Chisel Tip Graffiti Marker Comparison: Krink vs. Illadel vs. Uni
One of the main tools of the trade when it comes to writing is the marker. Specifically the chisel tip marker. Sure there’s mops, and we all love the mops because, when done right, the handstyles look nice & drippy & sexy as hell, but nothing compares to a well-executed handstyle done with a chisel tip marker. The chisel tips just give your letters that razor-sharp, crispy look. It also exposes your hand (or lack thereof) just like bombing with a stock cap on a can of Rusto.
This post will be dedicated to three of the best chisel tip “graffiti markers” currently available on the market. Sure there are others like the Sharpies and the Poscas, but you really can’t use those for bombing or tagging outdoors because they aren’t made for the outdoor environment. I mean the markers are designed the same as all the rest but the ink inside the markers are made for sketching and stickers and things like that. If you used a Sharpie or Posca outside it would more than likely fade extremely fast and that’s what you wanna avoid, especially when bombing outdoor spots.
First off, what separates the chisel tip markers from the rest of the graffiti markers like the streaks/paint sticks, mops, bullet tips and correction pens is the three-sided nib. The nibs on the chisel tip marker allow you to make a thin, usually 1mm in width line if you hold the marker with the tip on an angle, kind of sideways so just the very tip of the nib lays down the ink or paint on the desired surface. The second side, the thin side will create a 3mm line. This is the “thin side” of the nib. You can create these lines by moving the marker in an up & down motion. And last, the thick 7mm-8.5mm lines you get from going side-to-side with the marker. Writing in that direction will give you the thickest lines available from a stock nib. You can however, “fray” the nib in order to make it write even thicker, more solid lines which are, in my opinion, the best way to use the marker. When you fray the nib it writes thicker and more importantly, stays saturated with ink or paint better than it would before fraying. In the next post I’ll go over how to fray the nib to make it write thicker.
All three markers below are “valve-actuated” (or paint pump) markers. What that means is there is a small plastic spring-controlled valve inside the barrel of the marker that keeps the paint from flowing freely to/through the nib. When you press the nib down on the surface the valve opens and the paint flows to the nib, making it nice & juicy and ready to write. Other markers, like the Sharpie, has a sponge-like filling inside the body of the marker, which the other end of the nib kind of sits in inside the marker body. The filling is saturated with ink which soaks the nib and allows the ink to flow. This type of marker is only made for ink. Now on to the comparison…..
This comparison will be strictly on the “mechanics” of the three markers, meaning the quality of the actual marker itself, the nib, and most importantly the ink or paint. The three selected markers being compared are the Krink K71, the Uni PX30 and the Black Label chisel tip marker from Illadel.
1. Uni PX30
The Uni PX30 is as classic as classic can be as far as graffiti markers. First off, it is available in 7 colors and contains oil-based permanent paint. The PX30, like the other two markers, is a paint pump, or valve-actuated marker, which is always a plus. The more you juice the nib the more paint flows through the nib to the desired surface. The body of the marker is aluminum so it will last for quite a long time without cracking, leaking, or becoming deformed from the chemicals in the paint. If you put a small dent in the side of the barrel the paint will flow better as well.
The one downside to the Uni PX30 that you won’t find with the Krink or Illadel markers is sometimes if you juice the nib too much, the oil-based paint dries inside the marker head and blocks the paint from flowing correctly. If you know how to take the marker apart and clean the valve & nib you’ll be fine. Another issue with the PX30, like all paint markers, is the paint sometimes dries the nib out. Once this happens you will need a replacement nib in order for the marker to work the way it was designed to. Nibs are easy to find online at any graffiti supply shop. The biggest problem I have with the Uni PX30, just like the Krink K71 and pretty much any other similar marker that’s made/filled in a factory, is the amount of paint in the barrel. The manufacturer only puts about 25ml of paint in the barrel, which is less than one ounce, and that will run out pretty quick if you do alot of writing.
Speaking of paint, the oil-based permanent paint inside the PX30 is high quality, fadeproof and permanent. It adheres to almost any surface you’ll come across and dries quickly to a glossy finish. You can hit spots indoors or outside and not have to worry about your tags fading from the sunlight or the rain. The paint colors available in the PX30 size are black, white, silver, gold, blue, red, yellow, and if you can find it, pink. All oil-based, all very permanent. You can write on glass, ceramic, metal, wood, rubber, plastic, and pretty much any other hard surface without any issues.
The Uni PX30 can be refilled if you know what you’re doing, but keep in mind that these markers were originally filled with oil-based paint so you should use the same type of paint when you refill. You can always clean the barrel & valve with some acetone but you will definitely need a fresh nib if you plan on running ink through it.
The Uni PX30 is a must-have as far as I’m concerned, especially the silver and gold metallics. You can’t find a better silver paint marker on the market that will hold up outdoors. You can find these for roughly $6.00 on most websites, a great price in my opinion for the quality and longevity of the tags.
2. Krink K71
The Krink K71 is another classic tool of the trade when it comes to graffiti. Its available in a bunch of colors, the marker body is made of high quality aluminum so it’ll last for a while, and it looks great, especially the pantone color-matched labels that match the ink color. The K71’s have been on the market for around 10 years, maybe more and are available in both ink and paint.
The Krink K71 comes equipped with a 7mm chisel tip nib and is also a valve-actuated marker. Slightly thinner than the other two as far as nib width goes but the marker performs just the same. The K71 permanent ink marker is available in black, purple and bleed-thru red. A bleed-thru blue used to be available but I’m not sure at the time of writing. The other colors, yellow, red, cyan (blue), white, silver and black are alcohol-based paint. By “alcohol-based paint” I assume it is an acrylic base, otherwise it would state “oil-based” on the label & manufacturer’s website. The alcohol-based acrylic is a good choice because acrylic paint holds it’s color and doesn’t really fade like ink does. One of the good things with Krink products is all the colors match dead-on. The paint colors match all the way around the board for the markers in whatever variants are available and the mops as well.
One of the issues I have with the K71, as with all Krink products first & foremost is the high prices. Now make no mistake, Krink is the forerunner when it comes to graffiti markers & supplies. And I know from years of experience that when you want your products to all look like they belong together, the packaging & all that, this costs money. Especially when you have to adhere to MOQ (minimum order quantities) with the manufacturer who puts your products together. Their wholesale minimums can be as high as 5,000 per product, per size, per color, so you have to make that initial investment up somewhere. But realistically $15.00 for one marker and $18.00 for one 2oz. mop is a bit high for your average writer, especially the younger people just getting involved with writing. Then again, the old saying goes “everything ain’t for everybody”.
Another issue, similar to the Uni PX30 mentioned above, is the amount of ink inside the barrel. On the Krink website it states 22ml of ink/paint is inside the K71. A tiny bit less than the PX30 but those 3ml can make all the difference when you’re 2/3 the way through your little punch line next to the handstyle and the ink starts to streak or run out.
And lastly, the glued-shut head on the marker body. There’s no need for this. I understand it completely from a business standpoint 100%. If the marker can’t be opened & refilled then the customer must buy another. But, in my opinion, there’s ways you do things and ways you don’t do things. Regardless, the Krink K71, as with all Krink products, are superior products that look great, perform great, and are available in every graffiti supply shop as well as boutiques all over the planet. You can’t be mad at that.
If you happen to be looking for suggestions, the purple K71 and the silver K71 are my top choices/recommendations.
3. Black Label Chisel Tip
Before I begin, the whole concept of this marker was to take all the of the things the PX30 and the K71 left out or decided to avoid and include them with the Black Label marker. I’m not trying to shit on the other two, I’m just trying to deliver a product that writers look for all in one package.
The Black Label chisel tip is also a valve-actuated/paint pump marker. It took me years to source a high quality empty marker with components that withstand the use & abuse most graffiti writers subject these type of products to. The aluminum barrel is nice & thick, guaranteed to last for years. I made sure to use an old school nib made of polyester fiber that stays saturated with ink, similar to the above-mentioned markers. Many of the new “graffiti markers” use those synthetic, hard white nibs that look & feel like styrofoam. Those nibs are prone to streaking and clogging while you write. The old school fiber nibs are great because they hardly ever streak and you can fray them easily to widen the lines, and they work great ink and/or paint.
One of the issues with the K71 & PX30 that I mentioned was the small amount of ink inside the barrel. The K71 & PX30 contain between 22ml and 25ml respectively. The Black Label marker contains 45ml, nearly double both of the previously mentioned products. I fill each marker, by hand, almost to the top of the barrel. You can feel the weight when you hold it in your hand. Sure I could have filled it with a fraction of that but I wanted to make the marker as appealing as possible. For the price point of $10.00 I felt the marker needed to hold as much ink as possible without overflowing & spilling once the valve was inserted.
Another plus is the head is not glued onto the marker body, making it easily refillable. All you have to do is unscrew the head, pull the valve out and refill with your favorite ink. Speaking of ink, I filled the marker with the best of the best. I made the OG Black Label Ink I used to make back in 2007-2008, complete with all the staining reagents to guarantee a true buffproof ink. The OG Black Label is xylene-based and extremely permanent, as well as being buffproof. There is a chemical in the Black Label that reacts to the solvents used by the buffman that, when he sprays the cleaner onto the Black Label, it reacts to the cleaner and spreads all over the surface when he tries to wipe it off. This is to make the buffman realize, the next time he sees your handstyle or tag somewhere, it’ll be easier to leave it alone than to create a bigger mess than he wants to deal with.
The Ink also bleeds through multiple layers of oil-based paint and primers. The initial buff tests I used bucket paint then primer then aerosol, and stopped after two layers of each. After the last coat a clearly visible ghost tag was still peeking through. The ink itself is bleed-thru black, fadeproof, buffproof, and twice the opacity of the alcohol-based inks other manufacturers put on the market. Each batch of Black Label Ink is made in one gallon increments to assure the same quality and results in every mixture.
The only downside to this marker is it’s only available in black. The old bleed-thru violet I used to make back in 2006-2007 will be available shortly. The Black Label Chisel Tip marker is available for $10.00 each.
With all that being said, each marker is a great product in it’s own right, whether it be the look of the final product, the price point, or the vandalous properties. Some people don’t care for quality items and some people only use specific products based on price because they feel that the more they pay the better the product is, which is not always true. I tried to deliver these Black Label chisel tip markers at a price I felt was in between the low and high end of the other two, keeping in mind that there is twice as much ink inside and the qualities that the ink holds.
Two of the three above-mentioned markers, the Uni PX30 and the Black Label marker, are available on this website in the shop section for anyone interested.
