STAEDTLER 157 M36 Ergosoft Triangular Colouring Pencils - Assorted Colours (Tin of 36 Pencils)

I can't begin to say how impressed I am with these pencils. I never knew such coloured pencils existed. I'm so used to cheap naff pencils, generally in floppy plastic cases so that they all move around and fall out easily. When I read the reviews of these, I was sold, and hoped I wouldn't be disappointed. Well, they have exceeded expectations. What a fantastic design of the case (and why on earth has it taken me until I'm 30 to see a company use such simple but effective initiative?). It beats even pencil tins, because once opened, the flap opens up to become a stand. This makes the pencils readily available, no more scrambling around trying to find the right colour, and when closed, the case closes securely - something that tins still don't provide. The pencils are soft and beautifully true to the colour on the coating. Very vibrant. They colour in very smoothly and easily, and also evenly. My experience of coloured pencils has always been scratchy colouring-in straight after sharpening, ending with shiny, blunt and hard going colouring as the pencil wore down. Not so with these, no matter if they're sharp or on the blunt side, they still colour effortlessly. I assume it's the soft lead that enables this. I always associated pencils with hard work, but these are a dream to work with. I was a little sceptical over the triangular shape; I thought it might be a tad painful over prolonged periods, but they're very comfortable to use. As you can see, I'm in raptures over these. The colours available are great, so glad I went for the 24 set and not the 12. The only little niggles I have are these: there is no light shade of pink, which may or may not be a bit problematic if you want to colour white people. There is a tanned kind of colour that might suffice. Not a problem for me as I'm not using them as children might, but using them for work. That said, the range of each colour is very good. I can't comment on whether they break or not as I haven't put them through their paces in terms of travel... though they got to me through the post and none of them are broken. As the pencils get worn down and shorter, I wonder if they will rattle around in the compartment a bit. I hope then that the anti-break technology will be proven at this point! I have sharpened one straight out of the box. The triangular shape made my (round) pencil sharpener leave little indentations on the coating. I notice that they've arrived from factory having been sharpened on each side of the triangle. I don't have the time or patience to sharpen these with a knife, so I will settle with the indentations. A small price to pay for such quality pencils. Staedtler have come up trumps.

I’m a first time colourer. Bought a Johanna Basford book (the pocket sized Small Victories). I did a bit of reading about the pencils and with such a choice finally landed on the Ergosoft. The reviews seemed generally positive and I was comfortable with the price. Anyway, both items arrived this morning and I started my first few projects. It was fun and definitely put me in the moment. So on to the pencils. I loved the stand. A brilliant bit of kit. A good selection of colours. I started tentatively, it being over 55 years since I’ve coloured anything. I spent quite a bit of time choosing my colours, and it wasn’t until my 3rd project that I felt I had an understanding of when to apply pressure and when not to. I must say, I haven’t applied a huge amount of pressure and therefore my colours aren’t coming across as ‘vibrant’, it’s as if the colours are pastel. I suspect I will soon start to work out how to add vibrancy to my colours. I have no idea if, like painting, you can blend any of the colours. We will see. So far so good. They feel comfy in my hand, and the nib of the pencils seem to glide on the colour book. I’m already thinking I may need more colours!

I wound classify myself as an arty crafter. I have used many different coloured pencils over the years including prismsacolour and polychromos at the top end. I wanted a set of pencils to take to my craft group and decided to go for the 36 ergosoft having used them in the past for adult colouring books, and loving them then. I received them this morning and am delighted with the vibrant choice of colours, they lay colour down very well, and blend really well. If you want a set of pencils with a good choice of colours, that don’t cost the earth, but give really great results, look no further. I highly recommend these.

Good product

Love these pencils. Very soft and smudgy. Lovely colour choice. Blends good and sharpens well with no breakages. Would highly recommend

These are special pencils indeed, they last for such a long time, we've been using the same pack since early 2012. I've only now come to have to replace them. We only draw and colour for fun with our children however it's nice to do it with good materials. These are very good at shading from light to dark. Their is a good selection of colours and have every colour we've ever needed. They sharpen well and they don't break even with my youngest doing it, it is quite frustrating when you sharpen a pencil and it breaks and you have to start over, and then you've lost a bit of the pencil. When you are paying a premium for a superior product whilst these are worth their price, you don't want waste with breaking. The triangular shape makes them easy to hold and helps with intricate sketching and colouring in. It may sound daft to some but my eldest is left handed and especially finds these easier than a circular pencil.

This is my third Staedtler Pencil Brand I have tried. The first 2 were a harder pencil and not very pigmented, however you could easily sharpen a point for those smaller images. This set of Staedtler Pencils are just beautiful. They have the white strength band around the core and sharpen nicely to a point and they are much more pigmented the the other Pencil Series. I love them. They are so smooth. Great for those smaller intricate drawings in Secret Garden Colouring book (Basford). Will be buying these again as gifts or personal use. A great buy.

Easy to blend or layer

breaks easily - prismacolor are much better though they cost more than double

Really nice - they are soft and rich and colour lays down really well. There are other Staedtler Coloured Pencils you can get for a little cheaper and they are fine, but they aren't the same as the ergosoft, so make sure you know which you are getting. I prefer these for colouring books to many of the other more waxy types. (I've tried a number of different brands). But I really wish you could get these in a larger pack with a lot more colours, like the Prismacolour packs. Being triangular, they aren't the easiest to sharpen, but I also have the Staedtler two hole tub sharpener and that works best for these of the different sharpeners I have tried.

The best coloring pencil made by this company ...deep colours .....also love the Norris Staedtler