Staedtler Triplus Products ~ Johanna Basford Edition

7/1/2016

Since starting this colouring journey back in April 2015, the most common recommendation I've seen people give is for these pens & pencils, so with the release of special Johanna Basford edition packs I thought it was about time I did a proper review of them! It should be noted that there is no difference between the JB sets and the original ones, apart from the promotional packaging and inclusion of neon colours in the felt tip pack.

The best thing for me about Staedtler fineliners and felts is that they are waterbased, so they have that precious feature of not bleeding through most colouring books- something I get asked a lot about. You're pretty much safe with these pens unless your book has exceptionally thin paper, and as always testing them on an inconspicuous area is advised before you jump into coloiuring a whole picture. Of course, Miss Basford recommends you use these in her books so you know you're fine as far as her beautiful trilogy is concerned.

The pens come in a large palette of colours, expecially the fineliners, so you're getting lots of variety in one handy box. I'd love there to be more colours added to the felt tip pens, such as the pastels which are included in the fineliner pack.

The fineliners feature a tiny 0.3mm tip which will get into ANY gap with ease, and has coloured caps and ends for quick selection when colouring. The lids are mostly consistent with the ink colour apart from a few of the pastel ones which are darker than what you'd expect, so be sure to make a chart before you begin.

There are loads of unusual tones in this set, including Lavender, Carmine and French Green, which makes it an invaluable pack to have if you want a selection of mid-tones that you don't usually find in many pen sets. I found a list of the colours online but it wasn't clearly labelled, so I'm not 100% sure I've identified them under the right name- but here's a quick swatch to give you an idea.

36 Fineliner colours

All Staedtler's pen barrels are triangular shaped for an ergonomic grip, meaning they're easier to hold on to than the usual hexagonal shape. The pens are long, narrow and light, sitting nicely in the hand and last AGES. I bought a pack in April and they're still going strong, despite me using them near constantly at one point.

The nib of both the fineliners and felts are really outstanding, gliding across the paper with no scratchiness or 'square nib' syndrome (like with Stabilo products). The tips are rounded and smooth, leaving consistent marks that don't look scrawly.

Fineliner & felt tip

The felt tips have a thicker 1.0mm tip for covering larger areas quickly, and coloured barrels with blue caps. This makes it easier for you to identify whether it's a fineliner or a coloured pen at a glance. Again, the ink flows really well and the pens are very juicy, not causing feathering on the paper unless you go over the same place numerous times.

As you can see there aren't as many colours, like I mentioned earlier, which I hope will be remedied in future editions. The vibrant colours are uniform across both types of pens, so you can use them together on the same picture and not worry about some parts looking different to others.

Both sets of pens are dry safe, meaning they can be left uncapped for a few days without going dry- which is great if you've got little people sharing your beloved colouring materials!

Overall these products are just a delight to use and are my 'go-to' pens when it's not possible to use heavier mediums like alcohol markers or gel pens. I hope you enjoy having a look through this slideshow of images that I've coloured with these pens over the past year :)

Ergosoft Pencils

©Johanna Basford

The Ergosoft pencils come in packs of 12, 24 & 36 and are covered in a silky-soft coating that feels really nice to the touch. Again they are triangular shaped for comfort, and the lead is surrounded by a white break-resistant core that keeps them strong and long lasting. The colour is like the name & feel: very soft and light, with very good coverage but not vivid with pigment like higher-end pencils.

It's not fair to compare different calibers of pencils but the photo above gives you some idea of the differences in pigment using the same hand pressure. Don't get me wrong, you're able to create some lovely blends with them and if you press a little harder you'll get a more vibrant result. Here is some pictures I've completed with the Ergosoft pencils.

You can find all Staedtler Triplus products with FREE UK DELIVERY at Cult Pens.

10 Comments

sandy ralph

7/1/2016 03:52:41 pm

wow i need to invest in some of these pens

Anne link

15/1/2016 03:51:30 pm

Thanks so much for the review on these pens. I've been looking for some fine tip ones and these look like just what I need.

Emmy

15/1/2016 09:57:05 pm

I love the Staedtler felts but am so frustrated by the disappointing range of colours, especially the lack of flesh tones. I recently purchased the set of Pentel pens which have 35 colours including a flesh tone but they are actually extremely hard nuns and rub through the paper, plus they aren't true to colour and what appears on the pen itself could be completely different ink. I have a set of Berol fine felts which are useful for odd bright colours, but that's it. Staedtler need to realise that just adding cute packaging in their team-up with Johanna Basford is not enough - us die-hard colourers (if it's not a word, it should be) want a much wider range of colours for the felts!

Claire

17/1/2016 09:13:21 pm

Hi Emmy, I have to say I totally agree with you, definitely more colours needed! Skin tones would be fab. I have a set of Pentel felts too, and again, we're on the same page. They bleed very badly through things that Triplus don't, the colours are very dark, and the tips are indeed very rigid. Hopefully there will be more of a palette range from Staedtler in the future- might be worth dropping them a line to relay your thoughts? x

becky

19/1/2016 07:07:37 am

I love fineliners but sometimes they can be a little scratchy. I'd love these

Joan Rowan

19/1/2016 03:46:46 pm

Thanks for the review, as a beginner, I find that your blogs and reviews are very helpful and inspiring. What do you think about the colouring pen/pencil sets sold by the likes of Argos, The Works, Asda etc.?

Jeanette

20/1/2016 07:02:48 pm

Thankyou for this post I've been looking into buying some pens and has no idea which ones to buy. Reading this post and seeing your beautifully coloured pages has made my mind up! Staedtler fineliners it is.

AlexaFaie

26/2/2016 11:59:06 pm

For anyone who is interested regarding the ergosoft pencils, my Mum bought some as I had recommended she got some of the Staedtler ones like the pack I had. She liked the shape of the triangular ones so chose those. However she wasn't very happy with the colour lay down. She prefers not to have to go over the same area repeatedly to get a strong pigmentation, especially when colouring with something that looks like its going to be a primary red (for example).
I was surprised she didn't like them as I love my Staedtler pencil crayons and so tried hers when I visited at Christmas and she tried mine. They are so very different! The ergosofts really are less pigmented despite looking to be the same shade numbers (even crayola pencil crayons from back in the 90s are better in my opinion than the ergosofts). The set I have is the Noris Club Erasable pencils. Each one has a little eraser on the end which is perfect if like me you sometimes make mistakes. In comparison to the ergosofts, they have a lot more pigment lay down with the same amount of pressure. For me, they are closer to the amount of pigment the prismas and and polys seem to lay down (based on your image, but obviously I can't compare the amount of pressure you used to mine). They are obviously not going to be up there with them in other ways, but they certainly have more pigment than the ergosofts and lay down easier too. I find that the ergosofts are quite patchy and they are not smooth like the Noris Club Erasables. I only wish the set came in more colours than 24 as one purple which is more of a magenta pink (when the "barrel" colour is a deeper purple) is not really that great. I'm not sure if the other Noris Club pencils are as good as the erasable ones though, nor if they can actually be erased as well so haven't tried expanding my selection that way yet.
Even more pigmented are Staedtler's Karat watercolours. I've not actually used them as watercolour pencils yet, I've only used them dry and they are brilliantly vibrant and blend really really well. They are more pricey but I don't think quite as much as Prismas or Polys.

Michelle

22/10/2016 07:46:22 am

Thanks for your reply I had been looking for information about the differences with Staedtler so you answered my question. I do have all the high price sets also some more affordable like the ergosoft. I do like their blendability but your so right the pigment isn't bold and they do tend to be patchy. For the price the will now try their other set, besides the better pigment you state, they have more colours. Thanks again

Rebecca Higginbotham link

22/8/2016 05:06:54 pm

I purchased the 36 pkg of Triplus fineliner and when arrived all but 5 were out of ink. So disappointed.

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