthanks for letting me know I've heard of them but don't know a lot about them. If they're available open stock I'll definitely try a few. .

The way my jaw dropped when I realized I have "classic/vintage" Prismacolor pencils. I've been "out" of the artist scene for awhile so never knew about the current issues with Prismacolor quality dropping, but now I feel like I need to hold these guys closer!!

@terrythomas790

4 ай бұрын

Im just like you. I dabble in different mediums now and then. Years ago, and I cant rememebr who it was, but they gave me 2 gum band wrapped bundles of non sharpened Prismacolor pencils. I ve used the one set now and then, but the other unsharpened bundle is still in a box I stored away. Curious after seeing this video, I see they are the Sanford USA stamped pencils! I counted them and theres 72 unsharpened ones, and about the same as with the one Ive used!! A little "gold mine" I suppose! lol

@sophieellie3193

2 ай бұрын

Me too, I just recently started using my colored pencils again and it is fascinating that they are now both "vintage" and sought out. I did recently purchase some inexpensive Artisto colored pencils and also the watercolor version as well from Artisto and have been swatching them today. Sharpened 144 pencils...but they seem to be pretty good and I was actually kind of impressed. I got both sets of 72 pencils for $42.00 on Amazon.

I suppose the 3rd Party issue is exactly why my parents told me to always check that when buying from Amazon it was actually shipping FROM THEM, whether or not it said the transaction was secure (there have been some instances where you can't find the item from Amazon, and just from a company themselves, and that's usually the only time I make an exception there). Interesting that people get so concerned about this. So many stories float around and people get so freaked out. Thanks for the informative video! It's obvious the amount of time you've spent to make it understandable to all viewers and give the information to settle our minds!

@bonnylouwho76

2 ай бұрын

I have found that Amazon shipped by isn't even helping with refunds on fakes and defective merch in all areas. I am a product tester for Amazon as well. and disgruntled as it is nothing but a scam in most cases.

What a surprise, I have some random old KarismaColor around, I bought them in London in 1989, you could buy them by the unit... I never used them much, I have to compare them to my daughter's Prismacolor, we will have fun comparing! I always thought Karismacolor had such an amazing design... I think that is why I bought some of them more than 30 ears ago! I really appreciate your very complete video and all the research and info you share, this is a fantastic source for artists!

@davidsmock8235

Жыл бұрын

Can you update us on your results? Thanks! :)

@Fancylooks

Жыл бұрын

@@davidsmock8235 I may take time till I make the comparison, but I hope to remember and give my feedback in here

@Cashious

Жыл бұрын

I’d like an update as well 😃

@MrMindgames101

Жыл бұрын

Commenting for results

Well done…the in-depth research you did is very helpful. Understanding legacy brands like Prismacolor is very tricky when the information is so scattered and complicated by rumor.

Wow. You went all out on this! Very well researched and presented! (also - being a Polychromos fan girl, I'm just gonna say... go for the Polys, they never dissapoint! 😉 And yes, I know, oil-based, not same texture, etc. I have Premiers and I do like them, but I'm messy when I color and the Polys erase so, so much better... 😅) In any case, well done Sarah, and thank you for sharing your findings with us! 💖👍💖

Maybe the karismas is something like when W&N sells products with a different packaging in japan? A lot of products change in Japan for some reason

@jennyb-aeternabitart7436

2 жыл бұрын

Good point. 🤔 It could be something to do with the trademark and copyright laws there. In Japan, there is no 'fair use' clause. For example, you can't show a clip of something that you are reviewing in a KZread video. (My other half watches an interesting mix of video game and law videos on here... 😁)

That was a great video, thanks 👍 When I got my set of Prismacolors I also thought they were fake, as I couldn’t believe that they were such bad quality for such a high price (splits or hard wood in the casings, misspelled names, missing/duplicate pencils etc), but I was assured that they were real… That was probably more disappointing than getting a good fake! I guess that the confusion arises as unfortunately on KZread they often just call it “quality control issues” without going into details. Having grown up with Faber Castell products (for a similar price!) I guess I was just spoiled and expected higher quality. As Prismacolor pencils are very popular worldwide, the high demand pushes the price up, so we’re actually not paying for good quality after all. I guess the company actually benefits from the hype about their pencils and possible counterfeiting, as it’s always a good story, as you say, and makes them even more known and desirable and expensive. For my part, I will use them up but not replace them, as I find more joy in a good quality pencil, which the admittedly nice but not completely convincing core cannot compensate me for.

The most expensive pencils I own are from Chameleon - and I won those in a contest - so colouring pencil conspiracy theories was not something on my radar, but I am glad I watched this video! What a fascinating rabbit hole and excellent journalism!

Great research! I’ve definitely seen companies license out their brands to other sellers; I don’t think it hurts them because they profit off the licensing deal (and no other Prismacolors are sold in Japan anyway). Maybe they sell them the pencil cores too, or the formula. Either way, if it’s comparable to the original Karismacolor, then it sounds like that’s essentially what you’re buying. Doesn’t really matter if Japan came up with the formula themselves or used Prismacolor’s, if it’s functionally the same.

Quality control declined a few years ago when they moved factory (I believe) Thats where this all begins, and they moved to a warmer climate which has effected the quality control, wax cores, external paint etc

I found primacolor in my country for 22 dollars which is hard to find so i bought them and i got so sad because they were fake! Be careful out there! By the way its the same set that greg got!

Wow, I know I, and I'm sure yourself, never expected this to go so deep in back story. Really cool to hear it all (what you know so far),and though it will be awhile before I invest in any,...fake or real, I look forward to "the rest of the story"

this is wild - what a great deep dive thanks Sarah! I was digging through my studio and I had a deluxe wooden box set of Prismacolors I had been stashing and keeping pristine - I checked for the stamp and they're marked as USA and I know I bought tehm around 2006 - now I'm wondering if I have a precious set on my hands....

This is a very complete and well-researched video. I actually knew about Karismacolor pencils, because I see a lot of Japanese on KZread using it. It's really interesting, I wonder if people are gonna want to get their hands on Karismacolor now lol. Everything from Japan are expensive but if you buy it there I think it won't cost too much, so make sure to pick up some Karismacolor when you get the chance to visit Japan, people!

When I started using Prismacolor pencils in college I bought them individually from my local art store. Many years later I decided to splurge on a 150 set that I got at a huge discount online. At first I thought I had been scammed because the quality was so bad and inconsistent! Broken leads, off center leads, cracked and split wood, chipping paint, some of them splinter when I sharpen them, and some are perfect. They all have the same buttery lay down though. I did some research and realized I got a set just after they moved the factory. QC is definitely an issue. Maybe it will get better for the regular Prismacolors eventually, but it’s good to know there is an option (if I ever decide to replace them) for something closer to the originals.

I was not expecting such a rollercoaster ride when I clicked this video! Brilliantly presented as always

Props for talking to some of the best youtubers in the colouring community who are on the other side of the world from us

I had gotten scammed by an Amazon buyer before when I ordered my prismacolor set, and they had given me generic DOMS pencils at the same price of the real prismacolor pencils, i was heartbroken but we got the money back and i got the real pencils too

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

Wow! I’m sorry to hear this. Glad to hear you got it resolved

@ecesds

Жыл бұрын

heyy can you tell which buyer did you buy yours from i rlly dont wanna get scammed too

I bought a 48 set of “Prismacolor “ off EBay 4 years ago. The price was about $10 less than what most sellers charged. I had never used Prismacolor before so I used them and really never gave it a thought other than that I didn’t really see what the hype was about Prismacolor. Fast forward to a year ago and on my birthday my husband got me the big 150 set he bought at Jerry’s Artarama. It was only then I realized there was no way my original set was real. It was like bells and whistles went off because if the way they performed. So I did comparisons of the 48 set with the matching colors in the 150 and it was crazy how different they were. About a year ago I found a new old stock 48 set of Berol Prismacolor pencils at a thrift store for $20 which I cannot make myself use. I’ve really enjoyed this video. ❤️ Hadassah

This was super interesting and well researched, and I know it's different to the content you usually make but I loved it! Your hard work was definitely worth it. I've never really been concerned about counterfeits with pencils as much as I have other suspiciously cheap things (makeup, clothes, etc) because I usually try to buy them from websites with good return/replacement policies like Amazon, and because they're not going on my body (chemicals in fake makeup really aren't good for you). I think you gave the best advice you can give, honestly. Though prismacolor might not be super responsive to inquiries about branding, it's good to know that they are at least responsive and willing to replace counterfeit pencils! Loved the video, great work!!

Ahah, you almost got me there (2:14 to 3:23). The short of it: "these aren't fakes, the modern-day real-deal Prismacolors just can be *that* bad". I bought Prismacolors open-stock from an art supplies seller, and within a few months (and also probably my not-too-stable pencilcase storing) the casing started to split down the sides, and the cores are crumbling on the open ends. In the end, I'm not too surprised by the licensing agreement. But I really appreciate all this researching that you do. Little pieces come together to form a bigger picture. Personally, I kinda wish Prismacolor would either straight-up outsource their wooden casing assembly to the Japanese factory, or shape up with quality control at their manufacturing center in Mexico. I bought open-stock Prismacolors at MYR 9 per pencil (currently equal to $2.80 AUD or $2.05 US each). I find it wasteful and costly to the company (Sanford) that they'd rather band-aid the issue through customer care or public relations than treat the very concrete problems with low quality at the source. But alas, I'm just an accounting student with art as a hobby, not a production manager.

I suspect the fact that fakes are really common in other artistic areas might also fuel the hysteria. Fake makeup is 1000% a thing and fake knitting needles are even a thing... and what's highly amusing about that is its Chinese companies faking a Chinese company's product. Chiaogoo are one of the two best brands for interchangable knitting needles. Their red lace cable is the best available (some argue the HiyaHiya sharps tips are superior) and its for that reason they're really commonly faked. People see the red cable and assume they're getting a deal when they buy them on Amazon for less than $100 when a legit set is more like $150. That's why Chiaogoo has authorized retailers. I've seen so many people waste their money on fake knitting needles that break at the join, don't flex the way they should, etc that now with any art supplies or makeup or haircare/skincare (newsflash, salon brands don't get sold at drugstores... when you see them there, its because they're expired or counterfeit), I *ONLY* buy from verified/authorized retailers.

I bought some Prismacolors from a ‘family owned’ company in Australia. They were on special at $120. They send them to NZ hardly wrapped to stop lead breakage and there were so many inconsistencies, double ups of colours, way too dodge and I wasn’t impressed with packaging to send overseas to me. Was a Karen and was reassured they were real, did some research on who owned company then threatened to call the ombudsman and they fully refunded my $ and I got to keep pencils. I’m still unsure as to wether they are real or not but they seem even softer than genuine singles I’ve bought and a few of the pencils have broken lead all the way through

Very useful fact checking research! Based on the observation that japanese art and craft supplies are often of superior quality and highly recommended in respective communities, to me it makes sense that these pencils are made to a higher standard to meet the expectations of the spoilt-for-quality japanese consumers. Lucky people. 😀

An amazing piece of patient sleuthing - thank you Sarah!!! Until recently, I only used coloured pencils for my work with the children, but ... when I began to go to art fairs, I got some freebie Berol Karismacolours, which sat in my drawer from then till now. I still have them, and as I've begun using coloured pencils in a policy of learning to use the two Derwent sets (one was gifted, the other, I bought because all my non-day to day art stuff was in transit to France), I put the Karismas in with the others, and really like them. Until the last few months, I had no idea that the Derwent Coloursoft that I bought were anything special, except that they were a very different breed from the old set of Derwent Artist (gifted) were. And now I find that I have unwittingly owned some vintage UK branded Prisma colours that are selling at a very high price... I'll still use them, though, because I like them. I'll still replace them and the Derwents with Luminance / Polychromos when they are used, because I find that they are mega times better than the Artist set and some of the Coloursoft have lightfastness issues (yes that matters for me as I do some work to give away) I'd love to try the Derwent Lightfast, but I can't get them easily, and I do like the Luminance and Polychromos, which I can justify buying as single replacements for Derwent, but not as sets, but maybe one day, if I get the chance to buy some singly, who knows? In conclusion, I have you, Colouring Bliss and a couple of others for my current understanding of how to use my pencils and where to place the different brands in order of quality, value for money and ease of use. Thank you! Incidentally, from my experience of recent Derwent watercolour pencils the general opinion of ArtTubers that these are not good is justified. I have a mix of these, Supracolour 2, Museum and Albrecht Durer, and the Derwents just do not come in the same league.

@positronixartandlife4545

2 жыл бұрын

"I'd love to try the Derwent Lightfast, but I can't get them easily, and I do like the Luminance and Polychromos, which I can justify buying as single replacements for Derwent, but not as sets, but maybe one day, if I get the chance to buy some singly, who knows?" I just recently grabbed myself the 100 set of Derwent Lightfast and there are some colours that may be worthwhile depending on circumstances (there are a couple of really pale colours that caught my eye). I do not know how expensive they would be for you but you can always look at Jackson's Art or Cult Pens as they have them in stock and ship worldwide

@MrsBarnabas

2 жыл бұрын

@@positronixartandlife4545 Thanks, Positron. Sadly for those of us in mainland Europe, Brexit has put Jackson's, or any other UK supplier, beyond a lot of us because of customs and import fees. Midnight, December 31st 2020 changed the EU / UK economic world forever, and this is just part of the price we are paying on both sides of the Channel. It's really upset me, because I've used Ken Bromley and Jacksons for my art supplies for 23 and a half of the last 25 years ... It works both ways, because imports from Europe to the UK are also subject to Import and Customs duty and taxes... I'd want to replace my Coloursoft and artist as necessary, and it just can't be done these days... But thanks again for your kind comment. That has given me a happy smile.

@jennyb-aeternabitart7436

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrsBarnabas Bit of a random question, but do you plan to travel to the UK? I notice that you said that you bought the coloursoft while your main art supplies were in transit to France. Obviously if you aren't that fussed to try them (though I would personally recommend the lightfast purples and pinks), you don't need a work-around. But if you would prefer, I was wondering if you could you do it the long-way-round and buy on sale and have them shipped within the UK to a friend or relative. Paying duty on them when you take them home with you would be cheaper than the import fees... Not sure what the duty-free cut-off point is anymore though... [History of my random thought: I considered buying the Rosa gallery watercolours via a friend in the US, because the only licenced UK seller vanished. Thankfully the seller to the EU hadn't updated their contract, and could still sell to the UK - so I bought mine using Google translate in Portuguese... 🙄😁]

@MrsBarnabas

2 жыл бұрын

@@jennyb-aeternabitart7436 Thanks, for this, Jenny. I have a friend who did this for me and brought them over when she visited, but she isn't able to do that any more, and I can't afford to visit her at the moment (another reason for the 'Replacement only' shopping regime). With the current effects of inflation, cost of living and travel, I'm trying to look at it from the point of view that it puts temptation to try new things completely out of reach, especially as I've just managed to curb the demon buying spirit that I've never, ever suffered from before but have had badly in recent months for art supplies. I'd still love the opportunity to try the Lightfast, though, to see how well they live up to their reputation. When I chose to live in this particular place, there were (and still are) good reasons, but it never crossed my mind that there wouldn't be a good art store in town - and as I've said, Brexit scuppered UK mail ordering.

@jennyb-aeternabitart7436

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrsBarnabas 😁 Sounds like a good plan! If it helps with the 'one day I'd like to try them', next time you're able to get over here, we can meet up and you can try mine. And the longer you leave it, the more child-free and able-to-travel I'll become... (and the more likely it is that the contact me stuff will be working on my website - the website is currently my work-in-progress...)

Oh my god you just helped me figure out what brand my favourite set from my childhood was: Karismacolor! I've been looking for those FOREVER!

I remember having the pleasure of using original Prismacolor pencils back in high school (our art teacher was very adamant about having good supplies) and there was never anything like them. They were so sturdy and they lasted! (Especially important for ye olde younguns learning to art). When I became an adult I'd think about those pencils and dream of owning a set, but of course, they were way too expensive for a hobbyist like me 😅 Then one year as a combo birthday/Christmas gift (since my birthday is in November) a dear friend of mine bought me a small set of them. I was so stoked! I got into them right away and tried to figure out what to create with them. But project after project I found the tips would snap, or when sharpening would just... fall out. I ended up putting them down and letting them collect dust because they just... weren't like I remembered. I never knew about the change of manufacturing locations. I just figured it was a bad, cheap set. I guess the story is far more complex than we'll ever know.

Honestly, Greg is the only person I know who's actually gotten a fake set. Everything else is just ephemera, people wanting to be a part of the experience that they other people going through (although not necessarily their "favorite KZreadrs," I don't think people take KZread creators to that level of fan worship but maybe I'm wrong). I've been using these pencils since the 80s and I have never even had a thought of counterfeit sets. As someone said, Prismacolor would be a really difficult pencil to fake. I would love to get my hands on a genuine set of vintage Karismacolors. I've never used them. I just love the way they look lol.

You put so much thought into this! It's incredible just how complex branding can be on something as simple as color pencils

you scared me for a second before you said “these are real” !! 😂 I was questioning if mine were fake

What a twisting maze of unexpected results! It's really interesting that a lot of the issues are from the manufacturing location change, which makes my husband's 20ish-year-old set even more precious to me (even though the breaking lead is still a huge problem). Thanks for diving so deep into this, even though it still leaves us with a bit of mystery at the end!

This was so interesting! I hope they respond and we get a part 2! Thank you for being level headed and cutting through hype to get to the truth!

I wouldn't have been surprised to find out the mafia is involved! this is crazy and fascinating and wow you did a lot of work on this!

@themaddtatter6679

2 жыл бұрын

I said I was shocked that no men in black suits came knocking on her door...

@wordscrafter

2 жыл бұрын

@@themaddtatter6679 🤣🤔😲

Thank you for your video. You’ve answered so many questions. As to your question, “why does Prismacolor allow another company to copy its products”, it seems to be a common theme in major industries where a parent company develops many different smaller companies with very similar items. In the US, most appliance companies are owned by one major company despite their brand names. I think it’s a marketing scheme to have more of a monopoly over a corner of a market. So for the pencils, it’s not so much secrecy as it is a way to get more people to buy pencils world wide and the money to somewhat end up in Prismacolor’s pockets.

Don’t know about fakes, but growing up, Prismacolor pencils were always breaking up on me. I eventually switched to Faber Castell.

I got scammed so many times ! Thanks for the help Sarah !! I swear you always reach out to help only for the good 😊

Thank you for doing all the research. Interestingly enough, while I don't worry about the Prisma colored pencils I have....I DID get a fake set of Polychromos pencils off of Amazon. I did confirm this with Faber Castell. Turns out that the seller name was CLOSE to an authorized seller but slightly off. The pencils came from India and when I opened the box they felt...off. Like they were too light and didn't smell like I expected. I called Faber Castell and explained my issue and confirmed. Amazon eventually gave refunded me and I got to keep the fake set. So while I am not sure about Primas being fake...I can tell you that there ARE fakes out there!

Sarah, you put SO MUCH effort into this video, and it was incredible! Thank you for pouring so much of yourself into these videos and then offering us viewers the results - we're lucky to have you. And you really went the extra mile with this one. So much info here!

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Thank you for all the work you put into this topic. I will add that most of the fake accusations center around that same 72 set tin with the colorful woman cover art. I am pretty sure this design has been updated to another illustration. If anyone is truly leery about a fake set, maybe try to avoid that particular tin.

I didn't think I had fakes at the time, but I had some prismacolors that felt REALLY bad and didn't work. I thought it was because they were YEARS OLD and maybe the quality degraded over time. I don't have them anymore sadly because I got rid of them for a new set of 72. Now I wonder if I had fakes... I'll never know.

Wow this is fascinating! I had no idea! I mean I knew there was fake everything out there but colouring pencils is low down and dirty! Thank you for making this video. Thank you for doing all the research too 👏🏼🎨💜🥰

This is my kind of research. Thank you so much for getting so in depth and so thorough. I didn't realize there was a concern about fakes, but now I've learned a lot about Prismacolors and I feel more knowledgeable about color pencils in general.

This is fascinating! I wasn't expecting you to find an alternate company legitimately using their branding to advertise a comparable product. I was expecting this to go the way of fake Micron pens, where the barrels are pretty much indistinguishable (refilled and sold as new?) but you end up with leaky pens and non-waterproof ink. My first set of Microns when I got curious about the brand in 2018 were these fakes, bought on Wish, and when I got suspicious I ordered the same set from Amazon to compare. Definitely wasn't worth the savings and longer delivery wait to go with the counterfeits.

I dunno if the ebay sellers selling the japanese karisma color pencils are over charging or if they're just including the shipping cost into the price because I've noticed holbein brands and mission gold branded products of the same type are sold significantly higher than it would be sold on amazon.

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

It’s a good point!

@sophieellie3193

2 ай бұрын

I went to Amazon Japan and it appears you can just buy the Karisma color on that site...at least for a US address so perhaps that is less expensive.

For me, Prismacolor has set themselves up with all this. My grandma would've said, "They stepped in it." It's just too confusing. Along the way, they should have protected the Prismacolor name by only producing the best quality regardless of increasing their bottom line. With all the changes, that's the one thing they should've done was keep the quality. I remember using Prismacolor pencils in my teens and they were the bomb! So now that I'm retired and returning to art, they're just not the same. So I've been purchasing other expensive brands that perform much better. I really didn't know about all this controversy til very recently. It's just a shame to me. It seems that companies always cheapen their products to increase the bottom line. When the customers just want the same quality and would've paid the higher price to keep it. Maybe I don't know all the details, but it sounds like no one does.

Brilliant video! Thank you Sarah Renae for all the hard work you put into this video, I just purchased my first set of Prismacolours from Amazon and was so surprised at how dodgy they looked, I instantly thought I'd gotten a fake set, but your video has put my mind to rest.

I genuinely believed that you got a fake in the beginning but was surprised when you said it was real. I enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work Sarah.

Brilliant video Sarah Renae. One of the best I’ve seen.👏. I have the original Karismacolour and one difference is they are spelt with a UK ‘U’ for colour as opposed to US ‘color’. I have the full set and was warned by Claire from ‘Colour with Claire’ that the Japanese version were not the originals when I was first looking for the Berol/Sanford Karismacolour. Imo they are superior to Prismacolor which btw I use often and love so much I have a full spare set for when I run out of a colour. Bought on sale of course😉. I find Karismacolour never break on me, never have splits or are off centre, are beyond buttery to lay down and keep a point far longer than my Prismas. BUT as you point out they are very expensive and were getting even more so but I’ve found lately it seems all the buyers must have got their collections and prices have dropped. Dropped doesn’t mean not expensive still though. 🙏💯🌹

Okay so I deleted my original comment because I hadn't finished watching the whole video when I wrote it (my mistake and I apologize). However I still want to add my point of view as a Mexican artist who also uses made in Mexico Prismacolor Premiere (PP for this comment) pencils (because I like to help my local economy) but also has the Prismacolor Junior (PJ) line which is made for students and are currently made in Vietnam. First of all I agree that the quality of PP pencils has declined to an extent. There were some people in KZread who used to upload videos related to this topic but instead of bringing good information such as Sarah did, their comments were mostly focused on throwing under the bus the Mexican Prismacolor factory with their only argument being "Ew Mexican pencils! This should be made in America!", to the point that their discourse was against the factory in Mexico rather than the pencils and how they performed. Once again, I agree that the pencils should improve but I don't know if that will happen at some point. Prismacolor should guarantee that the pencils have no issues by giving the Mexican plant the proper machinery, guaranteeing security measures and also going through quality control. Maybe they can do it but also in here, with the current COVID situation and the people in the government, who are looking for any excuse to get more money not only from company owners but also from the citizens with the excuse that it will help our national health system (a huge lie, we haven't seen any improvements and sorry for bringing politics on a seemingly unrelated topic), there is no way at the moment that the PP line will improve and this makes me mad and sad. In fact, the PP pencils at the moment are twice the price in comparison to 2018. I discovered this while checking out the prices of my pencils online and on local art and big stationery stores such as Office Max, Office Depot and Lumen. This is the reason why I began to work with Prisma's PJ line (which is branded for students and is made in Vietnam at the moment) to do the base tones and then use the PP line to put some depth on my illustrations. Many Mexican artists who use traditional mediums are complaining and even recommending other alternatives to work with such as Faber Castell, Crayola, Maped, the PJ line and Norma color pencils for this same reason. PP pencils are quite expensive even if they are still made in Mexico. Anyway, that's my input about this whole issue. *TL,DR: Mexican Prismacolor Premiere pencils should improve.* *The prices are skyrocketing to the point that even Mexican artists who used to work with these are finding cheaper and better alternatives.* *This makes me sad because I appreciated the PP pencils and now it's sad to see the quality has decline and it will probably take a long time to get better because of our current government.* *However the Mexican Prismacolor factory is not completely and solely guilty as other KZreadrs (obviously not you Sarah) have mentioned in the past, to the point of even being against anything made in Mexico. There are many sociological and political reason why the pencils are going downhill and yes, it's sad and frustrating, at least for me as an artist and someone who likes to support the economy of my country to help people have a job.*

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. I think this is a very important point to keep in mind! I’ve also seen on the Prismacolor Philippines Facebook page that they intend to increase the price (almost double) next year. I wonder if that will be the same everywhere else? Either way, I’d hope any increase will come with an increase in quality. And like you said, it’s not the fault of the factory if they’ve only been given a short budget and requirements, or lesser equipment. I’d love to get some inside info on this one!

I love my prismacolors and bought a set on your recommendation as a beginner. Thank you. As for the issues that you bought up, maybe the company is looking at a new manufacturer for their pencils and these are the 'alpha' sets that are being sold by third parties to gauge user experience. It seems that there are lots of complaints about quality control and that sending new sets of pencils to customers would be counterintuitive to finding a new manufacturer who can make better quality pencils. I think the price gouging is a whole different kettle of fish though and that is something that I would be concerned about. Excellent research.

Thanks for looking in to this for us,. You're a gifted artist and a gifted and thorough researcher too! I have wondered about this. I bought a really discounted complete set of Prismas from the Prismacolor store, but still wondered if they were so cheap because they were fake. They do what I wanted though so I kept them. Actually, most of my pencils DON'T have a Mexico stamp on them, which didn't help at all. Since they lay down nice & I can only do a little coloring a day, I don't care one way or the other & now this video has really set my mind at rest about it all.

One thing about Amazon is that many different sellers may be represented under the same listing. So you might be reading reviews, then order from the same listing but receive product from a DIFFERENT seller. An interesting thing about counterfeit products in general is that they often make counterfeits in the same factories as the real product, with lesser materials. So the Patagonia rep goes home for the night, and then they start busting out the fake Patagonia jackets with cheaper, less waterproof fabric --- but they have the same pattern and even use the real tags. This is why it's so hard to differentiate the counterfeit products from just looking at them. The printing is stamped on each pencil individually by hand. It seems like they don't use a guide to line it up correctly (which would be so easy!) and don't discard ones that have bad printing, like some companies would. (As an aside, I actually got the Ultimate Sharpie set recently and I'm almost certain they put the "second quality" sharpies in there, because mine had weird caps that are flimsy or don't fit right, and bad printing. I actually was checking for signs of counterfeit myself, but concluded this was their way to "recycle" pens that weren't perfect to sell as individuals.) I do think that the counterfeit prismacolor craze is due largely to what your fellow KZreadrs said -- the quality USED to be higher, so if you had the old ones, then and got a set of new ones, you'd notice the difference. And then yes, the idea became viral even though it wasn't necessarily true.

I don't know about Australia, but here in Brazil Prismas cost almost twice as much as the Polychromos...they definitely should be of better quality 😤

I really appreciate the time, effort, and sheer amount of work in research that went into this video. Thank you!

Wauw Sarah! what a great job you did here!!! Loved how you not only did great research, but you brought it so great!!!!

Such an expose, great reporting! Very interesting and well presented.

I have never buy them although I really want them due to their soft core. But the quality of the pencil just stop me. How can I pay so much for this quality 😫 I think this is not normal. So I have derwent and no problem Hope one day they will solve the different qualities issues

Wow...thanks for the info. I had no idea that the manufacturing of the pencils has changed. I will cherish my 3 Berol Prismacolor sets. I have only replaced a few well loved colors and not purchased a new set in almost 30 years.

I've been hearing a lot about fake Prismacolor pencils. Thank you for all of the hours of research you must've done to get some kind of answer 😂 Like you, I now have even more questions! You've gone above and beyond to get us answers and I wanted you to know how much I appreciate it.

Hm. Interesting. More the last part of the video, than the first, honestly. While you were talking about the possibility of fakes, I kept thinking "well if someone is that worried, then they should just buy their pencils from reputable stores" - so I was really happy when you underlined this point (twice!). It's not exclusively about the fake pencil worry either. Places like Amazon or ali express can out-compete everyone else, meaning that your local art supply stores (and reputable online stores) will slowly wither from the lack of business - and many will end up closing. It's a super unfortunate trend which, in the end, is going to be harmful to the entire art community. Everyone is always going on about "grocery shopping locally" and "support small local businesses"... why does this not carry over to art supplies - or Electronics or clothes? ... sorry. Probably shouldn't go off on rants like this in KZread comment sections... 😅 Great video though. It's obvious that you've spent a lot of time and care on the research behind this story

@deliciouscolours

Жыл бұрын

You are very right. The only art store where I live closed 3 years ago because of this. :(

@shadowheartart3898

Жыл бұрын

@@deliciouscolours oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!

To mix things up more, there's likely people confusing the watercolor pencils with the regular ones. Also the Japanese pencils likely are priced like vintage because Japanese stationary production is at a whole other level. (And it most likely carries to their art supplies.) They wont let the kind of stuff that goes on in the Mexican production slide in terms of QC.

Absolutely fascinating! Thanks for all the time it took you to research this and share it with us.

I have no idea how I ended up here, but this was very interesting and well researched! subbed! looking forward to going through the backlog :D

The set I have are karismacolor which I bought here in Japan I was very confused but the employee at the store assured me that it was the same product But I prefer the polychromos set I bought before that

@SarahRenaeClark

2 жыл бұрын

I’m definitely interested to know more about the new Karismacolor

@mybecember

2 жыл бұрын

You can say karisuma the same as charisma as it’s the Japanese way of saying it

@mybecember

2 жыл бұрын

Japan has really good products Copics, posca, tombow, inks, brushes etc I wouldn’t be surprised if the general quality control of the pencils being made here in Japan are stricter because of the competition of other products that can be bought here The set I have which was is the same as the black box you have seemed okay to me And good work on doing a deep dive on all of this

Very interesting and also confusing haha. So actually it's better to buy the Japanese ones because they are closer to the vintage pencils with a better the quality control than the new Mexican ones.

As usual, such a thoroughly researched video. Thank you so much for your tenaciousness!

Wow, this was fascinating! Tyfs Sarah! And extra points for having TheFrugalCrafter in the video... I ❤️ Lindsay 🤗🤗🤗

It actually makes complete sense. Prismacolor licensed to Japan to use their name. Now, here's where it would get interesting. Prismacolor would not license Japan to use their name if they were using horrible product. Prismacolor, more than likely got into depth with Japan about the colors for example. That's why when you were swatching them they were exact matches. And even the feel were the same. Prismacolor wouldn't allow a Japanese maker to defile their name. So, they would need to make sure that Japanese makers have the same exact colors, and the way they lay down. That's not to say, that now, Japanese pencils might be even better? That is a possibility LOL. So, if anything prismacolor is going to have to step up their game! So like you said, would people stop buying prismacolor? And then just start buying the Japanese versions? Now that is the question! Hope that helps, and that makes a sense for you 🥰👍🏻

This was wonderful and I’m beyond grateful. I first started using Prismacolor pencils on copy paper as a tattoo artist in 2008 because it’s the closest representation to how tattoo ink blended in skin that we could produce at the time-and seeing how tattoos are permanent, of course people want to see an example of what the colors and pallets will look like. Now, almost 20 years later, no longer a tattooist, I just wanna color. And when I saw the 150 set for just over $100 on Temu I thought “No effin way.” Already following you, I knew right where to go for advice. And yet again, your channel did not disappoint. I’m now the proud owner of said insane set, which I display on my mantle for the time being as a testiment to a damn good deal 😂😅 Thanks, Lady!

This is great research, Sarah. Thanks for your efforts!

I don't own prisma's and I don't plan on buying them, but this video was very interesting. If you ever find similar stories to cover, I'd love to watch them. It feels like watching a short mystery movie with shocking plot twists lol

@themaddtatter6679

2 жыл бұрын

Yes absolutely, popcorn required

Thanks for doing the digging to find out all of this! I hadn't heard anything about counterfeit pencils but it was still a fascinating dive. :)

The amount of time and effort you put into this is amazing. Thank you.

You are amazing sarah, thanks for researching all of this for us

This is a great deep dive! Thank you for doing all this research!