Mont Marte Colour Pencils MPN0112

Too much plastic packaging – There is a ridiculous amount of unnecessary plastic used in the packaging of these products making the product. All that rubbish. So disappointing. Mont Marte really needs to look at their environmental impact.

So disappointed! – Unable to sharpen without breaking. Very soft. Continually breaking in sharpener. Unusable due to inability to sharpen. Pencils were not sharp when purchased. Unable to use. Very soft and brittle. No use.

Mont Marte - Best Pigmented Budget Pencils – Amended Review: Like many people I can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on artist level pencils, so I've been trying out the budget varieties to find out which of them has the best bang for my buck. I recently tried out a tin of 36 Mont Marte Colour Pencils MPN - 0112, and have to say that they're the best pigmented pencils I've used for the price, presentation and number of pencils you get in the set. I've tried most of the other budget brands, but these Mont Marte pencils have very bright pigments, are noticeably softer & smoother than other budget pencils, are easy to blend and come in a durable tin. They're also an Aussie brand which adds to their appeal. That said, up against Micador Colourush, (a comparable Aussie Brand) they tend to break more easily when sharpening, so I have to assume they're not bonded to the wood. Micador pencils by comparison, are fully bonded and they sharpen perfectly without breakage. Mont Marte have slightly brighter pigments than Micador colourush but Micador are going to last much longer than Mont Marte. The other difference is the colour strip. Mont Marte are 3mm while Micador are 4mm which in my view, justifies the slightly higher price.

A set of 36 Mont Marte pencils - (0112) will set you back anywhere from $16.95 to $19.95 depending on who you buy them from. ArtShedOnline has this set for $16.95, and they're great to deal with.

All in all, I'm happy with these pencils and would recommend them to others as the best pigmented budget brand I've tried. However, they do break easily when sharpening so you have to take care which is probably their biggest minus. It's a shame as the Pigments in these pencils are much brighter in a side by side colouring comparison with most other budget brands. If Mont Marte could improve the quality of these pencils they would be excellent value.

I have emailed Mont Marte to ask if they are bonded to the wood, but have received no reply so have to assume they're not bonded and that's why they break easily. I also asked if their premium range is bonded or whether they also break easily but received no reply, so I can't justify spending money on the premium set for review if they have the same fault. I've heard Prismacolor apparently have the same breakage issue & they're infinitely more expensive, so it's not confined to budget brands. Bonded pencils are much sturdier so it's something to take into account when purchasing pencils (particularly for children)..