In response to a reader's request for a comparison between the Sakura block style eraser and the Tombow Mono plastic eraser, this test sheet was prepared with the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 10B, Sanford Design Ebony Pencil, Cretacolor 261-02 Nero 5.6 mm drawing lead, Tombow Ippo 2B, and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni HB pencils. Thus we ended up with with test swatches of varying degrees of hardness and formulation.
Close up of the erasers used for this test.
Tool set up and observations:
- The Sakura block style eraser and the Tombow Mono plastic eraser performed very similarly. The former can currently be found as part of the Sakura Pigma Sensei Manga Drawing set and the latter is no longer being exported out of Japan as reported recently by Jet Pens.
- As would be expected the HB and 2B test marks could be erased more thoroughly, but the 10B and wax-based darker swatches left noticeable dark smudges on the paper with the same effort. The Sakura Electric eraser was the most efficient, for it did the same erasing work or better with just 3 passes over the test swatches. Its HB erased portion was the only one left as clean as the surrounding white paper.
- Perhaps the least efficient eraser was the Tombow Mono Zero, for it left the darker smudges behind after erasing its test swatches. Yet this precision stick model was not really designed for removal of large areas with heavy graphite application. Save it for small corrections in the final stages of an illustration that require pinpoint accuracy and control.
Any of the erasers tested would make a fine addition to your sketching tool kit. I suspect you will not regret getting them all if you can find them. So long as they perform well and serve a specific function, you can't have too many erasers IMO.
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5 comments:
Many thanks for the review! Surprising to see how good the stick eraser did, although, like you said, it is not designed for large areas. Unexpected winner as well, I may say. But between the two normal erasers, is hard to tell just by looking at the photos.
I found the Sakura foam eraser (the one in blue package) on this site: jlist.com. I don't know if is better or worse than the one you tested, I will buy a few anyway.
PS: I didn't knew the Tombow Mono eraser also comes in a yellow paper jacket.
Actually I prefer the blue sleeved Sakura Foam eraser, for its "self cleaning nature". Like the Pilot Foam Eraser (PILOT ER-F10), the eraser debris clumps together into single strands that are easier to remove from the work surface.
The Tombow Mono mini erasers were packaged with colorful jackets matching the color code of the hardness degree of 0.5 mm graphite leads that they were bundled with a few years ago.
Sorry this is not a post on the erasers, I use the Staedtler Mars almost exclusively. I a writing cause I wish to know where you acquire your Black Polymer 999 pencils. I don't see them offered by my usual sources but I really wish to try them out as you speak highly of them. I see on some sites that they have been discontinued, if this is the case I will be disappointed. Any help will be appreciated.
P.S. What is a good price to pay for them?
I used to rely on the Staedtler Mars Plastic eraser myself, and still use them for my class art materials. I got the Pentel Black Polymer 999 pencils from Jet Pens, but they are no longer available since they were discontinued. Yet they still carry the full range of Mitsubishi Hi-Uni and Tombow Mono 100 which are the better two choices out of the Triad of Supreme Japanese Premium Wooden pencils IMO. If not ready to try a dozen of any of them, I would recommend checking out the 3 packs of Uni-ball Penmanship Writing Wooden Pencil - Triangular Body in 4B or 6B if you enjoy soft pencils for drawing.
Thanks for the return. I do use Tombow's now along with Lumographs (just cannot beat the precision and craft of these two nations IMO)As the 999 was not , in you opinion, the best of the Japanese pencils I will order a three pack of the Hi-Uni 4B's instead, I have enough 6's laying around as it is:)
Thanks again and keep up the good work, M.
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