Review: Koh-I-Noor Tri-Tone Colored Pencils

Koh-i-noor tri-tone colored pencils

After going off the deep end last year about Magic Pencils, I pretty much bought every variation I could find of the multicolor lead pencils. I’m just fascinated with this sort of pencil. One of the items I purchased was the 24-Color set of Koh-I-Noor Tri-Tone Colored Pencils ($29.47 on Amazon). Each of 23 pencils in the set features three different colors of colored pencil “lead” to create a tonal effect and then there is one blender pencil in the set to help blend the colors into a more subtle tonal variation, should you prefer to do that.

Koh-i-noor tri-tone colored pencils sample

The set comes in a nice tin though I tend to put all my pencils into jars immediately and either recycle the tins or store them because I find that art supplies that stay in tins don’t ever get used.

I thought this pencil set would be particularly appealing for coloring and sketching as it would provide a lot of color variation in a small set.

The pencils included a nice array of colors with a few shades of blues, greens, reds, yellows, oranges and some unusual ones with names like “ember,” “summer storm,” and “volcano.”

Koh-i-noor tri-tone colored pencils drawing sample

The pencils are not as soft and blendable as my go-to Prismacolor Premier but if you’re looking for a fun little set to travel with or to share with your kids, this might make a good addition to your collection. We keep ours on the kitchen table for doodling, notes and random scribbles.

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7 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Since I read your review of the magic pencils, I picked some up and I’m obsessed! I have The Prettiest to-do lists ever now. =) I’ll have to put this set on my list, too.

    1. Magic pencils sharpen just like regular pencils. I would recommend a good sharp hand sharpener though since the leads are a bit softer than traditional graphite.

  2. Hi, what kind of Koh-i-noor pencil did you like most? Magic multicoloured or tri-tone coloured pencils? Can you tell me the difference? If you can to choose one of them, what would you recommend? Thanks for your reply 🙂

    1. The Tri-Tone pencil set is a traditional sized pencil and is available in a 24 colored pencil set. The Magic Color FX are larger triangular-shaped pencils that are suitable for younger children or larger works. It was a challenge to find a sharpener for these larger pencils and the 24 set of the Magic Color FX is considerably more expensive than the Tri-Tone set. In regards to the actual colors per pencil and the make-up of the leads, I think they are fairly similar. Both have a pretty hard lead that does not break easily. I am not sure the composite make-up but I assume its either wax- or clay-based and not oil-based. If I were to recommend one over the other, I’d get the Tri-Tones since the smaller size are easier to sharpen in a regular or colored pencil sharpener, and can be found on Amazon for under $25 with Prime shipping.

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