Pentel Mechanical Pencil Qe 405

Posted onDecember 09, 2011 - 2:34 am by Admin | 0 Comments

Simply put, the Pentel .5mm QE405  is quite possibly the greatest technological advance in graphite-transmission methodology ever.

I got one of these pencils back in seventh grade (1995?). I loved that pencil. I used the same pencil up through high school. I used it for writing, drawing, …uh, well, I used it fro writing and drawing. I’m not sure what else there really is. But I did a LOT of writing and drawing, and my trusty QE405 was always by my side. I know that somewhere in my archives, there is a picture of a hulking QE405 chasing off a frightened HB pencil and Pink Pet eraser.

Sometime during college, or perhaps shortly thereafter, I lost touch with my QE405. Sad times. I had to make due with other various mechanical or wooden substitutes. Some reached for greatness, but they were all like ashes in my mouth. Once you’ve beheld the face of True Beauty, everything else seems dull. I even recently started using inkpens to express myself in written form. Imagine the depths of my sorrow.

THEN! An epiphany. I had almost forgotten my old friend. The perfect weight, the ease of loading. The enormous lead repository, the width and oh-so-slight texture… But someone was talking about mechanical pencils in the office, and I started waxing all poetical-like about my childhood chum. One thing led to another, and I found myself looking on eBay, where a seller claimed to be selling the fabled QE405 in boxes of 12!

I wasted no time in getting my purchase approved and getting a box ordered. Less than a week later, I was holding one in my hand!

As a chronicler and compulsive list-maker who prefers things pretty and handwritten, the quality and aesthetics of both the writing instrument and notebook is very important to me.

If you require precision in your penmanship like I do, in small print and fine strokes, I would suggest a ballpoint pen over rollerball or gel due to its higher viscosity. The Zebra F-402 is a stainless steel, retractable ballpoint pen with a .7mm fine point tip; a delightful choice for discerning tastes. It pairs well with Moleskine products with its smooth, fast-drying ink and is bleed-resistant through even the thinnest of papers.

The only caveat is this: make sure you are purchasing the ones made in Japan, and not Indonesia. It will either say Japan or Indonesia on the pen's exterior barrel. While both are almost physically indistinguishable, the ink supply that comes stock with the Indonesian versions tend to collect excess ink in and around the tip of the sphere, resulting in minor coagula that can smear during writing. Also, the rubber grips aren't as soft. Unfortunately, it seems apparent that the Japanese versions are slowly being phased out as I have not been able to get my hands on one for quite some time. The best solution is to purchase a new ink refill, and make sure the refill has a metal casing rather than translucent plastic. It seems as if our friends at Zebra are trying to cut corners, which is unfortunate for such a wonderful product of long-standing.

And as if this comment isn't long enough already, I've included links to excellent notebooks that I have myself used and enjoyed in partnership with the F-402.

ABSOLUTE NOTEBOOK by Letterbox, made in France

BIGNOTE by Apica, made in Japan with recycled paper

Russel+Hazel paper & notebooks

M.O. Inc ruled writing pads

'One year of white pages' 12 pocket notebooks set by Nava Design (more sophisticated than the Moleskine's black Cahier pocket notebook)

NAVA Design notebooks made in Milan
posted by colorproof at 1:20 PM on September 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

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