Best artist-grade colored pencil sets under $50

Top pick: Faber-Castell Polychromos — the benchmark artist pencil: oil-based, hard enough to hold a fine point, layers and blends without wax bloom, and rated 4.9 from thousands of reviews. Buy the largest set your budget allows.

Who the others suit:

• Prismacolor Premier — soft, creamy wax cores that lay down color fast; the classic choice for blending and portraits.
• Prismacolor Verithin — hard, thin cores for detail, lettering and crisp edges.
• Castle Art Supplies 72 — a broad, budget-friendly range for practice and adult coloring.
• KINGART Studio 72 — the cheapest way to get a big palette for sketching.

Skip anything unlabeled "artist grade" if lightfastness matters for work you'll sell.