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The Best Erasable Pens In 2022

Feb 22, 2021 | Traditional Illustration Materials UK

How times have changed, way back in my school days a spelling mistake on an important essay would mean a total page re-write or would have me reaching for the correction fluid (Tipp-Ex!) – neither of these options was ideal, to say the least.

Skip ahead 25 years (okay maybe 35 years), and behold the invention of erasable pens – brilliant. Giving adults and children alike the best chance to create without fear of mistakes, whether for art, design, illustration or for the written word.

Best Erasable Pen Round-up.

In this overview, I aim to answer the question “What are the best erasable pens?” and have provided a great round-up of the top available pens and ink technology, with a clear list of the main pros and cons for each brand/type of on offer.

I have put the types of pens into a category – Best “Ballpoint/gell pens” and the other being Best “felt fibre pens”. Let us get started …

 

* Category 1 *

The Best Erasable Ball Point / Gel Pens

Erasable gel pens

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Pilot Frixion Rollerball Erasable Pens

Details about these erasable pens:

* Made by popular and reliable brand Pilot.
* Black, Red, Blue
* A Nib Size Of 0.7mm
* Line Width Of 0.35mm
* The pens came in a great range of colours – 8 pens in total.

Assorted Colour Pack of Pilot Frixion Pens – Black, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple / Violet, Pink, Light Blue & Red

When these landed on the doormat, I couldn’t wait to give them a try. Turns out that they are marvellous. The range of colours is fantastic and they are fine enough to write small, or for creating fine detailed work when drawing. As you’d expect from normal gel pens I suppose but with the added bonus of being ERASABLE!

Removing the ink worked very well by rubbing the writing with the built-in eraser end of the pen (as you would when using a pencil). You will need a decent quality of paper though as not to cause any rips.

One of the best features of the PILOT FriXion Pen is that is was very comfortable to use. If you are writing or drawing for long periods, it’s essential to have a pen you feel comfortable with. The pens have a soft to the touch tube that provided a firm but comfy, non-slip grip.

One thing to note is that although you can erase the ink, it does leave a slight trace (and it is very slight) of where the line used to be. If you think about it, even pencil when erased tends to leave an impression of where the line used to be. If once the ink is erased you write over with the correct information, it is a very neat solution. Of all erasable pens I have tried, these are definitely the best, both in terms of writing & drawing quality and of course, the eraser.

Great for inking cartoons ready for scanning and you can clean up any mistakes as you go saving time later.

Pros

* Great range of colours
* Comfy to use
* Refillable ink erasable by friction/heat
* 0.7 mm Nib Tip
* FREE Delivery in most areas

Cons

* Supplied loose rather than in a pack

ARIEL-GXR Eraser Retractable Gel Ink

Details

* Fine Point 0.5mm * Black, Red, Blue * Smooth Erasable Ink Pens / Gel Pen * Stainless Steel Tip Design * Smooth, Durable and Precise Writing * Perfect For Students

The Ariel-GXR erasable gel pens are lovely pens to use with soft grip and they certainly provide a smooth writing experience. These erasable gel ink pens are a great alternative to the top brand pens as they offer a cheaper price point with a superb range of colours. The quality of the ink is really very good as you would expect from gel pens. Something to note is that the ink is easy to remove using the integrated eraser, very similar to a pencil.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of these pens, despite not being the most well-known brand in the erasable pens sector. Whether using them as a writer or artist I’m sure you will find these pens excellent value for money.

Pros

* Erases well
* Retractable nib
* Great range of colours
* Comfy to use
* Refillable
* FREE Delivery in most areas

Cons

* Need to ensure the pen is retracted when not in use to avoid drying up.

Pilot Frixion Erasable Rollerball Pen In Black

Details

* 0.7 mm Tip
* Black
* Pack of 5

As mentioned above with the coloured pen range, I found the Pilot Frixion pen series to be an excellent set of pens and the black pen is no exception to this rule. Buying a 5 pack saves money per pen which is a good idea if you are likely to use them often.

Frixion is the Market Leaders when it comes to Erasable Gel Ink Pens and with good reason too. The pens are smooth to use and ease well. This particular pen has a click lid rather than a retractable nib (See retractable frixion ball pen here) which is a personal preference to which you choose.

As the gel pen ink dried quickly on the page when using the pen, my left-handed colleague here in the office had no problem with smudging, something that lefthanders can typically face when writing with gel pens.

Pros

* Erase well
* Great range of colours available
* Comfy to use
* Refillable
* FREE Delivery in most areas
* Capped Pen – But Also available as a clicker here – Frixion Clicker Erasable Retractable

Cons

* Individually this pen works out quite expensive, however, to overcome this buy a pack size which reduces the price per pen..

PaperMate Replay Max Black

Details

* Point Type = Medium
* Ink Colour = Black ink & blue ink
* Tip Type = Ballpoint

Another heavy hitter in the erasable pen arena by PaperMate. The Papermate Replay Max is an erasable pen with a special ink formula that writes like a ball pen and erases like a pencil. It comes in a range of bold colours, and the usual Blue / Black.

The unique selling point of this pen is that the ink becomes permanent after 24 hours. This is a great feature. I did hear about somebody leaving an important document written with an alternative pen in the sunlight, watching as the ink disappeared before their eyes! It’s the heat that erases the ink, usually from friction but can happen by mistake – from leaving inside a hot car for example! Having the ink become permanent after 24 hours is a real benefit in these circumstances.

Pros

* Ink becomes permanent after 24 hours
* Refillable
* Cheaper than some of the alternatives
* FREE Delivery in most areas

Cons

* The eraser doesn’t always erase fully on some paper types show a faint outline.
* Make sure you get the genuine PaperMate Replay Max pens.

Paper Mate EraserMate Erasable Pen

Details

* Black (blue ink also available)
* Pack of 12
* Tip Type = Ballpoint
* Medium
* Ink becomes permanent after 24 hours.

Here’s another great erasable pen option from big-name Papermate – a much thinner pen to hold which will suit some better than others. My personal choice is a thicker pen with a comfy grip, but this style of pen is fine for those wanting a slimmer barrel.

Again as with the previous Papermate, the ink is not erasable after 24 hours which again will suit some purposes but not others. If you are using such a pen for a crossword or Sudoku and you leave it half done, realising a mistake has been made the next day will hinder the ability to correct it.

Pros

 * Ink becomes permanent after 24 hours
* Refillable
* Very well priced
* FREE Delivery in most areas
* Ideal for crosswords etc

Cons

* The eraser doesn’t always erase completely on some paper types.

ParKoo Retractable Erasable Gel Pens

Details

* Clicker Gel Pen
* Fine Point0.7mm
* Assorted Color Inks for Drawing Writing
* 14-Pack
* Nontoxic ink

So after giving these ParKoo pens a test run, I found they are great for the price! 14 great colours, the draw / write well and erase well too. They work using a new “thermo sensitive ink” which is erasable ink that disappears with friction. Simply use the rubber tail tip on the end of the pen to erase. I found it left no residue and did not tear the paper (it was a good grade of paper so that’s a good tip).

Pros

* Nontoxic ink,
* Acid-free, non-bleeding
* Erases well (thermosensitive ink)
* Retractable
* Inexpensive compared with other brands
* Good range of colours

Cons

* Although great for the price, I prefer the Frixion pens as they offer a smoother drawing experience.
* The ink skips here and there.
* Some low score customer reviews.

uni-ball TSI Erasable UF-220 Erasable Ink Rollerball Pen

Details

 * Blue, Pack of 12
* Thermo-sensitive ink
* Capped top
* Refill available

These pens offer great value for money. Cheaper than some other brands yet still offering a smooth and comfy writing experience. I’ve used this pen for a while now, here in the office/art studio and it seems to be lasing well.

Uni-ball does warn you that the thermo sensitive ink is not secure and is therefore not recommended for writing cheques or signing official documents. This is the same for any of the erasable pens on the market but a good point none the less.

Pros

 * Well priced, especially when buying the pack size
* Pens Write and Erase well
* Lasts well
* Capped so won’t easily leak in a pocket
* No more pencil marks when sketching

Cons

* As all erasable pens, not suitable for legal documents.

* Category 2 *

The Top Erasable Felt/Fibre Tip Colouring Pens

Pilot Frixion Erasable Fibre Colouring Pens

Details

* Assorted, Pack of 12 colours
* The 2.5 mm polyester felt tip
* Frixion ink
* Gives a 0.69 mm colouring stroke

Starting off the products line up with the excellent Pilot Frixion Felt / Fibre Tips. These colour really nicely and the tips are not too thick, so adding detail and line work is easy. The colours are not vibrant or bold, more of a pastel shade so will suit certain types of art and illustration work, but maybe not others. Like the gel ink pen in the same brand, they erase using friction or heat. Having the ability to correct something and amend mistakes is great. I found that it’s also possible to lightly erase areas in order to blend or shade rather than block colour.

The Pilot Fibre Tips I think would work very well for the adult colouring books which have become very popular, as any overrun’s can be easily fixed and the project saved.

Overall I was very pleased with these and would highly recommend.

Pros

* Excellent colour range
* Best for illustration work, definitely good for revision, student schoolwork & art.

Cons

* The colours are not bright, they’re more like pastels

BIC Kids Magic Felt Pens

Details

* Assorted Colours
* Pack of 12 (10 Coloured Markers and 2 Erasers)
* Medium Point
* Great range of colours
* Best Magic Felt Pens For Kids

Although aimed towards children, these fun pens offer a felt nib colouring marker suitable for all ages! Great for illustrators and artists wanting to be able to erase areas of the colour as part of the design, or in case of errors.

Rather than having an eraser built into the lid or end of the pen, this pack comes with 2 special eraser pens which “magically” turns the colour clear. This provides far greater accuracy for artwork and illustrations.

Pros

* Excellent range of colours
* Accurate separate eraser pen
* Great for illustration and art, especially fun for kids

Cons

* Not good for colouring large areas as they are a medium size

 Fibracolor Erasable Magic Pens-9 pens and 1 eraser pen

Details

* Assorted Colours
* Pack of 12 (10 Coloured Markers and 2 Erasers)
* Medium Point
* Great range of colours
* Best Magic Felt Pens For Kids

I gave these pens a tryout and found first off that they are a chunky pen to hold. Perfect for younger children and budding artists. They come in a good number of colours, although not as many as the Bic Kids Pens mentioned above.

Pros

* Perfect choice for younger artists
* Safe water-based ink

Cons

* Too thick and chunky to hold for adults

* Category 3 *

The Best Erasable Highlighters

 Crayola Take Note 14 Erasable Highlighters and 1 Bonus Permanent Marker

Details

* 14 vibrant colours
* Bonus Permanent Marker
* Clear ink tips on the other end for magically erasing the colourful highlights
* Recommended ages 8+

Top brand Crayola has released a brilliant highlighter pen, or rather a range of coloured highlighter pens and I can say they work brilliantly.

As with the magic pens, it’s a simple case of using the “magic” ink to erase the ink, however, instead of having a separate pen to do this, it is very cleverly built into the other end.

Pros

* Bonus Permanent Marker
* Great range of colours
* Erase Well
* Didn’t bleed

Cons

* It’s not possible to highlight an area that was previously erased
* Some colours a little dark to use as a highlighter

Products Summary

As soon as you get to know all of the different types of erasable pens available, you’ll soon be able to see which is the best fit for your needs, art, illustration or as office supplies. For me, I really liked sketching using the Pilot Frixion Rollerball Erasable Pens as these offered superb overall quality and comfort. To colour in with, I loved the Pilot Frixion Erasable Fibre Tip Colouring Pens, offering a great range of colours and I liked the fact they were not too bright or bold. I hope this information provides you with inspiration to start a design or art project of your own. Take a look at the customer review brand price at the “check price” links above.

Student Advice

My advice for students wanting the best pen for sketching or writing notes, I personally liked the Pilot Frixion range. For art students, the Pilot Frixion Fibre Tips would be the pens of choice.

Our Choices

We wanted to show the best options available in each category for a range of uses. All of the pens above have the green light from myself and my team at Big Red Illustrations. Each pens use is specific to the type of pen. Check details when making an order.

The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only.

References

Amazon.co.uk

Thermochromic ink/thermosensitive ink (Makes the pen erasable)

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Adam has made a name for himself in the illustration industry and is a passionate blogger and writer on the subject of art, illustration and graphic design.

His artwork has been featured in countless publications and used for very well-known media projects. As a professional illustrator for over 20 years, Adam's wealth of knowledge and experience enables him to consult and advise artists and illustrators all over the world.

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