NEW! Brutfuner 520 Colored Pencils Honest Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2024
- I have had a lot of requeststo review this set of colored pencils since I posted my review o the Brutfuner Square pencils last month, you can see my review of those here • Square Colored Pencils...
Shortly after that the Anstal stationary shop reached out to me to see if I would like the complete 520 Brutfuner set to review, here is a link to the set in their shop (differnt sized sets are available) www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
Also now on Amazon USA: amzn.to/3RsTArZ
If you want to see how they were packaged you can view my unboxing here: • How Many Pencils are i...
And here is a tutoril on how I made the pencil rack I showed in this video: • Awkwardly Making an EP...
This set is humoungous! It might be right for you but it might not. Let's break it down and see!
Pros:
*Great variety of colors including pastels, neon and metallics
*Centered cores, straight barrel, nice build construction (3.3mm lead in 7.5mm body)
*Sharpens well to a fine point (lead is harder than Prismacolor, it is similar to Arteza and Deli/Markart pencils)
*Layers well
*Holds a point well
*blends with water or OMS
*Set came well packaged to protect from breakage and package is reusable for storage
Cons:
*Lots or near-identical colors
*The color numbers are difficult to read on the barrel
*Pencils are inconsistent in laydown, some are rich and pigmented and some are weaker and streaky
*Price
*Diffucult to blend
What would be the best use of this set:
*Classroom-the harder leads will be more resistant to breaks from droppage and the many similar colors mean several people could share this set and not want for a color or have to wait for one.
*rubber stampers or adult coloring book enthusists who need a sharp point and variety of colors for fine details.
*Studio decor, it is a pretty set of pencils to disply in jars or a rack
*As a design tool for color picking (the colored barrels can be used as color swatches)
*photo props
*as a cllectors item as it is the largest set I have ever heard of.
Bottom Line: I can't say if this set is for you. It's a lot of money to spend for a budget quality pencil and for that money you can buy a profesional quality set that meets your exact specifications that would have replacement colors availabe. What do you think?
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Haha, you made me laugh 😆 “I prescribe you take 12 coloured pencils...” 😂 Great review and laughs too. Thank you 😃
I ordered this set on Aliexpress 2 month ago and paid for the 520 set only 107 euros (including taxes and shipping). So I was lucky. Since that, the prices has gone up a lot.
I agree with you, they are not the best budget pencil, but he, 520 pencils is just awesome to have. I use them only on colouring books and stamps. They do the job nicely.
I do not like to use water or solutions. To blend I use the Caran D'ache blending pencil. That works like a charm.
All in all I would give them a 7 out of 10 If you are a colorist like me and not a professional. They are nice pencils.
Thanks for sharing your experience! It will surely be helpful to others!
My first set of colored pencils was Prisma Color. Even though I had no clue what I was doing, I could tell right away the difference between them and the pencils at the $Tree. I got the 120 piece square pencil set, and, I was overwhelmed with that! I can't even imagine 520! For now I am going to photograph them in their' trays cause they are just so pretty. I think I will wait for a nice fall all day art/craft day to really use them. For now I don't think I want 520 of anything...except maybe hundred $ bills.
Prisma makes a budget line, called prismacolor scholar. I buy those sets and just get open stock in the premiers and slowly sub them in. I hope that helps! The scholars still give great results and you can get them at most places that sell school supplies, like staples.
It’s super overwhelming. I only use one box lol. Then when I burn through it I’ll use the other. Because they do a very even spread over the two boxes.
YAH! I'd love to have 520 hundred $ bills.
I suppose I could draw that much money!
If I were a primary school teacher I'd probably be buying this set for an entire horde of grade schoolers and just sort the colours the same way you would in your box! Goodness knows I would have been ecstatic to see this much variety as a kid. 😂 And you know how children have the tendency to bicker when someone has the colour they wanna use, haha! I have the Brutfuner 120 set and they're perfectly fine for school purposes.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough review. After watching multiple reviews of the 520 set, I have decided they aren't for me. I have been very happy with the Brutfuner 120 squares pencils. I appreciate you putting them through multiple tests to make an educated review.
I can't believe how much work you put into these reviews ! Thank you for being so diligent and fair !
Another great review, Lindsay! I love how you take the time needed to break this all down it's really helpful. I also love looking at all of your swatches. Tfs.
Great and thorough review, thanks! Like many other folks, I am loving the square Brutfuner pencils, and I was particularly curious as to how these compared! I feel like you definitely answered all of my questions.
You are so sweet, so careful to not insult someone. But somehow you always get across what you truly think of them. Thanks for the patience to do this, it must have taken forever!
I purchased the square ones in a moment of weakness. (Really did not need another set of colored pencils!) I'm very happy with them. They are softer than I was expecting (which I like), but hold a point well and easily put down a lot of color. I'm having fun with them. Thanks Lindsay!
Those squares are the budget pencil to beat. You cant go wrong with them!
Yes I love them and use them for professional illustrations which get digitised anyway so i am not worried as much about light fastness
I actually just got the 180 set in today, I’m excited to try
@@debthereb12 well if youre anything like me you will be surprised &delighted. They are very comfortable to hold too.
I have way too many different brands of pencils and mostly they lean toward the expensive side of pencils. I like wax pencils, not oils.
Thanks so much for reviewing these pencils. I need a budget set of pencils for practice in my Arteza watercolor sketchbook and Ohuhu marker sketchbook. This will be my first budget pencil pick and the info out there made me 😵💫. I went with the brutfuner square as you suggested. Honestly, really appreciate all of your hard work. It’s kind of crazy confusing out there.🤷♀️ 💕
These videos are amazing and after years and years hold up as useful reference. Thank you for what you do, seriously! I'm into gouache thanks to you right now!!
Thank you so much for your honesty in this review. I so appreciate it.
Excellent and thorough review, which I really appreciate, so thank you for putting in all that work to share this with us.
Thank you for your honesty! I like the idea as being a decor piece; even better as a color picker!
You make every pencil look great with your beautiful artwork. Thank you for the thorough review!
Wonderful Review Lindsay. Thank you for taking the time to review so thoroughly. xx
I really like how thorough and fair you are with your review. Especially after I saw a somewhat negative one where the person didn't even have the actual pencils for review. I got my set for a good price around the time they first came out and like them a lot but I don't think I would want to pay more than around $100 for them. I can get a pretty good blend using my Prismacolor blender. I did swatch them out and love looking through all the colors & agree it's like having a Pantone reference guide. They even have a lot of the Pantone color names. It's more a set for pencil collectors imo.
Thank you for the review. This is an unwieldy set…my craft room is full and I’m finally getting my art supplies gathered in one place. I appreciate all your hard work. I have some of the Derwent Lightfast and Drawing pencils that I really like and I’m happy with what I have. Enjoy the rest of world watercolor month. I’ve enjoyed peaking at your work on IG! Take care😊
Thank you Michelle!
Excellent review! Brutfuner squares are among my favorite Budget pencils. They do not match up to the these. We both would have passed and we both agree the best bang for your money is a more professional set.
Now, if they came out with the squares in a 520 set im not sure I could resist 😆 Thanks for stopping by!
I have to say my set of squares are an incredible value where the rounds are a budget pencil. I have used derwents and faber castell all my life, and i'm very happy to vouch for the brutfuner squares.
I like the round 180 pencils. They are great and one can blend with a solvent. But with all pencils, you have to layer up.
Thank you for the video. Very informative. Yes, I bought it yesterday. Cant wait to get it.
You clearly put in a lot of work here. Thank you for getting into as many details as you did.
Very good review with a lot of content. Thanks so much.
I just received a set of 200 colored pencils today to review. I have learned so much from you and from reviewing my other colored pencils. This set is going to have to work hard to get above the one star that it is with me already! Maybe they will be great, I don't know. I did get some super acrylic paint markers today that were head and shoulders above some others that I had gotten. I think since I have ever taken an art class and only have people like you to help me understand what to look for. 520 pencils is a massive amount and I sure don't have room for something like that massive amount of pencils. Thank you for taking the time to do this review for this set. I love your reviews and it has helped me get better at evaluating the products that I get. I'm sure even without arthritis in your hands, swatching all those pencils would have made your hands ache!
Thank you for all you work on these.
Glad I caught this review. The size of the selection was tempting but I really like soft pencils.
I’m no artist, and one set of budget pencils is good enough for me, and I have a very small craft area. I can’t imagine buying this set just for colour swatches. Great review.
No matter how hard I try..I can’t buy 520 pencils. You have given me many more reasons no to fall for this set. I go for quality not quantity
I bought the 180 set and love them. Their greens are fabulous and so are their variety in a particular color like purple.
Good pencils layer and you can create the colours you need. You don't need more than 120 ish, at most. The larger sets are helpful to people who have trouble with color theory. You can technically make all colours with a proper 12 set, it's just a lot more work. 48-72 improves your quality of life a lot, 120-150 is a splurge.
I bought it specifically because i tend to cherish my expensive supplies which hinders my artistic progression. So I wanted a set I wasn’t afraid to “waste on bad art”- because making mistakes is never a mistake if you learn from it
I keep wishing I had a large coloring group to get together with someplace to use these on a big coloring poster. Maybe a charity project of some type.
thank you for this amazingly in depth review.....your sense of humour really makes me laugh
Great review!! I'm a Prismacolor pencil kinda gal. I can't even imagine having that many pencils 😁 but I've been curious. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate your balanced review.
Great and awesome review as always.
Great review! Excellent points made! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this review, Lindsay! I was actually considering buying this set, but have decided to perhaps instead buy the Brutfuner squares or save my $ and something more artist grade. Grateful for your input on this! 👍😊💖
Glad it was helpful!
The 180 round are great. This is what I bought and love them. Oh I have just about every quality pencils out there and buy their entire set. But there is not much variety in them. I love Prismacolor far more than any quality pencils out there including FC Polychromo. But PC pencils I do not like their green selections.
Great review! Sometimes I think it can be more confusing to have too many color choices. I try to use less and layer more to get the depth I want. I recently did a flower in colored pencils using only 5 colors from the Holbein colored pencils I received in a subscription box (I ended up pulling one prismacolor pencil to darken the stem) but it scale out way more realistic then I thought using only a few pencils.
Great review Lindsay, 😊 Thanks! Sticking with my Prismacolor and Derwents.
Thanks for the advice, Lindsay!
This was a wonderful and honest review. Thank you!
Thanks Sarah!
I ❤️ your honesty. Thank you
Loved your honesty! I have the 180 set with the black barrels and these seem the same.. i have to try to layer them up.. instead of wanting them to blend.. they only pencils on my list are the graphitint's!
You are so funny with the prescription 🤣
No more budget pencils for me! I’d rather spend more and have a better experience. I’m not talented so I need all the help I can get from my supplies!
I love and really trust your reviews.
A set of 72 Lyra Rembrand cost a good deal less than these and I find them brilliant. They are an "oil based" pencil but they certainly aren't streaky and can layer almost indefinitely. I think I agree with Lindsay. They look pretty though lol.
I think I'm an unusual case. I'm a tetrachromat (re: someone who can see more colors than the average person) so getting a 520 colored pencil set jives with me ridiculously. I may chance a purchase for these guys once I have the funds. I just wish they were formulated the way the square ones are, because those are a dream to work with.
How did you even find out you could do that? Is that something that an eye doctor would diagnose? I don't recall them asking if I could even see colors really
@@recoveringsoul755 I got to be in a study group for diagnosing tetrachromacy back in college. It's not something that can be found by an eye doctor nor through any online testing. I suspected I had the trait after years of seeing differences in color with identical objects and people noticing how many different colors I put into works of art off reference photos (re: colors they weren't seeing).
@@thesleeplessspook That's interesting I never even heard of this. Were you studying medicine or eyes?
I was watching videos of artists and one of them is colorblind, had gotten those glasses that help some people to see more colors. Mostly the red/green type of color blindness. But they did some videos with markers, and they used a marker that was supposed to be some shade of green, but it looked like a bland tan to me, and another marker was labeled Sienna and I think it's supposed to be brown but it looked like a dark olive green. Other people in the comments said they saw green too. Weird because green is my favorite color. I went the the website for the colorblind glasses and took their test and it said my vision was normal
But I remember having a pair of sunglasses with a slight pink tint to the lenses, and when I wear them, the sky looks bluer and the grass and everything green looks greener and I feel happier when wearing them. But it's got me doubting if I see colors the way they are supposed to be. Oh dear, how will I dress myself?? lol
@@recoveringsoul755 I was actually studying fine art and biology (applied). One of my art professors knew one of his Science Department colleges was running a study group for some medical students regarding colorblindness and eye deformities re: lens, cone and rod defects. He'd already recognized that I was likely a tetrachromat so he suggested to his college that I be tested first to confirm it and then be used in the study to be the severe opposite end of blue/green color-blindness. Most tetras don't see a wider spectrum of -all- the colors, just a few. In my case, I see more colors on the cool side of the color wheel than the average person. That rack of blue jeans in the store that all look the same? They don't to me. :-P The trait has its drawbacks. The sky isn't easy to render in art for people like me and iridescent blues and greens give me a headache! I also dress in lots of blacks and grays because I can't color coordinate to save my life. There's just too many variants! LOL
It sounds like those pink sunglasses are neutralizing some colors while bringing up other ones. One of the mediums I studied in college was photography (manual) and we typically used special filters on our cameras and on the enlargers that did this very same thing anytime we needed to pull up a specific color versus another one. It's a really fascinating science overall, IMO.
@@thesleeplessspook really interesting. None of us can really "see things your way" because we don't really know what each person sees. Even if I were able to put on canvas a vision in my head accurately, the people I show it to can all see something different, at least for the colors.
I wonder how the 3rd eye sees colors. People who get their 3rd eye opened can read in the dark, if they're blind from birth they can drive (no depth perception maybe??) never need glasses because, how?? But what color do they "see"?
Maybe you should get these pencils. Could be fun.
Thanks so much for your honest review! I do like the Brutfuner Square for coloring. I'm not an artist but I might buy a small set of really good artist quality to play around with fruit drawings and things like that. I heard getting a small set of high quality is a good way to learn to blend since there isn't much choice of color.
Be interesting on what you think, The Grear Guide seem to like them but was not sold on that many pencils.
Wonderful review! I no longer have younger nieces and nephews coming over to play/being watched. So I gotta say I have no real use for cheap or budget art supplies. I was able to rescue some of my older art created with student or budget quality supplies with scanning and computer software. I still try to give quality even light fast quality supplies to kids to encourage them and make it easier for them to succeed! If I am going to spend the money on pencils of this amount I will buy the better brands or quality pencils. Thank you for sharing your opinions.
so looking forward to this!!!!
Me too. I LOVE the squares.
I bought the 120 square set based on your review and really like them. I don't really have the desire to collect colored pencils. If I did, I'd save up and get those nice fat Derwent pencils! I got several 12 sets of the different Derwents over the last few months, just to try them out. I LOVE them.
Hi Lindsay, thanks for your honest opinion on the brutfuner colored pencils. I would like to buy a good set of colored pencils someday. I have a few of the prismacolor pencils that I love but would like to have a full set... I guess I'll start saving my pennies! haha Thanks a bunch for the review.
Save up and watch Amazon. I got a 150 set for $59 in 2017 and I've seen that set drop to $64 in recent months. It's a great buy when it happens. Then you can just by singles at blick for $1.30 when you use one up.
Always love your reviews Lindsay! The project for the holder was awesome. I too prefer the softer pencils, and I'm with you. I want to smoosh and burnish and run away from layering. I was one of the crazy ones that swatched (only took 3.5 hours lolol). Yeah, the stamped number is beyond ridiculous to read. I had like 2 or 3 scratchy ones, but I also had a few where the cores were definitely broken because they just kept shattering on me, but I mean for the price I can't be crazy picky. Love your reviews! You're always honest, and I love hearing your opinions.
Omg 3.5 hours! Ok everyone can go to your channel or Harry's blog to see them. Did you get yours om Amazon when they showed up for a minute? I heard some pencils sold there were bent. So weird. Sorry about broken cores. Im glad you got a deal!
@@thefrugalcrafter yea I did it live to avoid going completely crazy 🤪. I had one bent and that's it but yea I snagged them off Amazon and haven't seen them come back since. I mean the colors are insanely close to one another so if one breaks or wears out in the line of greens you have like 4 replacements right there. Still it was fun to collect.
Thank you for the review!
Thank you so much for all your work on making these reviews for us. I was curious to hear if these were the same leads as the 120 squares that I too like to use. Since they are not, I just ordered another 120 set of the square ones. Enjoy your evening!
You can't go wrong with the squares!
Looking forward to this review. I'm a colored pencil hoarder on a budget! Actually I am a hoarder of most art supplies.
I am too....and I have 2 large sets of colored pencils, yet haven't found time to even try them! I've got too many art supplies....and I STILL keep buying more!!!
I can totally relate; I have 2 boxes of vintage Prismacolors that have never been opened. I was going to try to resell them but I just can't bring myself to let go of them. I know those were their best made pencils before they were bought out and moved to Mexico for manufacture.
Those are excellent thanks for the recommendation
The Brutfuner squares is so striking! I love that blue. The others all have a dullness about them. However, I might be a little biased to them as this is one of my favorite sets!!!
I love my brutfuner pencils! I have the 120! For what I color they ate great! Just starting out and I love your videos!
Thank you for the square recommendation! I wanted budget but overall soft like prismacolor for my weak hands and they are perfect for me to affordably add to the prismas I have. Also they sharpen great in my electric exacto school pro sharpener in the large round hole.
Thanks so much for taking one for team. I remember you saying to get the largest collection amount of dry media like pencils but this was too much. Legacy brands top at 200 colors and that is full collection attainable for the cost of these 520.
Side note, you were talking about travel brushes in your last video. I went down the rabbit hole and saw they had the mimic squirrel travel set. I don’t know if you knew your favorite brush came out with it. I’ve never tried that type of brush and I love travel brushes. I like that it’s cap protects the brush head bc I clutzy and pets.
As a novice coloring book hobbyist that already has way too many pencils etc. I would enjoy these as I am a lousy blender/highlighter. I do like how you set your pencils up in cups. I recently have gone back on workers comp and dragged out my coloring totes. I have stored my pencils in those "books" with elastic to store the sets. I have purchased a nice carousel to load up for the project at hand.
I just bought the 120 Art 'n' Fly and discovered you today.
Sings "I'm a Prisma girl in a Prisma world..." (to the tune of I'm a Barbie girl. )
I purchased my Prisma Primier set @ Hobby Lobby with a 70% off coupon. It was a post holiday store wide sale event several years ago. I bought the tin box set of 132. I have not regretted that purchase either.
Thank you for your review. I have seen many reviews on these pencils and there have been many that were pro and many that were con. I don't think I want them. I'd rather continue spending my money on the collections I am currently building. (Prisma, Polychromos, Color Soft, Pro Colour and Pablos.) I'm happy with those. Thank you for sharing your time with this.
Thanks for the review :)
I got so excited after watching your review. I had to buy them.
Right after I ordered them the price on Amazon went way up.
Ebay is $ 89 for now.
I recieved mine yesterday4and I was so excited. I feel like a little girl on my best Christmas.
Funny I actually built the strange boxes from the dollar store.
The is a complete tray of metallics.
An artist's dream.
Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for your time.
Looks like a nice idea for collectors, colorists who simply want a ton of color choices, or people looking to buy reasonably ok pencils for several people to use at once. They don't look bad by any means, but I don't think they're really a good choice for anyone who is more serious about art and is going to use pencils a lot. As you said, looking into a brand name product is a much better idea then. Some pretty good sets, like the 72 Koh-i-Noor can usually be found for considerably less than what this giant set of 520 costs.
I got mine weeks ago and I love them…I initially got them as a novelty and wanted to see all the different shades…I couldn’t afford the Fellisimo set of 500…Theres been a mixed review of these and I was upset by the negativity again(I had the BF when they first came out and took a lot of criticism) …If someone out there wants them…they are worth 23p per pencil…and have different colour shades no repeats…For ordinary colourists on a budget they good…just as the BF have become popular now and acceptable…I have a lot of high end pencils as well…Ty for taking the time to do this even if you’re not impressed…🥰p.s…my boxes were mixed numbers not odd or even…😋
I really appreciate your review! I saw you put this up and never clicked faster. LOL I know your review will be extremely honest, so I was curious to see what you thought. I am on the fence with these. I probably won't get them, but all those colors is what is so appealing to me. I do have the 120 squares and really like them. They perform much better than I expected. I am happy with that purchase, but as I said I am on the fence on this 520 set. I am more of a quality girl as opposed to quantity. I literally only own one budget set, minus my Crayola's, so I guess technically two sets. I would rather spend that type of money on a good set of something as opposed to a cheap set. Thanks for sharing!
I bet the price will come down once the fever dies down a bit for these. They are not bad and per pencil price they are not any more expensive than other budget brands but knowing that people on a budget are looking at these id feel irresponsible to recommend them when you can get a nice set of 72 artist quality pencils for that price and have an easier time with them.
Good review! I get overwhelmed with a 72 set so no way I'd get this one. And yeah, Aliexpress can be tricky. I get excited to see a name brand for such a cheap price but then you realize they're talking about the smallest set.
Thank you for the good review Lindsey. I ordered these and then cancelled the order after watching this review. I have used Prismacolors and Polychromes exclusively for 22 years and think I will stick with those. I think its best to stick with what you know works best for you.
Good plan!
I love their square pencil.
Teresa Ivanore has a WONDERFUL swatch sheet for the 520 Brutfuner pencils, with names and numbers!!! I’m swatching mine right now!
Thanks for the review and your thoughts on how they compare to the squares! I have about 500 pencils already between all the various brands (budgets, Prisma and Poly) so no more budget pencils for me (I hope...).
I don't even want to think about how many I have 😄
Great review, thanks for sharing❤😁
Ps. You literally make the best review videos!! The time and detailed thorough-ness is just incredible and well...the best!! ❤❤❤❤
Thanks so much. I was a bit concerned that I was a bit too critical but I feel I need to be when people are considering spending that kind of money.
Drats. So needed a new video from you today. I'm laid up, fell trying to help my mom with Parkinson's who fell, and slipped and fell myself. Should probably be in the hospital myself, but no insurance. Look at me go on. Ding bat! It's because I think of you as such a good friend, yet we've never met or spoken...anyways...am looking forward to the video❤
Oh no! Take care and ice or hear your sore muscles. I did post a new sat chat today to keep you company:)
Oh dear, I hope you are ok. I imagine you are in the United States? Isn't there some kind of a state or federal medical program or insurance you could use? 😟 I have never met you either, nor talked to you but this breaks my heart. I hope you are doing ok.
Take care of yourself so you can help your mom. ❤
Please take care of yourself! I am so sorry to hear this
I got both sets for under 100 a few months ago but have moved up in price I knew what i was buying but what surprised me most was how much pencil you lose when sharpening. Thanks for the review its given be ideas, i will be using mine for backgrounds the fact that stated it moves with water i had a light bulb moment when it cant lay anymore i will use water and lay more layers down the fact that there are so many close colours means easier blending
Thanks for sharing!
I love Dahl 133 manual sharpener. It is fantastic.
I just received these today, more for collection purposes I think. I will Swatch them and have bought the largest case for them I could find. I now have all the brut funer sets and hope they don't issue any more. I do like them, but have to say the square set is my favourite.
Cool! You collect colored pencils?
520…wow! My only big set is Prismacolor, which I bought in England because they’re not available in South Africa. They are also the only ones I keep in their box…because I can’t replace them. The rest of my pencils are all mixed together by colour in glasses. I use whichever colour I want, regardless of brand or whether they are oil or wax. As you can see, I’m not an artist, just a colourist.
Thanks Lindsay! ❤️ I love the 120 for all my crafty fun! But, I won't get rid of my lightfast conglomerate of brands for my fine art work.
Smart choice! You don't need lightfast for every project but you do want performance from your tools.
@@thefrugalcrafter ch I do fine art so needs must on the lightfast collection. 🤷🏼♀️🙃😂
This is a VERY informative review. Thank you. I want to get my granddaughter pencils for her BD. She knows the Prismacolor name from videos so I was kind of looking at the Scholar version but then I got to looking at the Brutfuner square 120 set. Which would you recommend? She doesn't have to have name brands.
I would go for the square brutfuner set of 120 over the scholar because I have not tried the scholar line. I do no like a couple of prismacolor lines. I love the prismacolor premier and col-erase. But others I find irritating.
For ball jointed dolls you really need on brand Prismacolors. Nothing else will do. But you don’t need a huge set, either
Thank you for this review. I think both whites are useful for blending, but I feel you about the white. It helps in highlights and creating depth. If you have several highlights and the white highlight is closer, the Tofu might give it more dimension and define the relationship between objects. What do you think about that? I always thought I wasn't doing it right with having to put lots of pressure on my pencils. That totally all makes sense. I thought the streakiness was my inability to color things in right. What are your set of to go colored pencils. Thank you.
I think the tofu will work more like a colorless blender but the brilliant white is good like a prismacolor or Derwent. The pencils I use daily are Prismacolor premier. They are the most affordable artist quality option and when i use up a color I can replace it for $1.10 on blick (I wait til I need a few and order together for the bulk discount) but my best pencils ate Derwent lightfast as they are rated lightfast for 100 years so I use them on work I want to hang. Those cost $4 a pencil but If it mine when they were $2 on sale at blick. I think they do a derwent sale one or twice a year. Prismacolors are my favorite jeans and t shirts and Derwent lightfast is my fancy going out dress 😆
@@thefrugalcrafter thank you. Lol true. Hadn't thought of that
I cancelled my preorder because i felt overwhelmed at the time, but i really like the regular Wanshui 168 brutfuner and the squares (these are same cores in my testing but things can change) I was so exited to finally have names on these pencils, but 520, lol........Thanks for the review and letting us know they are different. Unfortunately, I am still in debate on reordering if they go back to under a hundred.
They are not bad pencils. I used then over a watercolor this afternoon and they are a decent buyer quality pencil. I don't necessarily think they are overpriced, just that it's a lot to spend in a whole as people often turn to similar quality pencils to save money when they can't afford a set they want and therefore i can divorce my review from the price. My expectations were also high for these and that might not be fair.
the bruntfurner colored pencils that I bought years ago in plastic packaging with 160 pieces can also be painted with water and I think that the square ones are different from the round ones I have
I guess they've bern in business for a while. Someone saif theyve used them since the late 1980s and I think they mean the round color barrels. That's good to hear.
I would rather save my money for the more expensive sets which quality is better than having a bunch of pencils that are cheap and you can't buy open stock.
Whilst I do agree with you there are some expensive pencils that aren't that good quality. The Brutfuner square are better quality than Prismacolors in terms of build quality. I appreciate that the Brutfuners don't have lightfastness etc but the cores are mostly centered, they don't break or split, even the stamped lettering is better, not that that makes any difference to the usability but still. I can buy 6 boxes of 120 Brutfuner for the price of one box of 150 Prismacolor. Obviously brands such as Caran D'ache, Faber-Castell & Derwent blow all the above pencils out of the water but they are out of some people's price range. I do think the cheap pencil sets have their place. Having said that I personally think this 520 set is too much. It's great to have a range of colours but for me I prefer a colour range over several sets of different brands, each brand having different strengths and uses. Having 520 of one type of pencil is overboard in my opinion.
@@BlueKungFu I have many sets of budget pencils the square ones included and yes on a budget they are okay definitely not my favorite, my Prisma I absolutely love and caren d'ache Holbein Derwent I've had to save for and yes by far the best I'm no artist but the color saturation is the best that's why I think even if your on a budget save for the nicer ones.
Lindsey, can you use gamsol with these pencils? I use it with my Prismacolors but they are waxy.
Yes you can
@@thefrugalcrafter thank you😁
520 would be overwhelming for nearly anyone using them for artwork. However, they would be phenomenal for creating sculptural art where you use the pencils to display
Haha Lindsay, you are so sweet in your choice of words. For you personally this set is a no-go, but you choose your words so carefully. Just to keep other people in your mind. I love that 🥰
By the way, I have the Arteza 2019 and I still love them. This is comfy- pencil 😅
Oh thank you!
I love my brutfuner 120 square. I wish I got them instead of my polychromous and prismas. haven't put them down. They fit in the large hole of most sharpeners.
I have the 160 set and find that they CRUMBLE a lot...did you find that Lindsay? You never mentioned it...I would like to try the square set...not sure where to find it. Thanks for your thorough review!
These did not crumble at all. Was your pencils colored barrels or black barrels with colored tips?
@@thefrugalcrafter they were coloured barrels with NO ENGLISH NAME...they disappear like crazy, between crumbling and having to sharpen...seems like all these sets are very different....the 120 set is square with English names...the 180 set is round with no english names and a black barrel with coloured tip...I think I will pass...and stick to the higher end brands with more consistency.
do you know if I can get those open stock from anywhere? Would really like to get just the blacks and greys.
Not open stock but they do sell smaller packs and they might have a grey set. They have a metallic set for instance.
@@thefrugalcrafter thanks need to check if they have it on aliexpress
My set came the other day. I don’t think they blend as well as prismacolors but they layer a bit better. I saw a video where someone was literally dipping them in blending oil or mineral oil to make them blend better- haven’t tried it yet, but I’m gonna
Got the 120 square and I love them. I can’t imagine 520 lol ty for this video tho
I think the squares are better but these aren't bad.
I just got the other Brutfuner 520 set online. It worked out to about $62, which is a totally insane price. I am under no illusion that they will be the greatest pencils in the world, but they definitely will be interesting to try out. I already struggle with desk space for my 120 Polychromos or 132 Prismas.
If all else fails with the new pencils and I hate them, I can do what I dreamed of years ago and throw them in a resin mould and make a bowl. ;)
Do you mix? Your colored pencil brands when working on a piece or do you stick to one brand through the entire work? I’m sure you covered this somewhere but I thought it would be easier to just ask (Again). If you could buy only one set regardless of cost, which set would that be? I’m too poor to buy cheap tools. Plus I’m downsizing so I gave away all my inexpensive colored pencils old Berols, crayola, old prisma, etc. and I must have had 10 sets of various sizes but I can’t say I liked any of them. Seemed too hard more penciI than pigment. I work mostly in pastels, so I know I like soft and blendable, but pastels & pastel pencils are too dust heavy for art journaling in book format. So I ask again which brand, type and count?
I go for derwent lightfast
I try not to mix brands if I’m charging someone for the work. But if it’s just in your sketchbook it’s fine. The issue comes when different brands have different lightfast ratings so some will fade a lot faster than other with the piece on display on the wall. Which is why I think Lindsay reccomended the derwent lightfast. They’ll be good for any application even if they’re not the cheapest
Hi Lindsey, I have a question, I am wondering is this the full collection of the Brutfuner colored pencils? When I look at ali express they have they other sets are they the same?
They have different series and formulas. So far I haven't really found any consistencies between sets. This is a lot if colors tho!
@@thefrugalcrafter Oh, so the other sets are not in the 520, they are all different?? Holy smokes thats a lot of pencils if thats the case... Is is worth all that, do you think?? I want to try other pencils and play ( but fearful ) to buy NOT so good ones...I am a full time artist and illustrator... and just want to play with a good brand that doesn't cost and arm and a leg... do you still like the 520 set?? thanks for answering ... hugs from canada
My first set of pencils were Prismacolor 150 and absolutely love them. I am not happy, however, with their greens at all. They have so many choices in the gray pencils and not enough of pretty greens or purples.
I also bought FC Polychromo and still like Prismacolor. FC Poly is a little too scratchy. I actually like these pencils you are showing. I have the 180 pencils and they go on nicely and layered nicely. But you are right...$150 is a lot of money when you can buy Prismacolor pencils and continue to build.
Have you ever tried a grisaile technique? You can stretch limited palettes a bit further with it. But I agree with you- lol I always find that spring green in my hand because of the lack of choice
I wonder if someone will do a comparison between the Brutfuner 520 and Felisimmo 500.
I don't know anyone who has both but I bet there are some adult coloring channels that do. I think most people do the fellussimo subscription so they probably dint have all the colors yet and I cant imagine swatching them all!
I do have both. The felissimo square pencils are very hard but feel sleek on the paper, the hold the point long. The brutfuner are softer. But the felissimo have more nice pastel shades while the brutfuner have more dark shades. I like both.
And I also have 2 older sets of felissimo 500 which are more scratchy but they have a lot pigment.
Great review! I have a set of 160 (or 180) under the Label South Sun and the barrels look identical to these. They actually say Brutfuner and not South Sun on the individual pencils. Given this review, unless I was given a set to review, I would not purchase them either, most likely I already have plenty of colors in the set packaged for the South Sun label. I do have the Square set of Brutfuners to review, because of your review on them. They haven’t hit the top of the review pile yet, but I’m looking forward to trying them out. Thanks for such a thorough review. Do you think their hardness would compare them as a budget version of a pencil similar to Polychromos?
You know, hardness wise they are similar but they are not as pigmented or have the uniform color payout as a polychromos. Somone with arthritis could use a poly and get plenty of color where they may struggle to use these or other "polychromos dupes" tho be honest i don't think polychromos are that expensive when you factor in how lightfast most colors are and the ease of purchading colors you run out of. I mever think the claims of polychromos dupe or prismacolor super are accurate and it really only takes buying 2 or 3 budget sets and you could afford an artist grade set.
@@thefrugalcrafter I just filled in the missing colors to complete my Polychromos set today! Now I stalk the mailman 😉. I definitely agree that it is better to just save and get a set of pencils from a company that has a great reputation for quality art supplies like Derwent, Faber Castell, Caran d’Ache to name a few. Knowing that you can count on the consistent quality of their products and replace a color open stock, in the long run these sets can actually save you money. Thanks for the reply, I was just curious if these were a hard similar to polychromos vs softer like Luminance or Lightfast. I would say mine that are packaged under the South Sun label are harder but also a bit scratchy/streaky like you described with the 520 set.
@@ClarkFineArt I didn't find any to be scratchy. More like an uneven pigment blend is some colors.
Yes that’s more what I meant about the ones I have under the south sun label. Scratchy was not the right word, they didn’t have any hard “almost pebble like or gritty pieces” in the cores that would scratch the paper, so definitely wrong word.
You say so often that they are not suitable for people with arthritis... But I have arthritis, I constantly, every day, for 3 months, I draw with these pencils and I have no problems. I tried these pencils on different paper. I don't use them for coloring, I paint with them. I'm bored of coloring coloring pages. They are well shaded with blenders and I also shaded them with a thinner for oil paints. They work well for me on paper with texture. I used every kind of watercolor paper I could find. Brutfuners 520 are not as bad as you say about them. They are the best among the hobby pencils that I have tried. I have prismacolor and polychromos, as well as derwent. Brutfuner is not a replacement for pencils for professionals, but they are very good for hobbies. But I think professionals will also find something to use these pencils for. It was a challenge for me and I coped with it.
Thank you for weighing in. I appreciate your perspective.
I bought a set of Brutbuners but they are round not square. Is there a difference in the leads?
Yes, the lead is different. These round leads will smear in water like many budget oil pencils and the square leads are softer and don't smear in water except for a couple of colors.
HELP-I received the 120 pencil kit, there were 120 BUT I got two 114 pencils. How do I find out the missing number? I did number swatches and there were 5 numbers that were not in my collection. Since the numbers go to 120, I eliminated the missing numbers by putting the swatches in numerical numbers. Missing are: 46-66-94-109-117. Anyone know where I can find a list of the colors for the 120 set by number. If I am missing a color I use often I will return the set but if not I won’t send them back. Don’t want to wait for another set.