Spectrum Noir compared to Copics, Bic Mark Its, etc?

I would love to have Copic markers but no way can I afford them. I do have the Bic Mark It set (fine tip) but I am hearing more and more about Spectrum Noir being a better alternative to Copics? Can I get some opinions? I like the Mark It's but they don't have many colors. I saw the Spectrum Noir's at JoAnn's yesterday and liked the price, I think it was like 6 or 8 markers in colors sets for $14.99, plus if I use the coupon it's nearly half off. Thanks for any suggestions!!!

they're not bad,,,,I've used them, and they're definitely better than Bics,,,,,

but they don't have a brush tip like copics, which I find very helpful.

Another thing,,,,,,,where do you get the refills for them? I didn't see any at the J's near me,,,,,

if you have to buy a new marker every time rather than refilling them, they'll wind up being more expensive in the long run than copics.

That is a very good point and one I hadn't thought of! I'll do some research on the availability of the refills in my area or if there is a good online source I could use. Sure wish Copics weren't so pricey! I guess I could always slowly start a collection of Copics, buying just some core color collections and working my way up. Maybe by the time I'm 80 I'll have them all ha ha!

You can get the refills online. Ebay has them too.

I was just in this situation ! I couldn't justify spending the big $$ on copics even though they're great. I did order the "Gotta have it all" set of Spectrum Noir from ebay.

It is ALL the individual color sets of 6, a blender pen, DVD, replacement nibs, and 2 carry bags. The bigger sets also offer the additional sets of 24 to fill in your colors.

I haven't used them yet, except to see if they worked. Out of all of them, 2 are dried out.

Google Crafter's Companion USA and they have everything from refills to marker sets. I only have the basic 72 but love them.

I saw them at J's and considered them, but had not heard anything about them....and I had already started my Copic Collection, so decided to just stick with Copics. I'm up to 58 of them!

My AC Moore had them on clearance for $8/set. You might want to check them out if there's one near you. Then you could buy more sets at once rather than having to keep going back with coupons (if you can afford to do so).

I'm sorry that I can't weigh in. I'm a die hard copic junkie. I have almost all of them (all of the families are complete except the greys, flourescents, and toners). I get them from oozak and have also been blessed to have received many as gifts. I've heard good things about the spectrum noirs, though. If you're interested in them, I'd also check out youtube for tutorials to see what you can do with them.

ShinHan alcohol ink art markers from Korea are excellent: 204 refillable colors, plus a colorless blender and replaceable nibs. Sets and open stock. Good variety of warm and cool greys. They're much better and a bit more expensive than Spectrum Noir, but cheaper than Copic. Mine were $3.50-$4.30 each. Shop around for them on the Web and try out the re-designed "TOUCH TWIN" models. Two styles:1) brush and chisel nibs or 2) fine and chisel nibs. Avoid the old style sold on ebay. However, you might want a few Copics if very pale pastels are needed. ShinHan's colors blend well with Copics. Card-makers had some very good YouTube videos on them. For fine black lines, I like Sakura Micron pens. They're not expensive.

I really like the Spectrum Noir markers. I actually like them better than Copics. I find that I have to lay down more color with Copics in order to achieve the smooth blended effect that I like. You can buy refills for Spectrum Noir markers online.

One word of caution, though. If you're buying them in a store, try them out before you leave the parking lot. I bought a pack at one of the big craft stores. When I went to use them, 2 were almost completely dried-out. I contacted Crafter's Companion (it had been more than 30 days since my purchase at the store), and they sent me a $5 credit.

The Spec are very similar to the copics but I don' like their tips. I've got all of the Copics and once you have them all the refills make them reasonable because it's only like .05 cents to refill them

I'm working on my Copic collection....I might be dead by the time I get them all! haha.

Thanks for the info, ladies! Recently I've been reading up and watching youtube tutorials on Copics. My sister must have about 70 of them and love what she does with them... hmmmmm, Oh, Santa!!!! I know what I'm putting on my list!

Yay for Santa!