Pentel
Recommended 30× on r/BuyItForLife
Shop Pentel
Sharp Mechanical Pencil
The Pentel Sharp Mechanical Drafting Pencil will help you write with confidence. This automatic, refillable unit is ideal for drawing, writing and tracing templates. The Pentel aut...
Hybrid Technica Pen
Get down to details with the Pentel Arts Hybrid Technica Gel Pen. This pen is pretty special—it features a unique tungsten carbide roller ball tip that ensures a consistent line fr...
Sharlet 2 Mechanical Pencil
EnerGel NV Gel Pen
Energize Your Writing with the EnerGel NV Gel Pen - Bold 1 mm, Black Ink Experience high-performance ink technology that seamlessly combines the best qualities of liquid and gel in...
Sign Pen
Porous point pen with pocket clip features a fiber tip plus a smooth grip. The original fiber-tipped pen is ideal for drawing and writing. Vivid, water-based ink lays down expressi...
EnerGel RTX Gel Ink Pens
The EnerGel RTX features stainless steel accents for a professional look. Ideal for anyone looking for a smooth, effortless writing experience. High performance ink technology comb...
R.S.V.P. Ballpoint Pen
The Pentel RSVP Colors ballpoint pen is a sturdy, well-balanced pen. This capped pen is designed for extended periods of use. The exclusive Comfort Zone, latex-free grip is designe...
R.S.V.P. Ballpoint Pens Fine Point Black Ink 5 Pack
Writes for almost a mile. Long, well-balanced barrel makes this pen an easy-to-use, high-ink-capacity favorite. Reliable tip lays down a consistent, skip-free line. Comfort Zone gr...
Hi Polymer Eraser
Pentel Hi-Polymer erasers remove lead easily and cleanly with little pressure. No smudges, no paper tears, no ghosting. High quality, latex-free erasers do not crack or harden with...
Markathon Pump Permanent Marker Chisel Tip
Even when left uncapped, the Markathon Permanent Marker is the only permanent marker that will never dry out. It features a unique injector pump mechanism that restores the ink fee...
Color Pen Pentel
Product Description Vivid, water based ink colors for a variety of applications. The generous ink supply is excellent for decorating posters. Perfect for everyday drawing, coloring...
Markathon Pump Dry Erase Marker
Even when left uncapped, the Markathon Dry Erase Marker is the only dry erase marker that will never dry out. Rich, opaque, vibrant ink works well with glass surfaces and dry erase...
Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Pentel
30 mentions from real owners
- #1Dec 5, 2025
When your mom says, "We have a Pentel 205 at home."
The lead advance mechanism is the simplest possible design, which is why it lasts
View on Redditopen_in_new - #2Dec 5, 2025
Is there anything you're convinced is "the cheaper the better"?
Not to be contrarian, but if you write or sketch a lot, having a decent and comfortable writing instrument is worth coughing up a few dollars more! Mechanical pencil just caught my eye, lol. I sketch a lot of quick shop drawings and math for machining or making models and I like to have a decent pencil. Specifically the Pentel Sharplet. Not bottom barrel, but also not so expensive i’ll cry if I lose one. I’ll simply be annoyed for the rest of the day until I go home and grab another from my desk
View on Redditopen_in_new - #3Dec 4, 2025
Something you didn’t expect to be BIFL but outlasted your expectations?
Pentel P207 mechanical pencil that I bought 25ish years ago.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #4Dec 4, 2025
What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?
Those Pentel pencils are tanks. You lose them before they ever break. When one survives for years it turns into a tiny comfort object.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #5Dec 4, 2025
What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?
Using mine since 2004 and still works perfectly. The metal part is a bit worn out (black instead of silver) and the text marks saying Pentel P205 are fading, but I actually like it, it shows that it's an old item still working as it's intended. In 2022 I bought three more for using with colored leads, Pentel really has my confidence.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #6Dec 4, 2025
Something you didn’t expect to be BIFL but outlasted your expectations?
A Pentel mechanical pencil. Bought about 6 years ago, I use it heavily doing music lessons 5 days a week. It’s been dropped, stepped on but still going strong! I just replace the eraser and lead when needed.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #7Dec 4, 2025
When your mom says, "We have a Pentel 205 at home."
I feel this is much better option that pencils, in terms of sharpness and coolness-factor. I have a Pentel and it has a nice grip
View on Redditopen_in_new - #8Dec 4, 2025
Something you didn’t expect to be BIFL but outlasted your expectations?
I used one single pentel hi polymer eraser almost every day for seven years.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #9Dec 4, 2025
When your mom says, "We have a Pentel 205 at home."
I have their GraphGear 1000. I absolutely love it.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #10Dec 4, 2025
When your mom says, "We have a Pentel 205 at home."
I've got a pentel p207 from my grandfather. Not sure exactly how old it is, but he passed away nearly 20 years ago now.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #11Dec 4, 2025
What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?
Ooh that's nice. The GraphGear 1000 is my fav.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #12Dec 3, 2025
What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?
Huge fan of the QE (twist erase) Pentels….but BIFL in my case means “until I lose it”.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #13Dec 3, 2025
What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?
I swiped my engineer dad's P200s off his desk when he died. They're the best. Pentel's color choices are really good too.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #14Dec 3, 2025
What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?
My Pentel P205 mechanical pencil. It will probably work way past my lifetime and I love to write with it. Small thing, but it is mine to enjoy.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #15Sep 4, 2025
What sub-$10 item has genuinely lasted you years and is of regular use to you?
My 0.5 mm Graphgear 500 mechanical pencil. Good weight, excellent for spinning. Good lines and essentially perfectly reliable. Has lasted me from high school through grad school with no noticeable wear.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #16Sep 4, 2025
What product would you seriously stockpile if you found out they weren't going to sell it anymore?
Pentel EnerGel blue fine point pens
View on Redditopen_in_new - #17Jun 9, 2025
Refillable pen suggestions
i use Pentel Energel pens and buy refills, i love them, super smooth
View on Redditopen_in_new - #18Jun 9, 2025
Refillable pen suggestions
For oil based ink (hybrid/ballpoint), Pilot acroball is the best IMO. For water based gel ink pens, Pentel energel, Uni signo, or Zebra Sarasa. My favorite is the energel infree needle tip cartridges. I've tried most gel pens on the market. If you want smooth writing, go with 0.4 or larger tip size, smaller of you want more precise with some feedback and friction.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #19Jun 3, 2025
What are your favorite niche BIFL items that are currently available?
Those are decent and have their place for me, but my every day go to is pentel Energel 0.7. Game changer. Runner up to the previse v7
View on Redditopen_in_new - #20Jun 1, 2025
I heard you guys like vintage mechanical pencils… Pentel Quicker Clicker original+
They are available on ebay from $12-25 used, some new old stock for $30-40. Some of the colors I have never seen before.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #21Jun 1, 2025
I heard you guys like vintage mechanical pencils… Pentel Quicker Clicker original+
Tried different hardness in the same style? Softer leads are darker lines, but some of the Pentel ads show the gradient going up from 4B, 3B, 2B, B to HB (typical #2 equivalent). They also have H gradients, but I believe those are harder ... I like the 2B quite a lot.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #22May 6, 2025
What’s something you’ve had so long it feels like it’s legally part of your family
My small collection of Pentel mechanical pencils. I suggest .9 graphite. Twist Erase III or Graphgear 500-1000.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #23Apr 13, 2025
This 1980's marker, still better than any modern equivalent
You can still get some which are made out of metal, e.g. Pentel ones.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #24Apr 13, 2025
This 1980's marker, still better than any modern equivalent
I think the Pentel N50, N60, N50S, and N50XL alcohol-resistant markers probably still have it, because of their chemical smell, and because the thinner, different-model Pentel NF450 says that it’s xylene and toluene-free, doesn’t have the chemical smell, and isn’t alcohol-resistant.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #25Apr 12, 2025
What is a pen that you have bought for life and you actually use it everyday and it is your first go-to, as if it’s become an extension of your arm and you feel connected with the page?
I'm a Pilot G2 0.7 guy, my wife likes the 0.38, so we made a compromise and all G2s that are black are 0.38, all that are blue are 0.70. I prefer to write in blue, she prefers to write in black. In college I'd take the cartridge out of a blue G2 and pop it in a red pen, so it would never walk off and, if it did, I always knew which pen was mine. In one calendar year, when I first started at my company as an intern during uni, I wrote seven 0.7mm cartridges to empty. They say they can draw a 2000m line, so I wrote/doodled/scribbled 14km in a year, about 40m/day (about 5-6 pages per day, which feels about right). Since they were either attached to my badge or my notebook, I didn't lose a single pen that year. I still have the Pentel Sharp 1.0mm drafting pencil I got on my first day (4 June 2007), but I have no idea how much lead I've gone through. Dozens of refill packs. Although I've gotten some fancier drafting pencils over the years, that Pentel is still clipped on my badge right now. Sharpie makes a 0.7mm gel pen that is the smoothest writing I've ever felt with a gel pen, but it does tend to smear a bit more than the Pilot. I can't attest to its BIFL status as I've only used a bit over the past year (it's my desk pen at work).
View on Redditopen_in_new - #26Apr 12, 2025
What is a pen that you have bought for life and you actually use it everyday and it is your first go-to, as if it’s become an extension of your arm and you feel connected with the page?
The only problem with the Pentel 0.4 Hybrid Technica is that it’s the most popular pen at the art store and often out-of-stock.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #27Apr 1, 2025
something small, but the Pentel GraphGear 500.
rotring is $20, pentel graphgear is $6.29 and available at my grocery store.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #28Mar 3, 2025
Where Does "Buy It for Life" Not Make Sense?
I never managed to break one of my Pentel Sharp mechanical pencils - not even the clip. They would occasionally disappear at school though. I had one I used at home, that was in my mom’s school supplies from the 70s. I used that all through high school, and in college whenever I visited home. When I moved my stuff out of my parents post-college, I took it with me, and it’s been kicking in my desk for another 15 years… along with a handful of modern duplicates I’ve stolen from work.
View on Redditopen_in_new - #29Mar 3, 2025
Where Does "Buy It for Life" Not Make Sense?
Nah man pens/pencils are *absolutely* BIFL I’ve had the same Pentel graphing mechanical pencil for over 8 years now and the one day it went missing I damn near had a heart attack until I found it again
View on Redditopen_in_new - #30Feb 6, 2025
What brands do you trust to always deliver a high quality product?
Pentel
View on Redditopen_in_new