Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser

The Staedtler Mars eraser is a classic eraser that's used in the office, schools, the drawing board, and just about everywhere there's a pencil needed in the scene. It's one of the most popular brands of erasers in school (along with the Pentel Hi-Polymer eraser), and I can see why because of its quality, durability, and reliability to get you through the toughest of exams.

The first thing you notice are small trojan heads (the company's logo perhaps?) printed on the eraser. The sleeve is blue with "Staedtler Mars Plastic" printed in white. The sleeve is easily damaged after normal wear and tear, and when the eraser get smaller, cutting off part of the sleeve might be a good option.

There's not much to say about it, really. It's a reasonably large eraser that has gotten me through more than a semester of school. It erases very cleanly with little or no pencil remains showing (depending on the type of lead you're using). However, it does leave quite a bit of residue, much more than the Tombow Mono does. It's a bit of a hassle to brush the shavings off, since some of them are so small.



Performance-wise, it erases HB lead quite well and very cleanly, leaving no marks or traces behind, same goes for the blue lead. For the 4B, since the lead is softer, the eraser smears it a bit before being able to erase. I'm guessing that with softer leads, it's going to smear more and leave a bit more remains.

Overall, this eraser is very durable and it's great for school/office uses. Depending on how much you use it, it will last you a couple of months. If you don't mind having to sweep off eraser shavings every time you erase, then go ahead, go to your local stationery store, and buy one of these. It should only set you back about 50 cents.

Charcoal Lamy Safari F Nib + J. Herbin: Eclat de Saphir

This review's a special one because this time, there's two reviews in one post! That's double the fun!

Charcoal Lamy Safari F Nib


First, let's start with the Lamy Safari. This is my first fountain pen that I can actually use with bottled ink without modding anything except switching converters. _{(My dad won't let me mod anything since he thinks all I'm going to make is a mess...)}I chose to buy a charcoal-colored Lamy because I was afraid the regular plastic version of the pen would feel...cheap in my hands and I wouldn't like it – I wouldn't know what the plastic version's like anyway. The pen body has a matte finish with a black clip that is pretty sturdy when clipped onto something. The cap and the pen weigh almost the same so when taken off and left aside, the pen is pretty light: something I'm not too fond of. I like having a bit of weight in my pens. When the cap's on top of the pen, although a bit top heavy, it balances out the weight in the pen.


As for the nib, the main feature of the pen, it writes smoothly and lays down a nice, solid line. The nib's slightly scratchy, but nothing that detracts the quality of the pen. Depending on the type of ink you're using, it may or may not dry fast. I'm using a piston converter for bottled ink. I haven't used the blue cartridge that comes with the pen.


I'm no connoisseur of fine writing instruments nor do I have much experience with fountain pens, but the Lamy Safari is a very nice, reasonably priced starter fountain pen that gives you a bit more than what you paid for (in this case, close to $30 with a converter). It's a good pen especially if you don't want to shell out lots of money on an exquisite fountain pen.

J. Herbin: Eclat de Saphir


(Picture is from Jetpens.com)

I won this bottle of ink in a giveaway held by Rhodia Drive back in September along with two other bottles of ink. I haven't had a pen to load the ink in since then, so here's the long overdue review of it.


(Written on a Rhodia No. 12 pad)

The only concern I have about the ink is the drying time for it. When it first hits paper, you can see a bit of ink where you end the line of the letter you're writing. Since the ink's wet when it first hits paper, it might lead to a bit of smudging (as shown in the sample).

Overall, the pen and the ink are a very nice combination: charcoal black and sapphire blue. The ink and the fine nib is a good combination and it makes for a fine writing experience.

JetPens Order!!!

Yesterday, my JetPens order was waiting to be opened by an anxious pen enthusiast, when I rushed home from school, opened the mailbox, squealed with joy, had about six other people looking at me, ripped the package open right then and there, and squealed even louder. What made me so ecstatic, you ask? Well, I ordered...



Charcoal Lamy Fountain Pen: Fine Nib
Lamy piston converter
Pilot Hi-Tec-C: 0.38 mm in "bengara" (ferrous oxide)
Uni-Ball Signo: 0.38 mm in bordeaux-black
Mitsubishi Boxy eraser

The main bulk of my order was the fountain pen, since this is my first "fancy" fountain pen. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to fill ink in it yesterday (I won some ink bottles in a giveaway that I never had a chance to review), so today I'm hoping to fill it, squeal with joy again when I get to write with it, and I'll have a review of the pen up shortly. (and by shortly, I DO mean shortly. I mean it this time.)

Don't ever take out your anger on...

...your beloved pens. I was very angry at something last night, and the anger got to me, fogged my brain, and I took it out on one of my Hi-Tec-C pens. I slammed it on my desk so hard that the cap flew off and the bottom half of the body snapped from the pen refill. (I would take a picture of it, but it's too small and minute to take a picture of) If you don't know what I mean, the part where the conical, metal barrel at the end took a bit of the plastic barrel with it and it won't twist back on properly anymore.

So what have we learned today, girls and boys? 1) Don't take your anger out on your precious pens and pencils and other stationery what-have-you-nots. 2) Liquid glue can fix almost anything. To everyone who's reading this, if you're ever angry, take out on something that won't break in one drop. Like a pillow.

Finals Week...

As I go back to school after a short yet somewhat refreshing winter break, I have finals to stress over for the rest of this week and part of next week. I'll be taking a break from the internet during that time to focus on my studies, and hopefully do well on my finals. I know I haven't been posting as often as I hoped, but I hope that after finals I'll be able to post at least one review every week. Over the holidays, I went on a trip and visited a Kinokuniya. I found so many things there that I wanted to buy, but unfortunately they would've run over my budget. I did, however, pick up a few pens, notebooks, and erasers that I thought might be worth reviewing. I will try (and this time I really mean it) to get some of those reviews posted, and again, I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything much worth reading (if any at all) within the past few months.

In the meantime, check out this great view of TeNues CoolNotes over at Notebook Stories!

Now, I think I'll slink off and put myself in solitary confinement with my textbooks, notes, and five of my finest weapons _{(by weapons, I hope you know I mean my pens and pencils)} to attack finals. Wish me luck!