School supplies: erasers, part1

Self-tutoring about school supplies: the tutor researches erasers.

In my post from June 26, I begin about erasers. The point is that, once vinyl erasers arrived – around 1980-81, in my world – they supplanted pink erasers.

Yet, the other day I read an article that suggests vinyl erasers are harder on the paper than rubber (pink) erasers. I was surprised: I seem to recall that vinyl erasers tear paper less easily, which is one reason we came to prefer them.

I took a pink eraser (I still have a few) and a vinyl one, made equal pencil marks, then erased one with each. To my surprise, the pink rubber one may work just as well as the white vinyl one, and possible with equal or less paper disruption.

Am I remembering it all wrong? Why did we all switch to vinyl, when perhaps the faithful pink rubber eraser works equally well?

Source:

theinkquisition.com