Different kinds of pencil erasers have different abilities to erase pencil marks, and it is really nice and helpful to have a few types of erasers in your studio or on your drawing table.
So let’s have a look at the best erasers you should get!
My Picks: Best Erasers for Artists and Crafters in 2023
My favorite kneaded eraser - firm, effective and great for extended sketching techniques.
Blend, Shade, Smooth, Correct, and Brighten Your Sketches and Drawings - Gray, 6 Pack
My favorite gum eraser - a real helper in my studio, that seems to erase deeper than most art gums and is useful in so many ways.
2 x 1 x 1/2 Inches, Brown, Pack of 12
My favorite rubber eraser - the classic pencil eraser, in perfect shape, versatile, effective, and long-lasting, + the pink color is pretty.
Large, 12 Count
My favorite rubber eraser - I think this Tombow Mono Sand Eraser is the best rubber eraser for deep removing pencil marks and ink, but not gentle!
2-Pack. Silica Eraser Designed to Remove Colored Pencil and Ink Marking
My favorite vinyl eraser - I love the Lion for its precision and deep, clean removing of unwanted marks. For critical work, an absolutely reliable tool!
24 Pack
My favorite vinyl eraser - Clean, effective and incredibly controllable, for doing the most demanding and precise work easily - almost ridiculously useful!
Refill Round Tip + Square Tip + 4 Refills (Black Barrel)
My favorite retractable erasers - not in the categories above, or the recommendations below, these “microporous foam technology” sakura sumo grip erasers are fast becoming one of my favorites.
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I have several of all the other types of erasers, and I wouldn’t get rid of any of them and use them all regularly for various tasks, situations and media, but this cool little tool is the best all-arounder, and addictively effective.
At the end of this article, in the Bonus section, we will talk a little about the electric eraser, and try to determine if it is just another slick gadget that should be immediately erased from your shopping list, or a genuinely clever and useful art tool. Electrifying stuff, if I do say so myself.
But now, let’s get into our buyer’s guide for the best erasers available today!
Best Kneaded Erasers
Best Eraser for Soft Pencil, Charcoal and Pastel
FaberCastell Kneaded Eraser is probably the most popular choice among artists, and a fantastic soft eraser. This four pack is especially nice because each eraser stays soft and new in its own storage case, and the consistency is wonderful – highly moldable and absorbent and very easy to use.
An efective and nicely workable eraser, here in a great value 12 pack – perfect for the studio or the scattered artist! – the Prismacolor is great for not just erasing, but for extended drawing techniques like lightening dark areas, gently streaking or texturing
My favorite kneaded eraser - firm, effective and great for extended sketching techniques.
Blend, Shade, Smooth, Correct, and Brighten Your Sketches and Drawings - Gray, 6 Pack
My favorite kneaded eraser, with nice firm consistency and real effectiveness, and also a great eraser for special effects like textures, shades and blends. I don’t know why I love the June Gold so much, but it always works for me, is cheap and long lasting, and feels great in my hand.
Best Gum / Art Gum Erasers
Best Eraser for Graphite Pencils, Large Areas, Soft Paper
A long lasting basic art gum eraser that works well and is made in the United States – a favorite of artists for many years, known for its balance of effectiveness and gentleness, as well as its ideal shape.
The choice of lots of commercial and fine artists, a very effective and versatile art gum eraser that is easy to hold and easy to use. A great choice for soft paper and soft graphite, as well as lots of techniques around shading, blending and texturing.
My favorite gum eraser - a real helper in my studio, that seems to erase deeper than most art gums and is useful in so many ways.
2 x 1 x 1/2 Inches, Brown, Pack of 12
My favorite gum eraser, the medium sized Sax is the ideal size and shape, erases cleanly and completely – especially for a gum eraser – and seems to last longer than others. I love it for extended smudging / shading techniques as well, and use mine all the time.
Best Rubber Erasers
Best Eraser for Writing, Erasing Normal Graphite Lead, Cheapest
My favorite rubber eraser - the classic pencil eraser, in perfect shape, versatile, effective, and long-lasting, + the pink color is pretty.
Large, 12 Count
The standard and most widely used eraser in its perfect form – the ideal size and shape, latex-free, non-smudging, long lasting and, of course, pink. A classic from Paper Mate, and a great deal in the 12 pack, this is the artists’ favorite, and mine as well.
A triangular black rubber eraser from Prismacolor, long lasting and in a clever and genuinely useful shape. Whether it erases better than a standard pink rubber eraser is debatable, but it is great for precision work and feels right in the hand.
Best Eraser for Colored Pencils
My favorite rubber eraser - I think this Tombow Mono Sand Eraser is the best rubber eraser for deep removing pencil marks and ink, but not gentle!
2-Pack. Silica Eraser Designed to Remove Colored Pencil and Ink Marking
With a more coarse and harder surface than normal rubber erasers, the Tombow MONO is a little rougher on paper, and you need to use it carefully, but it is the best for ink and colored pencils. Not only my favorite, but also the first choice of so many other artists and crafters.
Best Vinyl / Plastic Erasers
Best Eraser for, well, Everything! Deep, clean and precise erasing, but tough on paper
My favorite vinyl eraser - I love the Lion for its precision and deep, clean removing of unwanted marks. For critical work, an absolutely reliable tool!
24 Pack
Vinyl or plastic erasers can damage paper, especially if used too strongly, but the Lion translucent seems more gentle and safe, and is known for very deep and precise erasing. My favorite, and a popular choice among technical artists and drafters.
Probably the most popular vinyl eraser on the market today, and certainly the highest rated and most loved, the Pentel Hi-Polymer erases very easily and deeply, and will stay soft and usable for its whole life.
White, Latex-free, Age-resistant, Minimal Crumbling
If the Lion is the choice of draftspeople, architects and other technical artists, and the Pentel is the people’s choice, the Staedtler Mars is the choice of most artists, and is known for its long life, clean and deep erasing, and its perfect design for both large areas and real precision work.
My favorite vinyl eraser - Clean, effective and incredibly controllable, for doing the most demanding and precise work easily - almost ridiculously useful!
Refill Round Tip + Square Tip + 4 Refills (Black Barrel)
A plastic eraser in a cool retractable sleeve, this is a very high precision eraser that is super easy to use and fantastic to have on hand – especially in this two-pack which includes both round and a square tip varieties.
Bonus : Are Electric Erasers Worth It?
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My Pick
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Budget Pick
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Description: The best electric eraser - quiet, effective, precise and powerful, and a perfect size and shape. |
Description: Electric Eraser for Artists - 140 Eraser Refills, Rechargeable Electric Erasers for Drafting, Electric Pencil Eraser, Battery Operated Eraser for Drawing Pencils, Crafts, Arts |
Description: Auto Erasers for Artist Drawing, Painting, Sketching, Drafting, Architectural Plans, Arts and Crafts, Battery Operated Pencil Eraser |
The best electric eraser - quiet, effective, precise and powerful, and a perfect size and shape.
Electric Eraser for Artists - 140 Eraser Refills, Rechargeable Electric Erasers for Drafting, Electric Pencil Eraser, Battery Operated Eraser for Drawing Pencils, Crafts, Arts
Auto Erasers for Artist Drawing, Painting, Sketching, Drafting, Architectural Plans, Arts and Crafts, Battery Operated Pencil Eraser
The last question I posed in the introductory section of this article was:
Do electric erasers really work?
…and we might also ask:
What is the best electric eraser?
Do artists use electric razors?
Which electric razor do you recommend?
And, by the way, what in the world is an electric razor?
Not to toot my own horn, but I think one of the reasons I am pretty well suited to writing buyer’s guides is that I have a fairly ideal balance of wonder and skepticism.
That is, I am often pretty wowed and intrigued by new gadgets and technologies, but I also tend to quickly recognize and dismiss those gadgets that are really just fads, marketing hype, pointless products or useless tools, and keep a clear eye out for what is actually and genuinely useful to artists, crafters and other creatives.
And, despite the fact that I was maybe a bit more skeptical than usual when I first tried them, I have to say that the electric eraser falls firmly into that second camp – an actually and genuinely useful tool for us creative folk.
Of course it isn’t exactly a new gadget, as it was invented by Dremel (of rotary electric hand tool fame) 90 years ago, but the electric eraser still seems pretty wow – especially when you use it.
I mean, turn it on, touch it to even the darkest marks, and instantly you have clean, bright paper again.
Since the core is a vinyl / plastic eraser, you still need to be gentle, as it will shred some paper, but that’s kind of the beauty – you don’t need any real pressure or force at all, and you get deep, effective erasing of so many different kinds of marks.
I can see how an electric eraser would be great for somebody suffering from arthritis, or repetitive stress issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, as it would save you from what could be aggravating and painful repeated motion.
But really these are great tools for anybody especially artists and crafters – they work really quickly and effectively, can be used with great precision (especially once you get used to their speed and power) and are incredibly easy to use.
And it’s easy to come up with lots of art techniques, beyond just erasing, that electric erasers are fantastic for – shaping and negative drawing, shading and fading, pointillistic lightening, patterns and textures, contours, shadows and highlights, and tons more.
Anyway, before I get all gushy, let me just say that the electric eraser is, first of all, a really amazing, powerful and effective high-precision eraser, and is also an incredibly versatile art tool in lots of other ways.
I still have all of my other erasers, and grab each and every one of them on a regular basis, but I continue to be a little amazed by all the things my electric eraser can do, and how often I use it.
So in closing I am going to list here a few of the best electric erasers on the market today, including my favorite and my own personal choice – the Sakura EE-3000. Any of these, though, is highly recommended!
Sakura EE-3000 SumoGrip Electric Eraser, Black – the best electric eraser, IMO – quiet, effective, precise and powerful, and a perfect size and shape. I still can’t believe how much this little guy will do! A very well built, quiet and reliable unit, and my favorite!
Ohuhu Electric Eraser Kit with Eraser Refills and Brush – from a leader in low-priced, high-quality art supplies, a super-powerful electric eraser that is easy to control and can also be used for more gentle and subtle techniques. Quiet and comfortable to hold, and easy to control for precision work.
Afmat Rechargeable Electric Eraser Kit with Refills and Clips – offering a few clear advantages over the two artists’ faves above – rechargeable batteries, two eraser sizes and extra holder clips – the Afmat looks really intriguing, and customers absolutely love it. I haven’t tried it yet, but I have the feeling I’ll be one-clicking very soon!
A good eraser can be one of an artist’s most valuable tools and trusted companions. Pobody’s nerfect, after all, and we all lay down an errant line or blotch of lead from time to time, and most artists have a whole bunch of good art erasers at hand.
Yet as vital as this simple tool is, there are still some even experienced artists who don’t know about the different types of erasers available, how they differ or what they do, and they may, perish the thought, have only one eraser and use it for everything.
Let’s talk about the various kinds of pencil erasers, what they are and what they do, and which types and brands are the best to buy and have, in this buyer’s guide to the best erasers for artists, crafters and anybody else who has ever made a mistake!
I will try to answer these questions:
What are the different types of erasers?
What are different erasers used for?
What kind of eraser is best?
What eraser do artists use?
Is there an eraser that erases everything?
What is the difference between black and white erasers?
Which brand of kneaded eraser is best?
Is there an eraser that erases ink?
Do electric erasers really work?
What Are the Different Types of Erasers?
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One major revelation about erasers is that they are not, in fact, just for fixing mistakes.
The best art erasers are used for erasing mistakes and problems, of course, but they also are used for shaping areas, lightening shades and colors, adding texture, highlight and shadow, creating detail and more.
There are several different types of erasers, and each has its own uses and benefits, as well as its own issues:
Kneaded Erasers
Not the most well known, this wonderful little friend still may be the eraser most associated with fine artists.
Kneadable and shapeable, it can be made into a very fine point and used for very exact and precise erasing, and doesn’t leave behind residue. Even the best kneaded erasers, however, are not ideal for, or used for, erasing large areas.
Gum Erasers
A soft and gummy eraser that won’t damage even most soft papers, the gummy eraser, or artgum eraser, is very effective, but leaves lots of residue (which can simply be brushed off). Great for larger surfaces, the gum eraser is not as good as a kneaded eraser for fine detail or small areas.
Rubber Erasers
The classic pink eraser is the most familiar type of eraser. Made either from natural rubber latex, or latex-free.
Most often called “pink erasers”, the rubber erasers are harder and firmer than the two types above, and are very effective with both large areas and some precision work, but can be a little more damaging to paper, especially if you are a bit too enthusiastic in your erasing.
Vinyl Erasers
The hardest eraser on our list, the vinyl eraser (also called a plastic eraser) can also be the most powerful and effective, and can even erase some inks from paper.
They remove marks (pencil marks, colored pencil marks, light pencil marks, graphite pencil marks) completely and leave no mess, and are often used by draftspeople, technical artists and other precision artists. The vinyl eraser can, though, easily damage soft paper, and even with normal paper should be used carefully.
Foam Erasers
Electric Erasers
An eraser that is, you guessed it, electric. Brilliant invention or worthless fad just waiting to sink to the bottom of your junk drawer? We’ll talk more about this later, in the Bonus section at the end of the article, but spoiler alert – electric erasers rock!
How Can You Find the Best Erasers for Pencil Marks?
Erasers are cheap, or at least relatively cheap, and I would never be without a few of each and every one of the main types of erasers.
And so when I buy erasers for my studio and my work, I buy large packs, which save me money and make sure I always have them on hand. Again, though, I use them not just for fixing mistakes and changing drawings, but for shaping, shading, textures, effects and a lot more.
But before you start clicking on links and filling your virtual basket with ten-packs of this or that art eraser, you might want some help in determining not just which type to get – if you’re an artist or crafter, you probably want at least a few different types – but which companies make the best erasers, and which specific products are best for you.
I have bought some pretty bad erasers, which don’t really, you know, erase, which tear at the paper as if they were angry with it, which leave more marks than they pick up, which even break in half with the first use.
I wish I could erase each and every one of those purchases, but I have learned a lot, and I’ve also bought a share of splendid erasers, and now have a very good idea which erasers are the best choice and which are, well, not so much.
So, based on my own experiences, and on the few very best erasers I have settled on and use constantly, and also based on recommendations I get from other artists, friends and colleagues and a few of my students, I have put together a list of the very best erasers you can get today, for artists, designers, illustrators, drafters and technical artists, crafters and pretty much any other creative person.
For every type of eraser – kneaded, gum, rubber and vinyl – I will offer a few choices and say a few words (there’s not that much you can really say about an eraser: “It erases well. I like it. The pink color is pretty”).
I will list the different brands and models of each type of eraser alphabetically, so not really in order of preference, but here I will list my own personal favorite of each type:
Thanks so much for reading my latest article – The Best Erasers for Artists, Crafters and Everybody Else: A Buyer’s Guide – and please check out my website – Art Side of Life – for more guides, articles, tutorials, artist interviews and tons of other resources for commercial artists, fine artists, art students and beginners, crafters and anybody else exploring their own creative side!
Other articles in the drawing pencils, pens, and markers series:
- Best Watercolor Pencils
- Best Mechanical Pencil for Drawing
- Best Drawing and Sketching Pencils
- Best Colored Pencils for Artists
- Best Pencil Sharpener for Colored Pencils
- Best Drawing Pens
- Best Copic Alternatives
- Best Markers for Coloring Adult Coloring Books
