I’ve not collected the whole Pentel Accugraph line. I had picked up a PG1505 that the seller misrepresented. The clip had some flaking going on and the enameled body had a prominent nick, all tactically left out of photos. I had learned the clips in this series (PG1505, PG1804, PG2003) tend to suffer a chrome plating decay… even on mint examples, where unexpectedly it starts to flake off, revealing some rust underneath.
Still, despite the drawbacks, I found the PG1505 to be a very refined mechanical pencil. As chance would have it, I managed to pick up a second one. My first one had no lead hardness indicator, but the second one has it. But that’s not the only difference.
Lead hardness indicator version has:
Knurling slightly finer, smoother 2. Lead advance button resting in a longer position.
Lead pipe guide is shorter. ← likely an old Graph or P205 nose cone swap
Weight is about 5g more.
Anyone else here have both and witness the same differences? Or are they due to production runs (later versus earlier)?
EDIT: Just a minor update. I completely disassembled both pencils to compare parts. Mechanisms are the same length, although on the indicator version the spring is a little shorter with an extra brass collar fitted. I then reassembled them. The lead advance button is now the same on both. The lead indicator version must’ve been improperly reassembled at some point. It now matches the other PG1505.
Interesting observations! Thank you for sharing them.
I can confirm at least a few of them. My newer PG1505 is about 4.5 g heavier, and its button sticks out about 1 mm longer. However, the lead pipes have the same length, and I don’t notice a difference in the knurling.
I did a quick comparison of the PG2003 and PG1804 variants, and so far I found out that the newer PG1804 has a rougher knurling and the newer PG2003 is about 9 g heavier. I will make a detailed comparison shortly.
I won’t rule out the possibility that at least some of the differences are manufacturing variations, e. g. because the parts were sourced from different suppliers.
Fortunately the clips of all my Accu Graphs – used and boxed – don’t suffer from that chrome plating decay.
Hey Gary, the shorter pipe is really surprising! Whenever I ‘discover’ such variances I get jolted to check if mine are similarly affected. So far, all three v.2 Accugraphs have the same 4mm tips.
I’m sorry to inform you, but your PG1505 is almost certainly defective. I have 4 PG1505 and none of them have difference between the length in the lead pipe guide. Took a photo to show:
But, I also have good news. The tip from the PG5 is the same as the tip from the PG1505, so if you have one lying around, you can exchange them.
I’ve been meaning to post about the difference between the versions of the Accugraph, I’ve finally managed to acquire all the 3 versions of the PG2003 I showed in this topic Pentel Accugraph difference between versions. In my opinion, the best one is the first second version, it is heavier with a nice grip. The grip of the first first version is like a limestone, which for me is best, but its weight is lighter than the first second version.
Thanks for sharing that, about your multiple PG1505 with both configurations and no pipe guide length difference.
Yeah, it could be a manufacturing defect or maybe the previous owner pushed on it, shoving it further back into the nose-cone? If the latter, I’m not sure how to safely coax the pipe guide forward.
And well, if this is a defect… it could be considered a rarity perhaps? If the pencil isn’t used for drafting, it doesn’t have any impact on performance. It writes just as well as my other PG1505.
Thanks! Yeah, that’s very interesting about the variances you’ve seen. Would you say the rougher knurling and heavier weight are indicative of newer production? If so, maybe mine was a bit of a “frankenpencil,” with some part swaps.
The pipe guide on m PG1505 with indicator is on tight. I tried a rotation pulling on it with a rubber band for grip and it wasn’t budging. I have to wonder if some stores that sold these had customization options, such as having a shorter pipe guide.
I still haven’t compared all my Accu Graphs so I don’t know. Of course I can’t rule out the possibility that one or the other is a “frankenpencil” too.
I have check it again – the sleeves of my three PG1505 are all 4 mm long.
All buttons have the same length but stick out ca. 0.4 mm more on my old PG1505 and on one of the new PG1505. The reason why the button sticks out less on the other new PG1505 is the shorter inner tube. As the difference cannot be attributed to old/new I assume that these are variations in production.
I’m not sure mine is a defect. The length? Precisely 2 mm. I would’ve expected it to be off, like 2.22 or 1.9. But the question is, does the Accugraph series all have the same nose cone design? Is it unique to this line? Because if not, then it couldn’t be from a different model sold with shorter pipe guides.
But I went a step further and examined closely with a magnifier. And yeah… something is up. There’s a slight abrasion at one segment on the pipe guide rim. I’m now wondering if this pencil had once been dropped, the front part of the pipe guide had been dented and then the owner trimmed it off to a precise 2mm length.
FANTASTIC! Thank you, Jimmy. The optical deception for me is the base of the metal grip, that mates perfectly to the nose cone. It threw me off and I didn’t notice how the P1505 nose cone is really just a P20x nose cone.
I think he meant PG15, instead of PG5. And unfortunately the PG15 is even more expensive these days than the PG1505, 1804, 2003 Accugraph series.
Speaking of which… I remember when I first started collecting vintage Japanese mechanical pencils and after my high impression of the PG1505, I’d thought about getting the PG15… and two collectors dissuaded me. Grip is slippery and there’s a common fault of cracking. Still, I wish I’d gotten one then. The prices have spiked to insane levels now.
I meant the PG5. Perhaps, it depends from the PG5 generation, but it certainly works. I put both tips side by side and they are equal. It also screwed correctly into the PG1505. Here are some photos showing it:
Hey, just noticed… in your photo, had you swapped in a nose cone from a Graph or P205 on that top PG1505? Shorter pipe guide, like on my PG1505.
Btw, I think the rear cap should be sitting lower on the bottom one. I had the same thing going on with mine… and after reassembling it with parts fully seated in the proper position, the cap on both of them is now the same length extending out of the body.
