Copics vs Spectrum Noir

Today I want to talk about Alcohol ink markers. I have been collecting Copic markers for a few months now and Love the professional results achieved with these markers. Blending and shading is a breeze and with over 300 colors to choose from who wouldn't love these markers. But the price point is a little steep and I have found at $6 each for these markers that I am not able to purchase them as often as I would like. Lets face it......you get what you pay for though! And the Copics are definately worth every penny of the cost.
Then along comes Spectrum Noir markers. I walked into my local AcMoore the other day and discovered these markers for the first time. Six markers in a pkg for $14.99 less my 50% off coupon equals $7.50. WOW! Thats $1.25 per marker. How bad can they be? right? so I purchased two pkgs of the Spectrum Noir markers. I bought a set of the purples and a set of the pinks.

Now for my comparison. I colored in an image completely with Copics and one image completely with the Spectrum Noir.........and then I colored an image using both.
We all know the specs on these markers so there is no need for me to get into all that when all that really matters is performance. right?

The biggest difference between the two markers is the tips. The Copics have a chisel tip and a brush tip.....and the Noir markers have a chisel tip and a Bullet tip.

What I found is that although the Copics do glide across the paper a little easier.......the Noir markers seemed to work just fine.

I have problems getting into tiny areas with the brush tip of the Copics and tend to color outside the lines occasionally.....whereas it was much easier to get into the tiny spaces with the bullet tip on the Noir marker.

The Noir markers seem to be a little wetter and absorb more into the paper though so they are prone to bleeding more than the copics.

It seems to be much easier to Shade with the copics......I did find that the lighter colors of the Noir markers tend to wash out the darker shades......so when blending and shading you have to go over the image a few more times to get the same results you would achieve with the Copics in less time.

As we all know the Copics are available in 358 colors and the Noir are only available at this time in 168 colors, so BIG difference there.

I did find that on my third image where I used a combo of Copics and Noir markers to color my image that the two different brands of markers worked very well together.

So the bottom line for me is that there are pro's and cons to both. I myself do like the copics much better than the Noir markers.......but the fact is that they are both alcohol ink markers and the Noir are so much cheaper to buy  that I believe I will continue buying them and adding their colors into my copic collection since they do seem to work quite well together. So for a beginner like myself on a budget my opinion is that the copics are a much better marker and worth every penny but i see no reason not to enhance your Copic collection with the Noir markers. Besides that fine point bullet tip on the Noir markers does come in handy when coloring in tight little spaces.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my comparison and personal opinion on the differences between these two brands of markers and that maybe this info will help someone else in deciding whether or not it is worth the money to purchase the Noir markers or not. I would love to hear your opinions or any info you have found between the two. Please feel free to comment below. Thanks!


Theresa