Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils Review – Are They Worth It?

Quick Verdict

The Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils deliver a lot of value for the price. The pre-sharpened soft cores glide smoothly across paper, blend with minimal effort, and produce vibrant colors that hold up well during layering. If you want a generous color range without spending Prismacolor money, these are worth picking up. Score: 4.3 out of 5.

What Is the Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils Set?

It was a rainy Saturday when I finally cleared the kitchen table and dug into a stack of adult coloring books that had been sitting untouched for months. I grabbed the Soucolor set mostly because I needed something that wouldn't require me to run to the store for replacements mid-session. The box arrived in a sturdy cardboard case — not fancy, but functional — and when I flipped it open, 72 pre-sharpened pencils stared back at me, each one numbered and named. That organized labeling alone made a difference: no squinting at tiny printed labels or guessing whether I was holding "Sky Blue" or "Powder Blue."

The Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils are soft-core colored pencils designed primarily for adult coloring books, sketching, and detailed illustration work. Each pencil uses premium wood casing with a break-resistant core loaded with saturated pigments. They're pre-sharpened at the factory, which saves time but also means you might want to reshape a few to your preferred point depending on your technique. The set targets a wide audience — from teenagers working on school projects to adults using coloring for stress relief or creative expression.

Key Features

• 72 vibrant, pre-sharpened pencils with soft, break-resistant cores
• Each pencil numbered and named for quick color identification
• Rich pigments designed for smooth blending and layering without waxy buildup
• Premium wood casing that sharpens cleanly without crumbling
• Non-toxic formulation with EN71-3 safety certification
• Saturated pigments with lightfast properties for lasting artwork
• Comes in a portable organized case, ideal for gifting

Hands-On Review

Right out of the box, I pressed one of the mid-tone greens onto a mandala page in a mid-weight coloring book. The first stroke was smooth — not scratchy, not gritty. By the second pass, I was layering a darker shade on top and watching it blend almost effortlessly. What surprised me was how little pressure I needed to get solid color coverage. On heavier cardstock, the cores held up well even when I pressed harder for shading in the corners. On day three, I tried blending two contrasting colors together with a blending stump, and the transition was clean — no streaking, no weird residue building up.

I tested the sharpening too. Dropped two pencils in my electric sharpener on a whim — one emerged with a clean, sharp point, and the other snapped at the first turn. That was my fault for cranking the speed too high, honestly. With a hand sharpener, both came to fine points without crumbling the wood around the core. The break-resistant label holds up to normal use, but these aren't invincible — treat them like any quality pencil set.

The lightfast claim is harder to verify without months of UV exposure, but the pigment intensity held steady through two weeks of regular use with no visible fading on finished pieces. The color range itself covers the full spectrum cleanly — I had enough skin tones for a botanical illustration project and plenty of greens and blues for landscape work. Some of the lighter pastels did feel slightly less opaque on darker paper, which is worth noting if you primarily color on black or colored backgrounds.

Who Should Buy It?

The Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils work best for:

• Adult coloring enthusiasts who want a wide color palette without the premium price tag of artist-grade brands
• Students and teachers needing a complete set for art class, sketchbook work, or classroom supplies
• Beginners exploring colored pencil techniques who want to experiment with blending and layering before investing in expensive sets
• Gift buyers looking for a well-presented art supplies set for graduations, birthdays, or teacher appreciation

Skip this set if you're a professional artist who needs the absolute highest pigment concentration and are willing to pay for it. Also skip if you only want 12-24 colors — the sheer range here can be paralyzing for simple projects.

Alternatives Worth Considering

If the Soucolor 72-Color set isn't quite right, here are two alternatives:

• Prismacolor Premier 72-Color Set — A step up in pigment quality and wood smoothness. Worth it if you do a lot of professional or archival work, though the price is significantly higher.
• Crayola Colored Pencils 72-Count — More budget-friendly and kid-friendly, but with less pigment payoff and a waxier feel that affects blending. Better for casual coloring than serious art projects.
• Castle Art Supplies 72-Color Pencil Set — Similar price point and color count with comparable soft cores. A close competitor with slightly different shade selection.

FAQ

Final Verdict

After two weeks with the Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils, I'm comfortable saying they punch above their weight class. The pre-sharpened convenience, smooth blending, and organized color system make them an easy recommendation for anyone building their art supplies collection. They're not going to replace professional-grade pencils for gallery work, but for coloring books, sketching, and creative relaxation, they deliver. If you want a generous palette that won't break the bank, the Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils are a solid choice.