Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils Review and Col-Erase Erasable Pencils: A Cost Controller's Take

If you've ever had to order art supplies for a classroom or an office, you know the drill: compare prices, read the reviews, hope the shipment arrives before the first day of class. When "Prismacolor Scholar colored pencils review" and "Prismacolor Col-Erase erasable colored pencils" land in your search history, you need answers that work on a budget. I manage a $180,000 instructional supplies budget for a K-12 district, have negotiated with 40+ vendors, and track every PO in our cost system. When I first started, I assumed the cheapest set was always the smartest buy. Three budget overruns later, I stopped looking at unit price alone.

Questions I'd ask before ordering

Are Prismacolor Scholar colored pencils good enough for a classroom?

Yes, with the right expectations. Scholar is Prismacolor's student-grade line, so the core is firmer and the color payoff is lighter than the Premier line. It's not a "cheap Premier"; it's a different tool. For everyday color coding, basic drawing, worksheet corrections, and holiday art, Scholar works well. It also handles sharpening better than softer student pencils we've tried. If your teachers plan to teach layering or serious blending, order at least a few Premier sets for advanced students. But for a general classroom set, Scholar is a solid, predictable choice.

How do Scholar pencils actually perform in a classroom?

We ran a small pilot two years ago with 24-count Scholar sets in two classrooms. The kids who pressed hard snapped a few points, about what you'd expect with any colored pencil. The high-school students could layer two or three colors before the surface started to feel waxy. The color looked solid, but not as saturated as Premier. If I had to put a number on it, Scholar gives maybe 80% of the color intensity for a lot less money. For a program that needs 30 pencils per student, that's a tradeoff I'll make every time. Just don't expect buttery, melt-into-the-paper blend sessions from a student-grade core.

What are Prismacolor Col-Erase erasable colored pencils for?

Col-Erase is a specialized tool. It's made for marks you might need to correct: sketches, grids, answer keys, color-coded planning, technical drawings. The lead is harder and firmer than Scholar, so it holds a point well and erases more cleanly than a regular colored pencil. But "erasable" has limits. Dark reds and blues leave a faint ghost on paper. A teacher warned me about this. I didn't listen, and we ended up with a stack of worksheets where students' wrong answers were still visible. If you need a perfectly clean page after erasing, use graphite. If you need color that can be corrected, Col-Erase works.

Should we order Scholar or Col-Erase first?

Ask what job the pencils are doing. For coloring, drawing, and general art, Scholar is the workhorse. For precise, erasable marks, Col-Erase is worth the extra cost. As of February 2025, a 24-count Scholar set runs roughly $10–15, and a 24-count Col-Erase set is about $18–25 based on major online retailer quotes; verify current pricing with your vendor. For a K-8 program, I'd put about 70% of the pencil budget into Scholar and 30% into Col-Erase. For a design office or technical drafting team, I'd flip that ratio. Neither product is better across the board; they're better at different jobs. That's probably not a rule carved in stone; it's a starting point.

How do I compare quotes without falling for a low price?

I've learned to ask "what's NOT included" before I ask "what's the price." A great per-pencil quote can turn into a bad final total after shipping, handling, and minimum-order fees. Last year, one vendor quoted $0.94 per pencil, but the delivered cost was $1.31 per pencil once freight was added. Another vendor quoted $1.12 per pencil with everything included. The second one won. For pencil orders, also ask about free sharpeners, case discounts, and whether the sets are repacked into loose bulk bags. Put every line into your spreadsheet and compare the final delivered unit cost, not the sales price.

How many sets should I buy for a class of 30?

For individual kits, one 24-count set per student. For a shared classroom kit, one set per pair. That's 15 to 30 sets for a class of 30. I usually order 25 for a class of 30 and label every pencil—somewhere in between. Wait, no—that only works if the teacher agrees to shared kits. If students take pencils home, you need one set per student, full stop. Ask the teacher first. The extra cost of a second order will hurt more than a few unused boxes.

Do we need special paper for these colored pencils?

Not for basic work. Standard 20 lb copy paper—about 75 gsm, according to standard paper weight references—works fine for coloring and worksheets. But once students start layering, erasing, or blending, thin paper wrinkles and the core can break. Use at least 80 lb text paper, which is about 120 gsm, for anything that needs multiple layers. Heavier paper is also more forgiving when kids press hard. You don't need a fancy "colored pencil paper." You need enough weight to handle the work. Check your supply list for drawing paper weight before you order.

What's the sneakiest hidden cost in colored pencil orders?

Sharpeners. Trust me on this one. Cheap sharpeners crush colored pencil cores, and a crushed core becomes wasted pencil. I still kick myself for not testing a $5 sharpener before ordering 60 packs of pencils. We went through maybe $60 in extra replacements—$80? I'd have to pull the old PO. Either way, it hurt. Buy a sharpener rated for colored pencils, count it in the same purchase order, and set aside a 10% overage for lost pencils. Pencils disappear, especially the nice ones. That's not a brand flaw; it's classroom physics.

Prices mentioned above are rough quotes from public online listings in February 2025; verify current rates. Your actual total cost depends on your vendor, quantity, and shipping contract.