Erasermate

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Erasermate (known as the Replay in Europe) is a pen product introduced by the Papermate division of the Gillette Company in 1979.^[1] The word Erasermate in and of itself has become known as the erasable pen of the Papermate product line.

The original Erasermate pen was a refillable ballpoint pen fitted with an eraser. A disposable version called Erasermate 2 was subsequently introduced, with an appearance similar to the non-erasable Write Bros. stick pen, except for a slightly larger girth, and of course the black eraser, affixed to the pen's cap. The eraser, not unlike that of a standard no. 2 pencil, was about 5 mm in diameter, and 10 mm in length. The eraser was held in place by the sheer forces exerted by the cylindrical abscess of the so designed pen cap. The eraser could be removed, however, replacing it required more effort.

The erasable ink took over a decade to develop and needs to be pressurized slightly for continuous flow during use. A serendipitous consequence of this pressure requirement is that the pen is more versatile; writing is possible through wider range of paper to pen angle than non-erasable ballpoint pens.^[2]

Erasermates come in blue, black and red ink, and the exterior pen color is quite often that of the ink within. Erasermates are beneficial in crossword puzzle completion because they provide the vividness of regular ink, without sacrificing the flexibility of pencil.^[3] Erasermates were infamous for their erratic, smudging results "back in the day", but more recently have more positive user reviews.

[edit] References

1. ^ Papermate official site.
2. ^ Papermate Pens through the decades.
3. ^ Crossword Champion uses Erasermate

Erasermate ink can be erased with your finger.