(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
When you start delving into the world of pencils, you quickly remember how important erasers are. If you're like me, you probably had an eraser or two in school that looked a little like this:
Pink Pearl erasers
These erasers gave your pencil box a distinctive smell, but I never really thought they were incredibly effective at erasing pencil marks. After working several years at an art supply store, I quickly discovered how varied and focused erasers can be. One of my favorite types of dedicated erasers was the retractable variety, and that's what I'm reviewing today.
The Sakura Sumo Grip retractable eraser is a fantastic design with a soft and efficient eraser core.
On the outside, the Sumo Grip is a long dark gray plastic body with a translucent ruby clip and advancer button. It's understated, but I think it looks pretty cool. It's also pretty sturdy — completely up to the challenge of a messy pencil bag.
Retractable erasers can have some pretty unique eraser advancement mechanisms, but the Sumo Grip is fairly simple. To advance the eraser, simply press the top a couple of times. To use the eraser, just hold the body and wipe away those marks. While some retractable erasers require you to press a button on the side to stay the eraser core, the Sumo Grip has a built in clutch that keeps the eraser from backing into the body. But, if you want to retract the eraser for storage, just press the button on top and push the eraser in for safe keeping.
In use, the Sumo Grip does a great job at erasing pencil marks. I've been trying it with different types of pencils and grades, and I've had fairly consistent results. It performs really well with hard grades, but starts to struggle a bit in the 2B range. It still manages to remove the marks, but it takes a few extra strokes.
According to the information on JetPens, the eraser is made of a micro-porous foam and has certain advantages over other PVC erasers. I don't know much about the different types of eraser materials, but I can vouch for the performance of this particular eraser. With minimal pressure, this eraser can almost completely remove graphite particles from the page with just 3 swipes. In my other tests, going for the complete white out takes just 8 strokes. And, apart from removing the graphite that doesn't belong, it doesn't smear onto the page. It's a clean eraser that does its job well.
The rectangular design (instead of round) gives it a nice edge for making detailed swipes, and the large body gives you plenty of control when making fine adjustments.
Overall, this is a fantastic eraser that I've kept on hand when using pencils. It packs up neatly, does its job well, and doesn't break the bank. At under $4, it's a great deal. You can't order refills, but the entire package is intended to be disposable. You can find other options that offer eraser refills, but this is a great portable option.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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