Great site! Love reading and learning here and seeing all the pictures of the cool stuff out there! I found it through a reddit thread a few months ago and have largely been lurking since.
I have been a ‘Pentel guy’ for a long time. I found the QE405 (a teal .5 version) when I was early in high school. Loved it! It was THE writing instrument for me for about 25 years. Had the same exact pencil until it finally began breaking down from all the ‘miles’ I put on it.
Why did I like it so much? It was perfect for me in terms of weight and balance, but also I loved that it wasn’t super bulky. And then there was the twist eraser. I have always thought it was such a cool innovation back then. Last thing, whether it was just the unique individual pencil I owned or the model in general, I found it to be incredibly durable for a ‘cheap plastic pencil’.
Fast forward to a couple years ago when my pencil began letting me down. I started looking to hunt down my replacement and found the other colorways offered and the .7 and .9 variations. As I imagine it does for many of us, nostalgia kicked in and I started hunting them down not just for a replacement but to collect. It was a fun project for me since these are available enough to find but not super common at this point. It led me, ultimately, to learning about the original Gomdale 305, the QE405f/QE407f that came later, and the QE505/Gomdale 500 model (that I also really, really like).
So, I have a few things I’m hoping I might be able to get a bit of help with from all of you:
Where do you find the ‘good stuff’? - I have been on Mercari and Yahoo Auctions in Japan and have, frankly, bought a ton of stuff the past few months. I’ll post some pictures in the coming month. Are there other good spots to search, particularly outside the US?
Anyone know where a person might be able to locate the QE405f, QE407f, and Person’s PQ10 550 ‘Shower Man’ versions in any/all their colorways? They’ve been nearly impossible for me to even get a whiff of.
Anyone know about the Midori 300? Looks like an exact replica of the QE405f to me.
Given my interests and relative ignorance, any suggestions of other models out there, Pentel or otherwise, that you’d recommend I check out?
Anyone have any intel on these Gomdale 500 colorways? I don’t see them in the Pentel Identification Book (which is the most awesome document! Thank you!!!).
Welcome to Knockology! Nice to see the Midori version of the Gomdale… I picked up a clear yellow version some time ago. There’s something about the simplicity of the early models that I enjoy more than more recent versions of the Twist-Erase design.
Welcome to the club, @erhunter71! Your story really resonates with me – nostalgia truly is a powerful force. It’s an incredible journey discovering different colorways, especially for someone like me who’s currently on a similar adventure with GT BMX bikes from the '80s.
As for finding those special items you’re seeking, patience is key. I’ve been in this game for a long time, and I can assure you that with time, those elusive treasures will appear.
Do you see the colorways from the pictures I shared in the Pentel Book? Just want to make sure I didn’t miss them. These are the only colorways I saw (beyond the Person’s variants):
