Top 5 compared
The best alcohol markers
Smooth, streak-free colour for illustrations, colouring books and handmade cards, with shades that blend into each other.
37 checked · 5 made the cut
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 5 at a glance
Alcohol markers are the felt pens illustrators and card-makers use for flat, streak-free colour. The ink dries fast, so shades can be layered and blended on top of each other without the paper going soggy. Most pair a fine tip for outlines with either a chisel tip for filling areas and bold lines or a brush tip that flexes like a paintbrush for lettering and illustration.
Every set here comes in a carry case. Alcohol ink bleeds through thin paper, so work on marker paper or slip a spare sheet underneath, and keep the caps clicked on firmly, because a pen left open dries out fast. The ink grips smooth surfaces as well, which is why rock painters use them too.
What matters
- Plenty of greys, for shading without muddying the colour.
- A colourless blender pen for soft edges and small fixes.
- Colour-coded caps, so the shade you want is easy to find.
#1Ohuhu 100-Colour Alcohol Markers (chisel and fine)
£30–£50
- Big 100-colour set
- Colourless blender pen included
A hundred colours plus a colourless blender, with colour-coded caps and a carry case to keep them in order. That’s enough shades for skin tones, skies and shadows without mixing, with a fine end for outlines and a chisel for filling.
What owners say: Owners call them excellent quality, with vivid colours that blend easily, and find them suited to beginners and experienced artists alike. Some find they barely bleed through paper, while others mention streaking.
A closer look: Colour with the chisel end in small overlapping strokes to avoid streaks, and use the fine end for outlines. Store the pens flat rather than tip-down, so the ink stays spread between both ends. For skin tones, start with the palest shade and add a slightly darker one only in the shadows.
Best for: Ink that goes a long way
- Colours
- 100 + blender
- Tips
- Chisel + fine
- Blender pen
- Yes
- Carry case
- Yes
#2Ohuhu 48-Colour Alcohol Markers (brush and chisel)
£30–£50
- Flexible brush tip
- Colour-coded caps
- Smaller set at 48 colours
A brush tip that flexes like a paintbrush on one end and a wide chisel on the other, so one pen handles hand lettering, soft shading and quick fills of big areas. Forty-eight colours is a manageable first palette for colouring books and illustration.
What owners say: Owners like the vivid colours and how well they blend, and enjoy using them, with children keen on them too. Drying out and bleed-through divide opinion: some have no trouble, others say pens dry up and bleed through.
A closer look: Press lightly on the brush tip for thin lines and harder for broad strokes, just as with a paintbrush. Work the light colours first and layer darker ones on top while the ink is still slightly damp for the smoothest blends. The chisel end is quicker for filling backgrounds.
Best for: Brush lettering
- Colours
- 48
- Tips
- Brush + chisel
- Blender pen
- No
- Carry case
- Yes
#3TBC The Best Crafts Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers
£10–£20
- Comes with a pen stand
- Colour-coded caps
- Smaller set at 80 colours
An 80-colour dual-tip set with a carry case and stand, for finding out whether alcohol markers suit you before spending more. Each cap is colour-coded to its ink, and the pens suit cartoons and fashion sketches as well as colouring pages.
What owners say: Owners find them good quality and like the colours, which show up well on paper. Drying time gets mixed reports.
A closer look: Practise blending two neighbouring shades on scrap paper first, to learn how long the ink stays workable before it dries. Fill large shapes in one go rather than in patches, since edges that dry before the next stroke leave visible lines.
Best for: Standing the pens upright
- Colours
- 80
- Tips
- Broad 4–5mm + fine 1–2mm
- Blender pen
- No
- Carry case
- Yes
#4Tongfushop 120-Colour Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers
£20–£30
- Big 120-colour set
- 15 greys for shading
- Colourless blender pen included
A hundred and twenty colours and a colourless blender, including 15 greys for shading and four fluorescents, each pen with a 1mm fine tip and a 1–6mm chisel. The 1mm end is fine enough for eyelashes and other small details in character art.
What owners say: A lovely spread of colours that blend easily, owners say, and children enjoy them too. The complaints are pens arriving dried up, some not working and ink bleeding through pages.
A closer look: With 120 colours, sort the pens in the case by colour family the first time you open it, so the lights and darks of one hue sit together for blending. The fluorescent pens look brightest on white paper, so use them for final highlights rather than under other colours. Try every pen on scrap paper as soon as the set arrives, so any dry ones can be sent back straight away.
Best for: Grey shading
- Colours
- 120
- Tips
- Chisel 1–6mm + fine 1mm
- Blender pen
- Yes
- Carry case
- Yes
#5colpart 120-Colour Alcohol Markers
£10–£20
- 120-colour set
- Two spare pens included
- Colour card for swatching
A big 120-colour set with a 1mm fine tip and a 1–6mm chisel on each pen, colour-coded caps and a carry bag, pitched at colouring books, illustration and design projects.
What owners say: Owners like the bright colours, find the ink quick to dry and rate them for stone painting and basic colouring. Durability is the main complaint: some pens run out after a few uses or don’t work at all, and bleed-through gets mixed reports.
A closer look: The two spare pens in the box are worth keeping back for the colours you use most, as those run out first. Swatch every pen on the colour card that comes with the set, so you can see each true shade before it goes on a drawing.
Best for: Spare pens
- Colours
- 120
- Tips
- Chisel 1–6mm + fine 1mm
- Blender pen
- No
- Carry case
- Yes
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Ohuhu 100 chisel & fine | #2Ohuhu 48 brush & chisel | #3The Best Crafts dual-tip | #4Tongfushop 120 | #5colpart 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| Price | £30–£50 | £30–£50 | £10–£20 | £20–£30 | £10–£20 |
| Colours | 100 + blender | 48 | 80 | 120 | 120 |
| Tips | Chisel + fine | Brush + chisel | Broad 4–5mm + fine 1–2mm | Chisel 1–6mm + fine 1mm | Chisel 1–6mm + fine 1mm |
| Blender pen | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Carry case | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Ink that goes a long way | Brush lettering | Standing the pens upright | Grey shading | Spare pens |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
How we checked these
How 37 became 5
We found 37 alcohol marker listings. Fifteen were the same markers listed again, in a bigger or smaller set or as a special edition, and 14 were rated too low and/or had too few ratings to compete. That left eight, which we narrowed down step by step:
- Ratings, reviews and salesFor the eight, we then checked the ratings and reviews further, and how many people buy each one. Owners talked most about ink bleeding through the paper, then pens that dry out or don’t work. After these checks, we dropped one more.7 left
- Features weighed upThe seven left were compared on the number of colours, the tips, blender pens and carry cases. Once everything was weighed up together, we dropped two more. The #1 has every feature you’d expect from a set of alcohol markers.5 made the cut
- Value for moneyEvery set of markers here is worth what it costs. A dearer one is only here if it gives you more.
Spotted a mistake or something out of date? Tell usBack to top
