Koh-I-Noor Progresso Woodless Pencils Review

The Koh-I-Noor Woodless coloring pencils feature a fully pigmented barrel. Other than a lacquer casing the pencils are unique in that they do not have the usual wooden casing to protect them. According to Koh-I-Noor as they are solid core color it provides “five times the color as wood-cased pencils”

According to the product specifications, the ingredients for the pencils are “pigments/clays/waxes/binders in the core“.

The pencils are packed pre-sharpened in a cardboard box with two layers. The barrel of each pencil sets out the color and the brand number on it. As well as this information there is a lightfast rating on each pencil.

Erasing

Each pencil erases well with a white eraser and with a Derwent electric eraser

Sharpening

Any sharpener can sharpen these pencils and any scrapings can be used to make smudged backgrounds

Blending

The pencils were tested in a range of coloring books as you will see in the video above. The pencils are soft and blend easily without leaving a waxy bloom. The pencils performed extremely well in my Hanna Lynn Coloring Book which is printed on white trade stock paper.

Koh-I-Noor Progresso woodless pencils are available in sets of 6,12 and 24.

In addition, there are gold, silver, and fluorescent pencils available for purchase.

Replacement Pencils

Open stock is not easily available for replacement pencils. At the time of writing, most open stock pencils were out of stock or only available in a pack of 12 of the same color. This is most likely a reflection of the current pandemic and stock shortages/shipping delays with sellers.

Many subscribers have informed me though they have been able to locate singles locally at a reasonable price.

Water Soluble

The woodless colored pencils are NOT water-soluble but you can buy watercolor pencils in the woodless format.

Koh I Noor Woodless Progresso Color Swatch

At the time of writing, the set of 24 Koh-I-Noor Woodless Progresso pencils is the largest set. You can see my color swatch below for details of the color choices and lightfast rating.