u/drifand

Model names and dates, as far as I can tell, L-R:

• Mitsubishi SE-1500 dual-pen (1980)

• Morison ‘etched grid’ sharp (1985)

• Pilot HMF-250SK 'pinstripe etched' 0.5mm (1977)

• Pilot Top Chuck HG-300SW-EF 0.5mm (1983)

• Pilot Automatic HAT-300S-S 0.5mm (1983-88)

• Pilot 2+1 BPKH-350SC multipen v1 (1977)

• Newman ‘etched drafter’ 0.3mm (1970s)

• Newman ‘etched executive’ 0.5mm (1970s)

• Zebra FX ‘pinstripe etched’ ballpoint (1980s)

• Platinum Riviere MSR-2500R 0.5mm (1980s)

• Platinum BelAge ‘oblong grid etched’ 0.5mm (1970s)

• Platinum MNS-2500 ‘boxed stripe etched’ 0.5mm (1977)

• OTO ‘etched lattice’ slide pipe 0.5mm (1980s)

• Mitsubishi Jaguar M5-2500 ‘blank etched lattice’ 0.5mm (1980s)

• Mitsubishi Exceed ‘etched half-check’ rollerball (1980s)

• Sakura Create Sharp ‘pinstripe etched’ 0.5mm (1970s)

'Etching' is mostly a lost art today. Back in the 1970s through the 1980s, Pilot, Platinum and Mitsubishi were leaders in using photo-resistive acid etching to chemically subtract metal material in very precise geometric patterns, after which the grooves and trenches were often filled in with black paint for visual contrast.

This style of finishing allowed for designs that stood out from simpler machined spiral grooves or lattice grid hybrids that combined a widely-spaced spiral groove with longitudinal stripes. The perceived prestige allowed for premium pricing at ¥1000–¥3000. Some of the most recognizable mechanical pencils are the Pilot 'Holder' double-knocks that used etched pattern steel grips attached to black plastic uppers. I left them out as this selection is focused on all-metal designs.

While the most common patterns amongst the brands are 'pinstripes', some makers were more imaginative. I particularly admire Platinum for their variations that boxed up the stripes, or going geometric with an oblong grid. Pilot also excelled with 'window grid' etching and color variations in their pinstripe models.

On rotation for this week…

• Uchida Design Holder - this is not actually a lead holder but was made to hold steel scribers and ball-tipped burnishers that were used to rub dry transfer letter decals. However the clutch also works with 2mm lead cores, and I have also tested it successfully with Pentel's special size (narrower than D1) ballpoint refills made for the Multi-8 holder.

• Pilot H-2083 0.3mm - featuring a real woodgrain grip and priced at 2000 yen back in the 1980s, this sat at the top of Pilot's standard-knock drafters, with the H-580 at the bottom and H-1080 in the middle. Also comes in 0.5 but I picked the 0.3 to represent.

• Uni5-700 MASTER 0.5mm - This chunky grip design only came in 0.5mm but a variety of grip colors was produced, including navy, black, and brown. There was also a model with a black grip and upper body. A pretty basic but reliable pencil, I don't know why it is named 'MASTER' (of the UNI-verse?).

• Bigraph Super T 0.5mm - A lesser seen German brand, the Super T series is ISO color coded and includes a 0.3 model with yellow grip and a 0.7 model with blue grip. Up close the plastic grip has fine streaks that seem to match the direction of the brushed aluminum upper. Simple utilitarian aesthetic.

• Kihara 0.7mm - Also a lesser known drafting brand from Japan, only a few of their products have been spotted, including this family of pencils in 0.3/.5/.7, a blue lead holder, and a super rare double knock. I like the distinctive knurling pattern on the grip, which reminds me of some LION and the OG Staedtler Mars Micrograph 770 series from the mid-1970s.

• Pentel S55 0.9mm - Although the pencil body has the stamping 'PENTEL 5 FIVE', this is actually a 0.9mm model. Due to the capital letters for 'PENTEL', this was probably produced before 1971, when the company was establishing 'PENTEL 5' as their trademark and brand. So when the S55 line expanded to include 0.7 and 0.9 models, they didn't change the stampings (at first) but instead applied a clumsy sticker over the markings to state the lead size. Over the decades, many of those stickers peeled and dropped off as the glue dried up. The only visual clue as to its true nature is the subtle golden tint on the upper aluminum body, which was carried over to the modern era Classic Deluxe S59.

I got my first P125 in silver with black accents around 2015 or so when Yahoo Japan Auctions became available through proxy services. I’d wanted it because it looked sleek and high-tech as a cap-action design compared to more traditional ones made by Parker or even Pilot, who seemed to prefer fountain pen styling.

By chance I later came across the Pentel Ceramicron SR120 fineliner, which came in a similar color scheme as the P125, especially the design of the clip. And I thought, “Yay! I’ve completed a set!”

However after a few more years I discovered that the P125 came in more color variations! These brushed aluminum pencil bodies were anodized in shades of blue, green and brown. And when I tried finding the matching pens, I found out they were numbered differently from the silver one. Instead of SR120, these colorful pens were marked SR20 on the back of their caps. No idea why Pentel made the change either.

Now after about 10 years of searching these are the sets I have managed to complete. As pointed out by more knowledgeable members on the Knockology forums, I’m still missing one more color: a red P125 and matching SR20 pen. Not sure if they’ll ever join the rest in my collection but I love the thrill of the hunt!

Part of the fun of collecting is noticing design similarities between seemingly unrelated items. I had purchased a couple of colorful Pilot BP-P stick pens a while back, mostly because I liked the colors. Now these were made for Loft so I didn’t know how old the original design actually was.

Then one afternoon as I was sorting various Pilot pencils I noticed the H-115 had some parts that closely resembles the BP-P. First, we have the grooved grip and how it merges with the hex barrel. Then there is the raised molding for the all-caps text markings.

This made me do some digging online and it turns out the BP-P goes back to the early 1980s… pretty close to the production period for the H-115. So happy these are now reunited in my collection. :-)

Just took delivery of the Loft yellow editions of the Hexagonal and 925 15, so here's a couple of group shots :-)

• Organizer Pencil 0.7mm – all aluminum triangular profile 'Triplus' body. Pretty expensive when it was launched around 2010 and now I believe it is almost OOP. I think it was part of the higher-end Initium family because of the design of the clip. The 0.5mm version is very hard to find.

• 925 35 Coach & Four x All Black 0.3mm custom – The original C&F version from 2017 came with matte silver parts and only in 0.5. I swapped in the black parts and 0.3mm clutch from an All-Black edition.

• Noris 777 2.0mm – vintage lead holder from around 1969... Yellow and black NORIS pencils were a staple for me growing up. For some reason I can't fathom, Staedtler decided to print the markings in the opposite direction. I guess it made the pencil more legible to observers?

• 925 77 Hexagonal Loft limited 0.5mm – I see the Hexagonal as Staedtler's version of a Kaweco Special: a no frills, well-made and super reliable mechanical pencil for collectors. I'm not a fan of the easily scuffed rubberised coating, nor the hexagonal button that easily twists out of alignment with the body from normal use. But I couldn't resist the special color for loft.

• 925 15 Loft limited 0.5mm – When the OG black edition came out in 2017, I fell in love with it right away. The 925 15 is one of the best value drafting pencils in production today, from 0.3 to 0.9mm and it even includes the elusive cleaning pin under the eraser on every pencil. And the elastomer grip does its job without getting sticky like rubber.

• 925 75 0.5mm – Soon after the debut of the 925 15, Staedtler decided to make this 'variant' by shifting the lead degree indicator from the middle of the body to the tail end instead. The 'serious' version in dark blue comes in 0.3 – 0.9mm, but there was a series of colorful pastel hues released in 0.5 only. The main drawback for the 75 is that the lead degree indicator is not locked down can can be accidentally shifted (like a rOtring 500 / 600).

Porsche Design pens and pencils were first produced by Faber-Castell from the 1980s up till 2010, after which Pelikan took over the reigns from 2011. The early range included an automatic advance model and all of them are considered expensive collectibles now. For myself, I only discovered them around 2014 and so my own fascination is mostly for the newer designs. Here are my brief impressions of the four shown above:

• P’3115 Laser Flex ballpoint in black PVD.
Launched in 2012 and produced by Pelikan, the Laser Flex is a mind-boggling design comprised of interlocking anodized aluminum pieces that are held in tension by an internal spring. Pilot fans, think of this as a techno-upgrade of the Sprinter! To deploy the tip, you compress the entire length of the pen, and it is a wonder to me how the pieces do not pinch my fingers in any way. As this model uses a standard Parker type refill, it is easily converted into a pencil with your choice of Schmidt or Parker modules.

When I saw the Laser Flex it was the answer I didn’t know I’d needed, because it was preceded by the P’3110 Tec Flex, which had a similar idea but different execution. The Tec Flex had a flexible metal mesh body that looked like a plumbing fixture, and you ‘squished’ the whole body to actuate the tip. Cool? But it didn’t look all that exciting in person.

• P’3120 - anthracite
This is the original PD model (and color) that got me interested when I spotted it online. The two grip cutouts on the aluminum body seemed so elegant and authoritative: “Ve haf determined zis is vere you vill place your fingers for optimum performance!” But to be honest, the symmetry and relatively small size of the cutouts forced my fingers to hold it in a way that I disliked… kinda like how some folks don’t jibe with the grip on the Lamy Safari. In this case, the weight of the all-metal body made it even more uncomfortable for me.

To be sure, there are official twist-click pencil models but I picked the ballpoint because I use them more at work. I later learned that the smoother and closer-spaced spiral rings indicated that this was a later, ‘improved’ version that was probably produced under Pelikan…

• P’3120 - aluminum (custom sharp)
Despite not loving the actual balance and feel of the anthracite model, I continued to be fascinated by the geometry of its design and sought to track down the older version in silver/aluminum. Based on the wider spaced spiral grooves, I believe it is the older / original version produced by FC from 2008 onwards, or was simply taken over by Pelikan at or around 2011. I customised this one with a Parker pencil insert and it functions just like an original pencil model would.

• P’3130 Mikado 0.7mm
Less intricate than the Laser Flex yet perhaps more elegant, the Mikado has a body made up of 11 steel rods held in a spiral configuration, like the classic game of ‘pick up sticks’; you twist the body to activate the clutch. While the Laser Flex is pure mechanical precision, the tactile interaction of the Mikado is far more beguiling. The original was produced by FC from 2006, and mine is a Pelikan version from 2011 onwards.

End Of File :-)

Just a quick follow up to my previous pairing… this time in gorgeous red! I'd managed to score the pen case first in a random search, and then proceeded to track down a 1/64 scale display model by KYOSHO, as Tomica didn't have a 300ZR in red with the T-top roof. All my Uchida had to do was sit pretty and wait for her ride to arrive… 😎

All together now… L-R

• Faber-Castell TK-matic 9725 L (steel)
• Faber-Castell TK-matic 9725 (green)
• Faber-Castell alpha-matic (red & anthracite)
• Faber Castell alpha-matic (titanium coat)
• Pentel Technomatic PN1305
• Pentel Technopress PN55 (black)
• Pentel Technoclic PN105 (green)
• Pentel Orenz Nero PP3003-A
• Pentel Orenz AT Dual Grip PP2005-Z (silver)
• Pilot Automatic HAT-300S-S
• Pilot Automac HAT-3SR-B (metallic black)
• Pilot Automac HAT-3SR-DS (diamond silver)
• Pilot S30 (deep red)
• Niji X-10
• Raymay FISSO by Igrarashi Studio
• Uni Kuru Toga Dive M5-5000 (dense green)