Name: Cotman Watercolours Painting Plus 24 Half Pan Set
Brand: Winsor & Newton
SKU: 094376954395
Price: 65.50 GBP
Availability: InStock

"Several years ago now, I purchased a 12-pan Cotman watercolour travel set, which I used frequently and generally very much enjoyed. However, I decided this year to upgrade to a slightly larger travel set for sketching on-the-go, and purchased this 24-pan version. It seemed fine upon initial inspection, and the Cotman paints continue to deliver, but this set in particular has a couple of glaring design faults that only presented themselves upon use. Namely, the case is rather difficult to open and close correctly, and the removable extra palette, which supposedly slots into the opposite side of the case when open, does not fit properly at all, meaning that, even if inserted very carefully and pressed in firmly, it does not align correctly and falls out at the slightest touch. Based on customer reviews elsewhere, I believe the fault must be with the design and not a one-off manufacturing issue with my case. The far bigger issue, though--and the one that I find so irritating that it's put me off using the set altogether--is that the half pans provided do not sit comfortably in their removable 4-pan holders. Once clipped into place, there is nothing to stop each pair sliding back and forth throughout the vacant space, which includes gaps in the plastic frame beneath which the pans repeatedly get stuck in at odd angles. They are very fiddly to move back into position without repeatedly removing the holder itself. Even then, if all are secured neatly back in place, the slightest jostle of the set or touch of a brush upon a pan will cause them to start sliding and getting stuck again. If you have any sensory issues, this case will trigger them. It's unbelievably annoying. My previous, smaller Cotman set did not have any issues, and, again, I believe this is a problem with the design of the case rather than down to a broken component in mine. I am a professional artist, and use both the professional and Cotman pigments fairly often, but the user experience of this set has made me question W&N's integrity and reliability as a brand."

— Anna (1/5)

Pretty good paints. A lot

"Pretty good paints. A lot of plastic in the case which is unfrotunate but very practical Not the easiest case to open :-) Overall this is a good basic watercolour set"

— Nick C. (4/5)

Quality Purchase

"Great quality! I'm pleased with my purchase."

— Karen R. (5/5)

Colors are great, the case not so much

"The paints are beautiful. I ended up putting them in a different case because this one is very difficult to open, and also difficult to attach the removable palette."

— Jenny (3/5)