Pencils look to be identical except the cap. Has this been discussed previously? If so, anyone have context to share? Thanks! -Erskine
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Sometime in the late 90s they added holes to the caps to lessen the risk of choking hazard.
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P15 is called Sharplet and the A125 is also called Sharplet?
I thought the A125 was the Sharplet-2.
I don’t collect Sharplets, but depending on the market A125 is either Sharplet or Sharplet-2. A125 is also Ain.
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The A125 went through a couple of different names before finally settling on the Sharplet-2.
Here are ones from my collection.
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I love how anytime he talks about Sharplets this is his opening statement. Every. Single. Time.
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Wow they did change a bit.
Are they displayed in any particular order? i.e. older generation at top.
I don’t collect Sharplets either but still have some in my collection 
It’s kind of like riding an electric scooter: it’s fun as hell but you don’t want to be seen doing it 
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I wasn’t collecting the Sharplet-2’s but got several in Lots of pencils I purchased.
I did purposely pick up the SharPentel and the Sharplet, jut to have the evolution.
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I believe the SharPentel is the oldest.
Both it and the Sharplet are Japan only, which you can see by the ÂĄ100 price in the box.
The Sharplet-2’s, I am not sure if they are Japanese Export only, or if they just switched to that for everyone.
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Yes, but if they see you holding the P15 it is like as riding a Lambretta Elettra.
(perhaps the only P15’s pic you can get online)
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Here is the photo from @Thomas that I am using in the Pentel Book.
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I found a couple of others, but yeah, not much there.
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Hey that’s my pic. 
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There are some more pictures here
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And speak of the devil, and he appears on eBay.
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I think that is the first one online I have seen that is NOT yellow.
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I remember I found a completely white Pentel Sharplet-2 (Model A-125) in a drawer of a desk, and was allowed to put into a basket of other things I bought at that house — it was some sort of estate sale, veery long story.
The MP is thin, it’s lightweight, and has a rather distinct “clic” sound; looks like the third one n @nimrodd 's comprehensive picture (no.3 from the top), just all white. The cap has the safety air intakes, so it must be relatively new. I have no idea whether it’s rare or not (don’t think so), and it came with a bit of dirt on the body, because it had been left in that drawer for I don’t know how long. Under the pocket clip there is a number “3” carved into the body, probably has something to do with the production year.
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It should have a letter (A to L) after the number, representing the month. With the safety holes and a 3, it was probably manufactured in 2003 or 2013.
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I think I spot a very faintly carved staff-like mark at the right of the number “3”, so I assume it is a capital “i” — which makes sense, as “i” is between “A” and “L”.
I cannot tell whether the pencil dates back to 2003 or 2013; in the same drawer it was sitting in I found a much older brass Eberhard Faber Nr. 3007 eraser holder for Palomino Blackwing pencil erasers, and a few other vintage stuff; this MP seemed much newer, but then again this would apply equally to both a 2003 or a 2013 specimen.
Thanks @nimrodd !
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ISO 11540 was published in 1993, sets safety standards for caps on writing and marking instruments to reduce asphyxiation risks. So pencils made after 1993 may start having holes in the eraser caps. This is about the only way to identify a vintage rOtring 300 from the modern ones. Here is a post I made on the other ISO Standards that could apply to mechanical pencils.
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