Marco Eco Plus Pencils

A new brand from Marco, Eco-Plus pencils don't have much background or information online so I'll do my best to describe them and show you how well the pencils perform.

First Impressions

These pencils have a hexagonal barrel and are natural wood, giving them good grip and a basic, no frills look- but don't let that fool you. They come in a very simple but sturdy cardboard tube with all Chinese writing, all of this in keeping with the ECO name. The pencils don't have any colour or number information on them so you'll have to chart the colours and make a sticker to identify them.

​Performance

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​Unlike Raffine & Renoir, I believe these pencils are wax based as they feel very different to laydown; not as sticky. Even though this looks to be the case they perform just as well as the Raffines in blending and mixing colours together. As you can see in my picture the blends are pretty seamless, the end result matching the quality of more expensive pencils. 

It was very surprising to me just how much colour saturation these pencils release even with a light pressure, therefore they're perfect for anyone with different weights of stroke, beginners and advanced colourists.

from Coloring for Two by Sarah Janisse Brown

Erasing, Smudging & Sharpening

​These pencils erase brilliantly well to say they're wax, which normally don't. A hard pressure on these pencils will leave some dust, so make sure you blow this off before sweeping your hand over or you will get smudging. They sharpen very well, even with the rather rudimentary included sharpener. I've had no breakages as yet, so although they're quite light and insubstantial in the hand, they seem well made & durable.

Value

These pencils come in 3 sets: 24, 36 & 48, ranging in price from £8 to £12. I think they're great for people who don't get on with Raffines and want something a little softer with a good range of colours. Even as a back up set or spares, 12 quid isn't much for 48 decent pencils. They're fulfilled by Amazon so there's no waiting for shipping from China. 

I was given these pencils in exchange for an honest review. You can find them on Amazon here:

YUSSTAR(TM) Colouring Pencils Eco Wood Coloured Pencils for Adult Assorted Pencils with Sharpener (36-Colour)