Top Quality Art Supplies Pencils

Pros:

Great Variety of Colors

Good Price

Decent Vividness and Color Intensity

Cons:

Pencils are a bit Weak

Case is Burdensome

No Color Labeling on Pencil

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Top Quality Art Supplies Colored Pencils Review

Last updated by Brandon F. on July 13, 2020

The Top Quality Art Supplies colored pencils are a unique offering with their primary product being the large, 72 count pack.  They come in a hexagonal shape which helps with handling.  The lead is on the harder side so, while it is capable of being vivid, you have to push down on the paper to achieve this.  They are surprisingly good at blending for having such a hard lead and the color selection is quite impressive.  There are a few minor issues but for the price, you can’t complain.

Visual Appeal – 4.5/5

There is a very impressive array of colors to choose from.  Unlike some of the cheaper sets out there, each color represented is unique, which means that you have great freedom in color selection for any piece you decide to pursue.  The selections of blues and purples are quite good in particular and they also offer a nice array of skin tones and metallics which are often missing in general color sets. 

The color can be quite vivid but it requires quite a bit of pressure to put down.  Blending is above average for budget pencils as well, which is always welcome (although with the color choices at hand many hues you are looking for are available out of the box).

Usability and Durability – 3.5/5

The core, being on the harder side, does seem to break somewhat easily.  Couple that with the fact that you will find yourself pushing down harder than normal to get those vivid colors out, you will find yourself having to sharpen the pencil often and notice that they wear down relatively quickly. 

Other than that they are quite enjoyable to use.  As mentioned above the blending is quite nice for this level of pencil and once the color is on the canvas it spreads relatively fluidly.  You won’t get the buttery feel that you do with softer, higher-end pencils but it is only a minor complaint.

Packaging and Presentation – 2/5

These pencils come in a rather large case that can be burdensome and frustrating.  For one, to get a pencil, you have to open all three sections of the case.  Also, the case doesn’t stay open so you have to lift it back up every time to get a new pencil or put one away.  This can become annoying if you are deep into a project and having to cycle through many colors over a short period. 

Another issue is that there is no color identification on the pencils.  Not only is this an aesthetically pleasing element but more importantly it makes it so that you don’t have any idea the exact color you are using.

Cost – 5/5

These pencils are very affordable.  They are easily into the budget range and are one of the cheaper options on the market.  For that price, you are getting a great color range and pencils that are decent quality and have acceptable performance.

Overall Ranking – 4/5

The only major glaring issues with this set are the case and overall presentation of the pencils.  The performance is more than acceptable and the color range you get to work with is quite impressive.  Despite being a harder lead the blending is on-par, and all of this comes at what we consider a fantastic price.  Considering all of this, these colored pencils are a definite buy in our book.