This is a top notch quality pencil! My father was a drafts man prior to Autocad so all hand drawn, in the 70s and 80s. He carried his Pentel P209 in a pocket protector most his life. I'm proud to say, I took ownership of it when he passed in 2005, and I'm still using the thing today going through medical school. It's a serious warrior of a pencil!
The only problem I have with the p200 series is the metal parts (mainly the clip) rusting after using it for about 20 years, but I'm also the second owner of said pencil. Works flawlessly though
I have the Graphgear 500 and it's perfect but I don't need to have another similar mechanical pencils with knurling and kind of heavy weight, with the Graphgear I realized it and it's enough. Few days ago I got the Sharp (aka P200 series) and I LOVE it. For my taste its balance, lightness, its sharp and slim body and its well constructed internal parts, the confortable feeling at writing and precision, all make it perfect for me. Once more I learned that not always the expensive things are better than the cheaper ones!
In my 40+ year career as an engineer most of them used this pencil. So did I in the 0.9mm, but I have one in each lead size. Lasts forever. Never failed me. A GREAT value! I also have the Pentrl Sharp Kerry I. 0.7mm blue. I have many, many mechanical pencils & pens of all types as I'm charter member of the PENAHOLIC club. LOL. Suggestion, when reviewing a mechanical pencil consider specifying how many pieces of lead it will hold. Interesting. Thx, Rob, Phx. Regards. P.S. I was born in N.Y. State: Hicksville, L.I. left there in '65. BEST PIZZA, STEAKS & CHINESE FOOD THERE!!! Sure miss it!
Love it! I'm not an engineer.. some might say I'm a victim of engineers, haha. Long-time waterworks operator. I saw this pencil at the office store about 3 years ago and I immediately remembered my dad using one in college when I was a kid. I bought a couple and have had one clipped in the breast pocket of my surveyor vest, one on the front of my logbook - both of which I carry everywhere every day. These pencils are not only indestructible, but are steeped in old school construction sector nostalgia. From engineers to operators - everyone can picture these laying on a stack of dusty drawings in a site trailer, or tucked behind some engineer's ear. I carry mine in the field, around construction sites, all the places waterworkers go; and have never been disappointed. Because we're all nerds here, I'll add: my personal logbook is a Moleskine XL size square lined (graph) notebook. I fill approx. 1 per year working full time in the water distribution sector. I record basically everything I do every day, and draw a lot of diagrams and crude maps while investigating things. We do have a very slick GIS system and iPads that get a tonne of use, but there is still an incredible benefit to unrolling a 2x4' paper blueprint on the hood of a truck and marking it up with a real live pencil!
I don't think it's a stretch to call the Sharp the pencil equivalent to the Bic pen. Simple, reliable, cost-effective, timeless, and copied to exhaustion.
Absolutely the best. Period. Only thing keeping me from tossing out my Rotring 600 is the price. I mean, it is a quality pencil from a like a curio perspective with the brass body and all, but in terms of function, construction, and value...P205/7/9 blows *everything* out of the water.
Interesting post, I just lost my 600 and though I hope I find it stuck under some furniture or something one day, I spontaneously got a P207 to replace it until I find the damn 600 and like it a lot, hell I kind was getting annoyed with the 600's knurling, but still I grew up lower class so losing anything worth money makes me salllltyyyy. I think the best thing about this pencil if I lost it, it would only be like $4 of saltiness instead of $28 of saltiness.
@@Suiseisexy I’ve had a few P205’s. I’ve lost the caps a few times. I just buy new ones and put the caps on my old P205’s. I found a really old one in a laptop bag. After cleaning it, it worked like new.
I have almost every color. My most favorite one's are the Clena Series, Dark green, and Rose gold. Prefer them in .5 mm but the .9 mm is a close second.
After deep testing the pentel super hi polymer leads I don't like them for drawing, for writhing are fine. I was especially disappointed of the 2B leads the HB feels better, I don't know if it's impossible to make good leads in those small sizes I am used to Derwent, steadtler and mitsubishi graphite and there's a big difference in quality between 0.x and 2.0 mm. I will be testing the steadtler leads more in depth although are harder to find in different grades but if they are anything close to it's big brothers I'll stick with them for a while
I got some Sharps for my birthday a few months back, I love them; I've been using pens mostly but once this project is finished I'm moving over to lead.
Ever since I found out graphite holds up much better over time than ink, I barely write with my ballpoints unless I'm color coding or writing on official documents. Basically every personal note or study session is recorded in graphite.
which one better to you? P205 or PG5 one? I've confused to choose one of these cause these similarities don't talk bout the eraser in it, I never use it lol
I've been using the P205 for a while but never knew it was so widely loved. It's my second favorite for sure (I find the Twist Erase fits my hand better). Another really loved that I got but don't really like is the GraphGear 500. The texture of the grip annoys me way too much, and it's heavier than I like (hell, part of the reason I love the P205 is just how stupidly lightweight it is).
Interesting perspective. I have large hands, but the Twist-Erase is much too thick for my grip, because I like to write with light pressure after too many years of cramp-inducing death grip. I like the GraphGear a lot - knurling fits my tastes, and the barely-there extra heft at the front end makes it more controllable when writing with smaller leads like 0.5 or 0.3mm. Luckily Pentel has something for everyone, and the Sharps are so well-designed that they're all but universally lovable. True jacks of all trades.
Is it normal to move in the button from left to right? I think that it isn't as hard as it should be in the top. The bottom is great, but is strange in the button
I bought dozens of these(.5, .7, .9mm) for a couple of dollars each from a teacher supply store that was going out of business. I have other higher end mech. pencils, but these are solid and affordable. I usually cut the sleeve/tip down to less than 2mm. Sliding sleeve mech. pencils are wobbly in my opinion. That makes them less precise for detail or precision work.
I use a Dremel rotary tool with the thinest cutting disc. For the best cut, use a small dressing stone on the disc to even out the cutting surface. Then hold it orthogonally( perpendicular all around) over 800 to 1500 sand paper and lightly push down while moving pencil in a circular motion. Leave the lead in the sleeve. De burr the tip.
The mechanism for the lead breaks. Be careful with it, the lead on mine doesn’t come out unless I point it downwards and i have to push it back up because the lead comes out fast
I have dozens of mechanical and clutch pencils, I've had a couple of these for years in 0.5. I never really jelled with the 200 series preferring Pentel's icey and forte models with their superior eraser. My current everyday go to is the Twist Erase GT but like the other two it's getting harder to find.
I've had 3 of mechanical Pencils in 0.7 mm lead over the past 4 years and I can't say they have been flawless. My biggest problem is that the mechanism for releasing led would break. I would click the back and the lead would come out but when I started writing the lead would retract back into the housing making it unusable. After some fiddling I usually got them to work again but it really is a hassle when it happens. I once had it go bad while I was taking a Chemistry Test
Usually when the lead retracts when writing it's because the lead has become so short that the clutch can no longer support it. The thing to do is to advance the lead just enough to grasp it between your index finger and thumb and pull this "lead stub" out of the pipe and throw it away. Then click a new piece into the feed. Sure, you're throwing away a few mm of lead but a new piece is 6 cm long and will last a while 'til you need to do the same thing again.
Yeah pls can u help. Im currently using a prntel p205. I was trying to replace the lead and ended up completely dismatling the pencil. I cant put the thing with the rubber and gold thing inside. It looks like theres something blocking it but idk what and i dont think its supposed to be there. I need it for tmrw. How do i put in it
What is the full length of the mechanical pencil insert. Tip to toe. I am looking for a compatible insert for my titanium mechanical pencil to convert my 0.5mm insert to 0.7mm. I need approx 11.6 cm.
Question about the color: I just purchased one of these and It looks more ‘dark mustard ochre’ than yellow. Has it always been this dark? Because I see a lot of pictures on selling sites and it definitely looks yellow. But when I got mine I was a bit disappointed ☹️
regonald from Nigeria ir maybe the manufacturer has changed the hue of the color in recent production. Mine is the 0.9 mm which has been traditionally yellow but mine looks more ochre/light brown 😕
This is one pencil I don't really understand the wide praise for. I have a couple P209s still for the 0.9mm size (and I like the color), but I find the pencil is among my least favorites (of about 25 mechanical pencils). The grip in particular has really harsh lengthwise edges, with one edge really sharp as a result of the production process, and the plastic itself feels low-rent. I find the really long taper to the grip uncomfortable and gets super thin. By comparison, the Zebra M301 with its stainless steel body feels so much better to my hand (also narrow, but grip is softer plastic with a more typical taper) and is more durable -- and is half the price (2 for CAD $5). I suspect the special editions over the years, length of production, and existing community affinity adds to the P20x popularity. To each their own!
You prefer the Zebra, and that's ok. But anyway it's not difficult to understand the favoritism of the Pentel P20X, since it is a vintage pencil, simple design, lifelong, lightweight and comfortable handling. I have this Pentel, also have the Graphgear 500 (that's a little bit heavier and knurled) and I have others. IMO the saying "less is more" applies very well in the micro-world of mechanical pencils after all.
this was the pencil I was issued at work and honestly I've kinda found it to be junk. To be fair though, I work construction so unless something is bombproof I will inevitably break it. lol
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This is my favorite workshop pencil. Some have been lost and some pilfered, but they've never failed. It takes a beating and keeps going.
This is a top notch quality pencil! My father was a drafts man prior to Autocad so all hand drawn, in the 70s and 80s. He carried his Pentel P209 in a pocket protector most his life. I'm proud to say, I took ownership of it when he passed in 2005, and I'm still using the thing today going through medical school. It's a serious warrior of a pencil!
Excellent story!
Oh yes. These things, if well-cared for, easily last decades without issues. I'd have loved to get an heirloom like this.
The only problem I have with the p200 series is the metal parts (mainly the clip) rusting after using it for about 20 years, but I'm also the second owner of said pencil. Works flawlessly though
I have the Graphgear 500 and it's perfect but I don't need to have another similar mechanical pencils with knurling and kind of heavy weight, with the Graphgear I realized it and it's enough. Few days ago I got the Sharp (aka P200 series) and I LOVE it. For my taste its balance, lightness, its sharp and slim body and its well constructed internal parts, the confortable feeling at writing and precision, all make it perfect for me. Once more I learned that not always the expensive things are better than the cheaper ones!
In my 40+ year career as an engineer most of them used this pencil. So did I in the 0.9mm, but I have one in each lead size. Lasts forever. Never failed me. A GREAT value! I also have the Pentrl Sharp Kerry I. 0.7mm blue. I have many, many mechanical pencils & pens of all types as I'm charter member of the PENAHOLIC club. LOL.
Suggestion, when reviewing a mechanical pencil consider specifying how many pieces of lead it will hold. Interesting. Thx, Rob, Phx. Regards.
P.S. I was born in N.Y. State: Hicksville, L.I. left there in '65. BEST PIZZA, STEAKS & CHINESE FOOD THERE!!! Sure miss it!
Appreciate the suggestion on the lead amount. Thank you
Love it! I'm not an engineer.. some might say I'm a victim of engineers, haha. Long-time waterworks operator. I saw this pencil at the office store about 3 years ago and I immediately remembered my dad using one in college when I was a kid. I bought a couple and have had one clipped in the breast pocket of my surveyor vest, one on the front of my logbook - both of which I carry everywhere every day. These pencils are not only indestructible, but are steeped in old school construction sector nostalgia. From engineers to operators - everyone can picture these laying on a stack of dusty drawings in a site trailer, or tucked behind some engineer's ear. I carry mine in the field, around construction sites, all the places waterworkers go; and have never been disappointed.
Because we're all nerds here, I'll add: my personal logbook is a Moleskine XL size square lined (graph) notebook. I fill approx. 1 per year working full time in the water distribution sector. I record basically everything I do every day, and draw a lot of diagrams and crude maps while investigating things. We do have a very slick GIS system and iPads that get a tonne of use, but there is still an incredible benefit to unrolling a 2x4' paper blueprint on the hood of a truck and marking it up with a real live pencil!
How many it will hold, or how many it comes with? Because this one can hold more than a dozen, but it's a bad idea to put more than 3 leads in.
I don't think it's a stretch to call the Sharp the pencil equivalent to the Bic pen. Simple, reliable, cost-effective, timeless, and copied to exhaustion.
The Pentel Prime would be the equivalent.
These pens are unchanged, precise, and are the original.
@@escapedcops08 The equivalent in Pentel pens to the Sharp, you mean?
Absolutely the best. Period. Only thing keeping me from tossing out my Rotring 600 is the price. I mean, it is a quality pencil from a like a curio perspective with the brass body and all, but in terms of function, construction, and value...P205/7/9 blows *everything* out of the water.
Interesting post, I just lost my 600 and though I hope I find it stuck under some furniture or something one day, I spontaneously got a P207 to replace it until I find the damn 600 and like it a lot, hell I kind was getting annoyed with the 600's knurling, but still I grew up lower class so losing anything worth money makes me salllltyyyy. I think the best thing about this pencil if I lost it, it would only be like $4 of saltiness instead of $28 of saltiness.
@@Suiseisexy I’ve had a few P205’s. I’ve lost the caps a few times. I just buy new ones and put the caps on my old P205’s. I found a really old one in a laptop bag. After cleaning it, it worked like new.
Sunk cost fallacy?
My go-to drafting pencil. I also have the 0.7 and 0.5 for blueprints.
THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
A spirited mans Pencil ✏️.
I have almost every color. My most favorite one's are the Clena Series, Dark green, and Rose gold. Prefer them in .5 mm but the .9 mm is a close second.
Any P200 = industrial design icon. PG series perfected the formula
i still have one of these in 0.9, think it was my grandfather’s originally. the rest of the mechanical pencils are Alvin which i also highly recommend
You should try to get the custom ones that use the internals such as the spoke and Ij instruments.
After deep testing the pentel super hi polymer leads I don't like them for drawing, for writhing are fine. I was especially disappointed of the 2B leads the HB feels better, I don't know if it's impossible to make good leads in those small sizes I am used to Derwent, steadtler and mitsubishi graphite and there's a big difference in quality between 0.x and 2.0 mm. I will be testing the steadtler leads more in depth although are harder to find in different grades but if they are anything close to it's big brothers I'll stick with them for a while
Thanks for the info!
Out of curiosity, have you tested the Ain Stein lead?
I got some Sharps for my birthday a few months back, I love them; I've been using pens mostly but once this project is finished I'm moving over to lead.
Ever since I found out graphite holds up much better over time than ink, I barely write with my ballpoints unless I'm color coding or writing on official documents. Basically every personal note or study session is recorded in graphite.
which one better to you? P205 or PG5 one? I've confused to choose one of these cause these similarities
don't talk bout the eraser in it, I never use it lol
I've been using the P205 for a while but never knew it was so widely loved. It's my second favorite for sure (I find the Twist Erase fits my hand better). Another really loved that I got but don't really like is the GraphGear 500. The texture of the grip annoys me way too much, and it's heavier than I like (hell, part of the reason I love the P205 is just how stupidly lightweight it is).
Interesting perspective. I have large hands, but the Twist-Erase is much too thick for my grip, because I like to write with light pressure after too many years of cramp-inducing death grip. I like the GraphGear a lot - knurling fits my tastes, and the barely-there extra heft at the front end makes it more controllable when writing with smaller leads like 0.5 or 0.3mm.
Luckily Pentel has something for everyone, and the Sharps are so well-designed that they're all but universally lovable. True jacks of all trades.
I agree
the spirited man bring me here
Because of the so called spirited man I bought a couple
It'd actually be dodecagonal, hedron implies a 3d shape apposed to gon being 2d
Good call. Thank you!
Is it normal to move in the button from left to right? I think that it isn't as hard as it should be in the top. The bottom is great, but is strange in the button
The P200 series is simply magic!
Function, balance, and comfort are extraordinary!
Especially if your hands are small.
I bought dozens of these(.5, .7, .9mm) for a couple of dollars each from a teacher supply store that was going out of business. I have other higher end mech. pencils, but these are solid and affordable. I usually cut the sleeve/tip down to less than 2mm. Sliding sleeve mech. pencils are wobbly in my opinion. That makes them less precise for detail or precision work.
How do you cut the sleeve?
I use a Dremel rotary tool with the thinest cutting disc. For the best cut, use a small dressing stone on the disc to even out the cutting surface. Then hold it orthogonally( perpendicular all around) over 800 to 1500 sand paper and lightly push down while moving pencil in a circular motion. Leave the lead in the sleeve. De burr the tip.
Getting a lot of Sharps in bulk? I'm envious.
The mechanism for the lead breaks. Be careful with it, the lead on mine doesn’t come out unless I point it downwards and i have to push it back up because the lead comes out fast
Sounds like the retaining ring on your clutch is busted. That or you lost the rubber retainer inside the nib.
I have dozens of mechanical and clutch pencils, I've had a couple of these for years in 0.5. I never really jelled with the 200 series preferring Pentel's icey and forte models with their superior eraser. My current everyday go to is the Twist Erase GT but like the other two it's getting harder to find.
I can still find the Twist-Erase where I live, but only with acryllic sleeves. The metal sleeves are nowhere to be found.
This pencil can outsmart the pentelGG1000, especially in price difference and durability
Of the GraphGear line, I only like the GG500. The rest are unnecessarily gimmicky and overdesigned.
Hi! Are this pencils similar to 2H, HB and 2B? I have the pentel 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 and wondering if they are similar? I am new to drafting. Thanks!
Typically they will ship with HB lead but you can easily change it after
@@unsharpen okay, thank you!
Dodecagonal. ❤
Have you seen the Pentel PS523?
I've had 3 of mechanical Pencils in 0.7 mm lead over the past 4 years and I can't say they have been flawless. My biggest problem is that the mechanism for releasing led would break. I would click the back and the lead would come out but when I started writing the lead would retract back into the housing making it unusable. After some fiddling I usually got them to work again but it really is a hassle when it happens. I once had it go bad while I was taking a Chemistry Test
Usually when the lead retracts when writing it's because the lead has become so short that the clutch can no longer support it. The thing to do is to advance the lead just enough to grasp it between your index finger and thumb and pull this "lead stub" out of the pipe and throw it away. Then click a new piece into the feed. Sure, you're throwing away a few mm of lead but a new piece is 6 cm long and will last a while 'til you need to do the same thing again.
Does it have a laser or laser pointer of any kind?
No lasers or lights or anything
Yeah pls can u help. Im currently using a prntel p205. I was trying to replace the lead and ended up completely dismatling the pencil. I cant put the thing with the rubber and gold thing inside. It looks like theres something blocking it but idk what and i dont think its supposed to be there. I need it for tmrw. How do i put in it
thanks to this i was able to re assemble mine... i had to push the middle part further down so i could screw the tip
my favourite mechanical pencil :)
What is the full length of the mechanical pencil insert. Tip to toe. I am looking for a compatible insert for my titanium mechanical pencil to convert my 0.5mm insert to 0.7mm. I need approx 11.6 cm.
저거 내가 쓰는 샤프인데!
Please,How do this compare to the Faber Castell TK-Fine Executive?
Very similar but I prefer this one. Easier to clean and better colors.
What's the difference between p205, p207 & p209?
The size of the lead. 0.5mm, 0.7mm
@@unsharpen thanks. The price is similar to the Pilot s10, which one would you consider more than the other?
Best by Test
Is the button/cap of the P200 made out of plastic or metal?
Metal
Specifically steel.
@@DinnerForkTongue
And the body is metal (aluminum...)?
Question about the color: I just purchased one of these and It looks more ‘dark mustard ochre’ than yellow. Has it always been this dark? Because I see a lot of pictures on selling sites and it definitely looks yellow. But when I got mine I was a bit disappointed ☹️
You probably got a different model thay are sold in many different colors but the standard colors are black in .5 blue in .7 and yellow in .9
regonald from Nigeria ir maybe the manufacturer has changed the hue of the color in recent production. Mine is the 0.9 mm which has been traditionally yellow but mine looks more ochre/light brown 😕
@@misstubbie1313 maybe but i dont believe thay have changed it
regonald from Nigeria yeah. Maybe it’s always been like that and I just had different expectations
Mine from the 70s is a lovely mustardy school bus yellow.
This is one pencil I don't really understand the wide praise for. I have a couple P209s still for the 0.9mm size (and I like the color), but I find the pencil is among my least favorites (of about 25 mechanical pencils).
The grip in particular has really harsh lengthwise edges, with one edge really sharp as a result of the production process, and the plastic itself feels low-rent. I find the really long taper to the grip uncomfortable and gets super thin.
By comparison, the Zebra M301 with its stainless steel body feels so much better to my hand (also narrow, but grip is softer plastic with a more typical taper) and is more durable -- and is half the price (2 for CAD $5). I suspect the special editions over the years, length of production, and existing community affinity adds to the P20x popularity. To each their own!
I actually prefer the Pentel to the zebra but that’s a good pick in the price range.
The Zebra is nice, but the clutch part is made of plastic. If you press hard, the lead will slip.
You prefer the Zebra, and that's ok. But anyway it's not difficult to understand the favoritism of the Pentel P20X, since it is a vintage pencil, simple design, lifelong, lightweight and comfortable handling. I have this Pentel, also have the Graphgear 500 (that's a little bit heavier and knurled) and I have others. IMO the saying "less is more" applies very well in the micro-world of mechanical pencils after all.
this was the pencil I was issued at work and honestly I've kinda found it to be junk. To be fair though, I work construction so unless something is bombproof I will inevitably break it. lol
I find it to be hit or miss for most people. Like myself i love it its basic last a long time for me and is very lightweight.
I'm still using my draftsman father's from the 70s, this things a tank in my experience!!