Grabie Watercolor Set Review: Is Grabie Good, and How It Compares to Tobio's
What You'll Need
- Decide if you want the most colors or the quickest first painting
- Check which Grabie set: pocket 12, All-in-One 48, 50, 100 or 168
- Budget $20 to $50 for Grabie, $36 for Tobio's
Grabie watercolor sets are good for beginners and hobbyists who want a lot of colors for very little money: the 48-color All-in-One is $19.99, the 50-color set is $29.99, and the 100-color set with brushes lists at about $49.99, with pocket sets of 12 and a 168-color set at either end. Grabie paint is bright, blends easily and rewets fast, which is why it does so well on TikTok, and the sets include a brush, a swatch card and a 140 lb cold-press paper pad. The limits are the ones that come with the price: the pigments are not artist grade, Grabie publishes no lightfastness ratings, heavy mixes go muddy, the brushes are weak, and reviews mention slow shipping and patchy support. Tobio's Watercolor Kit ($36) is the alternative I make: 12 colors instead of 48, but cotton paper, a water brush, a walnut palette and a video guide, built for someone who wants to finish a painting in week one rather than own the most pans. Below is what is in each Grabie set, what it costs, what buyers say good and bad, and when Grabie, Tobio's, Sakura Koi or Paul Rubens is the right buy.
Bias first: I make a competing kit, so if you came looking for a Grabie watercolor review you have landed on a page written by somebody with a stake in your answer. What I can do is be precise about where Grabie is straightforwardly the better buy, and I will.
Key takeaways
- Grabie wins on colors per dollar. Nothing I sell competes on that number.
- Grabie's paper pad is real 140 lb paper, better than most cheap sets include.
- The weak spots are brushes, lightfastness and muddy heavy mixes.
- Running out of colors is almost never what stops a beginner. Not knowing what to do with two of them is.
What comes in the Grabie watercolor sets
- Pocket sets, 12 colors: themed palettes (Landscape, Ocean, Forest), compact, for travel.
- All-in-One 48, $19.99: 48 pans, one brush, a 140 lb cold-press pad and a swatch card. The set that made Grabie famous.
- 50-color set, $29.99: 50 colors, five detail brushes, a water brush pen, a sponge, a waterproof fineliner and a 140 lb pad in a tin.
- 100 colors with brush, about $49.99: 100 colors split into 50 essentials, 35 metallics, 10 pastels and 5 neons, three water brush pens, a pad, a fineliner.
- 168 colors: the largest set, with a coloring book, for people who want every shade in a tin.
The pocket sets travel. The 100 and 168 sets are desk sets, heavy and bulky. Prices are what I found on Grabie's site and Amazon in November 2026; Amazon dips lower during sales.
What Grabie buyers say, good and bad
On Grabie's own site the sets hold ratings around 4.9 stars, and the praise is consistent: the colors are vivid, they rewet instantly, the price is unbeatable and the tins look lovely. The complaints are consistent too. Heavy, saturated mixes go muddy, because the pigments are modern and easy-blending rather than pure single pigments. There is no lightfastness data, so nobody can tell you whether a framed piece will fade. The brushes are the weak extra; one buyer had bristles fall out on day one. And shipping and support come up more than they should, with waits of one to three weeks from the US and Asia warehouses.
None of that makes Grabie a bad buy. It makes it a budget set with budget trade-offs, and if you know that going in you will be happy with it.
Grabie vs Tobio's: the honest side by side
Price. Grabie All-in-One 48, $19.99. Tobio's Kit, $36.
In the box. Grabie: 48 pans, one brush, a 140 lb pad, a swatch card. Tobio's: 12 tubes, a walnut palette, a refillable water brush, a 60-page 300 gsm cotton sketchbook, a clip, a wristband, a digital video guide, a gift box.
Paper. Both are 140 lb / 300 gsm, so neither cuts corners on thickness. Tobio's is cotton, which is why a wash does not go bubbly or buckle. Grabie's is wood pulp.
Colors. Grabie 48. Tobio's 12, chosen to mix with each other. I bought colors by the dozen when I started and used the same six for a year while the rest sat there looking decorative.
Guidance. Grabie: a swatch card. Tobio's: video tutorials and the optional pre-sketched workbook.
Reviews. Tobio's: 4.75 from 7,300 reviews. Grabie: a handful on the site per set, more on Amazon.
Guarantee and shipping. Tobio's: 60-day money-back, ships from the US. Grabie: standard returns, 7 to 20 business days.
Best for. Grabie: a hobbyist who wants the most colors for the least money. Tobio's: a beginner who wants guidance and a finished page in week one.
Two other alternatives worth knowing
Sakura Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box. Student-grade pans with a water brush built into the lid, 12 to 48 colors, from about $35. Better pigment than Grabie, no paper in the box. The cafe sketcher's standard.
Paul Rubens 36-color tube set. About $26 for 36 tubes with more pigment than the price suggests. For a table painter who wants Grabie's range with better paint. Both are compared in the best paints for beginners and the best travel sets.
So, is Grabie good, and should you buy it?
- You want 48 or more colors for under $30 and you already know how to paint: Grabie.
- You are a total beginner and want to finish a painting this week: Tobio's Watercolor Kit.
- You sketch in cafes and own a sketchbook: Sakura Koi.
- You want range with better paint for the table: Paul Rubens.
- You want lots of colors and the Tobio's paper and brush: our 50-color tin ($34) with the kit.
Questions people ask about Grabie
Is Grabie a good watercolor brand?
For beginners and hobbyists, yes: vivid, easy-blending paint at a very low price per color. It is not artist grade, publishes no lightfastness ratings, and the brushes are weak, so it is a budget brand with budget trade-offs.
Is Grabie legit?
Yes. Grabie is a real brand selling on its own site and Amazon with thousands of orders. The complaints are about shipping times and support, not about fake products.
How much does the Grabie watercolor set cost?
The 48-color All-in-One is $19.99, the 50-color set $29.99, the 100-color set with brushes about $49.99, and the 168-color set more. Amazon prices drop during sales.
Are Grabie watercolors good for professionals?
No. The pigments are not artist grade and there is no lightfastness data, so work meant to be sold or framed should use Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton Professional or Schmincke.
Can Grabie watercolors be reactivated after they dry?
Yes. Like all pan watercolors they rewet with a drop of water, and they rewet faster than most.
Are Grabie watercolors safe for kids?
They are sold as non-toxic and are fine for children with supervision; the paint is not food-safe. Our kit is made for ages six and up on the same basis.
Grabie or Tobio's for a beginner?
Grabie if you want the most colors for $20. Tobio's if you want cotton paper, a water brush, a palette and video guidance in one box for $36, with refills so the palette never gets thrown away.
Grabie for colors, Tobio's for a start
If the thing you want is the most colors for the least money, buy Grabie and ignore me. It is a good deal and I do not sell anything that competes on that number.
If the thing you want is to actually finish a painting in your first week, with paper that takes water and a brush that carries its own, that is the box I make. The honest version of both is above.
Mel, FounderLike these guides? Set Tobio's as a preferred source on Google and our pages will show up first when you search for watercolor questions.
Keep reading
The alternative in this review
Twelve paints chosen to mix, a walnut palette, a water brush and a 60-page cotton sketchbook, with a video guide. $36, 60-day money-back guarantee.
- 12 colors chosen to mix
- 60-page 300 gsm cotton sketchbook
- Refillable water brush, no cup needed
- Video guide included
4.75/5 from 7,300+ reviews
