iMagine Erasers: Pencil Topper Erasers + Pink Erasers (Dollar General)
I work in education, and even in the technology age, students still need pencils. Some standardized tests are — at least at the time of this post — still pencil and paper, and I still give assignments that require them to use something other than a Chromebook, phone, or tablet. (Those assignments are a nice change of pace, actually.)
One thing that hasn’t changed, even in the era of tech, is this: when students use pencils, the eraser is almost always the first thing to die. Whether it’s because the students make so many mistakes they wear it down (common) or because a random student pulls the eraser off (occasionally), an aging pencil is likely to become an eraser-less pencil long before it becomes a nub.
It is in this situation that standalone erasers earn their keep. Whether it’s an eraser topper that adds more de-penciling power to the end of a worn pencil eraser or a full erasure for those big mistakes, having erasing reinforcements is always helpful.
You can get erasers at many places: at your local pharmacy chain, inside the nearby big-box store, and, of course, on the shelves of your nearest office supply store. Another handy place to find them is your local dollar store, which not only generally sells office supplies for cheap, but also is usually quick to get in an out for. If you’re, say, a teacher in a hurry, speed is just what the doctor ordered.
Dollar General sells a couple of varieties of erasers: a pencil top version and a pink eraser version. Both currently cost $1.
Curiously, while the pencil toppers I bought came in a pack of 20, my receipt and the DG website both list them as a pack of 25. That’s a difference of 4 cents a topper versus 5. I’m not sure if that’s an issue of product shrinkage or what the story is. Regardless, you might want to check the package to see how many you have. For comparison, Walmart currently sells toppers for about 2 cents a topper.
The pink erasers are more predictable, coming out to 50 cents an eraser. As with the toppers, Walmart sells them for less, currently at 25 cents an eraser.
iMagine Pencil Top Erasers
These pencil top erasers come in a pack that opens from the back. According to the packaging, they are a product of China.
The build quality is okay. They feel solid and they attach easily to pencils. One small nit is that some of mine were a little discolored.
On the all-important subject of erasure, these do the job. I found they erased marks as well as any eraser.
iMagine Pink Erasers
These come in a two-pack. The packaging say they are a product of China.
These have a decent build quality. They’re maybe a little floppy compared to some pink erasers I’ve used, but it doesn’t seem to affect how well the erasure works. And it does work: it erases things cleanly without any additional marks.
The Verdict:
Dollar General erasers do the job you want them to do, which is to erase marks without leaving smudges. They also cost a little more than the prices at Walmart, so if you can make it into a big box store, you’ll probably score a better deal. On the other hand, if speed and convenience are your priority, these are serviceable erasers.
