Since this article is truly a very long read and you need to be somewhat nerdy about markers (just like me) to read it in its entirety. Or maybe you want to learn all of the nitty-gritty details. But if you are out of time and you need to have a quick answer to the question: “Okay, out of those 9 assessed markers, what would be the best choice for me?” then you can read this section only and maybe later look into the below high-level overview each of the markers. You might arbitrary review other sections when you have more time and in any order you prefer, it does not really matter as long as you enjoy the read.

I was hesitating to suggest the ranking based on my own opinion, but decided to present each of the marker under consideration as an unnumbered list with pros and cons for each. I will let each reader decide what is the best marker.

Edding

Pros: great colour, outstanding tip quality, nice ergonomics, cheap, available in most European countries, limited reliability.

Cons: might be somewhat smelly for some people, black and red colours fade over time.

Pilot

Pros: great tip quality, great colour and ink flow, refillable, widely available.

Cons: the ergonomics is certainly not the best, might be too smelly for some people.

Expo

Pros: cheap, great colour, great ink flow, nice felt tips.

Cons: limited to US, has some ergonomics issues, might be too smelly for some people, not refillable.

Sharpie

Pros: cheap, great colour and ink flow, nice felt tips, limited availability in Europe.

Cons: has some ergonomics issues, might be too smelly for some people, not refillable, might be tricky to remove if you keep it on the board long enough, colour may be unstable.

Pentel

Pros: fancy pump-up action, great colours and ink flow, relatively easily available.

Cons: smelly, pricey, not refillable, has some ergonomics issues.

Neuland

Pros: is the least smelly, fantastic ergonomics, great ink flow, refillable, there is grey colour available.

Cons: re-fills might not be available for purchase in some countries, not easily available, colour is sometimes unstable, tip is too soft, very expensive compared to other markers.

Artline

Pros: is almost not smelly, good ergonomics, great ink coverage and flow.

Cons: not refillable, the most expensive among other markers, not widely available.

Staedtler

Pros: fantastic plastic boxes for sets, available in most European countries, nice ergonomics, limited reliability.

Cons: quality of the tip, pale colours (black is not impressive) that may fade over time, one of the smelliest if you are concerned.

Lyreco

Pros: relatively cheap, great colours.

Cons: one of the smelliest, poor quality of the tip, very limited colour range, not easily available, not refillable, has some ergonomics issues, colour is sometimes unstable (especially the black one).