Hi friends! The folks at Paul Rubens have revamped their 52-color set of Meiliang/Pretty Excellent watercolors and they sent me a set to review. The main things that changed are they removed the pastel shades in favor of more saturated single pigment colors. The set also features standard half pans in a metal tray instead of the undersized half pans in the molded plastic "ice cube tray" style packaging. If you prefer the pastel tones they have a limited amount of the old sets on sale as they turn stock but after that, they will be gone. Let's look at the colors from the new vs the old sets. I also swatched out the 36 set which is still my top pick for anyone wanting to try watercolors at a cheaper price point without sacrificing workability and quality, in other words, these won't hinder your learning.
I miscounted when I said 14 colors were different, after I looked again I found 12 but Paul Rubens says there are 11 new colors so maybe I missed another one or a number changed. The different colors in the new 52 set are 243, 150, 254, 216, 299, 003, 544, 313, 213, 292, 160, and 183. Here are the new swatches provided to me by Paul Rubins (I am going to be seeing swatches in my sleep!)
This is the swatch of the old 52-color set:
I might just be missing something but I see 12 different colors. What do you see? In the video, you can see these new paints in action as I swatch them out.
Because I have reviewed this paint before so I did not get too in-depth above but here are some more detailed reviews to check out if you want to know more about his paint and why it has stayed at the top of my list for a budget watercolor recommendation:
Pros of the new Meiliang/ Pretty Excellent 52 set:
- Great Price!
- Vibrant and transparent colors
- No chalkiness (except white)
- 29 single pigment colors
- Pigment info included
- Swatch chart included
- Half-pans you can rearrange
Cons:
- The pans are a tight fit in the box
- A few colors are samy
- The tin is thick and not my favorite style
Bottom Line: This is a great set and a great price! I still think the 36 set is the best bang for your buck but I like this 52 set if you want the additional colors. You can't go wrong with either. I am glad they swapped the pastel tones for more vibrant ones making the set more useful overall. Paul Rubens is continuously improving products based on feedback and they have already seen my video review on YouTube and told me they would fix the typos I found. I appreciate it when a company strives to improve and keeps its prices low even as they gain popularity. Do you like Paul Rubens Meiliang watercolors? Let me know in the comments below and til next time happy crafting! *affiliate links used.
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