For me personally, after using the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels, I likened them to the Unison Pastels, perhaps not quite a soft, but if you watch my YouTube video review, you will see both pastels side by side and there is very little difference. Like I said, I would say that the Paul Rubens Pastel are a bit harder than the Unison but this is to be expected given the huge price difference.