"As best as I was able to determine, the set as shown is the European brand "Karisma" of Prismacolor, which apparently had a devoted following until the company stopped selling them in Europe or whatever . . . Whatever! I am not entirely clear on the sequence of events, but regardless Prismacolor is the manufacturer, and my general impression is that the Prismacolor color pencils are the same as the European branded "Karisma" color pencils, but based on reading that "Karisma" devotees were ordering cases of these color pencils during the last weeks when they were available in Europe, I thought that if they were so good that people would stockpile them like people did with original Coca-Cola in the early 1980s when Coca-Cola switched to "New Coke", then why not give them a try . . . However, what actually arrived was the current Prismacolor set of 24 color pencils (Premier Softcore), which is fine with me, since this was what I wanted in the first place, mostly because (a) no matter what the brand ("Karisma" or "Prismacolor") they are the same color pencils and (b) I like the Prismacolor artwork on the metal box a lot better, since "Karisma" is a bit too metaphysical . . . So, if you visit the Prismacolor website and examine their current product line for Premier Softcore color pencils, then this is what Amazon.com shipped, which is great! There was no "free Art Stix", but so what . . . So what! The world needs to be peopled, and people need art . . . I got what I wanted, and I ordered a second set, because when you actually start using color pencils for drawing you soon discover that you really need a lot of the same color if you want to spend most of your time drawing rather than sharpening pencils . . . So, I probably will order quite a few more sets and then hire a peasant to sharpen all of them once a week or whatever, since the fact of the matter is that artists have better things to do than to sharpen pencils, and with the economy like it is, peasants need work, for sure . . . For sure! These are excellent color pencils, and the leads do not break . . . The colors are deep and rich, and they are outstanding in every respect . . . I also ordered a set of Prismacolor Premier Verithin color pencils for tiny lines and so forth, but the Premier Verithin color pencils have harder leads, so they are more for tiny pointy stuff . . . And I ordered a set of Prismacolor Premier Art Stix, which are superb, in part because they are only the lead of the Premier Softcore color pencils without the wood sleeves, and they are about the size of a square edge crayon, which makes the entire series (Premier Softcore, Premier Verithin, and Premier Art Stix) a fantastic and very complete set for drawing with consistent color and so forth . . . I suppose that it would be nice if the photograph actually showed the product that Amazon.com sells, but so what . . . So what! I wanted the Prismacolor Premier Softcore 24-color set in the current Prismacolor metal "tin"; I wanted it in two days, since I have Amazon.com Prime; and this is what Amazon.com delivered in two days, so while it was a somewhat surreal way to get what I wanted, I am very happy, and I do not need to be bothered by trying to determine (a) how someone devised the name "Karisma" and (b) why Europeans are a bit strange, really . . . Really!"
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, 24 Pack, Assorted Colors (Compare Deals from $18.35)
"I used to draw all the time. Now as a mom of five I really don't have much free time, but I recently got some of the Dover adult coloring books to decompress at the end of the day. I remembered loving my Prismacolor colored pencils as a teen, and went back to them. I shopped around a little and watched the price fluctuate on Amazon for a bit before springing for them, since paying this much for colored pencils is kind of tough even though I already knew their value. For richness and color selection, these can't be beat. They are miles ahead of Crayola. The only problem is if they get dropped, the lead breaks into a million pieces inside the pencil and as you sharpen it, the point just keeps breaking off. After spending the money on these, having that happen is a little heartbreaking. And with all these kids, it is a miracle they haven't gotten their hands on more than just a few. I caught my two year old using them as drumsticks. As a bit of an aside, if you are a parent of a teen who loves to draw - my dad took me to an art supplies store when I was in high school and let me pick out a set of these and I still have several of them. The experience still stands out in my mind as one of my favorite things my dad did for me - he spent money on these really nice pencils because he knew it was what I was into. (I went on to become a nurse). The lead crumbling in the pencil knocked it down a star, and if that could be fixed, these babies would be like Kryptonite."
"Recently, my son showed me a painting he had been working on. I was amazed by the brilliance and depth of color in his new work, and asked him about it. He told me he had started using Prismacolor colored pencils instead of the acrylics that he had been using. I couldn't believe that colored pencils could be so vibrant and smooth. I had to see for myself, so I bought some to try. I generally use oils, oil pastels, and some watercolor. I have never been a fan of colored pencil because it seemed to lack vibrancy and I didn't like the rough consistency. Prismacolor pencils are in a class all by themselves, however. They are somewhat soft and waxy (not TOO waxy!) and the color just seems to flow effortlessly. It is so easy to layer and blend colors with these pencils that it seems almost like cheating. They work on almost any surface and even mix well with other media. I am absolutely in love! Another bonus is the price. They are not cheap- but compare them to say, oils or really high quality pastels. I recommend purchasing these pencils from Amazon, because so far they have the best price I have found. I recommend these pencils to any artist or amateur artist looking for a less messy, more cost effective medium that creates similar effects to oils and pastels. Prismacolor also makes watercolor pencils that are great quality, but my experience is that the colors wash a little less bright and translucent than I like. But this is just a personal preference."
"I bought these to use in my Enchanted Forest coloring book. It's a beautiful coloring book so I wanted to get something that wouldn't bleed through (like markers) and would allow me to blend nicely and get great color payoff without having to press hard and dig into the paper. I always hated Roseart and Crayola colored pencils. And hoenstly until 2 days ago I had no idea that better quality colored pencils existed. Seriously had no clue lmao. I tried to look for cheaper options first. But every review I read for cheaper brands that were "knock offs" of this (stated by many reviewers) were very mixed and mostly bad when compared to these. And no matter what brand I looked at it always came back to these! So I splurged and bought this. And boy am I happy I did! Great color payoff, the colors are true to what they look like they'll be, and not a single pencil was "dull" in color. And they don't have that awful "shine" Crayola and Roseart get. All of the colors are soft, but it seems the darkest colors in the bunch are the creamiest. The pencils come already sharpened and don't even get me started on the cute little tin case! By far the nicest set of pencils I've ever seen! Very VERY happy with this purchase and will GLADLY purchase again."
"This was my first Prismacolor pencil purchase an I'm quite pleased. Having lived in Europe, I've been using German ones; but they're rather expensive and hard to find here. These are a decent alternative. I find that the blender pencils are necessary as well - even when using only one colour - because the premiers (especially the darker hues) don't always cover smoothly. I probably press too hard instead of layering. My next best purchase was an X-acto Spira electric pencil sharpener; I don't care what others say, electric is the only way to go. The instructions say it's not for coloured pencils; but I've sharpened Prismacolors thousands of times and its never gummed up or broken the lead. I also bought the Verithins. They're great for details and providing a thin layer of dark colour (as a background, for example.) There really aren't enough colours for me in this set, so I'll be buying a larger set next time. Finally, the dickblick.com website has all the Prismacolor Premier pencils available separately by mail order - a fantastic range of colours."
"I am a young artist and art teacher. When I first started using the Prismacolor pencils when I was 15, I was amazed at their superior quality and vibrancy of color. After being afraid of the colored pencil medium, after my first project I was hooked! My pictures turned out so well due to the richness of the color and how thick the pencil laid on. I was always getting compliments saying that my drawings looked like photographs! As an art teacher teaching high school art, Prismacolors are the only thing I will use. They are expensive for classroom use, but Amazon has made them affordable! You simply can't beat this price. As mentioned in other reviews, you must be careful of how you sharpen these as they are so fragile due to their soft cores. If ever using in a classroom make sure you have a good sharpener that won't destroy the pencils and that the students know how to use it. Prismacolors are the best colored pencils you could possibly buy. However, that is just my personal opinion from my experience. Happy drawing!"
"I bought these Prismacolor colored pencils, 24 pack, to use with the Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest coloring books. Crayolas just didn't seem right for such lovely books. I am very pleased with the quality of these pencils and the color selection. I did go to a local craft store and buy 3 individual Prismacolor pencils to go with this set: a metallic gold, metallic silver, and 70% gray; but otherwise I think this is enough pencils to get started. Amazon's price was excellent on this set and I didn't really want a huge set of pencils because I figured there would be some colors I would never use and it would be too much of a chore to dig through a ton of colors to choose what I wanted. Also, you can very easily vary your pressure on these pencils and blend them to get a variety of shades. All the colors are really lovely in this set and the wood used is high quality, too, so it doesn't splinter when you're trying to sharpen them like the Crayolas do."
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, 24 Pack, Assorted Colors (Compare Deals from $18.35)
