SLAP HAPPY LARRY

Today I’ll compare two brands of coloured pencil which come in large sets. Prismacolors are the go-to coloured pencil for colouring enthusiasts. How do these compare to off-brand “white label” pencils which sell under a variety of brand names?

These white label pencils are all made the same way (I’m guessing in the same Chinese factory). They have a black barrel with a coloured end which extends about five centimetres down the barrel. Each pencil has a number as well as a colour name on the barrel. The Brutfuner brand uses metallic silver.

These pencils are currently (from Australia) the cheapest when purchased from Temu but you’ll also find them on Amazon.

In short: Prismacolors and White Label are two completely different coloured pencils to use. They’re both great in their own way, but the white label pencils are significantly more affordable. I purchased mine under the brand name Brutfuner, so I’ll just use that label going forward. A better price point comparison would be Faber Castell’s high end brand: Polychromos. Both are harder pencils which can be sharpened to a fine point and can take a bit of pressure.

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THE PRICE DIFFERENCE

In December 2020 I bought a set of 150 Prismacolor pencils listed as “Prismacolor 1800059 Premier Coloured Pencils Set 150 Colored Pencils”. I think I paid about $180 for them at the time, but the price has now gone up. Today, the cheapest I can get them now is $227.95. (That’s Australian dollars.)

Note: these pencils are white-labelled, meaning the exact same pencils sell under different brands: Soucolor, Yover, Shuttle Art and also in Chinese packaging which costs even less. Note that the colours will be written in Chinese on the barrel. (I found a spelling mistake on my English language pencils, which of course sell for more.)

Castle Arts seem to sell the exact same pencils under their own brand and packaging, as do a number of other brand names on Temu.

Some reviewers have compared Kalour and Brutfuner pencils on YouTube on the assumption they are different products. Kalour purports to be lightfast, but we should be very skeptical of that claim. This reviewer found the Brutfuner pencils to be brighter, more pigmented, and softer with better blending. However, it is impossible to compare them in any scientific way because even within a single set (in my case the Brutfuner) there is a big difference between the colours. Some colours lay down colour very well. Others are basically useless. (I’m looking at you, Light Yellow.) The Brutfuner and Kalour brands don’t seem to be utilising the same colour names on the barrels, even if the pencil casing appears to be selling the exact same colour. (As well all know about pencils, the colour of the barrel is only ever an approximation of the lead. That’s why we make swatches when we get a new set.)

It may be the case that if Kalour and Brutfuner pencils seem different, the same factory may simply be producing varying qualities of batches over time. (If anyone has insider pencil information, let me know.)

PRISMACOLOR: THE “BEST” NON-PROFESSIONAL COLOURED PENCIL

I bought the Prismacolors after doing a bunch of research: As far as amateur colouring goes, Prismacolors are widely considered the best. By ‘amateur’, I mean they’re not lightfast. (Prismacolor is ‘light resistant’, which is not quite the same.) If you’re a professional artist selling artwork which is meant to be hung in the light and last many years, you’ll be using lightfast brands, which are more expensive and generally come in smaller sets. (Think Derwent, Caran d’Ache Luminance, Faber-Castell Polychromos.)

So Prismacolor pencils are not lightfast, but they’re popular with adults who enjoy colouring for fun and relaxation. I figured they’re also good for a kid still learning how to layer colours and so forth. That’s why I bought them. Also, one of my favourite online color palette generators allows you to generate palettes which line up with Prismacolor colours, a functionality I haven’t actually used, but it’s still pretty cool.

PRISMACOLOR AND MANUFACTURING QUALITY

When I sat down with my kid to give the Prismacolors a whirl, I was a little disappointed. Sure, they’re the nicest coloured pencils I’ve ever used as far as the texture goes. They lay down colour really well with this beautiful waxy texture. I can totally see why people love them. But some of the colours suffer from manufacturing issues. A few seem to be full of broken “lead”, and no matter how carefully you sharpen them (using a dedicated Prismacolour sharpener, I might add, which itself only lasted about a year before needing to be replaced), the tip keeps breaking. I’ve since heard long-term fans of Prismacolor talk about a general decline in quality in recent years, so it seems Prismacolor established their excellent reputation, then went downhill. In my opinion, whenever this happens to a company it’s time to support a different brand.

So when it came time to buy more coloured pencils, I did just that.

who are BRUTFUNER?

Apparently the name doesn’t mean anything, but I’m guessing it’s meant to look German. German products are widely associated with quality. As I have since found out, Brutfuner are just one brand selling pencils which are all exactly the same but sold under different labels. They are all made in China. (Where are Prismacolors made? Some sources say Mexico, others China. It’s highly likely they’re made wherever is cheapest for the corporation at the time.)

The Brutfuner Website needs a good edit and also needs a higher search engine ranking. It wasn’t super easy to find — it should ideally appear at the top of results if I search for Brutfuner. Try searching for Faber Castell or Prismacolor and notice what ranks first. Basically, Brutfuner doesn’t have the long-standing reputation of the other bigger brands.

Brutfuner sells a range of different sets: Metallic, Oil Based, Water Based and Sketching pencils. I bought the tin of 180 Brutfuner oily colored pencils, and paid less than half of what it would’ve cost to buy another set of 150 Prismacolors. ($92 instead of $227. And you get 30 extra pencils.)

This set does include about 10 metallic pencils but I have never been a fan of them. Basically, it’s like a bright colour with dirty grey added in. I haven’t yet found a use for metallic pencils, though some artists may use them. I suspect they’re used by kids who think that metallic effects can be achieved by laying down colour with a metallic pencil.

You’ll likely be buying these pencils through another online store anyway. Looking at online reviews, some of these companies take better care of their products. My Brutfuner branded pencils arrived unbroken, and must have been looked after properly. Consumers buying under other labels report broken leads and also broken plastic trays. (If you’ve ever seen a YouTube video of how postal items are sorted in China, you’ll know exactly how this happens!)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE 180 BRUTFUNER OILY COLOURED PENCILS

THE UNBOXING

CARDBOARD OR TIN?

Whereas the Prismacolors came in a cardboard box (similar to the feel you get when unboxing an Apple device), the Brutfuners come in a black tin with a cardboard wrap.

PRISMACOLORS DO NOT COME PRE-SORTED

When the Prismacolors arrived, they were in a nice box, but they weren’t the slightest bit arranged by colour. At the factory, the pencils had clearly been thrown in randomly. Sorting them into a usable rainbow is an enjoyable task, and I did just that before transferring them to a large zip-up pencil case and throwing away the box, but for that price? No one should have to.

BRUTFUNERS COME PRE-SORTED

The Brutfuners arrived pre-sorted into a usable rainbow. I’m not going to transfer them to a separate case because I think they’re most usable straight out of the tin. The plastic trays are quite flimsy, but I like that they have been designed with finger holes on each side. It’s very easy to pick each tray out of the tin.

This is what 180 pencils looks like when laid across a desk:

Unless you have a massive desk, you’ll probably want to stack them, as shown in the promotional photos:

But in reality, they’re not designed for stacking. You end up with a slumped stack which isn’t easy to photograph.

Also, the bottom layer is glued into the tin for some reason. (Probably to do with safe transportation? I see no good reason for it. You could probably get it out if you jimmy it.)

Faber Castell have got packaging sorted. Their Polychromos Colour Pencils come in a two-tier wooden case but then, they only have to worry about housing 120. Consumers pay four times the price. If you ever do splash out on Faber Castell Polychromos Colour Pencils, maybe keep the box and repurpose it for your cheaper pencils when you get your next set?

Such a simple thing, but I like that the Brutfuner set of 180 pencils came with a swatch. You only get one, but you could photocopy it to make swatches of overlaid colour combos.

In any case, it’s a good reminder that with a massive set of pencils, making swatches is usually an important part of the process.

As you can see, there is also a list of colours on the underside of the lid.

THE COLOURING EXPERIENCE

Prismacolours and Brutfuners are completely different. The Prismacolors are creamy, whereas the Brutfuners feel dry. You could probably end up with the same effects, but you’re using a slightly different technique. They both blend very nicely, though you may find you prefer different kind of paper with each brand.

DO YOU LIKE CREAMY?

Although ‘creamy’ sounds good (“delicious”, in fact), you’re not necessarily going to prefer Prismacolors over Brutfuners. You may even enjoy colouring with the Brutfuners more.

BRUTFUNERS: REALLY HIGH QUALITY SCHOOL PENCILS

According to my school-aged kid, compared to the Prismacolors, the Brutfuners are “like really high quality school pencils”. Think Faber Castell Classic sets, Crayola. So if you were hankering after a massive set of Faber Castells Classics, Brutfuners are a good option. Faber Castell Classics are aimed at kids, so the largest set they sell is 60. (Smaller sets are 12, 24, 36 and 48.)

With any set of coloured pencils you’ll get some variation in the “lead” (I’ll just keep using that word). The pale yellow feels so hard it almost scratches the paper rather than laying down colour.

There are also a few minor defects in the manufacturing of the “case” of the pencils, but nothing that would affect its usage, just chips in the paintwork, if that makes sense.

HAND FEEL

To hold in the hand, there is no difference between the Brutfuners and the Prismacolors. They’re both round, so both have a tendency to roll off your desk.

MANUFACTURING QUALITY

Here’s the double bind Prismacolor obviously finds themselves in: In order to get the ‘creamy’ feel, you’re going to end up with “lead” which breaks more easily.

Brutfuners don’t have that creamy feel, so they don’t seem to break as easily. Basically, they’ll last longer than your Prismacolors. But the colouring experience isn’t the same.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Advantages to Prismacolour

The famous creamy colouring experience

There are more online resources available for specific use with Prismacolor (e.g. the ability to make Coolors palettes). This may just be an English-speaking thing. There’s a big English-speaking community around Prismacolor.

Although Prismacolours are more expensive, you can buy them individually. So if there are a few colours you use all the time, you don’t have to buy an entirely new set to get them. At least in Australia, I haven’t seen anywhere to purchase individual Brutfuner replacements. (So don’t lose any!)

ADVANTAGES TO BRUTFUNER

They’re about half the price.

Overall, they’re more like school pencils, so seem a little more robust.

You get more pencils in this similar-sized set. (Note: You can also buy Brutfuner pencils in sets of 260 and 520.) More isn’t necessarily better, but I feel that with media such as pencils (and alcohol markers) where you can’t mix the colours like paint, it’s nice to have that larger range. Honestly, you probably won’t notice the difference between 150 and 180 though, except for the fact that you need more room on your desk if you lay them all out.

They come in a tin, not cardboard (although the cardboard of the Prismacolors is perfectly well-made, and you’d be able to use it for as long as you use the pencils inside.) For environmental reasons, cardboard might be better, actually? Except I doubt I’ll throw this black tin out anytime soon. It’s like a really nice biscuit tin. I’ll find a use for it somehow.

Update: With this many pencils it’s actually easier to transfer them to a large pencilcase. It takes up less room on the desk.

PRISMACOLOR OR BRUTFUNER?

If you’re buying a large set of coloured pencils for a school-aged person who loves stationery and looks after it, Brutfuner large pencil sets are a great option. You won’t find a set of school pencils as large as in these white-label pencils sold under various names, and the quality is about the same.

If you’re buying for someone who really appreciates the sensory aspects of colouring and if you have a little more money to spend, Prismacolor.

Professional artists will be using pencils with a lightfast rating. Even for amateurs, if you plan to keep your work, frame it, gift it, hand it down and so on, these pencils won’t stand the test of time.

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LIST OF BRUTFUNER 180 NUMBERS AND COLOURS

Because they don’t seem to exist anywhere else on the Internet:

1	BLACK
2	WHITE
3	CERULEAN BLUE
4	CANARY YELLOW
5	DARK PURPLE
6	RED
7	BLUE
8	ORANGE
9	FRESH GREEN
10	COFFEE
11	FOREST GREEN
12	PALE PINK
13	DARK BROWN
14	CREAMY YELLOW
15	PALE PURPLE
16	AUTUMN GOLD
17	NUDE
18	LEAD GREY
19	METALLIC BLUE
20	SKY BLUE
21	METALLIC LIGHT GREEN
22	OLIVE
23	METALLIC GRASS GREEN
24	ROSY PINK
25	OCHRE
26	PEACH PUFF
27	SALMON PINK
28	LIGHT GREEN
29	GREENISH GREY
30	METALLIC PINK
31	GINGER YELLOW
32	MAROON
33	METALLIC OCHRE
34	LIGHT REDDISH BROWN
35	BRILLIANT BLUE
36	LIGHT ORANGE YELLOW
37	DODGER BLUE
38	METALLIC TEAL
39	REDDISH BROWN
40	BLUISH PURPLE
41	LILAC
42	SAPPHIRE BLUE
43	CINNAMON
44	GREENISH BLUE
45	BROWNISH RED
46	CLOVER GREEN
47	MOSS GREEN
48	PINK
49	BRIGHT ORANGE YELLOW
50	METALLIC GOLD
51	LIGHT BLUE
52	BRILLIANT GREEN
53	DESERT YELLOW
54	SAKURA
55	MEDIUM ORCHID
56	SPRING GREEN
57	VIOLET
58	ORANGE RED
59	PEACOCK BLUE
60	DARK COFFEE
61	NAVY BLUE
62	LIGHT PURPLE
63	GRAPE
64	AQUAMARINE
65	PURPLE
66	ULTRAMARINE
67	FRESH RED
68	PALE GREEN
69	EMERALD GREEN
70	METALLIC SILVER
71	GREY
72	BRIGHT PINK
73	BRICK RED
74	BROWN
75	LIGHT SEA GREEN
76	BOTTLE GREEN
77	SMOKY GREY
78	LIGHT OCHRE
79	DARK GREY
80	ULTRA VIOLET
81	APPLE GREEN
82	LIGHT BROWNISH GREY
83	LEAF GREEN
84	SHALLOW YELLOW
85	LIGHT CYAN BLUE
86	LIGHT ROSY PINK
87	LIGHT CORAL
88	CYAN BLUE
89	MINT
90	DEEP PINK
91	PUMPKIN YELLOW
92	DENIM BLUE
93	LIGHT ORCHID
94	BRICK DUST
95	EARTH TONE
96	MEDIUM SEA GREEN
97	METALLIC RED
98	BURNT BRICK RED
99	METALLIC ORANGE
100	LIGHT BROWNISH
101	BRIGHT ORANGE
102	LIGHT YELLOWISH GREEN
103	AZURE
104	DARK PRUSSIAN BLUE
105	DARK YELLOWISH GREEN
106	DARK YELLOW
107	HEATHER VIOLET
108	APRICOT YELLOW
109	BLUISH GREEN
110	UMBER GREY
111	MEDIUM GREEN
112	PURPLISH RED
113	BISTRE
114	LIGHT AQUA GREEN
115	MINERAL GREEN
116	LIGHT OLIVE
117	DEEP MAGENTA
118	SCARLET
119	COBALT BLUE
120	LAWN GREEN
121	PEACH
122	ROYAL BLUE
123	LAVENDER
124	MIST GREY
125	LIGHT GREY
126	PASTEL PINK
127	PLUM
128	CYAN
129	LIGHT EMERALD GREEN
130	LIGHT SKY BLUE
131	CRAPE MYRTLE
132	BROWN OLIVE
133	BRIGHT ORANGE RED
134	AQUA GREEN
135	PURPLISH BLUE
136	WARM YELLOW
137	SILVER GREY
138	CHOCOLATE
139	BRONZE
140	YELLOWISH GREEN
141	METALLIC VIOLET
142	GREY BLUE
143	METALLIC CYAN BLUE
144	GRASS GREEN
145	DARK BROWNISH GREY
146	MULBERRY RED
147	LIGHT WISTERIA
148	KIWI GREEN
149	WISTERIA
150	OLIVE YELLOW
151	DARK BROWNISH RED
152	SLATE GREY
153	DARK GREEN
154	MINERAL VIOLET
155	DARK BLUISH GREEN
156	DEEP GREENISH GREY
157	SHALLOW PINK
158	PALE YELLOW
159	LIGHT JADE GREEN
160	BURGUNDY
161	CADMIUM YELLOW
162	TURQUOISE
163	TEAL
164	JADE GREEN
165	DEEP BLUE
166	MAGENTA
167	SHALLOW ORANGE
168	MIDDLE YELLOWISH GREEN
169	TAN
170	BRIGHT RED
171	DEEP PURPLE
172	GRAYISH PINK
173	BRIGHT YELLOW
174	APRICOT YELLOW
175	DARK SALMON PINK
176	LIGHT YELLOW
177	LIGHT GRAYISH PINK
178	PALE BLUE
179	BLOOD RED
180	DARK PEACH PUFF

KALOUR 240 NUMBERS AND COLOURS

This is how the colours arrive in the trays. I took pictures for my own reference, but perhaps others can make use of it too, if you like the way they are arranged (because they sure don’t stay like this for long).

Note that how they come in the trays does not match numerical order.

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 1	NUMBER
peach puff	021
light pink	010
shallow pink	052
sakura	051
shallow yellow	048
shallow orange	054
azalea pink	057
light coral	049
terracotta	059
nude	055
metallic orange	207
ginger yellow	041
dark yellow	036
desert yellow	044
golden orange	060
pumpkin yellow	030
bright orange yellow	043
warm yellow	038
light orange yellow	042
autumn gold	040
creme yellow	056
pale yellow	053
butter yellow	058
canary yellow	045
fluorescent golden yellow	230
cadmium yellow	126
fluorescent lemon yellow	229
creamy yellow	046
light yellow	047
white	204

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 2	NUMBER
dark brownish red	012
scarlet	019
deep pink	007
cochineal red	009
cadmium red	025
metallic red	208
peach red	028
peach	020
carmine red	011
fresh red	006
red	008
orange red	032
bright orange red	035
salmon pink	050
bright ornage	031
orange	033
fluorescent orange red	231
fluorescent rose pink	234
fluorescent peach red	235
fluorescent pink	232
bright red	005
pale pink	023
fluorescent bengal rose	233
rosy pink	017
pastel pink	003
heather violet	002
pink	022
light rosy pink	024
dark pink	027
bright pink	004

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 3	COLOUR
ultramarine	087
royal blue	070
sapphire blue	086
cobalt blue	069
brilliant blue	072
ink blue	095
dark prussian blue	071
violet lake	091
denim blue	064
navy blue	076
dodger blue	073
deep blue	078
light cyan blue	063
cyan blue	062
azure	065
cyan	067
peacock blue	075
metallic cyan blue	206
light blue	081
primary blue	094
fluorescent indigo	240
blue	084
sky blue	066
light sky blue	068
fluorescent light blue	238
intense blue	089
cypress blue	090
pale blue	088
light primary blue	092
cerulean blue	082

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 4	COLOUR
bean green	129
medium sea green	117
lawn green	122
grass green	119
mint	106
jade green	127
dark green	124
leaf green	136
coconut green	103
forest green	135
phthalo green	142
aqua green	113
light emerald green	112
light aqua green	114
light jade green	125
mint green	139
metallic light green	212
fruit green	141
moss green	132
spring green	102
light green	130
brilliant green	133
middle yellowish green	128
apple green	101
fresh green	134
yellowish green	097
dark yellowish green	107
light yellowish green	100
fluorescent yellow green	237
fluorescent green	236

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 5	COLOUR
grape purple	163
bluish purple	079
ultra violet	077
purplish blue	074
bright purple	093
dark purple	083
violet blue	096
mineral violet	146
purple	154
light wisteria	143
wisteria	145
pale purple	158
light purple	152
deep purple	085
lavender	155
light grape purple	164
crape myrtle	149
grape	153
purplish red	148
lilac	159
grayish pink	160
metallic violet	210
magenta	016
plum	156
bengal rose	165
light orchid	147
medium orchid	150
fluorescent purple	239
violet	151
orchid purple	144

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 6	COLOUR
deep magenta	157
mulberry red	001
light brownish red	014
brownish red	180
tan	175
india red	026
aubergine	029
burgundy	015
light reddish brown	176
coffee	182
burnt umber	186
chocolate	167
brown	171
ochre	183
orange sienna	197
metallic red brown	224
metallic flesh tint	227
warm grey	162
metallic coffee	226
metallic ochre	214
metallic pink	209
metallic orange red	228
brick dust	034
light ochre	172
apricot yellow	039
brown olive	037
metallic pale gold	218
metallic gold	215
metallic green gold	217
olive yellow	098

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 7	COLOUR
slate grey	187
dark grey	200
dark brownish grey	178
deep greenish grey	174
dark grey violet	185
umber grey	169
lamp brown	194
dark sepia	201
bronze	166
walnut brown	199
bistre	170
dark brown	181
dark coffee	173
reddish brown	177
maroon	018
metallic purple black	222
cinnamon	184
metallic yellow ochre	225
earth tone	099
metallic copper	223
orange grey	202
lead grey	193
grey	191
smoky grey	189
cyan grey	198
mist grey	188
light brownish grey	190
light grey	192
metallic silver	216
lotus grey	195

KALOUR COLOR NAME TRAY 8	COLOUR
black	203
grey blue	061
greenish blue	080
greenish grey	168
turquoise	110
bluish green	120
medium green	121
dark bluish green	109
emerald green	104
prussian green	137
teal	111
mineral green	123
aquamarine	105
bottle green	116
pale green	196
olive green	140
kiwi green	118
light olive	108
metallic grass green	211
mint green light	138
clover green	131
light sea green	115
metallic teal	213
metallic blue	205
metallic indigo	220
green grey	161
metallic light purple	219
metallic pale violet	221
silver grey	179
burnt brick red	013

The header image is AI generated using SDXL 0.9.