Guest Review: Uni-Ball Mitsubishi Boxy Eraser

We interrupt this program to bring you a special review! Hello hello! My name is Alex Youngblood, and I have the privilege of doing the first eraser review on the site! I want to give a super-bigtastic thanks to The Pen Addict for the chance to do a review!

In general, I like to write with pens as I assume most others do on this site. However as we all know there are always those few times where a pencil can be quite handy. Why is a pencil handy? Well because unlike (most) pens you can erase it! That's where Uni-Ball Mitsubishi's "Boxy" eraser comes in.

Boxy isn't the only black eraser on the market but it still definitely stands out. Like many other Japanese products the mission statement is printed on the package; "The Basic Concept of Boxy Always Aims at a Simple Life Style" and they stick to their mission. The design is very clean. The package serves as a holder for the eraser as well as protecting the unused part of it. Overall I think it's a very attractive little eraser.

I've used quite a few different brands before and I've always had the same problem with the standard stationary eraser. It smears and leave a big gray blob on your paper. However in my experience with Boxy there has been no smear whatsoever. Another problem with most erasers is that after your done erasing your left with a bunch of debris from your eraser but Boxy also solves this. The debris left behind generally bundles up into one string or ball making clean up extremely easy and simple.

So the big question is how well does it erase? Well I'll let you judge yourself by the picture but in general it does a pretty top notch job. I found that it helps to break it in a bit and have a bit of a rounded edge for erasing dark lines. I've seen other brands erase slightly better but they normally leave smears and smudges as well as leaving a big mess.

Overall for about a buck a piece for the EP-60BX, which is the smaller version, you get a fantastic deal. It's the cleanest eraser I've ever used all around and does a great job at erasing not to mention it looks great. They wear down fast but when you can pick them up for so cheap it's very forgivable. So if your in the market for a decent eraser pick up a few. I have about 10 in my personal stationary box because I liked them so much.

(Thanks for the great review Alex!  If anyone else is interested in doing a guest post on The Pen Addict feel free to send me an email.)

Ink Links

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Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream Basic Series 0.5mm Red

The blue version of the 0.5mm Uni-Ball Jetstream Basic Series recently landed on my Top 5 pens list, but the red ink version of this Jetstream is no slouch either.  For what most people classify as a ballpoint pen, the red ink color is especially vibrant, and writes a very solid line.  I have mentioned this before about this pen, but it bears repeating: this is a very fine tipped pen, and some people may find it too scratchy for regular use.  The scratchiness doesn't bother me at all - I feel it is a price worth paying for as much as I enjoy using this pen.  Others may want to start with the 0.7mm Jetstream if you haven't tried them out before.  Me, I swap out the majority of my 0.7mm with 0.5mm refills, especially if there is a barrel I want to use that only comes in 0.7mm

The lyrics above are from the Pavement tune "Rattled By The Rush".  I'll never forget the first time I head "Summer Babe" on a college radio station in Atlanta.  I was on a mission to find out who that band was and where I could get that cd.  As soon as I did, I was hooked big time, and here I am nearly 20 years later and still get that same feeling when listening to Stephen Malkmus and Co.  The original video for "Rattled By The Rush" was banned by MTV due to the seizure inducing camerawork.  The video was redone, but both versions live on thanks to the wonders of the internet.  Check them out below: