Bianyo Brush Marker Review - Part 1

So I mentioned in passing recently that I bought my first Copic markers. Using them taught me that my alcohol marker collection was sorely lacking in the brush nibs department.

I was planning to buy myself a big set of Copic Ciao markers. I had the set all picked out, and I shopped around looking for a good deal. I unfortunately just missed a huge sale from MarkerPOP. I was all ready to bite the bullet and make the purchase when my good friend Rachel sent me a terrific (belated) birthday/Xmas package in the mail! She included some of her unwanted markers, including some Prismacolors and Mepxy brush markers. And I was pleasantly surprised by the Mepxy markers! The brush was nice and they worked just as well as all my other, more expensive markers. I was about to drop around $250 on a set of Ciao markers, when I would probably be just as happy with some cheaper alternatives markers? Had a lost my mind?

So without  further ado, let me introduce you to my new markers.

They're Bianyo's Brush Markers, a set of 72. They're twin-type markers with a chisel and brush tip, just like the Ciao markers. And I have to say, the quality of the brush tip is virtually identical to the Copics. The size and feel is the same. No complaints there at all.

I made a little index for myself, because the printed colors and the cap colors are almost never accurate to the actual ink color, and this rings true for every single marker I've ever tried, so I don't hold that against them. Some of the colors are actually pretty close, but a few are way off. Most noticeably, the Warm Grey 0 appears to be a peachy skin tone instead of an actual grey. I actually kind of appreciate this, since greys are otherwise well accounted for in this set. And considering that this grey is included in their separate set of skin colors I think this was not a mistake. Another "off" color is the Chartreuse, which is way darker than I would have expected.

This is a large set of markers, and includes some fantastic colors. I wish there were more peach colors. Baby Skin Pink and Warm Grey 0 are so close in color that you can hardly tell them apart, and there's not really any other colors close enough to shade either color with if you'd like to use them for skin. And I wish there were some nicer pink options. There are also a lot of dark, vivid purples and violets, but not much in the way of lavender or pale shades to blend them with.

They do sell a separate set of skin colors, which would hopefully solve the lack of light pink and peach shades. But upon closer inspection, I saw that around half of the markers in that set are repeated in this one! The others don't seem to be available individually, which is terribly lame. It seems there's only a few odd markers outside of this set. It makes me wonder why they didn't just expand this set to include their entire collection. I was really bummed - but it didn't stop me from ordering that skin tone set today. We'll see how I like it in Part 2 of my Bianyo review.

Anyway, here's some doodles I made with these markers!

Jungle Foliage

Snake

Dancers from the movie Xanadu

 I did use my Copic skin tones to color the gentleman with the hat and to shade the lady on the right's skin, because none of the Bianyo suited the dancers I was drawing.

'Tangle Me Olmo' is a joke based a hilarious off-brand marionette-puppet I found online

Raya

The quality of the markers is fantastic. The ink is smooth and vibrant. The nibs are a pleasure. All of them appear nice and juicy. I cannot express enough how happy I am with them!

Pros

• Cheap (Less than $100 for a set of 72)
• Quality brush nib
• Smooth, vibrant ink
• Comes in a nice package with a magnetized top that flips into a stand
• Decent color selection
• Work nicely with other alcohol markers
• Available on Amazon 

Cons

• Cannot be refilled (at least I don't see any refills available)
• Lacking in the pink/peach/lavender department  
• Confusing (arbitrary?) numbering system
• Caps do not fit into the ends of the markers while in use

Color Comparison - Prismacolor, Bianyo, Copic

I picked out the most similar colors I could find that I had in all three brands. I settled with these ones. The Prismacolor definitely lays down the smoothest, but the colors aren't as appealing. The brown is less saturated than the others. The Bianyo markers are very lovely! Nice and saturated and smooth, but not quite as smooth as Prismacolor. The Copics are beautiful colors, but the ink lays down an almost mottled appearance. This may be the paper that I use, but I've heard other people complain of similar problems with blotchy ink too.

Out of the three, the Bianyo markers are probably my favorites. The colors are very appealing, and they lay down nicely. Overall I'm very pleased with this new addition to my collection. I wish I'd found them earlier!