Review on 14-Piece Watercolor Paint Set By Royal & Langnickel by Cathy Magel

I just compared Royal and Langnickel Essentials and the Phoenix Watercolor tube sets. Basically, the Phoenix set has pigment info wind lightfastness ratings, but these supposedly "completely lightfast” colors are very fugitive - meaning they WILL fade, or change color, or both. Sometimes even without sunlight. The Phoenix have metal tubes and the paint comes out thick and uniform, while the Royal tubes are plastic, the cap threads may slip/get damaged easily, and there is a weird brown watery liquid that comes out before the paint (even with tubes used before). Phoenix wins on packaging.Royal has more pigmented colors, though the brown liquid makes the yellows a bit more brown than ideal. Smooth color, very bright. Phoenix colors are more gritty, and weaker. You need so much paint on the brush that you can see the brush strokes, at max color. So Royal wins on the color saturation/quality part.Overall, I think Royal and Langnickel Essentials would be better for a kid, with its brighter colors and arguably better safety (because it’s a trusted kid’s brand). The Phoenix set would perhaps be better for an older kid or teen, who wants to feel like a professional artist but isn’t quite (at all) at the level where $10 for a single tube makes sense. Overall, for me the choice goes down to, what’s cheaper? Either one will bring hours of fun.