From パイロット100年の航跡:
You can download it here: Supply - Books on Company History
When one user sends his E500 to Pilot, asking if they can repair it, and this is the reply
When one user sends his E500 to Pilot, asking if they can repair it, and this is the reply
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Btw, one interseting website: G-mark
That year cannot be considered as actual release date, but at least it provides an approximate range. You may also search for other brands’ information. Some examples:
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6,
I still think we’d better just take the model’s presence or absence on catalog as the proof of its release/discontinue time(I mean, after all, one conclusion is better than nothing), until we have stronger evidence
More, there may be an error of a year or a few months in their reply on the discontinued year, but I think it doesn’t matter. When a production of one model is terminated, sometimes it will still appear on later catalog for a while. With this ‘phone’ mark, it indicates that you need to call Pilot to see if there is any left in stock (Other company has similar practice)
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The 1989 pieces appear in the 1988 catalog 
That’s the reason I say, don’t take the year given by G-mark as the product release time, it’s actually the year it won that award (Good Design Award)
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ご依頼品 修理不能のご連絡
日頃より、負社筆記具にご受願を賜り、誤にありがとうございます。
お預かりしました商品は、修理不能又は、 交換部品の在庫が無い場合にはご返却申し上げております。
この度、お預かり致しました商品は、 上記内容に該当致しますので、 ご返却させて頂きます。
誠に申し訳ございませんが、ご理解の程宜しくお願い申し上げます。
Notification that the requested item cannot be repaired
Thank you very much for your continued support of Seisha Writing Instruments.
If the product you have received cannot be repaired or we do not have replacement parts in stock, we will return the product to you.
The product you have received falls under the above conditions and will be returned to you.
We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.
返 却 No. : 5729
伝 票 No.: 805032
返却年月 日 : 平成28年11月11晶
お預かり店名 : 費伊東屋 物流センター(池袋店) 様
お 各 ドド も 人還還際※
商品 。 名 : シープペベン オトマク
番 : HAE-500M
上 市 年: 1990年
数 障 箇 所 : シャープ恋出不良
修 理 方 法: 内部機構(員軸交換
修理不能理由 : 交換部品在庫終了
備 考 :
Return No.: 5729
Slip No.: 805032
Return date: November 11, 2016
Store name: Kairitoya Logistics Center (Ikebukuro store)
At the time of return of each person*
merchandise . Name: Sheeppeben Otomak
Number: HAE-500M
Upper City Year: 1990
Number of defects: Sharp failure
Repair method: Internal mechanism (member shaft replacement)
Reason for non-repairability: Replacement parts are out of stock
remarks :
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I read it several times, but do we have a source or evidence for the titanium? I always thought Porsche classic had the only vintage solid titanium prencil…
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photo credit @pwp15 on X
This is such a lovely photo. I am assuming he took all these pictures separately and stitched them together. My camera wont allow for me to have some many pencils in frame and still have them (completely) in focus.
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Yep, those are stitched together
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You’ll need to stop down the aperture to get more of the frame in focus. If you’re on full frame, go to f/11 or f/16.
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This is great. A little bit crowded, though. Also, would be better to have the labeling in black font.
I took a few minutes to revise the image. Sharing it for everyone here:
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I still think the Hi-Mecha pencils are the GOAT
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Definitely on aesthetics. PILOT hit a home run with these. I still remember the first time I laid eyes on them. I’d been looking over the H-1005 and intent on getting one (this was after they’d been discontinued for a few years and prices were rapidly escalating). And while I started trawling over YAJ, I then encountered the H-2005. Of course, the going market prices were more than double for the H-1005, so I looked at them as “unobtainium,” until my value perception gradually changed.
But I have to say, for sheer function and durability? The PWP15 / PSD5 is the Hi-mecha retractable GOAT.
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On durability - I am surprised I haven’t seen much aftermarket activity related to replacing cracked Pilot Holder series barrels with fancy resins, exotic wood, machined metal, ceramics, bone, etc. Seems like this would be more of a thing considering the healthy budget of people who collect Holder series.
Then again, collectors of this series tend to want pristine examples, so aftermarket mods don’t really fit the bill.
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A couple of things. First, I have seen over the years a number of posts about the barrels cracking. It happens more notably on the H-1005 / 03 because far more of them were made, but examples of H-2005 / 03 have turned up in auctions. True, you don’t really see them these days, but that doesn’t mean examples no longer exist. Second, I bought a distressed example about 5 years ago to harvest for the barrel (the front was badly pitted) and mechanism… and when I screwed the body onto a new section, I suddenly noticed it–a hairline separation on the barrel. I was able to stabilize it (very hard to see now). Third, I think a lot of collectors are not putting these pencils to daily use and keeping as well cared for collectibles… thus, not triggering the cracks. But, it’s all about knowing that the fragility exists. Fourth, I don’t think there’s nearly enough volume of these pencils to inspire anyone to make aftermarket barrels for them (not nearly like some other models like the Staedtler 925-25 and 35 series).
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I know I’ve asked this question before but I guess this conversation warrants it being asked again.
Do you store your Hi-Mecha pencils taken apart in order to take tension off the spring?
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I seem to recall at least one person saying they do. There was a photograph of several hi-mecha pencils in a container or drawer, and they were all disassembled.
I do not think it is necessary. The high tensile strength springs that were created are amazingly resilient. And when in the “retracted” position, the spring is already mostly slack. Thus, when you go to click, you are compressing the spring, and flexing the tension.
I’m of the belief that the cracks tend to happen by an unlucky coincidence of manufacturing variances (maybe there are microscopic air bubbles or a slight thinning of the wall at the screw threads) and a person over-tightening the pen body to the section. Keep in mind that when you get these pencils used, there’s absolutely no way of telling how tight or how slack someone screwed them together. And the loosening / tightening was a common thing to do, because it’s necessary to create some slack for the lead window indicator to rotate. Naturally, some people don’t ever change this, because they stick to one lead type (the default, HB).
My suggestion is to just make sure the body isn’t screwed on very tight. Just gently mated to the section where there’s a tiny bit of travel still left.
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My contact at PILOT USA has returned with more correspondence from PILOT Japan.
“protecs” was launched in 1981. It was JPY3,000, which is approximately $30.
This product featured the mechanism that when barrel is twisted a tip and a plunger stick out.
Both tip and plunger are placed inside when it is not in use, so that means they are protected.
Also, your pocket is protected too by getting damaged by a sharp tip.As for the information of discontinuation year of protecs, it is not recorded in our internal database or officially recorded.
So, the name “ProTex” is officially retired for me. The catalog page makes it very clear that “protecs” is the official name and there was meaning behind it–a shortening of “protects”, as the twist mechanism was designed for pocket protection. Not only is the tip retracted, but the plunger is as well so there’s no accidental way of extending the tip.
I’m trying to find out if the dropping of a model from the annual PILOT catalog is a sure sign of a model being discontinued, or if they are sometimes dropped to make room for other models while still being sold. In any case, we’d thought 1983 was the launch date for the protecs HHK-300S, but it was actually 1981. I don’t know if this model was ever marketed outside of Japan.
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I do NOT take my double-knocks apart in The Toolbox™ (and frankly, I find the practice extremely unaesthetic).
Essentially, I believe most people fiddle with their pencils to a ridiculous degree—taking them apart over and over again for no good reason. (In my view, a lot of people consider disassembling pencils to be part of the admiration process.)
I simply don’t take apart my double-knocks unless I’m trying to fix a jam or a tip seating issue.
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