Posts filed under Colored Pencil

Pentel Multi 8 Lead Holder Review

I held out for as long as I could, but the siren’s call of the Pentel Multi 8 Lead Holder was too strong. The decision to delay acquiring one was based in simple logic: I didn’t have a need for it. So what changed? Nothing other than my curiosity getting the best of me.

Even if you didn’t know the name “Pentel Multi 8” it’s likely you have seen this product somewhere along your stationery journey. It’s as photogenic as it is weird, making it a compelling product for many. For me, all I could think about was how I would use this thing?

To be more specific, this “thing” is essentially an 8 color multi pencil. There are various models, barrel styles, and packages you can buy - ranging from $20 to $36 - which seems expensive at first, but there is a lot that goes into making this pencil work.

First of all, the mechanism is unlike any I’ve ever used. The 8 leads are stored in individual slots around the upper half of the barrel. To extend one, twist the clip around to line up with the color of your choosing, and press the knock to open the clutch at the tip and extend the lead.

Why this works well, and differs from most multi pens, is that the chosen lead drops into the bottom half of the barrel, fully clear of the remaining leads. This allows it to extend vertically, and provide a perfect writing angle for the tip.

Pentel Multi 8 Lead Drop — *The lead drop is protected by a metal band on each piece (see below,) keeping it from flying to the floor.*

Due to the drop when extending the lead, you do need to stop it at the correct length manually, like with your hand, or on the page. What’s genius though is that if you forget to stop the lead, each piece has a metal band on the back end designed to catch runaway leads. The first time I forgot to stop the lead I thought it was heading to the floor, but it hung up on the metal band until I pushed it back in. Very cool.

Pentel Multi 8 Metal Band — *The aforementioned metal band. You twist the knock to line up a metal bit that opens the clutch wider to replace the selected piece.*

This same process is how you replace a lead, but there is an extra “unlock” stage you need to twist to first on the knock. This allows the clutch to open wider so the metal band can be pulled all the way out through the opening, and replaced with a fresh lead.

The leads themselves are strong, with decent color representation, but the colors are not the most vibrant. Due to the 2 mm size limitation, they have to be stabilized structurally to not break, so you do give up some of the rich shades you would get will a full sized color pencil. I’ve yet to experience a break, or even a chip of the lead so far.

*Coloring in my* *Ink-A-Pet Coloring Book! The colors are nice, but you would get more depth and vibrancy from quality stand-alone color pencils. This is not the best use case for the Multi 8.*

That tradeoff is worth it for what the Pentel Multi 8 offers as a complete package. My use case hesitancy was valid, but it ended up being a more versatile tool that I imagined. This is a portable powerhouse for note taking, sketching, highlighting, and any activity where color matters, but you don’t need pens, or a fist full of traditional color pencils.

The final consideration is price. The model I have is the Pentel Art Multi 8 Lead Holder Set, which for $36 is the full package of 8 installed leads, 12 refill leads, and a rather useless sharpener that is unnecessary. The $30 version has 8 leads installed, with 8 two-packs of lead refills, along with a different color barrel that is part Grey, and part Clear. Finally, the $21 model simply ships with the 8 installed leads. There are a couple of other configurations to confuse things, but these are the primary models. You can also buy refill 2-packs for $1.75 each.

Do you need this pencil at this price? It’s certainly cool looking, and I got along with it better than I anticipated. It’s not the best coloring option unless you are using smaller sheets because you will churn through the lead. For school, work, journaling, design, sketching, and any other portable endeavor, I think it is a good, if not great, option.

The Pentel Multi 8 won me over, and I’ve and seen many great uses for it. If you are a fan, let me know how you use yours in the comments below.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on June 8, 2026 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pentel, Colored Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Blackwing Colors Colored Pencils Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Stressed? Me, too! Coloring helps. I did a little coloring this week, and decided to try the Blackwing Colors Colored Pencil Set. I'm a big fan of their graphite pencils, as many are, so I was excited to see if I'd like these as much. If their graphite pencils are my favorite to write with, would their colored pencils be my favorite to color with? Sadly, no, but they are very decent--just not as superior as their daily writers.

The set comes in a box with a foam insert that has all the pencils safely nestled in their little cubby. The box opens like a book, which is nice for use while you're coloring. It's much easier to use than a top-opening box. You can see exactly what you're reaching for, and it helps protect the pencil tips. It's also magnetic, which helps keep the pencils safe in transport.

Speaking of tips, the pencils do not come sharpened, so your coloring session will need to be preceded by a sharpening session. They do sharpen very neatly, though. One pencil did not cooperate. The black pencil core broke when sharpening once, but then continued to break as I tried to use it. It was obviously broken in several places internally, so I gave up on it. But the rest never broke at all. I usually expect some breakage with colored pencils, so only one is not bad. The clay-based cores of most colored pencils are a lot more delicate than graphite pencils.

The cores of these colored pencils are very soft, and that's because Blackwing has created a wax-based core for them. I used a Kum Masterpiece two-step sharpener to put a pretty good point on these, but that point wore down very fast. These would not work well for those very detailed coloring books with lots of very tiny spaces to color in, which is most of what I have. But the soft cores are wonderful for blending and shading, so they'd be great for artists creating their own images.

The colors are well-pigmented, with even the lightest colors creating very vibrant tones. The bright colors and smooth texture remind me a lot of the Prismacolor colored pencils that were the Cadillac of my high school art classes. Overall a good coloring experience, though not as nice as the Derwent colored pencils that I've been using over the past decade.

One thing these colored pencils have that most don't is the signature flat Blackwing eraser. Erasers aren't usually as effective on colored pencils as they are on graphite, and that's still the case here. The eraser formula on these is different than for a graphite pencil. They're paler, more textured, and a little crumbly, because Blackwing has included sand in them to make them more effective. They work better than a regular pencil eraser would, but you can see that they still aren't removing much of the pigment from the page. A bit, yes, but the erased lines are still visible except in the very palest colors. The erasers are refillable, though, so if you find yourself erasing a lot, you can replace the end.

The set of 12 pencils is $30, which is on the high end of colored pencil prices. For comparison, a 12-color set of Prismacolor erasable colored pencils is $9. Price-wise, they're up there with the fanciest Faber-Castell colored pencils ... but I don't think they're as nice as those. They are very fancy, though, with fine cedar wood, wax cores, sand erasers, etc. A lot of thought did go into making them good pencils. Sales of these pencils also benefit music and arts education programs, so some of that extra cost is going to good causes. So if you're a Blackwing fan, these might be the perfect colored pencils for you. But if you're looking for a fantastic coloring experience because the world is falling apart around you, you might want to try some alternatives.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on January 23, 2025 by Sarah Read and filed under Blackwing, Colored Pencil.

Pilot Frixion Colored Pencils Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Well, these aren't all bad. The textured coating on the body feels great and provides excellent grip, and the design overall looks lovely. That's the extent of the 'pro' column. The 'con' column lists every other feature of the Pilot FriXion Colored Pencils.

The lead is waxy and brittle with poor pigmentation. It only lays down very faint color and even that has messy inconsistency. The soft tip wears down quickly and breaks when you attempt to sharpen it.

The FriXion magical eraser does remove all color, briefly, from the colored area, but it does not remove the waxy residue--just its coloration. So you can't easily go back over the area with anything else, whether that be another pencil or mixed media. Also, after a few minutes, the color begins to creep back into the erased area.

These Frixion pigments suffer the same weakness as their pen inks--the erasure is a heat reaction, so changes in temperature to your work can also affect the visibility of your notes/sketch/journal. I tested it by putting my page in the freezer, where much of the pigment reappeared, and then also taking the page with me while I ran errands and left the paper in my hot car, where most of the pigment disappeared.

I know the Frixion line is beloved by many. I, personally, am averse to writing anything in disappearing ink. I know that, in theory, it can always be re-appeared, but it still makes me nervous. And while I understand the unique advantages of an erasable pen, an erasable pencil is ... well, most of them. And this doesn't erase any better than the others. I think it's safe to say that other pencils erase more completely, as there isn't a waxy residue left behind.

These are priced at $22 for the 12-set, and over $3 each open stock. That's over a dollar more, apiece, than many high-quality artists' pencils. That's actually a bit alarming, and way overpriced. Even if these worked pretty well, that would be expensive. But, alas, they don't, and that makes these a product that I recommend avoiding.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!