Guide to Amazon Colored Pencil Reviews (Fake vs. Trustworthy)

Categories: Tutorials & Guides

Everything you need to know about Amazon colored pencil reviews.

There is much more to buying colored pencils. Buying colored pencils usually begins with reading and watching reviews about five or more pencil sets, and these reviews are essential to helping you decide which colored pencil to buy.

This article is written to help you better understand the Amazon and in-depth colored pencil reviews you find online. Understand the buzzwords, which reviews to trust and how to make the purchase decision easier. Also, find 50+ links to in-depth colored pencil set reviews on ColoringButterfly.com.

Guide to Amazon Colored Pencil Reviews
Table of Contents

50+ In-depth Colored Pencil Brand Reviews
Types of Colored Pencil Reviews
- Sponsored vs. Non-sponsored Reviews
- Artist vs. Non-artist Reviews
Colored Pencil Reviews: a Three-Step Approach
Unpacking the Amazon Reviews
Amazon Reviews: Quick Synopsis
Using Reviews: A Personal Experience

Other resources. Check out other supporting resources on ColoringButterfly.com that you might enjoy.

50+ In-depth Colored Pencil Brand Reviews

In the chart below, find 50+ links to colored pencil brand reviews on ColoringButterfly.com. I have carefully reviewed, held in my hands, and tested over 60 brands of colored pencils for the type of adult coloring I do. If I like the pencil, and it is fun to use, then it is a tool that will allow me to have many hours of joy in creating beautiful moments in adult coloring. That alone defines if the pencils are worth the investment for me. [TOC]

ColoringButterfly.com Colored Pencil Reviews
Amazon Basics Premium	Arteza Expert	Arteza Premium
Black Widow	Brutfuner	Bruynzeel
Caran D’Ache Luminance	Caran D’Ache Pablos	Castle Arts
Castle Arts (Metallic Set)	Castle Arts (Pasteltint Set)	Cezanne
Chameleon	Crayola Signature	Creyart
Derwent Artists	Derwent Coloursoft	Derwent Lightfast
Derwent Procolour	Derwent Studio	Faber-Castell Premium
Farber-Castell Classic	Farber-Castell Goldfaber	Farber-Castell Polychromos
Fantasia Premium	Holbein	Holbein Pastel Tones
Kalour	Koh-I-Noor Polycolor	Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor
Magicfly	Marco Raffine	Marco Renoir
Marco Tribute Masters	Markart	Mitsubishi Uni
Nyoni	Phoenixcolor	Prismacolor Premier
Prismacolor Premier Verithin	Schriprerr Farben	Soucolor
Spectrum Noir ColourBlend	Staedtler Ergosoft	Star-Joy Gold Edition
Tombow Irojiten	Zenacolor Color
*The coloring pencil reviews are subjective, based on my personal experience, research, and the performance of colored pencils in activities like coloring books, pages and sheets. My Review seeks to provide as much information as possible to ask the right questions, evaluate the information, and make better decisions about the colored pencils you choose and use. I will update this article as new information becomes available.

Types of Colored Pencil Reviews

Which colored pencils reviews can I trust? Reviews come in the form of articles, videos and more. You can learn a lot from both types of reviews. Reviews are based on a reviewer’s skill base and experience, and reviewers can range from novice to professional artists. A reviewer’s point of view is valid because that is their experience. For example, consider the purchase of an automobile. Some recommend Chevy or Ford, while others recommend Honda or Subaru. (I like Subaru.)

When I read, watch, and listen to colored pencils reviews, I want them filled with information. Once you have read a few reviews, you will quickly understand what reviews to evaluate and which ones to ignore. I can go through 10 Google listings for pencil reviews in a couple of minutes once I get a sense of what is out there. Once I find a reviewer, blog or website I trust, I keep returning to them because I trust their experience. Let’s take a closer look at the type of colored pencil review you will find. [TOC]

Artist vs. Non-artist Reviews

I think there is a place for both types of reviews. It is important to remember that colored pencils are not just used for adult coloring. There are artists, designers, hobbyists, teachers, families and more who use and want to find the best-colored pencils to meet their needs. I want to make sure that at least 50% of the reviews I read have some or all their focus on the type of colored pencils use I will be doing. In my case, my reviews are meant for those who enjoy and want to make decisions for adult coloring in coloring books. [TOC]

Colored Pencil Reviews: a Three-Step Approach

I like to read and view reviews about colored pencils, and I would like to share how I evaluate colored pencils, which includes reading and viewing.

Step 1: Google search and read blog articles. I like to start by reading about colored pencils. I start with articles written by experienced colorists and artists that list the top 5, 10 or more pencil sets and explain why. Some lists are best budget pencils to best expensive pencils. These articles help me narrow my focus. Next, I read articles that drill down into specific brands. Why do I read vs. view YouTube first? I can narrow my search to two or three choices in an hour or two.

CAUTION: Stay away from reviews that are nothing more than lists of colored pencils with a link to an online store. Often these lists will have a list of the top 5, 10, or more. What is the list based on? I did not find them to be of any real value.

Step 2: Google search and view YouTube. At this stage, I am focused on two or three brands. When deciding on videos to watch, look at the number of views and the year posted. I want to start with a video that is no older than three years and has 500 to several thousand views. When I view videos, I get to listen in on a conversation with someone who is taking the time to share their knowledge. I get a front seat to what is going on. Why do I view videos second and not first? Colored pencil video reviews can easily last 30 minutes, and I want to spend that time with my narrowed selection.

Step 3: Amazon reviews. Amazon reviews are essential; in these reviews, you get the experience of others. By this time, you have read and viewed enough about the pencil sets that you can better understand which reviews to listen to. [TOC]

Unpacking the Amazon Reviews

Almost every colored pencil set on Amazon has reviews. The reviews are meant to provide you personalized perspective regarding a person’s experience using colored pencils. There are 1-5 star ratings, verified purchase vs. non-verified purchase reviews, long vs. short reviews, and many coloring buzz words. This section will discuss how to unpack the Amazon colored pencil reviews. What to use, who to trust, and more.

Trustworthy vs. Fake Colored Pencil Reviews

Anytime you shop online, you probably make place importance on the reviews. Regarding colored pencils, coloring books, and coloring accessories, online reviews, articles, and YouTube videos play a significant role in our decision-making. Remember, you will spend many hours enjoying your hobby, creating art, and expressing yourself. I want to share what I have learned about recognizing the reviews I trust most and those I run away from. [TOC]

How to Spot Trustworthy Amazon Reviews

When I read a review, I seek to see what others have experienced with a specific product. Have others purchased the product to do what I want to do? Have they posted photos, videos, and more? Consider the following:

Look at reviews with 2, 3, and 4 stars. A fake review will usually be a five or 1-star review from a brand, competitor, or third party. Look for moderate reviews in the middle of the road with two, three, or four stars.

Research products on other sites. Look beyond Amazon. YouTube is particularly valuable, especially in the coloring community. Be careful of articles full of affiliate links; don’t tell you they are affiliate links. I like the articles that let me know up front that they are associated with a company BUT have been given the freedom to say what they think. [TOC]

Look for longer reviews. Look for those reviews that take time to share their experience with the product. I especially like the ones that give you the pros and cons.

Read the product Q&A. The Q&A section is an often-overlooked section of the product page. The Q&A contains the commonly asked consumer questions, and the questions are answered by both consumers and employees of the company. Q&As are not about whether a person likes or dislikes a product. Instead, it’s about how the product has held up, had difficulty assembling, whether the colors match, and more. [TOC]

Use a timestamp filter to get the latest reviews. Look and see if you can sort reviews by timestamp. Timestamp means the date and time a review was written. Why? Companies make changes in their products. For example, one company did not print the name of colors or numbers on pencils in the reviews 2017-2019. In 2020, the company started printing names of colors and numbers. That way, you have the latest reviews guiding your decisions.

Use a browser extension or App. Fakespot or ReviewMeta are great and easy tools that you can use to keep from being tricked on Amazon. Both have browser extensions, along with apps for Android and iOS, so that you can automatically see if a product has low-quality reviews when you’re shopping. You can also cut and paste the URL of a product page in either tool to get an analysis.

- Fakespot grades reviews not only on Amazon but also on eBay, Best Buy, Sephora, Steam, TripAdvisor, Yelp and Walmart.

- ReviewMeta only works with Amazon. [TOC]

How to Spot Fake Amazon Reviews

Fake reviews are more common than you think. These reviews can be written on behalf of a brand, competitor, or third-party seller. They are usually glowing or negative reviews written by someone who has purchased or used the product. These reviews are designed to mislead you in deciding about a product. How to spot a fake Amazon review:

Look at the percentage of 1- to 5-star reviews. You should typically expect 70% of the likes to be 4 or 5 stars and 30% to be 1-star reviews. Look for bunches of short reviews. Be suspicious of a group/bunch of reviews in a row that are very short, positive or negative. These reviews can all be five stars, all one star, or all five stars with a few 1-star reviews mixed in. It is a good chance these reviews are paid for.

Be suspicious of vague reviews. Be suspicious when you see one- or two-word reviews that are incredibly positive or negative, like “Love It!,” “Great,” “Amazing,” “Worth the Money,” or Horrible!” and do not explain why they feel that way. The review may be fake.

It is a red flag if the review mentions a competing product. It should be a big red flag if your review mentions that you should not buy the product but instead buy or check out the competing brand. For example, “I tried this product, hated it, and promptly bought the {insert competitor product here}, and I LOVE it! Go buy it here now for 20% off!”

It’s a red flag if an unknown or less popular product has 100s of reviews. If a reasonably unknown or less popular product has thousands of reviews, it’s worth giving those reviews a closer look. [TOC]

Look for similar reviews. Many sellers will provide their reviewers with a template when writing fake reviews. Multiple reviews highlighting the same information but with different wording could be fake reviews.

Spelling and grammar are bad. Many fake reviews are outsourced to international content farms and are either written in poor English or not in a way an actual consumer would express their opinion. [TOC]

Look at the product release date. If a review is published before the product is released, it is a fake review.

Use a timestamp filter. Look and see if you can sort reviews by timestamp. Timestamp means the date and time a review was written. Why? Often, a company will pay people to write reviews during s specific period. You will be able to catch these situations. [TOC]

Look out for the just plain “goofy” reviews. This is not necessarily a fake review, but it is the type of review that I would recommend you not take too seriously. These reviews write in all caps, use terrible grammar, put multiple exclamation points at the end of every sentence (!!!!!) and sometimes even swear. It is just hard to take what this person has to say as being credible.

Watch for the language people use in the industry. It might be a faker review if you read a review that used industry-specific terms not generally used by everyday people. For example, if I read a restaurant review that says “delectable cuisine” when talking about a restaurant, I would stop and think twice about the review. [TOC]

Check the review history of the reviewer. If the reviewer has only left five-star, positive reviews on many different products, the reviews are most likely fake.

A verified customer may not be a verified customer. I depend heavily on the “Verified Purchase” on Amazon. Customers can tell which reviews [are verified] because an orange badge appears next to the review. Amazon seller companies have learned how to play dirty. Sellers often reimburse buyers for purchasing their products and leaving a positive review. With this, even if a review is genuine and from a user who has 100% bought the product, it’s still possible that the buyer was paid for their services. So I depend upon all the other methods listed above to help me spot fake reviews. [TOC]

What happens if you purchase a product because of a bad review on Amazon? I do 95% of my shopping for coloring supplies on Amazon. This is the reason why I have used Amazon as an example. Please check their policies if you use a like like Alibaba, DickBlick, Amazon, HobbyLobby, JerrysArtarama, CheapJoes and others. Amazon’s policies are straightforward. Go to the Amazon website, click on “Orders,” then “Return or Replace,” and return most items. I usually select that the “item was defective,” or the “description was inaccurate,” From there, I follow the return process. [TOC]

Amazon Reviews: Quick Synopsis

This is a concise synopsis of how to look at Amazon Reviews. Below I have provided an in-depth look at how to spot trustworthy vs. fake amazon reviews.

What are some of the tips for reading reviews? When reading the reviews, read a cross-section of 5-star to 1-star reviews. It’s surprising what you can learn even from the “worst” reviews. When reading reviews, check the date.

“Verified Purchase” reviewer. An “Amazon Verified Purchase” review means that Amazon verified that the person writing the review purchased or used the product on Amazon and didn’t receive the product at a significant discount. I place more weight on “Verified Purchases” than on those that are not, and I usually bypass them. [TOC]

Will I ever bypass a review if it has good information? Yes, the review can still provide a lot of good information. Still, in the back of my mind, I am asking whether the review is a fake review from friends, a paid review by the manufacturer, a review by a competitor, or the price other shoppers paid.

I don’t know if the reviewer purchased the item on another site or a brick-and-mortar store (e.g., Hobby Lobby, Michaels). Not relying on non “Verified Purchase” is a conscious choice that allows me to feel more comfortable and safer with online purchasing decisions. [TOC]

When do I disregard “Verified Purchase” reviewers? I have read hundreds of “Verified Purchase” reviews of all types of products on Amazon. There are a few common red flags that stand out to me. For example,

Same review, just a different product. Suppose the reviewer is verbose and continues to say the same thing repeatedly. If I am suspicious about “Verified Reviewer,” I will click on the reviewer’s name and be able to see all the reviews the person has written. Does the reviewer give everybody 5-stars full of praise or 1-star reviews full of complaints? Do they use the same sentences and change out the name of the product?

The product arrived damaged. If a reviewer comments or gives fewer stars because the package came late or was damaged en route (e.g., broken, torn/bent edges), I will ignore them. The problem is usually caused somewhere between shipping, transit, and delivery. It has nothing to do with the quality of the coloring book author, colored pencils, or other coloring supplies. When I have issues with product damage, I send it back to Amazon and get a replacement. The problem is solved.

What are my favorite reviews from “Verified Purchase” reviewers? I like the reviews that take time to outline and tell you about their experience, give me pros and cons, show me examples, and more. [TOC]

Be aware of the review date. The reviews that are the more recent have more weight. I read colored pencil reviews five years ago when consumers complained about the pencils, packaging, colors and more. When I compared the reviews from the most recent year, those same types of consumer complaints were gone. Companies read and listen closely to consumer reviews and will make improvements. [TOC]

Look for reviewer red flags. The adult coloring community is quite savvy when evaluating colored pencils, artists, coloring books and more. As a community, they do a good job and helping others navigate the product and experience the product. I have read reviews that warm me of coloring books with stock images, fake books, and design flaws. [TOC]

Using Reviews: A Personal Experience

I thoroughly enjoy the world of adult coloring. I was hooked when I first picked up the coloring pencil and began coloring. I have spent many beautiful hours coloring, learning, and developing my coloring skills. Over the years, I have had a chance to evaluate, purchase, and experience various colored pencils and coloring books. Allow me to share my personal experience.

I became interested in adult coloring after a severe car wreck where I incurred a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I took up coloring as one of the mental exercises to assist my brain in my ongoing recovery. I fell in love with adult coloring. If you would like to read more about bout my TBI, go to “How A Car Crash Gave Me the Gift of “Living in the Present””

First choice experience. I remember when I bought my first set of colored pencils. I reviewed up to 10 pencil brands, read five or more reviews for each, and viewed many Amazon reviews. The more I looked, the more I hesitated and confused I felt. I ended up buying a cheap brand with lots of colors. That was a terrible choice. I wanted to quit coloring because I was not too fond of the pencil set and the coloring experience they gave me. I did not know there was a difference in pencils

Second choice experience. As I started getting into adult coloring, I was overwhelmed by the choices in prices, variety, colors, and set sizes of coloring pencils. There was discussion about color vibrancy, core strength and softness, oil-based/wax-based, ease of blending, open stock, and so much more. Where do you begin? The more I read, the more confused I became. Finally, I just settled on buying my first coloring book, ColorIt Mandalas for Adults, Volume 1, and SJ Stary-Joy 72 Colored Pencils. That was perfect for getting started.

More experience choices. When I became serious about adult coloring, I knew I wanted a better set of coloring pencils. I read and read and read reviews but was still undecided about where to invest my money. Reading was not enough, and I had to get my hands on the pencils to feel touch and see how they responded to the type of coloring I was doing at the time I was looking. As my skills improved, I graduated in quality coloring books and themes of coloring books. I have sets of Caran D’Ache, Farber-Castell, Prismacolor, Castle Arts, Black Widow, Derwent, Holbein, Arteza, and more. [TOC]

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