Home › Forums › Explore Media › Watercolor › The Learning Zone › Real or Fake Holbein Palette?
- This topic has 12 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 6 months ago by
elbeats.
-
AuthorPosts
-
July 18, 2017 at 7:06 pm #995213
Is there a way to distinguish a real from a fake Holbein metal palette? I’m having trouble finding one after reading reviews that state that it’s a fake. Any thoughts?
July 19, 2017 at 5:24 am #1271286Quality is the only measure.
Doug
We must leave our mark on this worldJuly 19, 2017 at 5:53 am #1271288what do you mean by fake?
Sold as Holbein but are not?
Most Holbein are classically folding made from steel not Aluminium
There are 4 patterns the 250, 350, 500, and 1000
But they also make Aluminium
Go online and look at those patterns
http://holbeinamerica.com/metal-palettes/
http://www.heatoncooper.co.uk/section.php?xSec=88&xPage=1
http://www.dickblick.com/products/holbein-aluminum-folding-watercolor-palettes/Also there are lots of manufacturers making many patterns of folding palettes that are aluminium, much cheaper but not fakes
And of very good quality
http://www.cheapjoes.com/anderson-folding-aluminum-palette.htmlJuly 19, 2017 at 2:23 pm #1271291What is a fake holbein palette? I’ve never seen one.
I have the holbein 250, and the holbein-esque aluminum one (smallest one). FWIW, I actually like the aluminum one better. The large surface does not have a thumbhole in it, it is whiter, paint has not yet chipped off, lighter, seems more sturdy, will never rust. Also, does not bead anymore after a year or so of use. Wells do hold less paint than the holbein though… and that can be good or bad depending on how one looks at it. Also, much cheaper and available everywhere (shipped from China), so I won’t drown myself in tears if it is lost or broken.
However, I think a box that can hold full pans is much more useful in the field. I have mine in a Sakura Koi box.
July 19, 2017 at 3:51 pm #1271296I have the 1000 and it’s served me for many years but it’s recently broke after transporting it into our new house. I ordered one online but the condition it came in was dreadful and the box was different from what I remember. The quality was bad as well so I returned it. Does anyone know of a reputable site? The one I ordered was from a reputable site but, I wasn’t pleased with the quality.
July 20, 2017 at 4:10 am #1271294There are loads of them up on eBay (new) and I’ve found most sellers happy to take multiple close up pics of them for you.
Hope that is of some help.
'Art is an experience, not an object.'
~ Robert MotherwellJuly 20, 2017 at 6:38 am #1271289…. Does anyone know of a reputable site? …
Read my post
July 21, 2017 at 3:37 pm #1271293I think Heung-il in Korea manufactures the aluminum Holbein palettes. I have a Heung-il from ebay and it looks like the aluminum ones from Neeman’s link. It has a stylized “H” on the white thumb flap. Price was a fraction of the price on Blick site.
It’s light and works fine. Mine arrived with a bit of a bend in one corner, but it doesn’t affect functionality.
[FONT=Garamond]“Creativity takes courage.” [FONT=Garamond]
― Henri MatisseJuly 21, 2017 at 6:48 pm #1271297I think Heung-il in Korea manufactures the aluminum Holbein palettes. I have a Heung-il from ebay and it looks like the aluminum ones from Neeman’s link. It has a stylized “H” on the white thumb flap. Price was a fraction of the price on Blick site.
It’s light and works fine. Mine arrived with a bit of a bend in one corner, but it doesn’t affect functionality.
I also read that the ‘H’ is a good indication that it’s real. The one I ordered was from a large and popular site but, it was still sketchy. It also didn’t have that ‘H’ and mine was rusted and bent on all four corners. I wouldn’t have minded it being bent but the rust was a big problem. I’ll look into that Korean ebay seller. Thanks.
October 11, 2017 at 10:52 pm #1271292I have the 1000 and it’s served me for many years but it’s recently broke after transporting it into our new house. I ordered one online but the condition it came in was dreadful and the box was different from what I remember. The quality was bad as well so I returned it. Does anyone know of a reputable site? The one I ordered was from a reputable site but, I wasn’t pleased with the quality.
I ordered one from eBay and the sellers name is Kazu. (Kazuhiro Takasato) from Shizuoka Shimizu.
This person has excellent references and I was so pleased with what I got. I even got a sweet handwritten note with a folded paper bird saying Thanks you for choosing my store. It is totally the original in the white box with the red Holbein band on it like yester-years and its amazing quality. Looks exactly like the one Joseph Zbukvic still uses with the entire Holbein name on the thumb flap. Before that I got one from Dick Blick with the H on the thumb in a Pink Box but was not as good. Here is the link to the one I bought. http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOLBEIN-Watercolor-palette-No-1000-Japan/161754731594?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649[FONT=Arial Narrow]Renee L. Marks
October 13, 2017 at 11:57 am #1271287I have a Holbein 500, a large Anderson palette and a small Chinese knock-off. The genuine Holbein palette (a steel one) doesn’t have a stamp on the thumb-hole cover; it has a sticker with Holbein’s logo. The Anderson palette has a series of three teardrop shaped stamps that create a stylized flower petal. The Chinese palette has an H with a curved crossbar. In spite of the Anderson being twice the size of the Holbein, the Holbein is noticeably heavier because of the difference in materials, i.e. aluminum vs. steel. One easy way to tell the difference between a steel Holbein original and everything else is the height of the fences that separate the mixing wells. Holbein makes the fences in their steel palettes almost the same height as the paint wells. This is the reason I bought the Holbein in the first place. Apparently, Holbein uses different templates when producing their own steel and aluminum palettes. You can just make out the different fence heights in the photos on Holbein’s product page. Holbein also paints the outer portion of the thumb-hole cover the same black as the outside of the rest of the box on their steel palettes. All the others I’ve seen – including Holbein’s own aluminum boxes – have both sides of the thumb-hole cover painted white. The Blick product above also appears to have the H stamp on the thumb-hole cover instead of the sticker and no stamp. I can’t tell if there is a stamp at all on Holbein’s page. I’ve seen steel Holbeins for sale on Amazon and at artexpress.com in addition to the Heaton Cooper and ebay links above. You’ll notice that the photos on these links show the sticker when the thumb-hole cover is closed.
If you’re just looking for a good metal box and it doesn’t have to be a Holbein, Anderson’s products are a good choice. They’re well-made, light aluminum and inexpensive. Just be sure to check the specs to be sure what size you’re getting. They have a variety of sizes. I have what I think is the largest at 12″x14″ (~30×35 cm).
October 17, 2017 at 2:10 am #1271290I want to challenge the concept of fake
If something is copied with a know brand name at a much lower price of the real brand, does it matter?I am constantly buying camping equipment made in China that are knock off of the original design at a fraction of price
Does it come from the same factory as the branded product, just comes out the side door for no marketingSo a $70 palette of a named brand must be of very high quality, but when the copy only cost $20, then the quality can be of a lesser quality
And to be honest the chances of the knock off last for a long time is very highAlso trade marks and stickers means nothing as a proof of origin, these are all copied
The only way to know you are buying an original is from a reputable supplierOctober 17, 2017 at 8:57 am #1271295I agree with Neeman. Not to mention that personally I’m not in the concept of fake.
What does fake means? Has Holbein invented the metal watercolour boxes perhaps and its boxes are the real ones while the other are the fakes?
Holbein sells its brand name but its production, like any other production is in Asia. The factory that makes the Holbeins probably sells the same boxes unbranded in one third of the price. -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Register For This Site
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Search