At some point in our lives, we have all felt the frustration of a bad pencil eraser. Whether it be a huge smudge or a gaping hole left in your paper, a bad eraser can leave behind a trail of destruction.
It’s more important with crafting than with math homework to find a good, clean eraser. Why? Because your teacher will still be able to read your answers through eraser smudges, but that special paper craft you’re creating to gift someone deserves to have a nice, clean look.
So, what are the best pencil erasers? The best pencil erasers don’t crumble into piles of dust, leave no smudges behind, don’t tear the paper, and erase cleanly with light pressure. They should also last a long time or come in packs of multiples so you’ll always have them handy.
In this buyer’s guide, we’ll review the elements that make for a top-quality pencil eraser. Whether you’re working on a sketch drawing, a scrapbook, a special occasion card, or decorations for a loved one’s party, we’re here to help you choose the best eraser for the job.
4 Best Qualities For Pencil Erasers
As we noted above, there are 4 qualities that make a pencil eraser stand out among the rest: minimal crumble, no smudges, no tearing, and ease of clean erasing with light pressure.
It may seem like some of these can be done without. As long as it doesn’t tear the paper or leave a smudge behind, why does it matter if it crumbles a lot? It did the job, right?
But when you’re constantly having to sweep eraser bits off your paper to move onto the next section of your drawing, it makes a big difference. Your eraser is not doing its job correctly if you have a giant pile of its dust sitting on the edge of your desk.
Let’s look further at why each of these qualities are important and how they can help you be more successful in your arts and crafts.
1. Minimal Crumble
The crumble of eraser bits left behind after erasing is also referred to as eraser dust. If you see an eraser described as “dust-free,” this means there will be minimal, if any, crumble left behind.
Not only can eraser dust get in the way when you’re trying to work, but it’s also a sign of a weak eraser. If it breaks down so easily that every time it erases a small pencil marking it leaves a pile of dust behind, it’s not made of quality material.
This also means that your eraser won’t last long. That eraser dust consists of bits and pieces of the eraser, falling off the main block and getting left behind. As your eraser crumbles, it gets smaller, and the life span shortens.
You always want to be on the lookout for an eraser that leaves minimal shedding, dust, or crumble.
2. No Smudges
The whole point of an eraser is to get rid of what was written or drawn before. If an eraser leaves a dark grey smudge behind where the pencil lead used to be, then it’s not truly erasing.
Especially when it comes to sketch artists, smudge-free erasers are a must. Erasers are used to create highlight in sketch portraits, and this can’t be done if the eraser is leaving a cloudy smudge behind.
It’s also important when crafting a gift for someone – like a scrapbook or special occasion card – that any pencil markings you erase are truly gone.
After all the hard work you put into creating a homemade gift for someone special, why ruin it with a giant grey smudge just because your eraser can’t do the one thing it’s created for?
3. No Tearing
This may seem like the most obvious point of all, but when using an eraser, it should never cause your paper to tear. Whether working on delicate sketch paper or thicker construction paper, poorly made erasers can tear a hole right through if you’re not careful.
Good quality erasers will never do that. An eraser is designed to simply remove pencil markings from a piece of paper, not remove that whole section of paper.
Often, the types of erasers that leave holes behind are rubber. Plastic erasers tend to do a better job of erasing without damaging the paper. This is not always the case, but can be an easy way for you to spot a no-tear eraser from a potentially disastrous eraser.
4. Cleans Easily With Light Pressure
Paper tearing, as discussed above, is often the result of someone using too much pressure to erase the pencil markings. With low-quality erasers, you have to press harder to erase the lead or graphite – and even then, there’s either a big smudge or a tear left behind.
When you find a top-quality eraser, you’ll notice that it you’re able to erase cleanly with only light pressure. With a gentle sweep of your wrist back and forth, the lead should come right up and leave no trail of dust behind.
Good erasers clean easily with very light, minimal pressure.
The 11 Best Pencil Erasers
With this buyer’s guide, you’re now equipped with the top 4 qualities to look for in a pencil eraser. Keeping these qualities in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top 11 best pencil erasers available to you right now.
These erasers are all excellent choices, meeting the top 4 requirements we’ve reviewed. If you choose one from this list, you can’t go wrong.
Rank | Product | Key Features |
---|---|---|
1. | Tombow Mono Plastic Eraser | PVC, 3 or 10 pack, soft, gentle and effective |
2. | Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser | Latex-free, colored pencil compatible |
3. | Pentel Hi-Polymer Block Eraser | Polymer, soft, minimal crumbling |
4. | Faber-Castell Vinyl Erasers | Dust-free, low shedding, sharp corners |
5. | Ticonderoga Pink Carnation Erasers | Smudge-free, rounded edges, low dust |
6. | Sooez 120 Pack Pencil Eraser Caps | 120 pack, pencil tip erasers, sharp end |
7. | Mr. Pen Pencil Erasers Set | 6 blocks and 60 caps, no damage |
8. | Paper Mate White Pearl Erasers | Soft, no smudging or damage |
9. | Amazon Basics Block White Eraser | Set of 10, universal, sharp edges |
10. | Mr. Pen Retractable Mechanical Eraser Pen | Retractable pen erasers, precise |
11. | Paper Mate Arrowhead Pink Pearl Cap Erasers | Thick to resist breakage, no mess |
1. Tombow Mono Plastic Eraser
The Tombow Mono erasers are Japanese in origin, and largely hailed as being the “best erasers ever invented.” They’re soft and easily remove pencil markings without damaging your paper.
These erasers are made with PVC, which is not widely available in the US market but a great material for an eraser. Luckily, you can easily order the 3-pack or a 10-pack of these erasers on Amazon.
Not only do they erase cleanly without leaving a mess, but you can use them in the same spot over and over without damaging the paper. Poor quality erasers would tear a hole after erasing in the same place repeatedly, but not Tombow Mono erasers.
When it comes to exemplifying a truly top-quality eraser, this brand does it all.
2. Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser
These latex-free, vinyl erasers are made in Germany, but a popular choice here in America for their ability to cleanly erase through many different lead types.
With sharp corners, the Staedtler Mars erasers give you a more precise way to erase small details. This is ideal for those using erasers to add highlights to sketch drawings.
Although the results may vary based on colored pencils, these erasers are also said to provide great erasing quality with Prismacolor colored pencils.
As those who work in this medium often will tell you, erasing colored pencils is a difficult and sometimes impossible task. If you can find a good eraser to remove colored pencil markings, you’ve hit the jackpot. With this eraser brand, we found the jackpot for you!
3. Pentel Hi-Polymer Block Eraser
The Pentel Hi-Polymer erasers will probably seem familiar to a lot of us from school. This was one of the popular eraser brands among students, and with good reason.
These high-quality plastic erasers clean easily and leave minimal dust behind. They’re soft, so they don’t require a lot of pressure to use. And with the ease of light pressure to erase, you get to avoid those irritating smudges and tears.
With minimal crumbling, these erasers will also last much longer, helping you get more for your money.
For those who prefer to work with eraser caps rather than rectangular eraser blocks – you’re in luck! Pentel also offers their hi-polymer eraser in cap form, and a 50 pack of them at that.
4. Faber-Castell Vinyl Erasers
Faber-Castell is a well-known brand in the art supply world known for producing high-quality products. When it comes to their vinyl pencil erasers, these are no exception.
These erasers hold up great with long-term use and work well for detail work.
The packaging claims “dust-free,” but realistically, no eraser is ever dust-free. It’s in the nature of an eraser to shed just a little. With the Faber-Castell erasers, though, the minimal amount of dust that does shed will roll together, making for a much easier clean-up.
With the minimal dust and sharp corners, these erasers are perfect for the tiny details of a drawing. Artists will love the way these erasers work with their sketch pads and graphite pencils. They even work on some charcoal, too!
5. Ticonderoga Pink Carnation Erasers
Widely known as the best pencils on the market, Ticonderoga does not disappoint in the eraser department. These block erasers are just as fantastic as the tiny versions at the ends of their pencils.
Ticonderoga offers pencil erasers that are soft and smudge-free. These erasers will remove your pencil markings without a trace, leaving behind barely any dust and doing no damage to your paper.
These eraser blocks have a more rounded off edge compared to some of the sharp corners of other erasers, but this isn’t a bad thing!
The smooth, rounded edges of this eraser help it to glide across your paper, lifting an entire line of words or markings without any smudge or evidence of what was there before.
6. Sooez 120 Pack Pencil Eraser Caps
For those of you more interested in pencil eraser caps over the blocks, the Sooez 120 pack is a fantastic option.
Not only do you get 120 pencil cap erasers, but they come in a variety of 7 different colors. Each color erases just as well as the next while adding a little flair and fun to your project.
When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, this pack certainly delivers. Each of their 120 eraser caps does a great job of erasing cleanly.
With so many eraser caps in one package, this option is perfect for any teachers or parents looking for good quality erasers for multiple children.
7. Mr. Pen Pencil Erasers Set
We love the Mr. Pen eraser set not only for its high-quality erasers, but for the fact that you get a bundle of 6 eraser blocks and 60 eraser caps. So no matter what eraser form you prefer, you’ll be covered.
Mr. Pen is another option for those who want fun color variety in their pencil caps. They’re not just fun, though; these erasers are great quality along with the other brands listed here. They erase cleanly without damaging the paper or leaving a mess behind.
If you prefer one form of eraser over the other and don’t want the blocks and caps together, Mr. Pen has you covered. You can also buy their eraser blocks and eraser caps separately.
8. Paper Mate White Pearl Erasers
Paper Mate is another highly recognizable brand when it comes to pencil supplies. They have two options: their white pearl erasers and the pink pearl erasers.
We’re focusing on the white pearl erasers because these are generally better quality. The pink pearl erasers are a tougher material and tend to be more difficult to use, often smudging or tearing holes in the paper.
The white pearl erasers are a softer material, meaning you don’t have to press down as hard to erase. With lighter pressure, these erasers clean easily and won’t smudge or damage your paper.
9. Amazon Basics Block White Eraser
It seems like Amazon is always developing their own version of popular products, and pencil erasers are no exception. The Amazon Basics brand offers a pack of 10 white block erasers.
Just like with most of the Amazon Basics products, these erasers do a great job at what they’re designed to do. They erase cleanly without damaging your drawing, helping you to create clean arts and crafts regardless of the type of paper you’re using.
10. Mr. Pen Retractable Mechanical Eraser Pen
If you thought Mr. Pen was only good for eraser blocks and pen caps, guess again. They also offer retractable erasers in the form of a pen.
These retractable erasers are perfect for detail work. Because they’re small and contained in a pen-like tube, they’re easy to hold and manipulate to erase the finest details.
Just as with their other erasers, they leave no smudges or dust behind. These erasers are as clean as they get – helping you focus more on your art and less on constantly sweeping off eraser dust.
11. Paper Mate Arrowhead Pink Pearl Cap Erasers
There’s no question that these Paper Mate cap erasers are some of the best on the market.
A common problem with cap erasers is that once you’ve used up most of the cone-shaped end, they start to break around the circular edge. And once the tip has broken off from the cylinder holding it to the pencil, it’s unusable.
With the Paper Mate erasers, you don’t have that problem. These cap erasers are designed with thicker walls to prevent unnecessary breaking.
And since it’s Paper Mate, you know you’re getting a top quality eraser that will cleanly remove any pencil markings with minimal mess and no damage.
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