Which JusArt Set Size To Buy

Why cost per colour is the wrong way to choose

The big sets always win on cost per colour, and that is the least useful way to pick one. JusArt's sets run to 12 to 108 colours, and the extra colours in a large set are not spread evenly across the spectrum — they concentrate in the ranges where a manufacturer can differentiate cheaply, which usually means more greens, more mid-blues and more near-greys. Doubling the count rarely doubles what you can actually mix.

The question worth asking instead is how many colours you will open. For most people working on paper, a mid-size set covers the work and the rest of a large set stays in the tray. The large sets earn their place in two cases: when you need close tonal steps for blending, and when you are replacing singles you have already run dry, because at that point the set is cheaper than the refills.

What the small sets actually cost you

Not colours — coverage. A small set is usually missing the tonal neighbours rather than the hues, so you can name a colour but not shade it. If your work is flat colour and line, that costs you nothing. If it is blending, it is the whole game, and it is the one thing worth spending up for.

What the numbers behind this page are

Everything on this page is read off JusArt's own Amazon listings rather than from a press release or a review round-up. That catalogue is 65 listings, 59 of them carrying a star rating, 37,120 ratings between them. The average sits at 4.6, with 54 listings at 4.4 or better.

An average across a whole brand is a weak number, though, and it is worth saying why. Amazon pools ratings across the variations of one parent listing, so a set sold in five sizes can show the same score five times; and a 5.0 from six ratings sits in the same average as a 4.4 from three thousand. That is why the table below is sortable by rating count as well as by score — sorted that way it shows what people have actually bought, which is a far better guide than the score alone.

The strongest listings in the range by score, among those with enough ratings to mean anything, are JusArt Acrylic Paint Markers 48 Colors, 24…, JusArt Acrylic Paint Markers 96 Colors, 48…, JusArt Acrylic Paint Markers Brush Tip 18…. The weakest on the same basis are JusArt Fineliner Pens, 6 Pcs, 0.25mm Ultra…, JusArt 16 Colors Glitter Markers, Glitter…, JusArt 0.7mm Fine Point White Permanent…. The most-reviewed are JusArt Acrylic Paint Markers Brush Tip 18…, JusArt Acrylic Paint Markers Brush Tip 30…, JusArt 48 Colors Acrylic Paint Markers… — and those are the ones whose scores you can lean on.