Are you puzzled? Try an EraserMate pen!
Written: Jun 18 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: erasable ink – ink flows smoothly – write at any angle (even upside-down!)
Cons: not a pen for every use – erasable ink can cause problems
The Bottom Line: I wrote a fantastic Bottom Line statement using the EraserMate pen ... but someone erased it!
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Paper Mate Ballpoint Ink Pen Erasable Medium Point... |
I enjoy doing puzzles: crossword, logic, word search and more. Dare I admit that I use a pen to do these puzzles? Some people exclaim, “How can you use a pen? What if you make a mistake?” I could say that I never, ever make mistakes ... but I don’t want that bolt of lightning to strike me down. Instead, I’ll admit that I use PaperMate EraserMate Pens in Blue Ink (medium point) for recording my puzzle answers.
Description
Each pen measures 6" long and is about a 1/4" in diameter. The barrel is smooth with the words “PaperMate EraserMate” written in white along the barrel. Since the ink in this pen is blue, the manufacturer has designed this pen as all blue ... the barrel, the cap, even the eraser.
The cap is 1 7/8" long with a plastic clip 1 1/2" long. PaperMate uses two hearts as part of their logo, so two raised hearts are on the outside of the clip, and a small raised dot is on the inside of the clip to help hold the clip to a pocket, notebook or loose papers. When the cap is removed, it is designed to slide onto the end of the pen. While the barrel of the pen is smooth, the last 3/8" of the pen has a matte finish and is slightly textured to help hold the cap in place.
An eraser is set into the end of the cap. It’s interesting to note that the cap design does not utilize the full length of the eraser. The plastic end that the eraser fits into is set on a diagonal, so instead of the full 3/8" length of the eraser being available for use ... only about a 1/4" of the eraser can be used before hitting the tip of diagonal plastic holding the eraser in place.
The ink is what makes this pen unique. PaperMate designed the EraserMate pen with ink that erases. These pens are not refillable.
My Experiences
The EraserMate pen is easy to hold and use. There is no comfort grip on this pen, and the barrel is of hard plastic. Since I tend to hold pens tightly, after awhile I end up with ridges in my fingers when using most pens. However, when doing puzzles with the EraserMate, I hold the pen in the normal fashion to fill in the answers. When thinking about the answers, I loosely hold the pen, or twirl it, sometimes even drop it when too deep in concentration. Then I get some exercise looking for the missing pen. So I’m not holding the pen long enough to etch ridges into my fingers.
While writing, the ink of this pen flows smoothly. When comparing this ink to a normal non-erasable ink, the EraserMate ink is lighter in color and does not appear as solid on the paper. Writing with a Bic Stic or even a regular PaperMate pen, the blue ink is a dark blue. The EraserMate ink is a bit paler, and when examined closely, it is easy to see the pen writes in a “spotty” fashion, leaving little dots of space in written lines. When writing answers in a crossword puzzle, sometimes I have to retrace over my writing to darken it.
One of the great features of this pen is that the ink is erasable. It is easy to erase mistakes. When a word is erased, the “erased” part is still visible on the paper. The word does not completely disappear. When comparing a word written and erased by an EraserMate pen and a word written and erased in pencil, the word erased by the pencil is much fainter, though still a bit visible on the paper. These eraser are gentle, too, and will not rip paper.
When EraserMate pens first came out, they left huge blotches of ink on the pen tip and leaked ink over time. PaperMate must have changed the way these pens are made. EraserMate pens now are much better behaved. In a rare instance, ink may gather at the pen tip ... but I don’t often encounter this problem. Also, the ink does not blotch and smear like it used to. I’ve even experimented and have written a line of text on white paper and then run another piece of paper across the writing. The ink pretty much stays as written, perhaps blurring a tiny bit, but not enough to distort the writing.
Here is what PaperMate says about the blotching problem: “Erasable ink is a thick substance and contains (latex) a natural rubber solution for it to be erasable. In order to provide (a) smooth writing, a mineral spirits type substance is added to the ink. This is what accumulates at the tip when the pen is not in use. Simply wipe the blob away with a tissue and the pen will perform fine .... The new Eraser.max contains a (pressurized erasable ink) tip seal in the cap that prevents ink from globbing at the tip when the pen is not in use.”
These pens are designed to write at any angle. I love this feature! Write while standing up and lean your paper against a vertical surface such as a wall. Lay on your back on the floor or bed and write. Place your paper on a table or even on the ceiling to write!
EraserMate ink does not remain erasable forever. The ink will dry into permanent writing. I find that the ink is erasable the same day the words are written. Sometimes I can still erase words a day or two later, though the words are harder to remove.
The pen cap is designed to fit on the end of the pen while the pen is in use. I find that I have to push the cap onto the end of the pen, and even then it sometimes comes loose.
Dos & Don’ts of Erasable Ink
* Use for doing crossword and other puzzles
* Use for writing roughdrafts
* Use for projects where you might need to erase your words
Using erasable ink means that someone else can change what you’ve written. So ....
* Do Not write checks with erasable ink
* Do Not sign contracts or legal documents
* Do Not use erasable ink to take tests
Purchasing
I have seen EraserMate pens available in blue, black and red ink. The color of the pen is the same color of the ink. PaperMate also makes these pens in pink, purple and aqua ink. Try finding them, though!
Staples (blue, black, red ink) – $4.59 for a dozen
OfficeMax – $2.39 for a 5-pack (blue & black) or $1.99 for a 3-pack (red only)
Office Depot (blue, black, red ink) – $1.98 for a 5-pack
Summary
I enjoy doing puzzles and writing the answers in blue ink. I like writing in ink because it is darker than pencil lead and pens don’t need sharpening. EraserMate pens are my favorite puzzle pens. However, I do not use them for anything else. For doing puzzles, I rate this pen as a must have. Grab a crossword puzzle and try one!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Sanford (USA)
Toll-free Phone # 800-323-0749
Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CST
Sanford (CANADA)
Toll-free Phone # 800-668-4575 x242
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST
Please read my other reviews:
Bic Round Stic Pens
Sanford Major Accent Highlighter
PaperMate Flair Marker
Sharpie Permanent Twin Tip Marker
Avery Marks-A-Lot Marker
Tournament Variety Puzzles (magazine)
Approved Variety Puzzles (magazine)
Master Variety Puzzles (magazine)
Hoyle Table Games for 2004 (software)
Hoyle Card Games for 2003
Sharp Calculator Solar with Battery Backup
Craftsman 2-D Flashlight
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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