I would always give Blue Earth pastels a 5+ rating. I only wish I could own them all! I do like the travel set and found the color range quite good. The foam packing protected it very well. The only reason I rated it a 4 is because of the size. Yes, it's pretty compact, but size is critical when I travel. Though the set is on the small size, I found it was a bit bigger than I had hoped. Actually if I could have, I would have rated it 4++

This is a lovely little set perfect for plein air painting because of its compact size yet nice range of colors. The pastels have a smooth feel with great coverage, but care needs to be taken as they are very crumbly. Several of the pastels in my box were broken upon arrival. Dakota immediately replaced the order complete with extensive wrapping. New order arrived with no broken pastels. Thank you Dakota Art for your excellent customer service! I would like to explore these pastels further as they are a good value for the money.

While the colors are nice, the pastels flake and split. Even with gentle use the pastels crumble.