Dot markers can be really expensive. I’ve reviewed a few different dot marker brands by now, so let’s see how the far more affordable Shuttle Art Dot Markers compare to other, more expensive brands.

I did this swatch testing in a Plum Paper notebook

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Shuttle Art Dot Markers Review

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The pens come in this plastic carry case so you can store them flat (which is the best way to store pens so the ink distribution stays even).

Related post: How to store planner pens (5 ways – and my favorite method!)

I like the design of the pens themselves, they’re easy to grip and write with.

I mainly use dot markers for checklists and highlighting, so I’ll probably never use the colors on the far right.

Related post: 14 Weekly spread ideas for using dot markers in your bullet journal

There’s no black in the pack but there is a grey.

I couldn’t see any official names for the colors of these pens so I just made up my own names:

The primary colors are great and the green is one of my favorites of the dot markers I’ve tried (not washed out but not too dark either). The yellow is easy to see as well.

I hate the pink in this pack. I like a bright pink and there is only a very washed out looking pastel pink. Could probably use the one I labelled as Magenta as a pink.

I don’t think the quality of these dot markers are as good as the other dot marker brands I’ve tried. Notice the tip of the purple dot marker in the photo below? It’s damaged. The round end is not perfectly round so it’s more like an oval marker. There was also black ink residue.

This happened with 3 of the pens in the pack, including the blue. See how the dots are more just ‘globs’ and there’s some black ink in the swatches?

Ghosting and bleed through

Definitely put a piece of paper underneath the page if you’re going to use these pens. They bled through the page I wrote on, and even bled through to the page underneath that.

How do the Shuttle Art Dot Markers Compare to other brands?

Here are some other dot markers I’ve reviewed and used over the years:

• Review of the Mont Marte Dot Markers (Dual Ended Dot and Fineliner Pens)
• Dot Marker Comparison: Zig Kuretake Clean Color Dot versus the Tombow Play Color Dot
• Review of the Leisure Arts Dot Art Markers (Dual Ended Dot and Fine-Line Markers)

The Shuttle Art comes in a pack which includes 20 different colors – far more than most dot marker packs include. There are less common colors in this pack including brown, grey and navy blue. Other brands are typically sold in smaller packs and you have to buy multiple packs to get all of the colors (especially the Zig Kuretake).

With the exception of the pink which is a horrible peach / pastel rather than a true pink, the colors are just as vibrant as other dot marker brands.

I’ve swatched all of my dot marker brands in the same Plum Paper notebook which is 70lb / 105GSM paper weight. All of them bleed through the paper but I think the bleed through for the Shuttle Art is worse than other brands.

I can’t comment on the longevity of these markers as I’ve only had them for a few months, but all of my other dot markers have lasted for years without drying out.

As for the price, the Shuttle Art are hard to beat. At the time of writing this post they’re only $19 AUD / $13 USD on Amazon for the pack of 20, however they regularly go on sale. I purchased mine when they were on sale for $15 AUD. If you buy dot markers from other brands individually they can be $3 – $4 AUD. For comparison, a pack of only 6 Zig Kuretake markers is $20 AUD on Amazon.

The dual tip is a marker pen not a fineliner. The Tombow are a fineliner you could write with, but the Shuttle Art is a thicker tip that I’d only use for headings.

I would only recommend the Shuttle Art Dot Markers if you want a cheap option and don’t already own other dot markers. Because of the damaged tips in the pack I received, I don’t think the quality is as good as other dot markers. I would rather pay more for better quality.

Tips for using dot markers:

• 7 Ways to use dot markers in your planner or bullet journal
• 14 Weekly spread ideas for using dot markers in your bullet journal
• Wordsworth planner using dot markers and stencils
• Weekly spread using Martha Stewart Discbound Inserts and Zig Dot markers as highlighters
• Rainbow Weekly spread using dot markers

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