Daniel Smith 285650009 Half Pan Set Ultimate Mixing Set

I love Daniel Smith paints and this is a very nice choice of colours.BUT, the cases are not good and definitely not for travelling with as the pans all fall out or stick to the lid.I find these boxes very awkward to open... Adding to the issue of little cubes of paint flying in every direction when I do eventually pry it open.Considering how much tubes of 5ml paint cost this set is very expensive, it was on offer when I bought it (I would not consider paying £65-£70 for it)Anyway, the set is fine, but I would recommend buying a little empty meeden tin, some empty half pans, then buy 5ml tubes in the colours you want... Far better value that way

This is one of my favourite limited palettes. I’m sure there’s a few extra colours which would be nice to have as well but this is a perfect set up for taking anywhere with you, to be able to mix a very large range of hues. Well done Jane Blundell.The palette box isn’t that functional as a palette but it has a pretty front design and is light to carry,If I’m not putting these into a pocket palette, I was thinking to carry an art toolkit set up as palette trays and be super light and slimline to go with this. That would make a very light urban sketch kit.

Was super excited to receive these as a bit of an upgrade considering the good I had heard about Daniel Smith paints but knowing they are quite pricey I wasn't sure what they would be like or worth it. Went through the reviews and was a bit worried about how full they would be but pleased all filled to the brim. The box is tiny and the lid cannot be used as a palette, however I knew this from the reviews so not a problem. And to agree with the rest, yes these are lovely paints, just had great fun swatching and they are beautiful. These are my 'treat' paints (I paint just for the pleasure of it) and I think they are well worth what I paid at the time (which was significantly less than in other places). As a complete home 'artist', I would advise waiting until you are a bit more comfortable with watercolours, as these should not be used by absolute beginners to avoid wasting your money - stick with Cotman, Van Gogh or White Knights first and consider an upgrade to these later!

Love the colours, but the container is not designed for mixing, as it has a flat lid, with no well, therefore if you mix paint on it, it leaks over the edge.

I bought this set for sketching in safari - and these colours are perfect for that. The paints are lovely and the size of the box is hand-sized (on me) so great to use on the go. BUT the box doesn’t feel very sturdy and some of the paints don’t fill the pans - so I’m not sure if they’ve all had the third pour... they dip down in the middle - given the enormous price that’s a bit disappointing and I will contact DS to find out what’s going on there...

These watercolours are amazing. I normally use other leading artists’ brands but decided to give these a try and I’m so glad I did. I’ll be using Daniel Smith from now on.

Bought as a present for my wife.She loves them. She says they’re much better colour density than the paints she was using.

The paints are really nice, barring the buff titanium that I find useless. The problem is the cases that the paints come in. It is hard to believe that a company like Daniel Smith would have there name on this case. Difficult to open, will not lay flat and no wells to mix your paints. Basically useless in the field. If you want to use this set outside, factor in the cost of an empty tin that actually works. Really, there is no excuse for such poor design.