Marco Tribute Master Collection 80 vs Phoenix Colour: Budget Colored Pencil Sets Compared

Introduction

Budget colored pencil buyers keep asking the same question: can an affordable set really stand in for a premium workhorse like the Faber-Castell Polychromos? That question is exactly why a side-by-side look at the Marco Tribute Master Collection 80 set and the Phoenix Colour colored pencil set is worth your time. Both sets are popular imports, both come in attractive packaging, and both promise professional-style performance at a fraction of the cost of the established German brands.

The honest answer up front: neither set is an exact Polychromos replacement. But they are genuinely good pencils for the money, and understanding where they fall short is the key to deciding whether one of them fits your budget and your drawing style.

Packaging and Set Options

The Marco Tribute Master Collection 80 set is the “master collection” version, presented in slim, elegant boxes similar in size to Tombow presentation cases. Marco also offers a 120-set and a 300-set, with the 300-set coming in an especially elaborate box. That 300-set has been listed at roughly 450 to 500 pounds on AliExpress, which raises an important question: at that price, would you rather have a beautiful box, or a 100-set of Derwent Lightfast, a 100-set of Caran d’Ache Luminance, or the 120-set of Faber-Castell Polychromos?

The Phoenix Colour set also arrives in beautifully illustrated boxes, slightly larger but in the same presentation style. Both brands clearly invest in presentation, and it is worth remembering that the box, however gorgeous, is not what creates the artwork.

Pricing on both sets has risen noticeably since their initial release, so if either one lands within your budget at a price you are happy with, it is worth acting on rather than waiting for a better deal that may not come.

How They Draw: Core Feel and Layering

In use, the two sets feel remarkably similar. Both cores sit somewhere between hard and medium, reminding the tester of a mix between the Faber-Castell Polychromos and the Caran d’Ache Pablo in terms of firmness. Before drawing them side by side, it would have been easy to call them the same pencil in most respects.

Layering is a genuine strength for both. Neither pencil gave any trouble when building up multiple layers on good paper, and both could have kept going well past the point where the artist stopped. The test was done on Derwent Lightfast paper, widely considered one of the best surfaces for colored pencil work thanks to its excellent texture.

For blending, neither drawing used odorless mineral spirits. Instead, a Caran d’Ache blending pencil was used after the layers were down, and both sets responded acceptably to that treatment.

Dark Saturation and Shadow Performance

This is where the comparison produced its clearest result, and it is not a flattering one for either set. Both struggled to reach deep, saturated darks. Getting convincing shadow tones required a lot of pressure, and the dark reds in both sets simply were not cutting it. Moving on to the darker browns helped the Marco Tribute somewhat, but the Phoenix Colour darks barely showed up at all.

Of the two, the Phoenix Colour was noticeably harder to work with when trying to build shadow depth. The resulting apple drawing looked flatter and more two-dimensional, with limited contrast and saturation in the darker tones. The Marco Tribute handled the same challenge a little better, though its dark colors still came out patchy and demanded significant pressure to produce real darkness.

Which One Should You Buy?

Both sets are solid pencils for the price, and neither is a bad purchase for casual drawing, adult coloring, or practice work. The Marco Tribute edges ahead because its darker colors respond better under pressure and offer slightly more usable shadow depth.

For artists selling commissions, prints, or craft work, the calculus is different. Premium pencils from companies with decades of refinement behind them earn their price precisely because quality is genuinely difficult to replicate cheaply. If your artwork needs to earn money, saving up for the Polychromos, Luminance, or Derwent Lightfast remains the better long-term investment.

For everyone else, especially artists on a tight budget, the Marco Tribute Master Collection 80 set is the stronger pick of these two, provided you accept that dark, saturated contrast takes extra effort.

Conclusion

The Marco Tribute Master Collection 80 and Phoenix Colour sets are very similar pencils with comparable cores and excellent layering behaviour. The deciding factor is dark saturation: neither set excels there, but the Marco Tribute handles it better, making it the recommended choice between the two. Neither replaces a premium workhorse pencil, and if professional results are the goal, the established brands still justify their cost. But as affordable entry points with beautiful presentation, both sets do their job well.