Pentel Oil Pastels 50 Color Set Review – Brilliant Art Supplies

Quick Verdict

If you're hunting for Pentel Oil Pastels that balance pigment quality with everyday usability, the 50 Color Set earns solid marks. After spending two weeks with the PHN-50 across different surfaces, I can say it handles most colorists' needs without breaking the bank. That said, if you demand professional-grade opacity from every single shade, you'll notice a few weaker performers in the light color range. Rating: 4.4/5 — a reliable mid-tier choice for hobbyists and serious colorists alike.

What Is the Pentel Oil Pastels 50 Color Set?

The Pentel Oil Pastels 50 Color Set (model PHN-50) is a boxed collection of oil-based drawing sticks designed for artists and colorists who want vibrant, blendable pigments without the mess of traditional pastels. Pentel, a well-established Japanese art supply brand, packages these 50 colors in a compact hinged case that keeps everything organized between sessions. I pulled this set from its shipping box on a rainy Tuesday afternoon — the packaging had that satisfying weight to it, not the flimsy feel you sometimes get with budget sets.

Unlike chalk pastels that dust and smear easily, oil pastels bind pigment in an oil-wax base. The result is something that applies more like a crayon but blends like a dream once you work it. Pentel claims these are acid-free and resistant to humidity effects, which matters if you're framing or storing finished work. The set leans toward paper, canvas, and artboard as primary surfaces.

Key Features

• 50 distinct colors organized by hue families in a hinged case
• Smooth, consistent application without skipping or dragging
• Excellent blending performance for gradients and color mixing
• Oil-based formula produces more vibrant results than chalk pastels
• Acid-free composition resists humidity degradation over time
• Versatile surface compatibility: paper, canvas, artboard
• Sturdy packaging protects pastels during storage and transport

Hands-On Review

I started my testing with a simple color wheel exercise on 140lb drawing paper. The darker shades — deep blues, rich reds, forest greens — applied with immediate impact. One stroke gave solid coverage, and blending two adjacent colors with my fingertip produced smooth gradients that felt satisfying to create. By day three, I had moved to a more complex botanical illustration, layering a fern frond with multiple shades of green.

Here's what surprised me: the lighter colors, particularly the pale yellow and soft pink, required more pressure and multiple passes to achieve the same opacity as their darker counterparts. It's not a dealbreaker, but if you're working on a piece with lots of pale highlights, plan for extra layering time. I found myself reaching for the cerulean blue and burnt sienna more than I expected — those core colors punch well above their price point.

Moving to canvas was an experiment. I scraped a section with a palette knife to test texture capability, and the oil base held together nicely without crumbling like some softer pastels do. The vibrancy on canvas surprised me — colors looked almost luminous against the white ground. After two weeks of regular use, I haven't experienced any significant drying or crumbling, which has happened with cheaper sets I've tested in the past.

Will I keep using it? Definitely — but with a caveat. The PHN-50 set handles 90% of what I need beautifully. That remaining 10% is the fine detail work where a thinner drawing pen or colored pencil still outperforms a chunky pastel stick. Think of oil pastels as your color field tool, not your line work solution.

Who Should Buy It?

This set works best for:

• Adult colorists who enjoy meditative coloring sessions and want richer pigmentation than colored pencils provide
• Beginner artists exploring color theory and blending techniques without investing in expensive professional supplies
• Mixed media experimenters who want to layer oil pastels with other mediums on various surfaces
• Art teachers stocking a classroom with durable, low-mess pastels that survive student handling

Skip this set if you're a professional illustrator demanding museum-grade pigment opacity in every single shade, or if your primary work involves extremely fine detail that requires controlled thin lines. This also isn't the right choice if you need the ultra-soft consistency of premium Japanese or French oil pastels — Pentel keeps these more firm for durability, which trades some buttery smoothness for longevity.

Alternatives Worth Considering

If the Pentel PHN-50 doesn't quite fit your needs, these options are worth exploring:

• Sakura Pigma Oil Pastels — A comparable 48-color set at a similar price point, though users report slightly less vibrant darks
• Caran d'Ache Neopastels — Premium Swiss-made pastels with superior opacity across all colors, but at roughly triple the price per stick
• Mungyo Gallery Oil Pastels — Budget-friendly Korean pastels with decent blending, though the color range and pigment quality fall noticeably below Pentel's offering

FAQ

Final Verdict

The Pentel Oil Pastels 50 Color Set delivers the blendability and vibrancy colorists want at a price that won't make you flinch. Its acid-free formula, solid packaging, and reliable performance across multiple surfaces make it a strong choice for both beginners building their art supply collection and experienced artists wanting a portable color range. The lighter colors could use more punch, and the firm consistency isn't for everyone — but those are manageable trade-offs rather than fundamental flaws. For the vast majority of coloring and art projects, the PHN-50 earns its shelf space.