I tested over 1800 acrylic paint markers from every brand I could find… and I’ve included all of the results here!
Below you’ll find all of the results for the best cotton core acrylic paint markers, but I also tested pump action and direct ink markers too.
You can see the full process and how the results were decided in my video below:
PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them (at no cost to you). I have personally purchased all of the pencils used in this review, except a few that were given to me by paint marker companies – these include; Arrtx Acrylic Markers (Brush Tip, Liquid Ink and Simptap), Karin Pigment Decobrush & Pigment Realbrush, Let’s Resin Acrylic Markers, Life of Colour (various styles), Ohuhu (Nahuku and Kalalau) and the Sharpie Creative Markers. Supplies were only accepted on the condition that they would have no input into the review before, during, or after publishing.
Cotton Core Acrylic Paint Markers Comparison
Arrtx Acrylic Markers (Brush Tip)
These were my favourite of all the cotton core brush tip markers I tested. They were just as opaque as other cotton core (less than pump action or direct ink) and were very easy to use. They have a great range of colours and performed really well on all my tests. They were easy to blend between colours, although the brush does sometimes feather. I also found quite a few mismatched lid colours, which seems to be a common issue with these types of markers from all brands.
Artistro Brush Tip Paint Pens
I had a bad first experience with these cotton core paint markers. They were very watery, and the colours were washed out. The opacity was one of the worst I tested. 4 out of the 16 markers I tested didn’t match their lid colours, and they performed under average on every test. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend.
Artistro Dual Tip Paint Pens
These are another dual tip, cotton core paint marker. They were easy to use, except the caps were extremely tight. They have a similar opacity to other cotton core markers, and lasted for a long time in the stamina test. The colour range is huge, although many lids weren’t a good match for the actual ink colours. They were average in most tests.
Droaful Dual Tip Paint Markers
Droaful are a quick-drying cotton core marker, but their performance overall was below average. I found the quality control wasn’t great with my set – the orange was completely dried out, and one marker had 2 different colours at each end (not intentionally). The caps were loose and the tips were flimsy, but they did work fairly well on different surfaces.
Elgren (Art Walker) Paint Markers
These may have been the worst markers I tested, and the disappointment started when they first arrived and I wasn’t able to figure out which brand they were supposed to be. They were terrible on plastic (the colour weirdly soaked into the primer), and were below average on every other test. Even on the plain paper, there was a weird chemical reaction with some of the pigments and their own binder. The tips were flimsy and my box appeared to have mould growing inside the lid. They didn’t seem to have a consistent font across their numbering system, and the reviews online seem to reflect a similar opinion! I wouldn’t recommend these, even at the cheap price.
Enmy Acrylic Markers
I ordered a set of Enmy dual tip markers from Amazon, and these arrived instead. They worked much like all the other cotton core markers – small and mess-free, easy to layer and blend. I did find that they dried unevenly, especially on the rocks. They aren’t as good as the other direct-ink set that Enmy offers, and I’ll probably gift this set to my kids.
Flysea Brush Tip Acrylic Markers (FS-BR5)
Flysea are the factory that make several of the other brands of markers I’ve tested. So this was more about testing the standard than comparing this specific brand, especially since they are commonly whitelabeled for other brands. This cotton-core brush tip marker performed slightly above average in most tests. The white struggled on pencils, and they did have a slight smell.
Flysea Dual-Tip Dot Markers
Flysea are the factory that make several of the other brands of markers I’ve tested. So this was more about testing the standard than comparing this specific brand, especially since they are commonly whitelabeled for other brands. I didn’t like the dot markers and found them to be watery, and their performance varied a lot between tests. Overall they were one of the least opaque and they didn’t survive the stamina test.
Grabie Dual Tone Acrylic Markers
This is the only dual tip marker I tested that had different colours on each end of the marker. This was nice at first, but I felt some of the matches weren’t well thought out. They were above average on most tests, and were very easy to use. 8 out of the 72 markers didn’t match the lid colours, and they did require shaking to activate, even as a cotton core marker. On the plastic, they weren’t as smooth as I would have liked, but they were nice to use overall.
GuangNa Dual Tip Acrylic Markers
You’ll find these markers all over Amazon under many different brand names, and you can identify them by the “GN” code on the box, even without the brand name. These were low mess, easy to use, and were similar to many of the cotton core markers in that they felt more like a water-based marker than a paint marker. The white didn’t work at all on the pencils, and they were average in most other tests. The colours are very creamy, almost pastel-like.
INNMUSE Dual Tip Acrylic Paint Pens
I had a good first impression of the INNMUSE Acrylic Markers, and really liked how they performed on the plastic, rocks and pencils. They were very easy to use, with only minimal feathering on the stamina test. They were very easy to blend between colours. The colours weren’t great matches for the lids (7 out of 24 were bad matches) but overall I enjoyed them and they are more affordable than most.
JusArt Dual Tip Acrylic Paint Pens
The JusArt acrylic markers are easy to use and have a good colour range. I really didn’t like the outer packaging – it was squeaky and really ruined the experience for me. They worked well on most of the surfaces I tried, except I was disappointed in their performance on alcohol markers. They didn’t feather at all on the stamina test, but the colour did fade.
Life of Colour Brush Tip Acrylic Paint Pens
I had a really good first impression of the Life of Colour Brush Tip Markers. They handled many layers, had good colours, and were easy to use. They performed above average on most surfaces. During the stamina test, there were some streaks and the colour slowly faded over time.
Master’s Touch Acrylic Markers
I was pleasantly surprised with the Master’s Touch Acrylic Markers. They do have a very small colour range, but they performed better than other cotton core markers in almost every test. The white wasn’t as good as the other colours, and they did feather slightly during the stamina test. They only needed 2 coats of colour to be opaque on the plastic test, which was better than most. These aren’t available everywhere – they are a Hobby Lobby brand.
Nicety Dual Tip Brush Paint Markers
More Information Coming Soon.
Nicety Medium Tip Paint Pens
More Information Coming Soon.
Overseas Acrylic Markers
Overseas is another brand name owned by Flysea (factory direct, not a reseller). This particular set of cotton core markers were average performers in most tests. I found the lids were quite stiff and the tips were flimsy. They only handled 2 lines on my stamina test before struggling, which is far less than similar types of markers from other brands.
Sharpie Creative Marker (Bullet Tip)
These were some of the earliest non-pump paint markers available, and they are really nice to use. I had a really good first impression and the flow is wonderful. It’s a bit confusing that the larger Creative Marker is cotton-core while the smaller is direct-ink. These aren’t as opaque as I would have liked, and they were average in most of my tests. But the cotton core makes them easy to use, mess-free and they last for ages.
Shuttle Art Dual Tip Acrylic Paint Markers
More information coming soon.
Tooli-Art Acrylic Brush Pens
More information coming soon.
Vignette Stationary Acrylic Markers
More information coming soon.
Ohuhu Kalalau Acrylic Markers
Ooly Vivid Pop
These were one of the prettiest marker barrels, but that’s about it. The cotton core makes them easy to use (and a great option for kids) but the colours disappeared completely on the rocks and alcohol markers. They couldn’t layer at all on the plastic, and made streaks and pulled up the acrylic paint underneath. They weren’t as bright as I would have hoped, but they were mess-free and the tip is really nice to use.
Hey! Currently I have the Nicety Dual Tip Brush Paint Markers ànd I work them to the bone. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for markers that still have that wide color range but don’t go streaky or run out as easy. If not I will probably just buy another pack but I do wish they had individual refills.