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 direct ink acrylic paint markers, but I also tested pump action and cotton core 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.
Direct Ink Acrylic Paint Markers Comparison
Enmy Ink Control Acrylic Paint Markers
The Enmy Direct Ink Acrylic Markers were my favourite pick of all. They performed really well on almost every test – the only let down being that they soaked into the rocks and lost some opacity. They were vibrant and opaque on the pencils and markers and were easy to use on the plastic. I’ve been using them more since, and I’m really enjoying them. I just wish the tip was a little stronger – it seems a bit flimsy and so I’d recommend a light touch!
Flysea Acrylic Paint Pens (FS-4901)
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. These brush pens were easy to use and performed above average on most tests. I noticed a smell during some of the tests (unusual for paint markers) but overall I thought these were good.
Flysea Dual Tip Acrylic 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. These were quite a unique design, and the first marker I’ve come across that had a dual tip while being direct ink. They had a good paint flow and were fairly opaque, and I really liked how they felt when using them (heavier than most, in a good way!) They performed above average on most tests. Overall, a nice marker!
Sharpie Creative Marker (Brush Tip)
I was so excited to discover the Sharpie Creative Markers when they first came out a few years ago. They were one of the first brands to introduce the direct ink system and a finally have a brush marker. The smaller set is the direct ink, but they also have a large size Creative marker with the cotton core interior. The direct ink flows well, is very easy to use, and is mostly opaque. They didn’t hold up as well on the rocks and plastic, but did well on my other tests. I’d love to see them introduce a bigger range of colours!
Arrtx Acrylic Markers (Brush Tip)
Arrtx Liquid Ink brush markers performed well on most tests and were very easy to use. Their opacity is great and they flow smoothly with just a few small streaks. About 10 of the 96 markers I tested were bad matches for the lid colours, and I did find they came unscrewed over and over, which was a little frustrating! Unfortunately they failed on the alcohol markers, and reacted with the alcohol – soaking in and creating unexpected effects.
GuangNa Acrylic Brush Markers
I had a really good first impression of the GuangNa direct ink markers – and these are sold under many other whitelabel names, so they’re easy to find on Amazon. In fact, I didn’t buy these as GuangNa. I bought them from “OHLLWERD”, and realised they were GuangNa after they arrived. They layer well and last for a while, but the flow isn’t great – they feathered quickly. Otherwise, they performed above average on most tests and were one of the best on the alcohol markers.
JusArt Brush Tip Acrylic Markers
The JusArt direct ink markers were nice to use overall. They had bold colours, the ink was well mixed, and they were easy to control. A large number of them (5/30) didn’t match well to the lid colours, and some inks are more opaque than others, but overall these are a good beginner set!
Karin Pigment Decobrush
Karin was the first company I ever saw use the “direct ink” brush marker system. So I was really excited when they gifted me the entire collection of their Pigment Decobrush. Ultimately they just weren’t opaque at all, and were very watery, which created issues in almost every test. The moisture does make them great for blending and watercolour effects, but they are also a lot pricier than every other marker I tested. Overall, I enjoyed using them, but they were below average when compared to all these other brands.
Karin Pigment Realbrush
More information coming soon.
Mont Marte Flexi Tip Paint Pens
The Mont Marte Acrylic Paint Pens were great. Their direct-ink system makes them easy to use, with bold colours and good opacity. They performed well on almost all surfaces, and they are overall nice to use. I believe they are the same manufacturer as the JusArt acrylic markers, although the Mont Marte have a very limited range of just 12 colours.
Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers
The Ohuhu Nahuku were so close to being my favourite acrylic markers! They are really nice to use, have a great colour range, and performed above average in all my testing. Ultimately, their paint formula let them down. Even with the direct-ink system, they were frequently unmixed on the tip, even after a few minutes, meaning you would need to swatch them before almost every new stroke. They weren’t great on rocks, but that was true for most of the direct-ink style markers. Overall, still a really nice paint marker!
Shuttle Art Acrylic Paint Markers
I was surprised and delighted by the Shuttle Art Acrylic Markers. They were 2nd place overall, with the highest scores across the board in all tests. They have a huge colour range, great flow, they perform wonderfully on alcohol markers, but also well on just about every other surface. Their tips are quite flimsy, which is ultimately why I didn’t choose them as my winner, but it was a close race!
Thank you Sarah for all this hard work and these great comparisons.