You were told “Ohuhu is the Copic slayer! They’re like Copic Markers but better!”
Is it true?
Every Ohuhu Marker has different characteristics based upon its unique ink formula. No matter how great they say the marker is, test results do not lie.
So are Ohuhu markers as great as you’ve heard?
Let’s look at Ohuhu R13 to find out.
WARNING: Ohuhu markers have numbers on the cap but not on the body of the marker. We do not recommend coloring with both caps off due to the risk of accidentally placing the wrong caps on a marker.
Test results: Ohuhu R13 Clematis
NUMBER SYSTEM WARNING: R13 is not a typo! As I warn below, the Ohuhu numbering system is nonsense! This marker proves how little they care about helping you use their product. They know this is not a red ink because Clematis flowers are never red. This also is not the only stupidly numbered marker in the Ohuhu collection.
REFILL WARNING! At this time, Ohuhu does not sell refills for R13. To date, you must purchase a new marker when your current marker runs dry. See Ohuhu’s current list of refills here.
Temperature: A cool violet with blue undertones
Resemblance: Cobalt Violet watercolor
Actual Value: N9
Unlike Copic, Ohuhu does not measure value— this is a glaring deficiency which makes finding blending combinations harder than it has to be!
All Copics are measured on a Neutral Gray value scale. The last number on the Copic cap indicates the value. We’re using the Copic scale to measure Ohuhu until Ohuhu releases a reliable value scale.
Cap Accuracy: The plastic on an Ohuhu Honolulu R13 marker both lighter and warmer than even one coat of R13. Beware when selecting Ohuhu markers based on cap colors.
Copic Substitution: Ohuhu R13 is a close match to Copic’s BV04.
Note: similar colors rarely behave the same way. From experience I can tell you that Copic BV04 is a marker I highly recommend for beginners— it’s on my Starter Marker List and I teach with it frequently because it’s an easy blending color. Ohuhu R13 is not an easy blending color and therefore, I would never recommend this color for beginners. See Copic BV04 test results here.
Buildup: R13 reaches a maximum value at about 3 coats.
Overinking: We do not recommend using more than 4 coats of R13. As with most Ohuhu markers, four layers looks oversaturated and oily.
Shattering: R13 seems to be a mixture of at least two inks, one violet and an odd mauve. The mauve color appears at the edge of the shattering test and may appear on your projects when you make corrections with colorless blender.
Chromatography testing shows this ink’s behavior when it comes in contact with #0 Colorless Blender (solvent). High shattering colors may leak unexpected color when you make corrections or attempt to blend with any color that has a high solvent to colorant ratio. Shattering is not bad, it’s just something to be aware of.
Staining: As with most red ink colors, R13 is extremely staining color.
With alcohol markers, a staining ink is generally a sign of a low quality ink. Staining inks bond to the paper fibers and are reluctant to release. Staining inks make blending harder than it has to be!
Lift: Forget about it. R13 is stubborn and stains the paper an odd pink. The ink itself moves very little, even on high quality paper.
See staining swatch. Sample was given 6 stripes of #0 Colorless Blender, drying between each stripe. Results indicate how much lifting you can expect.
Lightfast: R13 faded by about 40% during the test period.
Samples were swatched on X-Press It Blending Card. 1 layer of ink was exposed to windowsill sunlight for 21 days. Approximately 10 hours of sun per day based on weather conditions. Note: we do not recommend displaying original marker art under these conditions.
Ink Color Family: The “R” in R13 indicates that this marker is part of the R red family. Does this look like red ink to you? When you look at this number, do you feel like Ohuhu cares about helping you use their product? Do you think Ohuhu deserves your money?
The Ohuhu numbering system is complete garbage and doesn’t always make sense. Some orange, magenta, violet, and obviously blue-violet markers are hidden in the R family. Be warned, when it comes to other color families, you can not trust anything you read on an Ohuhu cap.
Cap Numbering: R13 is blue violet. R12 is a dirty orange-pink. R14 is neon pink. Good luck blending R13 with anything in the R family. This is ridiculous, how is a beginner supposed to form blending combinations when the caps are beyond stupid?
As stated above, the Ohuhu numbering system makes no sense. The markers are not arranged in chromatic order so you can not trust the numbers to tell you whether this marker is lighter or darker than other Ohuhu markers with similar numbers.
I’m still early in the Ohuhu testing process. I will add more info to this article as I learn more and when I spot behavioral patterns.
From what I’ve learned so far, I will not be working with Ohuhu markers and I will discourage students from using them in my classes. They’re simply not worth the frustration.
