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Colored Pencils Crayola vs. Prang vs. Lyra Groove


Kendall
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I plan to buy some Prismacolor or Koh-i-noor but would like some cheaper, but still nice colored pencils for my 3 year old.

 

Are these all about equal?

 

Crayola

Prang Thick core 3.3m

Lyra Groove Slim

 

Also, do you know anything about the Prismacolor Scholars? Should I just get the regular Prismacolor Premiums for the older children or are the Scholars great?

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

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None of the above? I'm not sure if you have one in your area but I swear by the colored pencils, crayons and tempera paint set sold at IKEA. DD got it as a birthday gift last fall and I went back and got two more for for use when that runs out (it's still going strong). The kit is, maybe, $10. The pencils are big and sturdy. The crayons are nice and fat and the tempera paint cakes have plenty of pigment. All good for little kiddos.

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Some people really like the Dick Blick pencils, especially if they can purchase them locally instead of by special order. They are tad harder than the prismacolor, but softer than the crayola.

 

The prismacolor scholars are harder than the regular prismacolor. I haven't used them but I'm told they are around the quality of the Dick Blick.

 

The Prismacolor Col-Erase smudge badly, and don't erase as well as advertised. The Verithins are hard and lightweight and despite their hardness, work better than Crayola. They are excellent for precise work and I used them a lot at one time. Their lightness, durability, and lack of smearing, makes them more portable than the softer and thicker Prismacolor.

 

Remember that the softer a pencil is, the harder it is to sharpen without breaking and the more is smears. Softer blends better, but isn't ALWAYS "better".

 

Also don't forget that the crayola twistable crayons can be sharpened with a regular pencil sharpener. They are just soft enough to slightly blend and don't smear at all; they are made of some kind of soft plastic, not wax. The sharpened point is much finer than a regular crayon. I have resorted to using these a LOT over the years.

 

I don't like special ordering my regular crayons and pencils, as many of them arrive broken. So far fat and block beeswax crayons seem to ship fine, though. Faber-Castell is a new exciting addition to the market. At $10.00 for a 24 pack, they are much cheaper than the Stockmar. They are harder, so don't blend as well, and are less messy.

 

I am incapable of sharpening colored pencils with a sharpener. I have to use an Exacto-knife. I was looking at pencils today too, but...I hate the sharpening problems I have.

 

I really miss having a local source of the Prang soy crayons. The 64 pack is really nice. It includes all 12 of the primary, secondary and tertiary colors, and dark and light tints for each of the 6 primary and secondary colors. Shipping is dear, and they often arrive broken. The soy doesn't blend as well as the beeswax, but is similar to the plastic. With the 64 colors blending isn't as important. Prang crayons are my favorite media for teaching basic color theory.

Edited by Hunter
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I'll be watching this thread & will check out some of the recommendations. We have used the Crayola colored pencils and I think they're horrible. Every time I go to sharpen one, I find that the lead inside is broken. Drives me crazy.

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I used Prismacolor Scholars and Crayola when Sylvia was younger. She just got her first box of true Prismacolors a month or so ago. Becca's been using Prismacolors for years. They are head and shoulders above other colored pencils, IMO. You can definitely tell a difference. DH is even hooked on them!

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We just got the Lyra brand colored pencils and they have eclipsed all other pencils and crayons in our collection...prismacolor included. They sharpen beautifully and last forever on one sharpen, which will extend the life of the pencils. They have smooth, rich color and blend very nicely.

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:bigear: Bumping this up as I would like to know the best place to purchase the Lyra Ferby pencils and the best "set" for a family. Is there a special sharpener to use with these?

 

I got mine from Miller Pads and Paper at a conference (they also have a sharpener), but you can get them cheaper through Amazon.

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This thread also has caught my attention. I bought the Crayola colored pencils a couple months ago, and I hate them. Like others have said, they break a lot. I've had a few that I cannot sharpen w/o breaking, no matter how gentle I am while sharpening them.

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How do they sharpen?

 

This thread also has caught my attention. I bought the Crayola colored pencils a couple months ago, and I hate them. Like others have said, they break a lot. I've had a few that I cannot sharpen w/o breaking, no matter how gentle I am while sharpening them.

 

The Ferby's have an extra-thick, softer core which makes them easier to sharpen.

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This thread also has caught my attention. I bought the Crayola colored pencils a couple months ago, and I hate them. Like others have said, they break a lot. I've had a few that I cannot sharpen w/o breaking, no matter how gentle I am while sharpening them.

 

Often the cores are broken, inside the wood. If the cores are not broken they easily break when being sharpened. The only way I can find out if it's the cores or the sharpener, is to sharpen with an exacto-knife.

 

I am a big baby about expensive pencils breaking over and over as I sharpen them. I have been known to yell and cry over pencils :-( I took a look at pencils last week...and thought...I'm not sure I'm up to the stress of sharpening them.

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Lyra :001_wub::001_wub::001_wub::001_wub::001_wub:

 

Crayola :ack2::ack2::ack2:

 

Primsacolor's somewhere in between.

 

I always bought our Lyra Color Giants from Mercurius, but you need to place a bulk order to order from them - a bunch of us would go in on art supplies for the year.

 

I did buy sharpeners from Mercurius too, just because they were good quality and sharpened well. My favorite sharpener since then is the Staedtler 2-hole sharpener from the drafting dept. at Staples. It also has the larger hole for the fat pencils and a quality blade.

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Lyra :001_wub::001_wub::001_wub::001_wub::001_wub:

 

Crayola :ack2::ack2:

 

Primsacolor's somewhere in between.

 

I always bought our Lyra Color Giants from Mercurius, but you need to place a bulk order to order from them - a bunch of us would go in on art supplies for the year.

 

I did buy sharpeners from Mercurius too, just because they were good quality and sharpened well. My favorite sharpener since then is the Staedtler 2-hole sharpener from the drafting dept. at Staples. It also has the larger hole for the fat pencils and a quality blade.

 

:iagree:

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I plan to buy some Prismacolor or Koh-i-noor but would like some cheaper, but still nice colored pencils for my 3 year old.

 

Are these all about equal?

 

Crayola

Prang Thick core 3.3m

Lyra Groove Slim

 

Also, do you know anything about the Prismacolor Scholars? Should I just get the regular Prismacolor Premiums for the older children or are the Scholars great?

 

 

My Scholars got mixed in and I can't tell the difference. However, I got a big Prisma set way back when it is was cheaper per pencil than the scholars. Check out prices at Art-O-Rama and Dick Blick. And compare to getting something small at Michael's and then coming back the following week and using their short-term X% off one item chit. Hint: just get that one item or the cashier will try to do the discount on the cheapest thing.

 

I don't like the Prang, can't remember. Breakage? Crayola is what I used for the very young, it it was fine.

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I'll be watching this thread & will check out some of the recommendations. We have used the Crayola colored pencils and I think they're horrible. Every time I go to sharpen one, I find that the lead inside is broken. Drives me crazy.

 

I think this was a bad set that was dropped or aged.

 

Also, consider General's All Art sharpener. It is a cheap little hand held portable, but it sharpens at a stubbier angle (like many pencils come when new), and this is great for reducing breakage while sharpening and at the hands of a 3 year old. They are CHEAP but the blades don't stay sharp forever. I got 3 and they've lasted me about 3 years. I think they are under $1.50.

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