Electric Erasers: The Real-Life Undo Button

At Artsavingsclub we are passionate about the products we stock and equally curious about them.  This feeling is especially prevalent when two different products share the same perceived function.  Why is one more expensive?  Does it have more features or a more acclaimed brand name behind it?  Bottom line, is it really better, or is it just overpriced?

Let’s inspect.

Well, what we’ve come to notice is that the smaller aspects can definitely make a BIG impact, and are oftentimes worth forking out a few extra bucks for.

Electric Erasers Cretacolor & Derwent
Electric Eraser Nib

Today we’re looking at two seemingly similar products in the Artsavingsclub offer, to chat about them in detail, and also understand why there’s a notable price difference.  The two products in question are both electric erasers, but from two different brands, namely, Derwent, and Cretacolor.

Let’s just start this discussion by saying that if you haven’t tried an electric eraser, you’re missing out.  Period.  For the longest time, people have told us to try them.  The obvious questions come to mind – “huh? What’s wrong with my normal eraser?”, and “how much different can an ‘electric’ eraser really be?” …Very different!  Primarily for speed, precision and accuracy, as well as the ability to be used as a drawing tool itself by erasing out the negative.  Illustrators, draftsmen (and draftswomen), and pencil sketch artists will definitely get the most use out of these handy tools, and even more so when used with an eraser shield.  It’s difficult to articulate, but once you try one you’ll instantly get that distinctive “I have to have this” look on your face.  We’ve seen it time and time again, and have been there ourselves too. This will undoubtedly become an everyday tool for you, the avid artist.

Moving on.

The two erasers we’re looking at today are both erasers (no surprises there), they have similar shapes, and have the same general purpose, so what gives?  Let’s do a deep dive on each to give you some insight into which one may be the best option for you.

Derwent battery eraser product shot
Derwent Battery Eraser

We’ll start with the Derwent Battery Eraser.  The build is solid, which is to be expected from such a respected brand. It boasts a sturdy black shell with the Derwent branding along the sides.  The cylindrical eraser tip is small and precise (roughly 5mm in diameter).  It comes in standard Derwent-style packaging along with 8 refills, in addition to the one already inserted, and spare refills are cheap as chips.  The eraser takes two AAA batteries which gives it a surprising amount of power.  The on/off button is ergonomically located for you to be able to grip it as if it were a pen, with your finger right on the button, no matter if you’re right-handed or a lefty.  The eraser activates when the button is pressed and deactivates as soon as you release it – simple enough!

Cretacolor battery eraser product shot
Cretacolor Electric Eraser

On the other hand, we have the Cretacolor Electric Eraser, with a slightly higher price tag – why is that?  There are a few good reasons for this. First and foremost, it takes AA batteries, meaning a lot more power and extended battery life.  AA batteries are also more easily accessible, and the chances that you already have a few rechargeables lying around is pretty good – they’ll come in handy!  The eraser tip is even smaller than the Derwent, coming in at the 4mm diameter mark.  We know it may not seem like a significant difference, but at such a small scale, it really does help a lot with finer details.  It comes with 11 refills, 3 of which are harder, and meant for erasing ink (more geared at applications such as architectural building plans).  These refills come with their own little metal dispenser, which is great for keeping them all together, as the small size makes them quite easy to lose. The eraser refills cost slightly more than those of Derwent but are still very affordable. In addition to the included eraser refills, 4 differently sized rubber grips are also provided.  These grips can be inserted into the refill nozzle to accommodate specialised tools such as tiny brushes for cleaning jewellery, or small drill bits for model building – neat!  The button is similarly located and also easily accessible no matter which hand you use.  The button itself is much less ‘clicky’, but not in a bad way.  It’s smooth.  Silent even.  You barely know that you’re pressing it until the eraser activates.  This will save you from hand/finger cramps due to excessive use.

They are both awesome, but we might be able to give some insight into which would suit you best.  That way you can decide for yourself, instead of taking a shot in the dark.  The Derwent Battery Eraser’s price tag will appeal to students and regular users.  Don’t judge a book by its price tag though.  This is a high-quality professional tool that gets the job done, and gets it done well.  The sleek design also makes it easy to carry around with you. The ‘clicky’ button will prevent it from accidentally activating when carrying it in a pencil case, which is a bonus.  If you do incredibly intricate work you may find the tip slightly too large and may need to ‘sharpen’ it on a scrap piece of paper before diving in.  The AAA batteries give you a fair amount of usage time, however, if you’re someone who will be using it all day, every day, you might want something with a little more power.

The Cretacolor Electric Eraser is possibly more suited to the artist who likes to work on very intricate details.  The small size eraser tip will make you feel like the eraser is significantly different from a standard click-eraser.  The price tag may be a bit higher, however, it’s a very worthy investment.  You will be using this tool day-in and day-out, and with the AA batteries, you won’t need to replace them nearly as often, giving you more time to recharge your creativity, rather than your batteries (insert lame-joke drumroll).  The additional sizing-grips also make this a useful tool for people working in different industries, which leads to this being a great multi-purpose asset to have.  It is also an ideal option for anyone suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, or arthritis, as the button requires little to no effort to press, leaving your hand gliding around the page with no effort at all.

Which one is our favourite?  Well, we couldn’t decide, so we’ve got both, but in case you were interested in joining the electric eraser club we hope that this blog post was detailed enough to help you make an informed decision.

If you’re still unsure or have any other questions regarding these or any other, products that Artsavingsclub stock, feel free to give us a shout and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have….And be sure to follow Artsavingsclub on Instagram (@artsavingsclub) and Facebook (Artsavingsclub) to stay up to date with new products, sales, and other announcements.


Leave a Reply