Wax-based Colored Pencils vs. Oil-based Colored Pencils | Which One Should You Choose? 

30:47 - Yes they do hold a harder point, but the best way I've heard Faber-Castell described is that they're a "silky smooth" rather than a "creamy soft" (a la Prismacolors). Of course the feel of a pencil in no way informs about its quality in pigmentation & layering, but it does have its value for those who want a nicer coloring experience that doesn't require very much pressure (like for those who fatigue easily or have joint pain). Keep in mind there's always going to be inconsistency in "feel" throughout most given sets. That's bc Reds are always going to have softer pigment, whilst Yellows tend to be sourced from harder minerals. The exception to this is Caran D'ache who specifically & intentionally creates their formulations to offer a consistent experience throughout. So their Reds/Warm colors are made with harder materials and their Yellows/Greens have softer materials added to them in order for their "feel" to be evenly matched. So if you prefer the softest pencil to avoid exertion, then go with Prismacolor. But keep in mind that their buttery creaminess whittles their pencils down faster, which means you waste more pencil and you need to crank a sharpener more often (not good for hands or the wallet). They also look the most like crayons on paper. If you prefer a silky smooth feel, Polychromos also gives a great experience -- YET it doesn't whittle down as fast. In a coloring test, Polychromos fills over 3x to 4x more pages than Prismacolor. It means they're more cost-effective in the long run, & they don't need as much sharpening. Their pointiness are also great for detailed work & they leave an oil-painterly finish on paper. Now if you prefer a more consistent feel throughout your set, then Caran D'ache is your best bet. You'll never have to worry about varying your pressure while coloring, bc each pencil feels the same. They offer great pigmentation despite not being super creamy or super silky, and they also don't need alot of sharpening. Another key feature is that Caran D'ache Pablos are designed to work on ANY paper you use. Unlike Derwent, Polychromos, and Prismacolor, which sometimes require a specific type of paper to get the most benefit, Caran D'ache offers reliability & consistency in their feel & laydown regardless of paper medium used.

I will say that both of these brands smell so good. I generally like to smell art supplies, but nice pencils smell the very best.

Actually polys layer way more than Prisma. Just because the white is covered doesn't mean it won't keep layaring.

Also the polys last twice to three times longer than prisma due to having a harder lead.

I like both but I did give up on the prismacolors as the wood casing is a huge problem I had some wood breaking right down and led breakages is a problem and this set was bought in November 2021. So will keep with my poly they are amazing and reliable

I also like both sets. One thing I like about prismacolors is their mix of light pastel type colours along with bright and dark colours. Polychromos has mostly bright and dark colours. But I also think that not only are the polychromos pencils more expensive because of their lightfastness but because of their superior construction. I don’t think it’s only the lead that makes them stronger but probably they are centred correctly in the pencil. The prismacolors are often not well manufactured in that the lead is not centred very well and that’s at least partly why they break.

Finally! A great simple thorough explanation! Thank you🎉

I've been curious about this very thing and now I know,thanks!

Thank you. A great demonstration of both kinds of pencils, plus the commentary re price, etc.

Thanks for the Video. I decided to purchase a set of goldfaber watercolour 24 set and a 24 set of polychromos. Decided to get the goldfaber as a cheaper base/wash colour which will be versatile for a couple of different uses and then the polychromos as a detail pencil(bought both Faber-Castell so I can match colours easier for art work even though one is professional line and other is student line)

Good Primer for beginners. Like what Su Hohl said below is that ALL pencils are a Wax & Oil & sometimes Clay mix as binders for the pigment, just different ratios, Good to remember... Best way to find out what works for you is to experiment & do different swatches & strokes as you did on this video. Thanks for all your hard work Pam...!

I love using both !

Thank you for the review Pamela. They are both gorgeous sets as far as vibrancy and blend ability. I do have a question about mixing these two types on coloring pages. Would you use wax or oil-based to lay down your first layer on the subject you are coloring? Do the two types blend well together on your coloring pages? Thank you.

I am going to try the 24 set of Polychromos as I do tend to press quite hard so it will be interesting for me to see how I find them. I haven't been colouring very long and have been using mostly Castle Arts Pencils. Thanks for sharing this really informative video 💖

In the entire 120 family of Polychromos colored pencils only 2 colors rate a one star, and both are a purpleish color. H 08/27/2021: I just got the 150 set of Prismacolors from Amazon today for $113. I have 72 Polychromos that were purchased open stock from Blick. Polychromos glues the casing to the lead to add protection from breakage and cracking. I have had some of these pencils for over 10 years with no issue. I have other brand colored pencils purchased at the same time that have some cracks on the casing.

I must admit I'm partial to oil pencils. I have nothing against wax ones but I'm just not as good with them. I have a few (not prismacolor premium ones because they're way too expensive in Europe but I have Chromaflow and Luminance), I use them and like them, but I always go back to my Polychromos and my other oil ones (from Holbein to cheap Brutfuner). I think you just need to go with what feels more 'right'. Coloring has to be fun, I love layering with my oil pencils and it comes naturally to me (even though I learned drawing with watercolor pencils because I was obsessed with my Caran D'ache as I grew up 😅😂). Great video thank you 😊

Prismacolor Premier colors looks little bit tinted with black. Polychromos colors looks really vibrant and loud. (I don't know if you guys see them the way I see them )

While polys are more expensive, it would seem like you wouldn't use up a pencil as quickly as the prismas. They cover the tooth in fewer layers, and they don't break or crumble as easily as the prismas. No wonder you haven't needed several sets, although you color with prismas the majority of the time, which accounts for a lot of it too!! 😉 Have you done this comparison with your favorite budget oil and wax pencil sets? I know you have enough wax sets to compare against each other for quite a while!! 😂 Beginner becoming a pencil hoarder here, lol!!

I have some color pencils I bought years ago and I just started using them again. They feel so smooth and natural! Unfortunately I don’t have the original box so I have no idea whether they are wax or oil. I think they were relatively cheap as they are small size pencils with no markings or capped end but they are light years better than my Crayolas. My guess is they are oil based because there seems to be no waxy build up, little shedding and they never seem to break. I’m afraid to buy a new set because I don’t want to get the wrong ones. I was thinking about Arteza or the Prismacolor but now I am leaning towards a small set of Faber-Castels. I don’t know what to do 😬

Love your videos! I was wondering if you would consider sharing some of your work with the 36 set of prismas? If not, I totally understand. Ty for taking the time to make these videos

can u tell me what one is best for reborn doll hair

I have both, and use the Prismacolor pencils on certain types of paper, and use the Polychromos pencils on the heavier paper.

Thanks this is very informative. I'm keeping both.

This review was a fair, honest and thorough assessment. I am a big fan of both. These were the brands that I started out with and are my favorites. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you Pamela !!! I love them both, and mix them too !!! Very softly .....

It's interesting that you purchased the Polychromos first, and used them quite awhile before you got your Prismas. I did it just the opposite way. Definitely use my Prismacolors so much more than the PC. Need to take the time to learn them. It seems like it is more work to get the result I'm looking for. Very informative video. Thank you! Good information for sure! 😁👍

I color pretty heavy handed and I have not broke any of my prismas yet.. I just dont sharpen my pencils to that super long point... I still get it to a sharp point just with about half as much lead exposed

yep, you be right, I prefer oil based because I'm heavy handed.

its Cuz the wax smudges and skips parts of the paper and leaves white spots. 17:10

Thank you I just started adult coloring. I am finding out all the mistakes I am making. I am really enjoying all theffun I am having.

So can you use both the oil based and wax based pencils together? Thank so much for sharing! I am looking for the most lightfast & opaque pencils.

It's not strictly true that wax-based pencils will be softer than oil-based ones. Take the Derwent Lightfast and Procolour pencils for example: The Lightfasts are oil-based and they are very soft and the Procolour are wax-based and are way harder than the Polys. Every pencils contains a mixture of wax and oil (sometimes even clay), but I believe it's the wax/oil ratio that makes all the difference.

Amazon Germany sells today the 120set Polychromos are 14€ cheaper than the 150set Prismacolour. They are far away in price last few month. So at least Prismacolour isn't a cheap pencil in Germany.

I saw the Prismas were back down to $65 last night. (Less than I paid)!

can I paint my reborn doll hair with the prisma pencil or the poly better? ty

I like your videos❤️ I think it is hard to compare oil based and wax based pencils by compare only 2 brands. There are big differences even between some brands which are wax based. I have the prismacolors and felissimo pencils which are both wax based, but the felissimo pencils are very hard while the prismas are very soft. Then there are various oil based pencils which lay down different and have different feeling while using them. Some of them are hard, others are soft.But one thing all wax based brands have in common is that they feel sleek when use them, like a crayon. Hard to describe this😆

Don’t like prismas. I gave away whole set . They crumble when you use them .

your a lefty you just don't know what lol i'm a right handed I and I sharpen on the right hand and the pencil on the left 😋

I don't like Polychromos, they don't work well on some kinds of paper and take a lot of time to get vibrancy.