Previously I have mentioned that I came across a new, nice eraser. Well, this eraser is new to me – and Faber-Castell have confirmed that this eraser, the blue, dust-free eraser ’18 71 70′, is available in Malaysia, but is not officially available in Europe. It seems to be for sale in Canada, though. I paid 4元 (~ 65¢; 55c; 45p) for this eraser.
Performance is similar to the 18 71 20 (which is the bigger version of the 18 71 30). The blue 18 71 70 seemed to be a little bit softer and required a little bit less effort than the white 18 71 20, which is already very soft and effortless to use. This could however be because the white 18 71 20 is a few years old. The dust of the blue 18 71 70 did not roll up as neatly into strands as that of the white 18 71 20.
There is also a black version of the 18 71 70, the 18 71 71. According to Faber-Castell both versions are identical except the colour. According to Faber-Castell the white dust-free erasers 18 71 20 and 18 71 30 are phthalate free. There are no similar claims regarding the blue or black dust-free eraser.
In case you wonder why my 18 71 20 looks so funny on the picture, it took on the colour of my Berit case after being stores in the Berit case for a while. Eraser easily take on the colour of items they touch, or even ‘dissolve’ other items.
Price: December 2014
Exchange rates: January 2015
Thank you for showing this eraser. I wonder why they have chosen blue instead of e.g. green … – The last time I saw a similar shaped Faber-Castell eraser the chamfered edges were emphasized as “Komfortkanten” (comfort edges) which I found a bit silly but entertaining nevertheless. Is there a similar claim on the sleeve of your eraser?
Thanks for your comment.
I think I saw a dark green eraser in the past – or do I imagine that now.. if I have really seen one then it might have come with a Castell 9000 tin from Asia. I should check my drawers to see whether I can find it.
There is a “Comfort edge” claim – “Comfort Edge – Added Comfort For Erasing”, plus “Dust roll together” and “Break resistant”. Thanks for pointing that out, I didn’t notice it. I should pay attention whether I can now eraser in comfort, thanks to the Comfort Edges 8^)
Hi Matthias,
I bought my dust-free eraser in Korea, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them here too (not 100% sure but I did have the impression that they were easy to find). I like the Faber-Castell dust-free because it’s a bit harder than Japanese erasers so it doesn’t break off that easily.
The green Castell 9000 version is available in the US. I’d be glad to send you one or two. 🙂
Matthias, I think you have a F-C (green) block eraser in mind which I seem to remember too, but check this out:
http://www.erasersworld.com/eng/faber/htm
F-C made a stout hexagonal eraser in the likeness of their 9000 pencil down to the faux-lead “point”, all dressed up in F-C 9000’s dark green livery. It doesn’t matter to me because I’d want them anyway, but I am not sure the ‘9000’ numbered erasers were or are “dust-free”.
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Sola, I do have some unopened Japanese dust free erasers. I didn’t realise they are softer. I should try them out.
Johnny, Thanks for the offer, but I think I actually do have the green one already, I’ll just need to find it.
Junius, I think I’ve seen a picture of it once, it was quite chubby looking. Do you have the eraser in the 9000 look?
Hi Matthias, I readily admit I am a shallow fellow and buy erasers as much for their looks and branding as much as for their performance :<} . 'Dust-free' doesn't trip my trigger, but the color green, especially F-C's 9000 series color green…be still my beating heart! I do have one example of Faber-Castell's pencil-shaped eraser which I believe I ordered from Japan. I absolutely love the idea of that eraser but like a dunce I only bought one. Don't be like me kids, buy one to admire, and one to use :<{ .
I thought I had a green F-C block eraser as well, but I don't, 'dust-free' or otherwise.
You never know how well erasers perform in advance anyway, so why not buy the good looking one 8^). Reminds me how I once got a pink pearl eraser (is that the name?). I thought they are famous, it must be good, but it was awful. I now use it for removing stains from wallpapers, etc..
I hope you can get another one of those Castell 9000 erasers, this time one to admire 8^)
I actually liked the Pink Pearl in elementary school until I discovered the superior smelling and crumbly Art Gum eraser. I don’t think it’s bad in the way the erasers at the end of a lot of cut-rate wooden pencils are bad, but I’d reach for a Mars plastic eraser before a Pink Pearl.
I actually liked the Pink Pearl in elementary school until I discovered the superior smelling and very friable Art Gum eraser which appealed to the destructive sensibility of gradeschool boys. I don’t think it’s bad in the way the erasers at the end of a lot of cut-rate wooden pencils are bad, but I’d reach for a Mars plastic eraser before a Pink Pearl. If any eraser was famous in my day, it was the ubiquitous Pink Pearl.
I like the Art Gum eraser, but my Pink Pearl (if it is one, it doesn’t say on it, but it looks like that) is awful – it will destroy the paper without removing the graphite. Maybe it was stored wrong or is a cheap copy.
Do you still like the Art Gum eraser?
‘Destructive sensibility of gradeschool boys’ — 8^D that’s why I like it.. You can definitely see that you have used it, when you have used it.
Stamp and coin collecting shops sell bundles of little ziploc plastic bags that are the perfect size for conserving your spare erasers from the effects of dust, air, and aging. I’ll dig out a Pink Pearl and an Art Gum and give them a go; it’s been a while since I’ve used either. Actually, I am rather looking forward to a whiff of Art Gum. Something that smells so pleasant must taste good, right?
Oh, using those bags is a good idea. I have some on the big side. If I come across a good sized one I will store my erasers in it. Thanks for that tip. I must find my Art Gum eraser again, I remember that it had an interesting smell, but don’t remember whether it was pleasant or how it smelled.
Hello,
I would like to use an eraser for cleaning purpose of an electronic component substrate.
The material is copper. I would like to use this type of erase. Can somebody tells me if this eraser contain any sulfur as an ingredients or anything that could regenerate oxidation of copper due to chemical reaction?
Thanks in advance for the input.
The most reliable way to find out is probably to contact Faber-Castell directly.
I’m really happy to see a blog post about this specific eraser! 🙂
I’ve had mine since 2014/2015. To be honest I haven’t used it for a long time because I stashed it away until I resurrected it and I’m using it now for writing. I think the eraser became slightly firmer (I’m not sure), but it’s still working perfectly. I don’t recommend using it on smooth paper because it smears a bit especially when the eraser itself is dirty or if you need to erase a lot of graphite. It produces very minimal dust and I think it will last for many years even when used daily. Didn’t even cost $1 when I bought it. Probably just around $0.50 if I remember correctly.
It really is an amazing eraser! When it’s too dirty I’d sometimes use it on any surface, e.g. the table or scrap paper, to get it clean. I’m happy to see there are other fans of this eraser out there.