About Pentel
Pentel Co., Ltd. is a privately held Japanese stationery manufacturer founded in Tokyo in 1946 by Yukio Horie, originally as a maker of crayons and pastels for a country rebuilding after the war. The company took the Pentel name in 1971, a portmanteau of pen and tell, and went on to invent the world's first 0.9mm knock-type mechanical pencil in 1960, built around its own Hi-Polymer graphite lead. That pencil, and the drafting lineage it started, is still the backbone of the GraphGear series we review today.
Pentel is the only writing-instrument company ever awarded Japan's Deming Prize, given for sustained excellence in quality management, and it manufactures its own mechanical pencils, leads, erasers, pens, and correction fluid rather than outsourcing production. Its innovations extend well beyond pencils: Pentel invented the felt-tip Sign Pen in 1963, which NASA adopted and flew on a Gemini mission in 1966, and launched EnerGel, one of the first liquid gel-ink pens, in 2002. The company is marking 80 years in continuous operation in 2026.
Brand website: pentel.com
What Pentel makes
Pentel's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Mechanical pencils
GraphGear, Sharp, Orenz drafting lines — featured on DeskRated
Liquid gel pens
EnerGel line — featured on DeskRated
Ballpoint pens
RSVP, Sign Pen — featured on DeskRated
Markers & permanent pens
Sign Pen felt-tips, N50 permanent marker
Leads & erasers
Hi-Polymer graphite lead and erasers
Art & craft supplies
oil pastels, watercolors, correction fluid
Why we recognized Pentel
The DeskRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Pentel earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, used at a real desk, and judged on merit.
Pentel products we rated highly
Pentel GraphGear 1000 Mechanical Pencil, 0.5mm, Black
The only mechanical pencil we tested with a true dual-action retractor: clicking to advance lead and retracting the entire tip assembly into the metal barrel for pocket-safe carry. Its 4mm fixed lead sleeve seats flush against rulers and templates for precise technical line work, and it's backed by more than 24,000 verified reviews, the deepest review base of any mechanical pencil we tested.
Read the Best Mechanical Pencils guide →
Pentel GraphGear 500 Mechanical Drafting Pencil, 0.5mm (PG525LEBP)
A budget-friendly drafting workhorse with a fixed 4mm metal sleeve that rides rulers and templates without snagging, and a forward-weighted balance that stays controlled through long sessions. Reviewers report 8+ years of daily use, and it now ships with refill lead and a mini eraser included.
Read the Best Mechanical Pencils guide →
Pentel RSVP Stick Ballpoint Pens, 0.7mm Fine Point, Black, 5-Pack
The only contoured, latex-free comfort grip we found on a ballpoint at this price, a genuinely allergen-conscious choice for medical offices and laboratories. Traditional oil-based ink dries instantly on standard paper, making it a reliable pick for left-handed writers and glossy surfaces where hybrid inks tend to smear.
Read the Best Ballpoint Pens guide →
Pentel EnerGel RTX Retractable Liquid Gel Pen, 0.7mm, Black Ink, 3-Pack
Pentel's liquid gel ink dried faster than any other gel pen we tested, which makes it our top recommendation for left-handed writers. A stainless steel tip delivers zero-wobble line width, and it's backed by a limited lifetime warranty, longer than any other manufacturer we compared stands behind its pens.
Read the Best Gel Pens guide →What earned Pentel the recognition
- The only writing-instrument company ever awarded Japan's Deming Prize for sustained quality-management excellence.
- Manufactures its own mechanical pencils, leads, erasers, pens, and correction fluid in-house rather than outsourcing production.
- Invented the world's first 0.9mm knock-type mechanical pencil in 1960, the design lineage behind the GraphGear pencils that stand among our top picks today.
- The deepest bench of any brand we tested in writing instruments: two GraphGear mechanical pencils among our top picks, plus picks in both ballpoint pens and gel pens.
- 80 years in continuous, privately held operation since its 1946 founding in Tokyo, still innovating with lines like Orenz and EnerGel.