The Best Graffiti Markers UK

Written by Paul Worrall

Graffiti markers are a strange corner of the art supplies world — half street art tool, half fine art medium, and increasingly the two aren’t seperated at all. What started as a niche for people writing on walls has become mainstream enough that you’ll find the same paint markers turning up in fine artist studios, sneaker customisation kits and primary school craft boxes. The range on the market has exploded accordingly, and a lot of it is genuinly confusing if you don’t already know the brands.

I spent close to a decade in digital marketing for one of the UK’s largest online art retailers, watching what people actually searched for and bought rather than what marketing budgets pushed hardest — and paint markers were consistantly one of the categories where the gap between “best seller” and “best product” was widest. This guide is the honest version: what’s actually worth buying, not what has the biggest advertising spend behind it.

1. Molotow ONE4ALL 227HS

If there’s an industry standard in this category, it’s this one. The Molotow ONE4ALL 227HS is refillable, comes in an enormous colour range, and uses acrylic-based paint that dries permanently on almost any surface — wood, metal, glass, canvas, stone. It’s the marker most working street artists reach for first, and that reputation isn’t marketing, it’s genuinely earned through consistant reliability across surfaces that would defeat cheaper markers.

The refillable design matters more than it sounds. Buy the pump refills separately once you know which colours you actually use, rather than replacing whole markers, and the long-term cost drops significantly. It’s a system built for people who use these regularly rather than for occasional projects.

The only real downside is price relative to disposable alternatives — you’re paying for a professional tool, not a craft cupboard staple. For anyone taking the medium seriously, it’s worth it.

2. Montana Acrylic Marker

Montana’s waterbased acrylic markers sit right alongside Molotow as the other genuinely professional option, and the two brands get compared constantly because they’re aimed at exactly the same audience. Montana’s ink tends to sit slightly more matte on the surface, which some artists prefer for layering work where you don’t want the sheen fighting with spray paint underneath.

Like the Molotow, these are refillable and interchangeable-tip friendly, which matters if you’re switching between fine detail and broad fills within the same piece. The tip range is genuinely one of the widest in the category — useful if you already know you want a specific line width rather than whatever ships in the standard box.

Choosing between Montana and Molotow largely comes down to which ink finish you prefer and which your local shop stocks reliably — both are excellent, and it’s not a decision worth agonising over.

3. POSCA PC-8K

POSCA has genuinely crossed over from craft shelf to street art tool over the last few years, and the PC-8K wide tip is the one that made that happen. It’s not marketed as a graffiti marker in the way Molotow and Montana are, but the pigment coverage and reliable flow on rough surfaces make it a legitimate option for fills and large lettering, especially for artists working on paper, boards or indoor pieces rather than exterior walls.

The big advantage is availability — POSCA is stocked far more widely than the specialist graffiti brands, which matters if you’re starting out and don’t want to order specifically for one project. It’s also significently cheaper per marker, making it a sensible way to experiment with the medium before committing to the pricier refillable systems.

It won’t fully replace a dedicated street art marker for artists working outdoors on masonry or metal long-term, but for most people starting out, it’s more than capable.

4. Krink K-60

Krink is a different proposition entirely from the other markers on this list. The K-60 is a squeeze bottle with a valve-action tip rather than a conventional felt nib, and it’s built specifically for the drip aesthetic that’s become closely associated with street art. You control flow by how hard you squeeze, which takes practice but gives an effect no felt-tip marker can properly replicate.

This one’s not for precision work or fine detail — that’s not what it’s built for. It’s for large-scale lettering, tags, and the deliberately imperfect drips that are part of the visual language of the medium. Artists who want that specific look tend to become genuinly loyal to the brand once they’ve used it properly.

Worth knowing before buying: it takes some getting used to compared to a standard marker, and it’s messier by design. If that’s not the effect you’re after, one of the other markers on this list will serve you better.

5. Molotow Liquid Chrome Marker

Not an everyday marker, but one worth knowing about for a specific effect. Molotow’s Liquid Chrome gives a genuine reflective metallic finish that standard silver or metallic markers simply can’t match — it’s closer to actual chrome paint than a shimmer effect. It’s importent to shake it properly and prime the tip before use, as the pigment settles quickly and a lazy first stroke will disappoint.

It’s a specialist purchase rather than a starter one. Most artists add it to a kit once they already know they want that particular finish for highlights, outlines or standalone chrome lettering, rather than buying it as a first marker.

Where it earns its price is in situations nothing else quite covers — genuine metallic reflectivity on dark or textured surfaces is a narrow but real need, and this is the marker that actually delivers on it.

6. Sharpie Poster Paint Marker

The honest budget option, and there’s no shame in that. Sharpie’s poster paint markers won’t compete with Molotow or Montana on coverage, refillability or professional-grade opacity, but they’re widely available, cheap enough to buy in a full set, and perfectly capable for anyone dipping a toe into the medium without committing serious money first.

They work fine on paper, card and most craft surfaces, and they’re a sensible choice for parents buying for kids or anyone trying the style out before deciding whether to invest in the proper street art brands. I’d rather recommend an honest entry point than pretend everyone needs professional equipment on day one.

Once you know you’re sticking with it, upgrading to Molotow or Montana is the natural next step — but there’s no reason to start there.

Which Should You Buy?

If you’re serious about the medium and plan to use these regularly, Molotow ONE4ALL or Montana Acrylic are the two genuine professional options — pick whichever your preferred shop stocks reliably, since both are excellent and the difference between them is more about ink finish than quality. If you want to try the style without committing to the refillable systems, POSCA is the sensible middle ground, and Sharpie is the honest starting point if budget is the main concern. Krink and the Molotow Liquid Chrome are specialist additions for a specific look, not first purchases.

Whatever you land on, it’s worth checking current prices before buying — the same markers vary more between UK retailers than most people expect, especially on multi-packs.

If you’re building out a wider street art or mixed-media kit, our guides to the best alcohol markers and best paint markers cover the related categories worth knowing about too.