New Derwent Watercolour Pencils compared to the original Rexel Derwent version

My oldest (customized set of 27) and newest (set of 12) lithographed tin sets of Derwent Watercolour pencils are shown above. According to a sticker on the label, the new version features softer leads. There was another version between them with light blue/turquoise barrels, but I gave those to my nieces a while back. Watercolor pencils are quite convenient sketching and coloring tools that can be used dry just like conventional wooden colored pencils with the added advantage that their marks can be partially dissolved with water using a brush or waterbrush. For further tips on their potential uses and applications, I would recommend checking out Cathy Johnson's books.The new pencils have dark blue barrels with a small color coding on one end. I would really prefer the color coding to extend over the entire length of the pencil barrel for faster color selection as it was done for the special 36 pencil edition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the introduction of this watercolor pencil line back in 1953.
Decided to make a color chart comparing both watercolor pencil versions since both sets included the same selection of 12 colors.
The softer leads of the new pencils crumbled easily while making this reference marks chart.
Fresh out of their sealed tin, some of the pencil points broke off during their initial testing. Once sharpened, they seemed to crumble less.
After shaking off the lead debris, got this dry color swatch chart. The old watercolor pencils felt drier and yielded swatches with more specks of white paper showing through while the new watercolor pencil swatches looked more saturated given their thicker coverage. The hues' names, color coding, and appearance have remained quite consistent across time.
The dry color swatches of both watercolor pencil versions behaved identically when blended with a waterbrush. The clean loaded waterbrush was passed over the left side of each color swatch three times and then dragged further to the left to spread the color wash on to the uncolored paper.
Colors looked brighter when the dry pigment was dissolved with the aid of a waterbrush.
Added some decorative background elements using Derwent Graphitint pencils and the trusty waterbrush. The latest version of Derwent Watercolour pencils remains a pretty good color match to the original water soluble pencils (which can still be found in open stock at some outlets). While the new softer leads have a tendency to crumble under heavy pressure, they allow for quick lay down of thick layers of color that can be readily manipulated with a brush loaded with water. Simply exercise due care by transporting and storing them in their protective tins or canvas wrap. Recommended addition to field sketching kits: Derwent Watercolour pencils are versatile and reliable coloring tools with widespread distribution, so it is quite simple to find refill pencils and new colors to maintain your sets or customize your palette.