Everyone wants to know what is the difference between Ranger’s Distress Crayons and Faber-Castell Gelatos? I am not endorsing one over the other, but you should know that there are some differences in colors, pigment content, and packaging that might influence your purchasing decision.
Disclosure: samples were provided by both companies for review purposes. Opinions are my own and based on my first-hand experience with the products.
Well, I show you here in SIX MINUTES and 10 examples of how they are the same…and different!
Here are those photos again:
Size matters- you get more product for a cheaper price point with the Gelatos.
Water sprinkled on top, then dabbed off with a paper towel.
Product applied then blended out with a baby wipe.
Product applied directly to a rubber stamp and then misted with water. First stamp at the bottom, second in the middle and last on top.
Product dipped in water and then scribbled on watercolor paper misted with water.
Product applied on watercolor paper, stencil laid on top, then wiped gently with a baby wipe.
Wet paintbrush dragged through product.
Product on black textured paper.
Stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento stamp pad and then allowed to air dry for 10 minutes. Distress Crayons smeared.
Products applied to white gesso stenciled background.
So here’s my takeaways:
- Gelatos have more opaque color
- Gelatos blend more
- Gelatos work better on dark/black surfaces
- Gelatos give you more product for less money
- Gelatos have more colors and include pearls and metallics in the line
- Distress Crayons match other Distress products
- Distress Crayons apply very smoothly
- Distress Crayons have a nice easy-grip pen-style package
- Distress Crayons “move” less and layer well
- Distress Crayons remove more easily on gesso’d surfaces
And while prices vary, on Amazon.com 18 Distress Crayons sell for $37, while 12 Gelatos sell for $19.99. That makes them approximately $3 each for Distress, while Gelatos are a thrifty $1.60 each. And there is more product inside! So if you are thrifty, Gelatos may be the best bet for you- but if you are a Distress fan, you are going to want these colors in your craft box!
What do you think? Which product is right for you?
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Thanks for the review. I hadn’t been all that impressed with the Distress crayons (all the demonstrations seemed to require a layer of gesso first), but I hadn’t thought about how well they would work if you already had a lot of the distress products.
A better deal than Gelatos are the Faber-Castell – 12 Count- Gel Sticks for $9.95 and the Faber-Castell Metallic Gel Sticks 6ct for $7.91 (both at Amazon). I have both the gel stick and gelatos and when comparing the exact same colors, I can not tell the difference. The only advantage to the Gelatos is that there are more colors available. One thing I have noticed about both is that some colors go on as smooth as lipstick, others are crumbly, but all blend nicely with a finger.
I also really like the Caran d’Ache Classic Neocolor II Water-Soluble Pastels (15 for $23.73 from Amazon). They can be purchased in sets or as open stock from an art store like Dick Blick. They look like crayons with a paper wrapper and are firmer than Gelatos, but go on smoothly and completely dissolve with a water brush, even on plain paper.
I’ve got the Gelatos starter pack and then saw the TH distress crayons and was quite upset thinking I had wasted money , but looking at your side by side samples I mostly prefer what the gelatos can do so thank you for these examples. I now know that what I bought will still do a great job!
Thanks for the comparison. This really helped in my researching which one to purchase.