The Suspects: Pilot Frixion Erasable Gel-Ink 0.7mm Pen & Erasable Yellow Highlighter

"Why would anyone want an erasable pen, isn't the point of writing in pen so that you can't erase it?" 

I peered up at the Border's salesclerk. "No. That's not the point of writing in pen." He's just a part-time school supplies user, I thought, don't concern yourself.

'Write, Delete, Repeat' The Pilot FriXion Ball Erasable Gel Pen in Fine/Black 0.7mm uses 'thermo-sensitive' gel ink formula that is removable by friction. It's also available in 0.5mm in 8 colors. Most of what can be said for the pen can also be said for the highlighter, so for the rest of this blog highlighter-wise- ditto.

The pen's perks: it writes really smooth- unlike the conventional erasable pens- and doesn't skid/skip when you're writing, so no breaks in your cursive (unless you want there to be) and no need to retrace your writing. The pen comes in multiple colors, unfortunately I was only able to procure the black ink pens, but am looking forward to trying out the many others.

Other great features include the rubber tip, which doesn't wear down or leave eraser flakes OR make that annoying eraser noise (am I the only one that notices the noise erasers make when they rub against paper? I shutter just blogging about it).

The pen feels nice in your hand, it has a smooth exterior and is ultra-light so it's great for your shirt pocket (this baby isn't going to weigh you down!). It also doesn't appear to damage your paper when you erase- no major indentions and most definitely no tears on regular notebook paper.

The pen's pitfalls: the most obvious problem is the rubber eraser tip is on the butt of the pen rather than on its cap, which means if you cap your pen while using it, you have to uncap it to use the eraser end- argh! To test the eraser, I wrote something earlier today and came back to erase it and erased something within seconds of writing it- the eraser worked equally well both times but left a faint shadow of once was each time- as long as you are writing over it, I don't "see it" as a big deal.

The color is also not as rich as I would like it to be, but still nicer than many ballpoints. The same goes for the highlighter, which would be really nice if brighter. On a more personal level, I'm not so much a fan of the exterior design decor- a little too rocker-tatooish for me. I prefer just a clean/simple look.

So I may have listed plenty of pitfalls and perks, but overall it really is a great erasable pen! I think it is going to be just what I have been looking for in a planner pen- which I am always making mistakes in. So while it may have its flaws (don't we all), it is simply just a fun pen. I see many envious classmates and co-workers in my future.

Tips: Erase faster, not harder. It's not the amount of pressure you use that make the eraser effective, it's the heat/friction combination.