Eraser Comparison and Review

In keeping with my previous theme of essential art supplies, I have decided to do a comparison chart of all of the erasers I have.

Some of them are very popular while others are a little more random, but I thought worth comparing anyway.

The Experiment Setup

As for the experiment, I charted a graph with the types of erasers I will be using and the pencils I will be attempting to erase. I then colored the graph. The charcoal was the hardest, as it's delicate and you'll notice that one line I did the opposite of the others on light to dark. I tried to get consistently on light, medium, to dark tones of each pencil I'm using.

The paper is Bienfeng 8 1/2 x 11" acid free 50lb sketchbook. It has a medium tooth.

Then I proceed to use the following pencils, which I have grouped here and labeled in the chart.

The pencils used are as follows in the order I have them on the chart:

1. General's Semi-Hex Drawing Pencils - 2B and 4B
2. Prisamacolor Premier Colored Pencil
3. Master's Touch (Hobby Lobby Brand) Woodless Charcoal Pencil - Soft
4. Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencil
5. Derwent Metallic Colored Pencil
6. Tombow Mono Drawing Pencil - 2B and 4B
7. Koh-I-Noor Progresso Woodless Colored Pencil
8. Marco Raffine Oil Based Colored Pencil

The erasers I have used in the experiment are as follows on the chart:

1. General's All Art eraser - a small pink rubber eraser came with the small Semi-Hex drawing set
2. General's Tri-Tip eraser - a soft white rubber eraser
3. General's Jumbo Kneaded eraser 
4. Tombow Mono eraser - Japanese white extra soft plastic eraser
5. Derwent White eraser - comes with some of their pencil sets. Rubber with some sand grit in it. 
6. Papermate Black Pearl - extra hard black rubber eraser 
7. Skyists 5038 Blue eraser - Extra soft rubber eraser. Came with a cheap calligraphy set

The Experiment Results 

In the end, out of all of the erasers, the worst was the General's All Art eraser. This eraser is a bit abrasive on the paper and it also didn't seem to do much in the event of even really erasing graphite. However, this is a good eraser for cleaning other erasers if you need a use for it.

As for the other erasers, none had any trouble erasing graphite. Charcoal and Colored Pencil are the most difficult to erase, however.

I had a surprise with the Blue Skyists, eraser. It came with a cheap calligraphy pen set. It actually is a good eraser. I honestly could say that it might even be worth buying that set alone for the eraser if the quality of the eraser were consistent, which I do not know. It was able to erase even the toughest of colored pencils. Marco Raffine pencils are oil based and I found only the General's Tri-Tip and the Papermate Black Pearl eraser came close.

Now for the feel of each eraser and comparison of the mess the do or do not leave behind. I personally don't mind that, but some people do, therefore, I will put that in my comparison.

1. General's All Art eraser - Hard Rubber eraser. Somewhat abrasive on paper and leaves behind a bit of eraser dust. Did the poorest in my tests of mediums. 
2. General's Tri-Tip eraser - Medium hardness rubber eraser. White, so it will not have a chance of leaving color behind. It leaves a lot of eraser dust as well. Good overall for everything tested and it is helpful for getting into tight corners. It holds it's shape fairly well overall and seems to be fairly long lasting. 
3. General's Jumbo Kneaded eraser - Extra soft and pliable. They are latex free, lanolin free and PVC free. It still retains it's softness if stored in a plastic bag or a case of some kind. This eraser is made to lift things like graphite and charcoal and is good for that. It will not completely remove any markings, however. This does help to erase colored pencils as well, but, only to lighten pigment. It is excellent for shading. It is also great to have around to get into small places as it can be molded into small shapes and pulled apart. There is no eraser dust.
4. Tombow Mono eraser - Extra soft PVC vinyl eraser. This is an excellent all around eraser and you can even vary the pressure to get shading effects. It also does not cause any abrasion on the paper. It leaves very little eraser dust behind and erases especially graphite cleanly. It didn't do a bad job on colored pencil either.
5. Derwent White eraser -Hard rubber eraser with what appears to be some fine sand grit in it. This doesn't seem to be abrasive on the paper noticeably, however. I found this eraser to be the messiest of all of them and it seems to sort of crumble and does not come smooth like the other erasers appear after erasing. With all this in mind, it does often come as a bonus in many art sets from Derwent, so if you use Derwent products, it it worth trying out. It erases colored pencil quite nicely and I've found it to be one of the best for that. 
6. Papermate Black Pearl - Extra hard black rubber eraser. This is a pebble shaped eraser. A lot of people underestimate school supply erasers. but this one is a gem. It is hard and retains it's shape very well. It is very useful for getting into tight corners and leaves very little eraser dust. Two come in a pack, which is a great value as well. 
7. Skyists 5038 Blue eraser - Soft rubber eraser. This eraser did surprisingly well overall with everything I threw at it. It did not leave a lot of eraser dust. Too bad as far as I know, it only comes in a cheap calligraphy set. [I will be reviewing this set in due time].

What I Recommend

Overall, considering the results, value, and ease of being able to purchase I recommend the Tombow Mono, General's Kneaded and the Papermate Black Pearl. I do however, find great uses for the other erasers and I encourage you to try these out as well.

I hope this all helps you in your art and creative en-devours!