PrismacolorPremier Colored Pencils, Soft Core, 150 Count, Ultra-Smooth, Durable, Vibrant Colors

I can't compare these to other higher quality pencil sets, this is about all I've ever used as they are the standard in the industry. Of course they do not come without flaws, #1 and most widely known is the breakage issue, the lead basically falls out if you sharpen them too much and before you know it your 7.5" pencil is 2" and you can no longer get a grip on it. There is a message under the FAQ section on the prismacolor website stating "If the core slides out of the pencil this generally means the core was not properly glued to the wood and returning the pencil would be advisable" Well heads up, returning them will not fix the problem, they all have this issue. I was aware of this problem before I bought them but I knew these pencils color so well it wasn't worth risking losing money trying a different brand, so I decided to manage. Well turns out there IS in fact a solution. The next day I went to my local art store and talked to a very knowledgeable employee who is owed a well earned pay raise for fixing this problem, she recommended a pencil sharpener made specifically for soft lead made by 'pro art'. I admit I did not have much confidence this would solve the problem but sure enough I got home and sharpened every dull pencil with no breakage. Best part is it only cost me $2.50. This is the pro art soft sharpener (picture below). Part # is above the bar code on the back & reads 'PRO 3083'. This is a MUST HAVE if you plan to purchase these as a regular sharpener just won't 'cut it' (haha get it?)2nd gripe I have is with the organization, the flimsy plastic holders that hold the pencils slide the pencils out of order and make a mess. Of course I bought this for the pencils, not the container, but I did find, for me personally -and you may have a better idea- the best way to organize them was to simply rubber band the shades together. I separated the different colors (blue, green, red etc) then put black/white/silver/gold separate, gray tones separate and then skin tones (pinks and tans) separate since I frequently use those 2 sets in conjunction with one another. So far it's worked out very well. If you aren't mobile and have a work desk of course it would make more sense to have some kind of fixed holder.As far as the pencils themselves, they wear very fast but they color and blend very well and that makes it worth the cost if you're serious about your work. They are waxy so they slide on the paper very naturally, I press down hard and they hold up pretty well without ripping through the paper. I used to love art growing up but the past 10 years my life has been work and problems and I got away from my one true talent. I hope if you're dreams are to become an artist you follow them, I regret not following mine but I'm trying to relearn all I lost.4.5 stars!

I started coloring in adult coloring books a few months ago. I've use Marco Raffine pencils, Artist Loft pencils, Bic Marking markers, Sharpie markers, Artist Loft markers, Stabilo fineline markers, several brands of gel pens, and other things. I thought there couldn't be much of a difference between the Marco Raffine pencils & Prismacolor premier pencils. Then I bought 1 Prismacolor scholar pencil. The minute I used it, I realized what a difference there was. Then Amazon had a special on the 75ct Prismacolor Premier pencil set. These are extraordinary pencils. I am having so much fun blending different colors to get different effects. The colors are so saturated. I've found that if I want a color but just not as dark, I simply apply a lighter amount & then use a blending pencil to get a nice smooth finish. I can see where a true artist might want an even larger set of pencils. But, if you are simply using these to color in adult coloring books, the 75ct provides plenty of variety. Personally, I really like having the 150ct. I have found that I really do use every single pencil. The Marco Raffine pencils seemed fine until I bought these pencils. I will definitely be staying with the Prismacolor pencils. The color is better. They go on much more smoothly. They even sharpen better.UPDATE #1: I recently purchased the 150 ct Prismacolor Premier Pencil Set. Every now and then I run into the problem of having a pencil break. Then, when I sharpen it, no matter how gentle I try to color with it, the pencil continues to break every time I sharpen it. I have tried using several different manual and electric sharpeners: but, the pencil continues to break. This has happened with dark green, pumpkin orange, and several other colors, I don't mind spending the money on the 150 Prismacolor Premier set. But, I am on a tight budget & have to save up to purchase this set. I really don't appreciate throwing my money away. I literally had a pumpkin pencil repeatedly break from brand new condition to too short for me to hold on to. This happened in one evening. I've purchased the 132 ct set in the past and decided to purchase the 150 ct set because I wanted the 18 colors that the 132 ct set didn't have. I couldn't get those colors individually in my local supply store and ordering them online was rather expensive. The cost of the 150 ct set is so reasonable on Amazon that it made more sense for me to buy the 150 ct than to purchase those 18 individual pencils from other online sites. They just cost so much individually that buying this 150 ct set is a no brainer. I checked out what the missing 18 colors were and I knew that I would use all them. I am, however, getting sick and tired of this breakage issue. It happens far to frequently. I previously gave PrismacolorPencils a 5 star rating but I changed it to a 3 star rating. I can't give a perfect rating to a product that has such an obvious defect.UPDATE #2: 1/27/17: I purchased an Alvin 9866 Brass Bullet Sharpener for $8.76 on Amazon. It's a small brass bullet sharpener with replaceable blades which I also purchased on Amazon. The trouble I was having with pencils breaking has been solved. This little sharpener can give the pencil an extremely sharp point which is perfect for coloring those tiny, detailed areas. You just can't press down hard when you sharpen the pencil to that extreme a point. If you don't need an extremely sharp point, you just don't sharpen the pencil as much. I found some articles that recommend turning the sharpener, not the pencil. So, that's what I do for the most part. I've also found articles that recommend sharpening a regular lead pencil every now and then. While this bullet sharpener doesn't have a compartment to catch the shavings, the small inconvenience of sharpening into a small plastic cup or other container & disposing of the shavings later is quite acceptable given the results it gives compared to every other sharpener I have tried. I love the fact that I can buy replacement blades instead of having to buy a new sharpener when the blade dulls. I still, very rarely, find a pencil that wants to keep breaking. It's usually the pumpkin one. So, I warm in on a heating pad. It makes a big difference. So, I have changed my review back to a 5 star rating. The right sharpener makes all the difference.