Good day, Harry! thank you so much for this comparison. Lightfastness always seems to be a contraversial issue. Giving decent options is so helpful to so many. Much appreciation.

I purchased the Lyra Polycolor several years ago after viewing your review. The appearance is unusual in that the pencil diameter is smaller than most pencils with a larger core. I do love them, as what is considered an “oil based” pencil the core feels softer than their counterparts and lay down beautifully. Thank you for another well done review.

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your continued support my friend and for your incredibly generous donation. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, thank you so very much.

3:13 Pencil #5 5:30 Pencil #4 8:03 Pencil #3 10:03 Pencil #2 13:26 Pencil #1

I adore Lyra Rembrandts. They are sadly overlooked ! I discovered them years ago and enthused to all my fellow students and friends but most people weren’t convinced .. ( or never bothered to try them for themselves ) thanks for another great review , Harry 🙂

Thank you harry.. I love it when you upload videos like this it really helps 🙏

I absolutely love the Lyra’s, they’ve always been one of my go to pencils. The only thing I wish for is more colours. Great to have you back Harry. You do the best review video’s out there. Take care and my thoughts are with you on the passing of your father.

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Victoria for your lovely comment and your support, I’ve also left a comment on your donation post, which I am so eternally grateful for. I totally agree with you regarding the Lyra Rembrandt set, I wish there were more colors. It would make the set much more desirable to artists. I’ve no idea why they haven’t expanded the range to a 120 set, that would be amazing.

Thank you for doing this. I have a ton of color pencils and just can't justify buying any more right now, but I did put the Koh-i-nor and the Lyra's on my wishlist for that day when I have space for more supplies. It's a good thing I am on a no-buy right now because I might have to store stuff under my bed! Oh wait, I already have a box there full of crafting supplies...haha...At any rate, love what you do and thank you again!

Thanks for a great review, I love the Lyra and Prismacolor and may b in the market to get an artist grade set !🎉

Thank you Harry, excellent video

Hi Harry! So nice to see you again! Thank you for the no-nonsense observations and objective review. I am very interested in Holbein, but they sadly are not in my budget. I will have to checkout the Lyra's (and I really appreciate they are open stock). All the best and kind regards...!

I use the Pablos and absoutely love them. They are the best layering pencil I have ever used.

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

They are excellent for layering, good quality paper and a ton of Pablos and you can’t go wrong

thanks for another wonderful video .. the world of colored pencils is so overwhelming , and your videos help clarify things so much!! thank you so much!!!

Thank you, Harry. I've never heard much about the Lyra Rembrandt or Koh-i-Noor pencils, must check out your reviews.

***pats her beloved Crayolas*** “There, there, my babies…. ‘I’ still love you!” 🫶 (Whisper) I’m also a big fan of my Derwent (DDP, Graphitints and Inktense)… from their smell to their feel, LOVE them… just don’t tell my Crayolas 😂

Thank you so much for this comparison! I spent a lot of time watching videos before I bought my set of colored pencils. I knew I wanted to buy a good set of pencils, and I knew that it would probably not be a lot of different set of pencils for me. After watching many videos, I found that one thing that would matter for me was the option to buy open stock, so I could refill individual colors of the pencils that I used most. One thing that I would do differently today was buy a few colors from different brands to see which texture of pencils I like best. I would probably still have ended up with the Fabercastell Polychromos, because I have found that I absolutely LOVE to color with a super pointy tip, and the Polychromos can do that for me without having to sharpen them too often. I do have a Luminance white and I bought a smaller Pablo set to travel with after a while, and I like them too 😊 The Rembrandt Polycolor are not available open stock where I live, unfortunately.

Thanks Harry, I've bought all the pencils you've recommended and they have all lived up to my expectations 😊

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Oh I am so happy that they have lived up to your expectation and aligned with my review of them. I do worry and feel terrible when I create a review of a product and someone then purchases said product based on the review but hates it. This is why I try so hard to just explain the product as I find it and try not to allow my own feelings about the product show through. However I know I am a million miles from perfect and so sometimes I do allow my own emotions to show through. But I am so happy that you have found the products to be enjoyable. Thank you so much much my friend.

@kassaArt

3 ай бұрын

@@TheArtGearGuide you are so honest so if we don't enjoy the products you review, it's just a matter of preference.. you've taught me that the paper needs to be suitable for the pencils so I always pay attention to that! Thank you and please keep the videos coming if and when you can.. perhaps you could do an update on some of your older videos again 🙏

Thanks for your thoughts on these pencils...HAGD !!

Lyra and Derwent are my favorite.

Thank you so much..I Had LYRA Rembrandt. Gave to my daughter. Now I May save for another 72 ct🙏🙏🙏🕊🤗

Hello, thanks again for your excellent review! Apart from the lightfastness, I believe you would still recomment the Luminance over the Lyra Rembrandt?

@TheArtGearGuide

2 ай бұрын

Yeah for me personally the Luminance are one of the best pencils on the market if not thee best

This makes me want to try the Lyra and Polycolour. I’d love to see a video where you rank your top five regardless if they are artist quality or artist grade

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Do mean just rank my own personal top 5 coloured pencils regardless of artist grade or quality? That is an excellent idea, is this what you mean?

Very good information. I know a few colored pencil artists that use Prismacolor exclusively and sell original work. They have tried and have other brands named here but say they always go back to Prismacolor.

Thank you for the nice video! I am surprised none of the Derwent's series, which were not included in the Artist Grade video, made it into this list. I amsurprised about Lyra and Koh-I-Noor, I always ignored them... Among the 3, Pablo, Lyra and KiH, which do you think is most similar to the Polychromos? They are my go-to pencils, but I find the palette to be lacking lighter colors so I wanted to compliment it with other pencils of a similar quality. Lightfast and Luminance, however, are too expensive.

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you so much for your kind and generous donation, I genuinely can’t tell you how much it means to me when people leave donations. I fully appreciate and understand the current financial climate as it is so difficult and still you provide a donation. As a family we struggle so much and I would consider us to be quite fortunate, so I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. All donations I receive go back into the channel to help my purchase products for review, without the support of generous people such as your good self and the wonderful people who simple take the time from their day to watch my videos, this channel simply would not be where it is today. With regards to the Derwent question and lack of it in my list, in the Artist Grade list the Derwent Lightfast was number 2, and the Luminance number 1. However in this list, I really thought about adding the Chromoflow or ColourSoft, but I just felt the other pencils tipped the post. I would definitely say that the Caran d’Ache Pablo are the closest of the 3 to the Faber Castell Polychromos. I know exactly what you mean and i completed a comparison review of the Pablo and Polychromos which you might find helpful. In that video I mentioned that very thing, that the Pablo 120 set complimented the Polychromos 120 set perfectly and mainly due to the fact the Pablo offers much more muted colors. I hope this has been helpful to you and once again, thank you sol very much for your kind and generous donation, I seriously can’t express how much this means to me, thank you so much.

@bunnysm

3 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for your answer! Yes, I checked your comparison video, very informative!

Thank you so much and yes I am just a beginner, but as far as I tested color pencils my all time favorite also ist the Lyra and Koh I noor.....so I feel Happy now and wanted to say thank you 🫶🏼

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your comment and your support and I hope you continue to really enjoy your new journey with Colored pencils and especially the colored pencil community

I like the lyra pencils too.

Thanks

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so so much for your donation, I can’t even begin to tell you how much this helps me. Any time I get a donation it goes back into the channel to help me buy more products to review. So thank you from the bottom of my heart, I so appreciate your kindness and generosity. Thank you so very much.

Muito bom ❤❤❤

Prismacolor are very accurate to their chart ratings, which is astm rated. You can pick any I or II with confidence, unlike for example polychromos (their chart has been proven unreliable)

@MrsBarnabas

3 ай бұрын

Please will you provide a reliable source for this comment: _"for example polychromos (their chart has been proven unreliable)"_ ? Who has made the judgement, and on what basis? Did you not realise that making a statement like this without giving a reliable source can be judged as libel?

God, I wish I could afford any of these. My collection was stolen not that long ago and I miss them so much. Simply can not afford. 😢 thank you. I put them on my wish list.

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

Oh no what happened Angela, how did it happen?

@angelashortall9778

3 ай бұрын

@@TheArtGearGuide well my roommate moved out around the Covid times and she took most of them, and I had a set of Caren d’ache and for reason my guy thought it was an empty box and after I moved in he THREW IT OUT. That was only a few months ago. My ex roommate took me for a lot. She was the one that was supposed to paying the landlord,so I’d send the rent to her. Only found out she wasn’t when she was out of town and I locked myself out. At that point we owed almost four months rent. Which she blamed on me. I had receipts though, so at the very least I cleared my name. Because honestly, that was the part that bothered me the most was the fact that this man thought I was stealing the rent I went to work one day and she just cleared the house out. She didn’t own anything in it. And the worst part is she’s not even using any of it. She packed it all up in boxes and put it in her mothers basement, and then moved out of the province. She literally did it just to hurt me. But I’m in my long term guys house now, and that’s great. Except when he’s throwing out expensive looking boxes without opening them first. 😫

@berolinastrassmann

3 ай бұрын

So sorry to hear this happened. If it is any consolation, I am finding good art supplies on second hand sites or eBay...for a fraction of the original price. Some people discover the medium is not for them...or they are resizing, moving home, etc. I got almost new Derwent pencils and Graphitint paints for less than £20, for example. Perhaps this can be a way to get new supplies without breaking the bank.

@angelashortall9778

3 ай бұрын

@@berolinastrassmann yeah, I’ve been checking out some sites. But where I’m in Newfoundland Canada, the shipping usually ends up, making it cost about the same. I should be able to order some at some point!

@grannieannie1371

3 ай бұрын

I love my Lyra Rembrandt pencils. The thing I love about them is the quality vs price. I can get them open stock for $1.45 AUD. For comparison poly chromos are $2.50 and Derwent lightfast and Caran d arche luminance are $5. My main problem with them is they don't have a great range of reds (but some lovely greens) and the colour flashes are not at all accurate. Having said that they were my first set and I still love them.

Hi Harry, Do you know anything about the 150 Chromaflow? Thanks

@debbierusso5943

3 ай бұрын

I thought Derwent chromaflow were only available in a set of 72??

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

There is chatter of a larger set but I can't confirm nor deny anything.

@debbierusso5943

3 ай бұрын

Thank you Harry!

I sold my KiN Polycolor a while ago. I didn't like them by any means, they were too hard, difficult to blend and didn't work well on all kinds of papers. I see you are a hard pencil lover, I'm shocked Polychromos aren't there! I'm very impatient and kinda hyperactive, so I prefer soft pencils to get the result faster. My favourite premium brands of all I've tried are Prismacolor Premier, Derwent Lightfast, Posca and Caran D'Ache Luminance. =D

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

No I’m not a hard core pencil lover, before I do a drawing I consider the pencils that will work best for the project. If you look at the artist grade list I had Luminance top and Derwent Lightfast 2nd. If I do a fan art piece I always reach for my Prismacolor, or Luminance depending on the piece. If I do a botanical piece I’ll reach for the Pablos or my Polychromos etc I think as well, the softness or hardness of a colored pencil can depend on how heavy handed or light handed the artist is. I personally don’t find the KIN a hard core pencil, but that is perhaps more to do with me being a bit heavy handed when layering. I created a scale to help people grasp when I was discussing pencil cores, Prismacolor 1 and Derwent Artist 10, a scale of 1 being the softest and 10 the hardest. For me personally, KIN I think falls about 6. But like I said, there are a lot of different variables.

I looooove Caran D'ache Pablos ❤

@senseofwonder0

3 ай бұрын

Is there any specific paper you'd say works best with them? I have a difficult relationship with my Pablos 😅 I would like to give them a fair shot, because so far I wasn't super impressed.

@intothedrawingverse

3 ай бұрын

@senseofwonder0 There are a couple of papers I use that they work well with. I use Strathmore Bristol 300 series, and Canson Bristol is great. I would also recommend hot pressed water colour paper, Fabriano artistico, or Canson Moulin du Roy. They are a layering pencil and would say they are similar to Polychromos in the way that you have to build up colour. I prefer them to Polychromos because of the colour range and imo I think they lay down better. I think coloured pencils are a personal preference, but if you're wanting something easier to blend, then luminance or Prisma would be better options. I hope this helps 🙂

@senseofwonder0

3 ай бұрын

​@@intothedrawingverse Thanks so much! I tried the bristol 300 and I think the HP surface makes them much better. I think the paper I was using before was too grippy for them.

I have a question, Harry. I have the Prismacolor set from 'way back' when there were only 120 colors. I would like to fill in with the 30 additional colors if possible.. Do you know if they offer the latest 30 colors that were added in as a standalone set? I don't even know where I would get the listing of those colors. Also - are the 'premier' better than the regular Prismacolors? Thank you again.

@paigeme886

3 ай бұрын

I dont think you can buy the 30 in a set. But I could be wrong The prismacolor are the prismacolor premier ( just don’t get the prismacolor scholar which are less quality ). Just buy the 30 pencils you are missing open stock

@marytesta3003

3 ай бұрын

They do not but are all available open stock.

@MrsBarnabas

3 ай бұрын

_" I don't even know where I would get the listing of those colors."_ Sheila, I think your best source would be a Prismacolor 120 pencil swatch chart (look for 150 Set Printable PDF Colour Chart (A4) ) and then tick off the colours you don't have already and buy them open stock. You won't need to download it unless you want to (it's a free resource) as it's easy to read onscreen. 😊

@SheilaLandry

3 ай бұрын

@@MrsBarnabas Thank you so much for that. I did find the 150 color sheet and that is exactly what I will do. I was researching and I have the "Sanford" Prismacolors (they owned the rights in the late 90's I think - around when I got my 120 set) and they are, indeed, the higher level pencils, like the Premiers. I have the 120 Polychromos from Faber-Castell so there was no hurry to fill in my missing colors. I do many kinds of mediums and use pencils more with other mediums rather than standalone in artwork. But what you suggested seems to be the best way to go about it and I thank you. :)

@marytesta3003

3 ай бұрын

Coloring Bliss has a free 150 swatch sheet you can print.

Can you get the hardmuth polycolor pencils in open stock ??

@drsilval

3 ай бұрын

yes.

i love german and swiss brands ❤

Holbein is fancier than I thought. It says: "please use knife" (for sharpening) on them O.o

its not really an issue. you just swatch the colors and stick them in the window and put the other swatch in a drawer and then after 6 months or something you check to see if they are lightfast or not.

@TheArtGearGuide

Ай бұрын

The only thing about that particular test is, there are far too many variables to look at the result and give a conclusion. So one swatch in the drawer for six months and the other in the window for six months. Do you think an artist in Arizona might have different results to someone like me living in the North East of England, or even an artist living in Northern Canada. This is why the ASTM and Blue Wool systems, although not perfect themselves, not my words, theirs; they can control the level of light, the amount of hours the pigment is exposed to and keep it consistent over a 3 month period, 6 month period whatever is required.

I personally don't categorise pencils into so many different "grades"... For me, all of these are artist's pencils, but definitely way behind Derwent Lightfast, Caran D'Ache Luminance or Van Gogh. I'm not really trusting when it comes to BW ratings, either. Especially with all the issues with Derwent's BW ratings... But if going by your method, my list would be 1. Caran D'Ache Pablos 2. Koh-I-Noor Polycolors 3. Winsor & Newton (I think these fit here: marketed as artist quality, "excellent lightfastness" without details etc. love them!) 4. Faber-Castell Polychromos (which I hate 😂) or Goldfaber (loved the previous iteration, not enough experience with the new to have an opinion) 5. Lyra Rembrandt Polycolors (which I don't like either, but hate slightly less than Polychromos 😅) Not including Prismas or Holbein purely because I haven't found them to be worth buying & trying.

Hi Harry, nice video, (thank you) I have not for the first time, looked for the koh-I-Noor poly coloured pencils, Amazon UK don’t have the 144 set, unfortunately. The only other way I can see at the moment is ebay 😢 the cheapest is around £128 for the 144 set, but, I’ve had so many problems, scammed with some items I previously purchased from eBay, so, I try to avoid ebay at all costs. Would you have any information, on what they really cost? Is there any other websites where they may sell them? I’ve checked cult pens, they only have the smaller sets, Jackson’s is another site, but they seem very expensive. Any information, I’d be extremely grateful….. ❤

@drsilval

3 ай бұрын

I found 144 KIN in the the company's website and, they delivery almost everywhere in the world... .

Commenting for KZread

No Polychromos? I'm surprised, since they're the most famous artist quality pencils there are. Often confused as artist grade colored pencils, but they're not artist grade, since the testing is done in-house. They're not on my personal list either since from my own testing and that of others, they're not as lightfast as Faber-Castell claims that they are. Great list though. My personal favourite list is a mix of student grade, artist quality and artist grade pencils. It's not in any order though and it's a small list. Prismacolor Premier, Faber-Castell Black Edition, Derwent Chromaflow, Royal Talens Van Gogh and a colored pencil most people have never heard of and isn't being sold anymore as far as I know, Hueeyes Colored Pencils. Pablo's are great, Prismacolor's too, so are Koh-I-Noor, never tried Holbein, but Lyra Polycolor are terrible in my opinion and would never make it onto a list of mine, unless it's for the worst overpriced colored pencils. But again, personal opinion.

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

If you watch the Artist Grade Top 5 I have them in there but I mention about my skepticism about their grading. I also done another video talking about the ASTM and Blue Wool standards and on that video I go into a lot of detail as to why I don't think the Polychoroms are Artist Grade. They are a really strange pencil, not quite artist grade and slightly higher than artist quality. The Van Gogh are in my Artist Grade, they are actually tested in the ASTM Center Arizona they are not in house tested and in the video I show how many LF1 pencils are in the full 60 set, they are actually remarkably lightfast. I love your other two addition, Faber Castell Black and the Derwent Chromoflow, two excellent choices. What is it you don't like about the Lyra Rembrandt, have you had a bad experience with? Amazing comment and certainly food for thought

@artbybenjamin

3 ай бұрын

@@TheArtGearGuide Thanks for the reply Harry. I've had the Van Gogh's for years, it seems to be a very underrated artist quality colored pencil. After selling my Luminance collection they're the only artist grade colored pencil I've got. While Luminance has more colors, I prefer the Van Gogh's, I enjoy them more. Over the years one seems to develop preferences for certain materials. Though I hope to try the Derwent Lightfast one day, but the price is holding me back. The Lyra Rembrandt seems to be a hit and miss for me. Some colors work well, while others seem to be scratchy. I don't find them pigmented enough compared to others in the same price range. My experience with Koh-I-Noor is much better, more pigmented, less scratchy. From my list you can probably already determine that I prefer a softer colored pencil. I had a vintage set of 120 Pablo's but it was hardly used. Sold that to another artist 2 weeks ago, who will be using it. Way better than it just laying here in my studio. Can't believe how expensive that set has become over the years. I'll be investing the money into some new gouache now. my colored pencil collection is large enough by now 😀

I love Lyra 😂. But where's polychromos 😅?

@MrsBarnabas

3 ай бұрын

Polychromos are in the Artist Grade sector, and this is the Artist Quality list. You may have missed it, but he did explain these two grades at the beginning of this video. Hope this helps? 😊

@demi3115

3 ай бұрын

@@MrsBarnabasBut, if it's in the artist grade, surely it's also in artist quality?

@MrsBarnabas

3 ай бұрын

@@demi3115 As Harry explained the reason for his distinction between the two in the video, maybe watching that segment again will help? 😊

I have been thinking of getting either polycolor pencil, but Lyras 72 colours might not be enough. I have not been able to find the 144 set of koh I noor except for on Ebay, was it only available a short period?

@drsilval

3 ай бұрын

Koh-I-Noor Polycolours from 144 are available on the company's website and, as far as I can see, with delivery almost everywhere in the world... .

@MrsBarnabas

3 ай бұрын

Hi. You could try mixing your "missing colours" from those you already have, in the same way you can watercolour. Eg try a red and yellow for a missing orange, or try mixing a red and orange for a different red, or orange, and so on. So maybe take some time*** to play about with mixing by layering or blending various pencils? It is possible to get colour mixes with just a basic set of 12 colours (I have!!!). The most basic number of colours you can get is 144, and that's only the beginning of the fun! After that, start varying the amounts of each colour to see how many different ones you can get. *** SeriousTime Warning! Once you get started on this experiment, it is totally absorbing and fun!!! 😄 Hope this helps? Certainly it will help your budget enormously, and once you've got the hang of it, it will save all that time spent trying to work out the exact colour you want from that 144 set. Oh, and you'll get enormous satisfaction from it, too!!!

high quality paper only insures that the paper will survive. a fugitive color fades regardless of how great the paper is.

Promo*SM 🎉

Surely this is a very early April's fools joke. Where are the Luminance, Lightfasts and Polychromos?

@TheArtGearGuide

3 ай бұрын

They are in the Artist Grade top 5. I explain in this video and the Artist Grade video the difference between Artist Grade and Artist Quality. You must have completely missed the explanation and certainly no April Fools Joke. Just watch the video again and see if you can catch the explanation at the beginning.

I still go by the Colored Pencil Society of America's lightfast ratings on pencils. The KIN 144 set is impossible to find. Cult Pens sells SOME of the new colours open stock, but not all. I'd love to get the rest, but can't find them.

❤❤