Itoya 110 Erasable Ballpoint Pen 3 Review: A Premium Twist on Frixion

Introduction

The Itoya 110 series launched in 2014 to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Ginza Itoya, and this new three-color erasable ballpoint joins a line already known for high build quality. Released in June 2026 and priced at 11,000 yen, the Itoya 110 Erasable Ballpoint Pen 3 pairs a brass barrel with Pilot’s Frixion ink, meaning everything you write can be erased by rubbing. The packaging is intentionally simple, reflecting Itoya’s recent focus on cost reduction, recycling, and eco-friendly materials, and instructions come via a QR code rather than a paper manual.

Out of the box, the pen feels immediately substantial. The barrel is brass, thick, and noticeably heavy, with a matte smooth black finish on this colorway. Five colors are available: black, navy, red, white, and gray. Other colors use a glossy finish that grips the fingers more, while the matte black barrel feels slightly more slippery but looks more premium.

Who This Product Is For

This is a pen for people who like heavy, thick-barreled writing instruments and who are genuinely enthusiastic about erasable ink. The center of gravity sits near the middle, and the weight lets you write with very little effort. The design is simple and leans business-oriented, but it gives a high-quality impression that fits the series.

It is equally well suited to collectors who already own the Itoya 110 mechanical pencil and want a matching multi-pen, since Pilot has consistently manufactured the series and the design language stays consistent across it. If you write long-form every day or prefer lightweight pens, this is probably not your pen.

Main Strengths

The standout feature is the twist-action mechanism, which is rare for a Frixion pen; most other Frixion products use a slide-lever, and twist versions are essentially limited to the Frixion Ball 2 and 3 series. The tip locks when extended, does not lock when retracted, and rotates continuously in both directions. Despite being a multi-pen, there is almost no tip wobble. Multi-pens usually wobble because refills extend at an angle and need larger holes, but here that is kept to a minimum, which makes the writing experience genuinely comfortable.

The center ring where the barrel segments meet is completely flat with no gaps, which looks clean and avoids any ridge that would be distracting in the hand. The ink, while not the premium Frixion ink, writes smoothly with a color that is not too light and looks quite bright for Frixion. Writing in a notebook feels smoother than on a single sheet of copy paper, since softer, thicker paper hides the hardness of the desk surface underneath.

Standard refills are Pilot LFTRF40EF 0.5 mm in black, red, and blue Frixion inks, the same as those used in the Frixion Ball 2 Biz. Refills are swapped by pulling the lower barrel apart. The eraser on the end is hidden under a cap, which keeps it out of sight even as it ages.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Visibility is the biggest complaint. The barrel is thick, and that thickness continues all the way to the tip, which obstructs your view of the characters you are writing. For a multi-pen, this level of poor visibility ranks high among the worst.

The weight cuts both ways. Some people will find it difficult to handle, and it is not suited for long writing sessions. The clear eraser rubber also yellows and gets dirty over time; the cap means you will not see the dirt while it is stored, but it is visible during use, and at this price that is a hit to satisfaction. The good news is that Frixion erasers are sold separately, and options like the Clear Radar eraser work well for Frixion ink, so the problem is solvable.

There is also no color indicator on the barrel at all, which keeps the design very sleek, but some users may struggle to find the color they want. The refill tips do carry color indicators, so you can identify which color is currently extended. Finally, the centering ring on the lower barrel is loose and shifts when you remove it for refill changes, which feels a bit cheap on an 11,000 yen pen.

Buying Advice

On balance, the quality and premium feel are real: the heavy brass barrel, the flat center ring, the near-zero tip wobble, and the rare twist-action Frixion mechanism all make this a distinctive multi-pen. The hurdle is price. Whether you are willing to pay over 10,000 yen for a Frixion pen is a high bar unless you are a real enthusiast.

If you can look past the poor tip visibility, this is definitely worth considering. If tip visibility or long writing sessions are priorities, look elsewhere. The Itoya 110 Erasable Ballpoint Pen 3 is a pen designed to be enjoyed slowly, prioritizing the pleasure of using stationery over pure practicality.

Conclusion

The Itoya 110 Erasable Ballpoint Pen 3 is a beautifully built, satisfyingly heavy three-color multi-pen with erasable Frixion ink and very little tip wobble. Its drawbacks, including obstructed visibility of the writing tip, a clear and stain-prone eraser, no barrel color indicators, and a loose centering ring, are real but manageable if you accept the pen on its own design-first terms. For enthusiasts of the series or of premium erasable pens, it is a considered and confident purchase.