10 Best Colored Pencils 2026 in the United States

The Shuttle Art 172 Colored Pencils set offers a huge range of 172 unique colors, including 12 metallic shades, making it perfect for detailed coloring, sketching, or crafting for beginners, adult coloring enthusiasts, or artists. Each pencil is clearly labeled with both the color name and number, and the pencil’s body color matches the core, allowing for quick and easy shade selection. The soft cores glide smoothly on paper, enabling easy blending and layering, which is excellent for shading and creating vibrant artwork. Despite their softness, the cores resist breaking under normal use, and the pencils are made with quality wood for easy sharpening. Safety is also ensured as these pencils meet U.S. and European safety standards, making them suitable for all ages, including children.

Though the set is large and might be pricier than smaller packs, it offers excellent value considering the variety and quality. For those needing pencils with very high lightfastness (resistance to fading over time), this set may not be ideal since it mainly targets casual to intermediate artists rather than professionals focused on archival quality. However, for most hobbyists and coloring book fans, Shuttle Art’s colorful, user-friendly pencils provide a reliable and enjoyable drawing experience.

The Shuttle Art 138 Colored Pencils set offers an impressive range of 138 vibrant colors, making it a great choice for anyone from beginners to more experienced artists who want a wide palette to work with. These pencils have soft cores, which means the colors are easy to blend and layer, perfect for smooth shading and creative effects. The cores are also designed to resist breaking, which is helpful during sharpening or heavy use. Each pencil is numbered and named, accompanied by a DIY color chart, making it easier to find and organize colors, a nice feature for both adults and kids working on detailed projects.

The set comes with useful extras like a sketch pad, coloring book, sharpeners, and pencil extenders all neatly packed in a sturdy metal case, offering solid storage and portability. Shuttle Art is a trusted brand with a strong reputation, backed by many positive reviews. The price is reasonable considering the extensive color selection and accessories included, making this a good value for hobbyists, students, and casual artists looking for a versatile and enjoyable colored pencil set.

The Crayola Colored Pencils Set with 120 colors is a great choice for kids and classrooms thanks to its large color range and trusted brand reputation. These pencils have a smooth, creamy core that makes coloring and blending easy, which is especially helpful for young artists just starting out. The pencils come pre-sharpened, so kids can dive right into their artwork without any hassle.

While Crayola is known for quality and safe materials, these pencils are designed primarily for casual use rather than professional or archival artwork, so they may not offer strong lightfastness (resistance to fading over time) or very hard cores that some artists prefer for fine detail. The set is quite affordable considering the quantity, making it an excellent value for schools, homeschooling, or families with multiple children.

With so many colors, some shades might be quite similar, which could be a bit overwhelming or unnecessary for beginners. If you are looking for a fun, reliable, and budget-friendly pencil set mainly for kids or general coloring activities, this Crayola set delivers well without being overly specialized.