Pentel Mechanical crayon P205 - Reviews

(4.6)

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For Pentel Mechanical crayon P205, 75 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.6.

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4.9.2020

I use mechanical pencils for drawing. Until recently I hadn't drawn much since my childhood and early 20s and in getting back into it I have gravitated towards the use of mechanical pencils to save endless sharpening and smudges and because I enjoy using them.After much research I bought a set of Pentel P200 series pencils (among other pencils) and I use them regularly.The P205, along with the P205, is probably the one I use most, it being the most versatile and all-round useful, in my opinion.Given that all my P200s (and other mechanical pencils) have HB leads I wanted to try other grades of lead to make shading and other effects easier and to be able to switch easily between the two.Following the advice of an artist on Youtube who uses these pencils I decided to buy a P205 in another colour (to the standard black) to put 2B lead in and for it to be easy to remember which is which because of the colour.A simple aim?Not really, Pentel don't make it easy as non-black P205s are not readily available in the UK so you pay a premium for coloured ones, which are generally country-specific special editions and are likely to be imports. I would have dearly loved a metallic blue one but couldn't justify the price of that unfortunately.The pencil: for those unfamiliar the P200 series design is a simple, plastic, vaguely hexagonal-shaped body, very lightweight mechanical pencil with a push button to release more lead and with an eraser under the push button cover.Yes, it lacks the ingenuity of a Pentel Orenz or Uni Kuru Toga, both of which I have, but it just works somehow.I find all the P200s comfortable to use good for drawing (within the current limits of my artistic abilities!) and easy to pick up and just get going with.Make no mistake there are professional artists who have drawn fantastic artwork with these, though they would initially been seen as draftsmen's (or draftwomen's) pencils and being slim wth the lead sleeve extended beyond the conical nib(?) part they work well when used with a ruler as you would expect of a tool designed for that function.They are fairly ubiquitous and much copied but strangely they are less visible in physical shops than you would imagine (unless that's just the ones I have been in), which seem to favour chunkier designs or Bics and Staedlers.It is a very slim pencil and I am okay with this and also the chunkier Kuru Togas and Pilot Enos that I use.For extended use though I think I'd get less hand fatigue with a P200 series pencil.This order:It arrived quickly but in fairly minimal packaging. Okay that meant it got through the letterbox but so did another pencil I ordered from elsewhere, which had a better padded envelope. You have to remember that it would not take much for the lead to break and the pencil itself is only plastic so this does matter.From what I can see it came with 4 or 5 HB grade leads inside it.Like many of these pencils it came without any individual packaging. This is annoying if bought as a gift (the Pentel Orenz 0.2mm I bought elsewhere was individually packaged and was much more presentable). It is also annoying because like my other P200s it meant that the pencils have a bar code sticker on them. I'm guessing this pencil has been hanging around for a while as the sticker was an absolute nightmare to remove and it left a sticky residue which took an age to get off. I presume these are bulk bought loose or boxed (for shops etc.) which might explain the price of this one, though to me it does reduce the value of the pencil as the coloured versions are already a bit dear for what they are.The colour, as others have already said, is not really red and is certainly nothing like the picture, which the seller should update with a more representative one. It is, as some have said, more of a burgundy. I don't mind that but if you are looking for the gorgeous metallic red version that you can buy in Brazil and which the picture resembles- this isn't it!PROS:great, simple design that is really good imho for drawinglead breaks (for me) are very infrequent but not as few as the Kuru Toga (none so far)light and comfortable to hold and to use for long periodsnot black so I can find the lead grades I want easily!not the dearest of the non-black P205soddly it comes with a tool (attached to underside of the eraser) to remove blockages - 'odd' because usually only the P203s have these - bonus!CONS:not individually packaged so barcode resides to remove and minimal packagingnon-black P200s are all bit dear really but Pentel are themselves somewhat to blame for that due to them not being a standard UK item. In mitigation you can pay much more than this seller is charging.It is only sort of red (see photo taken against a red folder). Enough people have pointed this out by now that the picture really ought to be updated without delay. The burgundy is growing on me but it is (see photo) a bit too close in colour to my brown P203s and could easily get mixed up inside a pencil case.eraser is nice to have but is a bit rubbish tbh. By comparison by Pilot Enos have an eraser which is finer, whiter and erases very well.Overall I can thoroughly recommend the Pentel P200 series and (for me) the P205 in particular as a great all-round choice.If I could have only one mechanical pencil it would be a P205 or a Kuru Toga - both have their merits and both are good choices. You do pay a premium for a non-black version and that is annoying, especially when it comes unpackaged, but Pentel are in part to blame for that.Would I buy it again if lost? Yes, or maybe another colour if I felt I could justify the price.To the best of my knowledge though this is probably as cheap as you'll find a non-black one anywhere so you will have to decide if burgundy is your thing. In poor light it looks a dull, dark brown but in bright light it's quite nice. Just not as nice as the red in the picture would have been.

13.1.2021

Very good mechanical pencil. Iconic and long wearing. The tiny brass mechanism keeps going and going. The design has remained unchanged for decades for one simple reason: it works beautifully.Use a suitably small diameter straight wire to clear jams. It needs to be a smaller diameter than an ordinary straight pin for a 0.5mm P205, because it is possible to damage the tip otherwise.The best way to clear jams is to unscrew the tip and pass a fine straight wire through the tip in the direction of feed.Use an elastic band for a bit more grip when removing the tip and for reassembly.If the little rubber collar that grips the lead ever comes out, thread it onto a lead, like a tiny bead on a wire,so that the collar is about 5mm from the writing end of the lead, then unscrew the tip if not done so already, put the lead into the jaws of the mechanism so that the rubber collar is near the jaws and the 5mm of exposed lead is pointing forward, and reassemble the tip, then feed the lead as normal until visible.To change lead grade or colour, it’s usually best to pull the lead through the tip, to reduce the possibility of dislodging the tiny rubber collar. It is also a good idea to remove the lead from the tip before unscrewing the tip, since the rubber collar can be inadvertently removed by plucking a lead backwards through an unscrewed tip.Keep different grade leads in their containers, or just buy more pencils for dedicated lead grade or colour. Pentel red or blue leads are good choices for faint sketches or construction lines that are easily drawn over or inked. With a light touch, such development marks are resistant to photocopying while the finished outlines clearly stand out. Faint coloured marks or lines can also easily be concealed in digital reproduction of hand drawn artwork or technical design.After many years of use, leads may simply drop through the mechanism when the pencil is held vertically rather than feeding incrementally. This means that the rubber collar is either worn internally so that it no longer grips the lead, or the collar has been dislodged. The Pentel will still work as a clutch pencil, by holding it horizontally when advancing the lead. If you are familiar with clutch pencils this is not a big adjustment. In fact, the Pentel 200 is a type of clutch pencil, although a bit more refined.There is another method to make the pencil grip the lead again, even if the rubber collar is worn or missing. Note that this technique is not for the faint of heart. It is possible be restore the braking function by very very carefully nipping the extreme tip of the 4mm long sleeve so that it is very slightly oval. Just be advised that because the very tip of the sleeve is now slightly deformed, pressing the lead back into the tip will shave a bit off the side of the lead, leaving a minute deposit of powdered graphite. So if your Pentel reaches this stage, and you want to tweak the tip, use a vise and go slowly, checking often. I saw a colleague who heard about this risky fix try to restore his Pentel this way using pliers. Result: spare parts.If your Pentel drops point first onto a hard surface chances are that the lead may break off inside the tip. No big problem. Just advance the lead or, if it is jammed, unscrew the tip and clear the jam; ideally in the direction of lead feed. If the tip has a burr as a result of impact with a hard surface, a fine sharpening stone or diamond hone can easily remove the burr. Just use care.A Pentel 200 series pencil really can last for a surprisingly long time with sensible use and care.Service and delivery from the seller was ideal. The pencil came in perfect working order and it was well packaged. Very highly recommended!

22.9.2011

I first purchased a Pentel propelling pencil about 30 years ago for my Technical Drawing O Level and I still own and use that very pencil today. It's simple, well designed and sturdy so it's hardly surprising that it should last so long. I acquired a new one more recently and as far as I can tell the design hasn't changed (and why should it?) so the Pentel propelling pencil you buy today should, with a little care, still be in use by your children and their children's and so on ad infinitum. Think about it! Your purchase will enrich the drawing experiences of generations to come - somethig you should be proud of!The pencil is sleek and comfortable to use and the barrel is lightly grooved to give a non-slip grip.

6.11.2013

I ordered a box of 12 Pentel mechanical pencils from MEGABROKERS. A previous reviewer has suggested their description might be inaccurate but for me this was the bargain of the century. Okay, maybe I am a pencil obsessive. For example, I can tell you these pencils are not the Pentel Sharplet, which is a cheaper but also excellent product. Megabrokers have not worded their description clearly so let me tell you I got 12 actual high spec genuine Pentel mechanical pencils, Japanese made, each one with a little case of 12 genuine Pentel spare leads. This was all for £20 post free! I can't believe it, but it's true. I shall definitely be looking out for Megabrokers in future,

12.10.2011

When purchased in October 2011, the price offered by one supplier was an incredibly good deal, but it turned out to be the price for a single pencil and not the box of 12 described. The problem was resolved by the Seller, who offered a full refund, explaining that there had been a miscommunication between themselves and Amazon. I have been advised by the Supplier that the issue is to be resolved, but perhaps customers should consider contacting the Seller before purchasing, if the price looks too good.

8.12.2019

These are very good substitutes for disposable plastic mechanical pencils, without the price tag of high-end draughting pencils. I have two minor niggles, however. The first is that, despite the pencil’s being packaged in plastic, it still had a stick-one barcode fixed to it, which did not come off cleanly, necessitating first oil and then alcohol to get the sticky residue off. Second, the colour in the picture is misleading: it isn’t really red, but a very dark maroon, almost brown.

3.2.2007

I've been a user of these pencils for over twenty years - some individual pentels in use for for over ten years. They are extremely reliable, produce an excellent line for both technical work and freehand writing. The pocket clip is easily remove should you wish to. I remove mine to improve comfort. The clip can be left on, its's also robust and reliable. The eraser in the end will wear out before the rest of the pencil. If you use fine pencil then try these out.

4.7.2019

I have one of these in black, so wanted a different colour as it is easier to identify in a large classroom.I was disappointed in the colour, as I thought it was going to be a pearlier red and it’s a dull burgundy.Still, I will keep it, as they are great pencils and easy to refill.

17.6.2020

A good mechanical pencil that will probably last quite a few years. I'm not overly fond of the plastic it's made from, it does feel a bit too lightweight and that doesn't give me the feeling of quality, but I do think it works brilliantly, as one would expect from Pentel.

26.10.2020

This is the second Pentel pencil I gave bought. The first was a good number of years ago ( shall we just say 'last century'!) and it is still going strong. I have the luxury of now having one in the office and one in the workshop, an inexpensive luxury.

8.4.2021

Hands down, most reliable, toughest, and worth every penny. Wouldn't want to write with any other pencil than this. I use it for drafting at times, and the .5mm is great. Fine enough for sharp lines, but not so thin that it is constantly breaking.

10.5.2020

Really cheap for great quality, does not come with extra lead but that’s not expensive either. I use this all the time for character design and just general tonal drawing and light mapping out, highly recommend was a great purchase.

10.7.2019

I have a couple of these in black and they are my favourite pencils. Comfy to hold and I like a 'B' refill in them. Thought I would have a red one for a change but this is more of a browny-burgundy and not like the photo.

29.5.2020

I broke it by leaving it in my pocket and putting it through the wash, it was a long cycle so managed to discombobulate itself so not I only have bits of it.However while it was alive it as excellent.

14.6.2020

Been using them since I was a kid and the design hasn't changed in decades. That is because they got it right. These come in a variety of lead sizes. My faves are .5mm and .7mm. Get one, they're good.

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