I anticipate that the point may eventually get "mushy" with use. It's not a huge issue for me because 1) they were inexpensive, 2) I was pleasantly surprised the points were as pointy as they were to start with, 3) I use them mostly for bigger areas.

You can build the color a little bit, put one color on top of another to change the shading some. (They don't blend like an art-marker, obviously.)You can use the point for a finer line, and the side for a broader line or for filling in larger area. They would not be super for small details (like the Secret Garden type books), or for drawing mandalas or other fine-line patterns. I have fine line pens (Stabilo 88) that are intermediate level, art-supply-wise, and use them if I'm getting serious about staying in the lines. They've got good ink flow, and good coverage with one pass. No bleed through on any decent paper, unless you really put a lot of ink in one spot. These inexpensive markers are reliable, versatile, and have a pretty good range of color. I'm sure they're great for kids, but I'm an adult doing the grown-up coloring thing, and I wanted a lot of colors without having to pay a lot of money. These are basic, but they don't work like cheap markers.