Pentel Kerry: A "postable" mechanical pencil with an unchanging design since 1971

(Original Mai-bun.com article, published 02/10/2019. Written by Takuya Takahashi. Translated by Bruce Eimon.)

I have started noticing "older" business people mingling amongst students in the mechanical pencil section of stationery stores in Japan. It may be that people are rediscovering the value of being able to erase what they have written, thanks to the popularity of Pilot's erasable Frixion pens. Pencils and mechanical pencils have long been tools for students, but we may be seeing a resurgence of these instruments amongst business people.

Many of the recent mechanical pencils embed advance technology, such as mechanisms that automatically twist the lead to maintain a sharp tip, or shock absorption that prevents the lead from breaking. However, when it comes to the design of these pencils, they are better suited for the classroom than the board room.

Today I would like to feature a mechanical pencil that will look right in place in the hands of any business woman or business man - the "postable" mechanical pencil, the Kerry.

The Pentel Kerry was first released in 1971. It is long seller that has been on the market for nearly 50 years.

The engraving on the cap proudly proclaims "SINCE 1971"

If you look at the Japanese product home page, its official name is listed as "Mannenncil Kerry." "Mannenncil" is an amalgamation of the Japanese word for fountain pen "Mannennhitsu" and "Pencil." You can tell from the name that they envisioned this product to be a mechanical pencil worthy of being carried along with your expensive fountain pens.

You can see how the designers tried to make it resemble an elegant fountain pen. Some may feel that the look is somewhat dated, in a nice vintage kind of way.

You may not have thought about this, but you hardly ever come across mechanical pencils with caps.

To my knowledge, even in Japan there are only a few with such a design.

By having a cap, you do not have to worry about scratching things in your pocket or having graphite dust flake out of its tip.

Unlike expensive fountain pens that have screw on caps, the Kerry has a snap-on cap. The key point of this product is that you can still click the lead out even when the cap is posted. There is a surprising amount of engineering in this cap. When the pen is capped or the cap is removed from the pen, the click-tip protrudes only slightly.

When the cap is posted on the pen, however, the tip extends out by a fraction of an inch to give you the length needed for a satisfying click.

This is a product designed with a lot of attention to detail. The pen can be used without the cap posted, so some people like to keep the cap hooked in their pen loop.

Compared to standard mechanical pencils, this is a rather compact pen. When not posted, it may be barely long enough to fit in your hand.

The whole point of this pen though, is that it can be used posted.

Most people will want to use it posted, as this gives you much more stability. The compactness of this pen when capped makes it an ideal companion for an A6 or passport sized planner.

The beautiful mold of the tip of this pen is also what makes the Kerry unique. This is a design choice that enables a nice balance between the thick grip and the thin lead tip.

By offering a thin tip, it makes it easier to see what you are writing too.

While the 0.5mm size is standard in Japan, Pentel also makes a 0.7mm version for the overseas market. I was able to buy the Navy 0.7mm version on my last trip to Taiwan. It gives you a different feel on the paper, and is especially good for sketching.

With a timeless design that appeals to people of all ages, the Kerry can be a great gift item. At a price point of $15-$20+, it is a good looking pen at a reasonable price. In Japan it shouldn't be hard to find a store that will personalize it for you for that extra touch.

There is a reason why this product has been around for nearly 50 years. If you have never used one, I suggest you give it a try!

Recommended for:

• People who like to use mechanical pencils
• People who are looking for a mechanical pencil that looks more "adult"
• People who want to carry a mechanical pencil with their planners

Information: Sharp Kerry™ Mechanical Pencil

Modern Fuel Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Modern Fuel is an independent shop based in Austin, TX that you might know from their previous Kickstarter campaign. A custom-made, precision writing device, the Modern Fuel Pencil is a gorgeous feat of design and manufacturing.

I've always had a thing for drafting pencils and lead holders. My dad, being an engineer, always had a collection of different pencils at his desk that I could experiment with. Later, I worked at a college bookstore that stocked drafting supplies, giving me even more opportunity to test and experiment with all the specialized and precise tools that abound in that discipline.

Once I became more and more familiar with the stationery world, I started branching out and trying more mechanical pencils. The pencil market is fascinating due to the level of engineering and design thought that go into these things. Rotating lead? Fascinating. Shaking the pencil to advance the lead? Gimmicky, but still cool because it works. Once you get into the all-metal drafting pencils, there's a different level of ingenuity and craftsmanship that appears. The Rotring 600 is still one of my favorite writing instruments, and I love using it. You might say that the Modern Fuel Pencil fits in that same category, but you'd be wrong.

This pencil is off the charts when it comes to detail and precision. The tolerances on this things are unbelievable. I'll never get tired of completely missing a seam because it's almost impossible to see. With this pencil, I didn't know the nose cone unscrewed until I looked at photos on the website and realized you removed the nose cone in order to replace the lead mechanism with a different size. Mind: blown.

Another marvel (at least for me) is the lead pipe. I've seen and used plenty of pencils that retract the lead pipe when not in use. This is a helpful feature because the lead pipe acts like a stabby syringe when shoved in pockets or dropped over body parts. It works beautifully, but I'm mostly impressed by the minute tolerances between all the parts. There's no wiggle room, but it doesn't feel rigid or stiff either. That's an incredibly difficult task to pull off well, and Modern Fuel have done it.

The other end of the pencil also operates exactly like you expect. The black eraser is always in full view, and I really appreciate the visual contract it provides against the shiny steel. It also happens to work well as an eraser. Remove the eraser and you have access to the lead storage, but this opening serves a duel purpose. There's a small hex nut in the barrel that allows you to unscrew the lead mechanism. Like I mentioned earlier, you can easily swap out the mechanism with a different lead size. The fact that the nut that controls this swap is hidden inside the barrel is yet another feat of design that delights me.

As an added bonus, you can opt for an "Eraser Plug" accessory that replaces the eraser with a flush nut. It's a beautiful, clean look and I'd imagine this is a great alternative if you prefer a larger eraser.

The clip that came with the pencil is also black, providing some additional visual contrast to the stark metal. The clip is surprisingly strong and does a great job of keeping the pencil from rolling away. The clip does not come pre-installed, and it takes a good bit of effort to install! Luckily, it stays put and it doesn't create any scratch marks on the pencil body during the install process.

Those are the details of the pencil, but then there's the pencil as a whole. It feels great in the hand. There's a satisfying weight that's still within the comfort range. It's just enough weight to make your marks feel sure and controlled, but not too much to cause fatigue after a few minutes of use. The stainless steel quickly warms up in your hand, and even though there isn't any grip texture on the body, it's surprisingly secure. When writing, it feels like using a precise instrument instead of a mechanical pencil. It feels like a tool that was purpose-built with laser-focused vision. In short, it's a perfect mechanical pencil.

With such high praise, it seems like this pencil has it all. It looks great, it performs flawlessly, it's dependable and versatile. What are we missing? Ah, yes. The price. At $200, this is likely the most expensive pencil I'll ever use. After the initial sticker shock faded, I spent some time thinking about this object. I thought about how much I've paid for fountain pens that are produced on a large scale from a combination of plastics and precious metals. All things considered, I think $200 is a fair price for this pencil. If you understand the level of quality attached to this pencil, you'll know exactly what you're buying, and it will be worth every penny.

The Modern Fuel Pencil is certainly not for everyone, and that's OK. For those of us who enjoy exceptionally high-quality writing instruments, this pencil is a delight. If you like the design and have the means, I encourage you to pick one up.

(Modern Fuel provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Retro 51 Tornado Dmitri Mechanical Pencil Review

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to mechanical pencils. Give me a classic design over most anything. Bonus points if it is an engineering-style mechanical pencil, like my beloved Rotring 600.

That’s what has kept me away from the Retro 51 Mechanical Pencil for so long. Not that this isn’t a classic style with it’s twist mechanism. In fact, it may be more classic than the standard click mechanism. But the twist pencil is no longer the expectation for mechanical pencils, nor has it been for decades.

It took Retro 51 to design one to get me interested. The Dmitri, named after Dr. Dmitri Mendeleev, the father of the Periodic Table, is not only a great bit of scientific history, but is beautiful to look at.

Unfortunately, that’s where my joy with this product ended.

Retro 51’s Tornado mechanical pencils are designed around 1.15 mm graphite diameters. I like larger diameters, regularly using both 0.9 mm and 2.0 mm varieties in various products I own. But, the graphite has to be good. I’m not sure this graphite is good. It has a more plasticky feel than I would like. That makes it smooth and firm, but it has no character. No depth. No darkness.

With a more standard lead size I would happily swap in a different brand, like I do with ballpoint and rollerball refills. 1.15 mm is such a peculiar size that it makes swapping the lead out more difficult than with other mechanical pencils. Quick Googling shows a dearth of options.

Even the times I am content with the lead situation in this pencil, I’m not content with the mechanism. It works fine extending and retracting the lead, but when I’m writing and the tip hits the page between words, the lead scoots back into the barrel slightly. Not every single time, but enough to be noticeable. It’s like there is some play in the twist, allowing it to backtrack if it’s hit in the right spot.

And finally, the eraser. It erases fine, that’s if it remains in place long enough to get the job done. I figured out immediately that if I erased in a left to right fashion, the eraser would pop out of the barrel. If I erased in an up and down fashion, it stayed in place. End of the world? No. Annoyance? Yes.

Does the style of the pencil outweigh the annoyances I had with it? No, it doesn’t. There is no doubt it is a stunner, and would make a great gift for the right person. But if you aren’t looking for a gift and instead want a great writing experience, you should look elsewhere.

(Retro 51 provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!