Introduction
Back to School is around the corner! At Programit we are working to make this Back to School season easier for everyone. We aim to recommend quality products that teachers will be happy to have in class, make affordable products accessible to parents, and supply stationery that the children will love using! Finding a balance between quality and price can be tricky, which is why this Back to School series review was created. The goal is to help teachers and parents decide what products they want students to use in the classroom during the school year.
Colouring pencils are considered an essential classroom item, as they are affordable, easy to use and durable. There are many educational reasons to promote colouring in the classroom- it encourages creativity, develops fine motor skills, and helps teach colour recognition. Colouring pencils are most often available in the basic colours, which include the necessary primary, secondary and extra colours. Some sets may also include pastel, neon or metallic colours.
As an after-school art teacher, colouring pencils are a must-have in my class, and I have some experience in working with the products in our shop. This review is aimed at helping each teacher and parent find which supplies will work best for the new school year, with a short overview of each product and its price. The prices are from late August 2024.
One of my Grade 3 students helped me
review the pencils to give a voice to the students.
She prefers to stay anonymous, and she will be referred to as “DinoQueen” from
here on. She was interviewed without knowing the value of the pencils and
without knowing my personal opinion to ensure that she was not being biased.
DinoQueen is quite generous in her ratings, which is something to keep in mind.
Nexx Kre-a-tiv Colour Pencils
Starting with the most affordable colouring pencils, the Nexx Colour Pencil set costs only R16.84, about R1.40 per pencil.
The sets of 12 are available in primary, pastel, neon and metallic colours. The pastel, neon and metallic pencil sets are more expensive than the primary colours, costing R 31.61. The additional sets allow for a bigger colour range in the classroom. There is also a larger set of 24 colouring pencils in the primary colours.
The barrel shape of the pencils is triangular, to help the student grip it easily. Each barrel is the same colour as the lead.
The low price of the pencils does have some drawbacks. The pencils are not brightly pigmented and have hard lead. However, the colours are easy to identify and the colouring experience is smooth. The biggest marketing points of these pencils are the affordable price and the decent quality. The hard lead also indicates that the pencils can be used for longer before needing to be sharpened, which can be a benefit in a classroom of younger students. DinoQueen was happy with these pencils. She also said that it was better than some other pencils she had used, giving them a 9.4 out of 10.
Bantex Colour Pencils
The Bantex colouring pencils set of 12 cost R19.79 for the set, and the cost per pencil is R1.65. The pencils are also available in sets of 24. Both the 12 and 24 sets include all the basic colours.
The pencils are triangular and each barrel is decorated with white shapes and doodles. The design of the barrel adds an element of creativity to the pencil design. Each pencil predominantly showcases its colour throughout the barrel.
The Bantex pencils have vibrant colours. These pencils are a midrange between the Nexx and Adel colouring pencils. However, the set has some problems with the colour selection. The light and dark greens are extremely similar on paper. In the 24-colour set I tested for this review, many of the colours were so similar in colour, that the only way to tell the colours apart was to look at the barrel of the pencils. This might not be an issue for some teachers and students, but it depends on the activities the colouring pencils are used for in class. DinoQueen notes that she found the pencils scratchy, saying it felt like they gripped the page at times. She gave them an 8.3 out of 10.
Adel Colour Pencils
The set of 12 Adel pencils costs R21.22, R1.77 per pencil. They are
also available in a set of 24 pencils. Both sets include basic colours.
The Adel pencils have a rounded hexagon-shaped barrel in the same colour as the lead.
The Adel colouring pencils are very pleasant to use. The lead is soft and the colours are vibrant. I found the yellow pencil is less pigmented than the other colours, but overall the colours are very bright and stand out on the page. The quality of these pencils was impressive, and the pigmentation quality is obvious in the black. I believe these pencils will do very well in a classroom setting, combining good quality with a more affordable price. I did find that when colouring, I managed to break the lead of a pencil. Although this is possible with all pencils, it is a drawback that comes with having softer, more brittle lead. DinoQueen was very excited about these pencils and was still talking about them by the time she had finished reviewing all the pencil sets. She described them as glossy and the best pencils, warranting a solid 10 out of 10.
Bic Kids Evolution Stripes Colour Pencils
The Bic Kids colouring pencils cost R33.87 for 12, R2.82 per pencil.
The 12-colour set includes all the basic colours. The Bic Kids pencils also
come in packs of 24, which includes more secondary colours.
The pencil has a hexagonal-shaped barrel with lines of beige, raw wood running down it, alongside stripes of the pencil’s colour. I found that this design choice caused some confusion among the younger students in my art class because they could not identify the colour at first glance. The beige stripes will cause them to believe the colour is beige, rather than the actual colour, and this is especially prominent in students who have not learnt their colours yet.
The Bic Kids pencils had an unpigmented colour yield. They tend to be scratchier and can be difficult to colour with. The colours are easy to distinguish from one another on paper. Although they work, they are not the most pleasant pencils to colour with. Even though I did not enjoy using these pencils, they will work in a classroom setup. DinoQueen, however, expressed a strong disdain for these pencils, commenting “bleg” on several occasions and describing them as disgusting. She further demonstrated her strong dislike by giving these a 1.4 out of 10. Although these allegations are harsh, she stuck with her rating throughout the review.
Faber-Castell Eco Colour Pencils
The Faber-Castell Eco Pencils are the most affordable in the
Faber-Castell range. The set of 12 costs R41.06, which is about R3.42 per
pencil. There is also a set of 24 pencils, which broadens the colour range.
A selling point of these pencils is the eco-friendly label, as the woods used in these pencils are from certified sustainable forestry. The barrels of these pencils are a rounded hexagonal shape.
The pencils are smooth because of the soft lead, making the colouring experience easy and fun. The pencils are the most pigmented, slightly better than the Adel pencils. The colours are easy to distinguish on paper and by the barrel design, making them a good option for children learning their colours. Even though these pencils are more expensive, they are good quality and pleasant to use. DinoQueen did not comment much on these pencils. She did say that they worked well enough and gave them a 9 out of 10, earning them second place on the review.
Staedtler Noris Club Colour Pencils
The Staedtler Noris Club Colour Pencils are a step up in price from the previous sets. The set of 12 costs R54.33, working out to R4.52 per pencil. They come in both 12 pencil sets and 24 pencil sets. The 12 pencil sets currently come with two free Staedtler HB Graphite pencils, although this might no longer be the case in the future.
The pencil has a hexagonal-shaped barrel with thin lines of black running along the barrel. The majority of the pencil’s design matches the colour of the lead, aiding in easy identification of the colour.
These pencils tend to have a scratchy colour yield, and I found them difficult to colour with. Despite this being the most expensive set on the review, the quality did not match the price. The colours were easy to identify on paper but were less vibrant than both the Faber-Castell and Adel sets. There are much cheaper sets available with the bonus of better quality. However, DinoQueen enjoyed these pencils, giving them a high rating of 9 out of 10. She found them fun to colour with. I used the Staedtler pencils as a primary school student, and I don’t remember having any specific complaints about them.
Conclusion
Each classroom is unique, and the right stationery and school supplies are an essential element of facilitating education. Although this review is long, the details are meant to aid in critical thinking about which supplies the students will need for the year ahead. Quality and affordability are both important, and we would like to sell products that prioritize both. We also value the kids' opinions on what they enjoy using in the classroom, making each day of education something they can look forward to. Hopefully, this review helps summarize all the details and starts preparations to make this Back to School the best yet!
If you have any ideas on what you’d love to see in the Back to School boxes this year, leave us a message on the website. We hope you found this review helpful.