PENTEL KERRY P1035 & P1037 MECHANICAL PENCILS: THE PENCIL THAT LOOKS LIKE A FOUNTAIN PEN

[Intensity]

Thank you so much for the name and color references for the different color codes.  I wish I could still find the Violet.  Some photographs if the Purple made me think it’d be more like Violet, but here I can see a very clear difference.  

[donnweinberg]

3 hours ago, Intensity said:

Thank you so much for the name and color references for the different color codes.  I wish I could still find the Violet.  Some photographs if the Purple made me think it’d be more like Violet, but here I can see a very clear difference.  

 

Ah, yes, that elusive P-1035VD in what I call "blue-violet."  I check for it on Ebay almost everyday, and so far I've not seen anyone offering it for sale or auction.  Happy hunting.  

[Intensity]

34 minutes ago, donnweinberg said:

 

Ah, yes, that elusive P-1035VD in what I call "blue-violet."  I check for it on Ebay almost everyday, and so far I've not seen anyone offering it for sale or auction.  Happy hunting.  

Thank you!  The irritating thing is that the rendered graphic for the Purple model on many listings looks like the Violet model!  Quite blue-leaning purple.  And some people's photographs make Purple look like Violet.

[donnweinberg]

2 minutes ago, Intensity said:

Thank you!  The irritating thing is that the rendered graphic for the Purple model on many listings looks like the Violet model!  Quite blue-leaning purple.  And some people's photographs make Purple look like Violet.

 

Very true.  The only way to tell the difference is either by comparing the two colors side-by-side or getting one with it's sticker-label identifying it as a "VD."  Even then, I'd want to compare side-by-side, as the value differential might corrupt an unscrupulous seller, who could place a VD sticker onto a VKS version and hope one doesn't notice.  Am I being too cynical?  🥸

[Intensity]

Yeah that could be going a bit far, because the pencil collecting hobby is quite small overall for that kind of thing.  
P.S.: I would love to see the Purple next to Dark Bordeaux (DB).

[amper]

On 4/10/2022 at 4:23 PM, usk15 said:

Impressive! Thank you for your time to show and explain this model. I might get one...just for the sake of having it! Is there 0.9 version; or just 0.5 and 0.7?

 

Recently I have bought a Parker 51 repeater pencil, refill it with 0.9 2B AinStein and I love it.

 

I might be fooling myself, but I would have sworn that Pentel made a 0.9 mm Sharp Kerry (P1039) back in the 1980s and 1990s.

[donnweinberg]

18 hours ago, amper said:

I might be fooling myself, but I would have sworn that Pentel made a 0.9 mm Sharp Kerry (P1039) back in the 1980s and 1990s.

 

Perhaps, but it definitely wasn't the P-1035 or P-1037; there never was a P-1039.

[amper]

On 2/26/2023 at 10:41 AM, donnweinberg said:

 

Perhaps, but it definitely wasn't the P-1035 or P-1037; there never was a P-1039.

 

I'm not sure that's correct. I was a purchaser for a Pentel dealer in the early 1990s. I'm not saying I remember correctly, but I don't have catalogues from those years to double check.

[donnweinberg]

1 hour ago, amper said:

 

I'm not sure that's correct. I was a purchaser for a Pentel dealer in the early 1990s. I'm not saying I remember correctly, but I don't have catalogues from those years to double check.

 

I hope I'm wrong, so if you find out that there was a P-1039 model, please let us know, as I'd like to get one. 

[MYU]

Fantastic write-up of the Pentel "5" Kerry, Don! Impressive collection. I have to fight against clutter in my realm, so I stuck with just a few. Love this design. Pentel really hit a homerun with this design, and the fact that they're still making it proves that.

 

[donnweinberg]

Thanks.  I'm seeing on Ebay from one seller so far some new models of the P-1035, but they don't look so different that I'm ready to buy them, as they're a bit pricey at this point.

[markmorris]

This is a wonderful review and display of these writing instruments! It is a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing it!
For some reason, I "need" another mechanical pencil again. I happened upon the bronze gold version and was looking for pictures. Pentel should give you some pens for all the sales they have reaped from your posts!
I first had a Pentel 5 back in the early 80's while I was in college. I had never seen such a magnificent writing instrument. Aesthetically pleasing and a neat gadget as well. And it fit well in the hand. Then I lost it a few years later! That was agony. It took me years to get another.  

[donnweinberg]

56 minutes ago, markmorris said:

This is a wonderful review and display of these writing instruments! It is a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing it!
For some reason, I "need" another mechanical pencil again. I happened upon the bronze gold version and was looking for pictures. Pentel should give you some pens for all the sales they have reaped from your posts!
I first had a Pentel 5 back in the early 80's while I was in college. I had never seen such a magnificent writing instrument. Aesthetically pleasing and a neat gadget as well. And it fit well in the hand. Then I lost it a few years later! That was agony. It took me years to get another.  

 

I wish Pentel would give me some "love" for my posts.  Pentel didn't even reply to a properly sent inquiry asking for some history of this model so that I might write an article.  There is one American Ebayer who seems to get the newest iterations, but so far they are too expensive.

[Astronymus]

Last year, after the good impression my black and blue Kerrys made, I bought my wife a red one as a birthday gift.

[kaissa]

I really enjoyed Pentel Kerrys for some time when I used them for short periods of time. It looks amazing, the mechanism is very fine.

 

I was suprisingly disappointed during an exam though. It was not comfortable at all and kept running away from my fingers. I continued with Tombow Mono Graph which was much smoother to write with. 

 

I still use Kerry for short period of time.

[donnweinberg]

Hello, friends.  As I’ve recently added a few more Pentel-Kerry P-1035 models to my collection, I wanted to share some photos with you.

 

In this photo are 4 pens that I believe were issued in 2023.  The top one, a P-1035-BXDQ, has a bright red plastic bottom, with a GP band and a red metal cap, which has the inscription “Kerry Since 1971.”  The final three are from a 2023 collection with the models VNA (slight purplish tint on cap), BZNA (copper tint on cap), and ZNA2 (shiny stainless steel cap).  All three contain the inscription “Pentel 5” and feature a demonstrator body (separated by the GP band).  The bands on all 4 of these pens present the typical central band pattern on most of the Pentel-Kerry pencils.

 

 

 

The next is the WWO model, a 2023 issue, with a white body and white cap, along with the typical stainless steel band pattern.  That band pattern distinguishes it from the PEPH3-038W “CDT” model seen way above here. 

  

 

 

There are two newer all-black models, both issued in 2023.  First, is the AAO, which sports an all-black body and a black band with the typical pattern, along with a black metal cap.  Second is the AZO, which has body and band identical to that of the AAO, along with a brushed stainless steel cap.

 

 

 

 

Before I purchased these pencils on eBay, I found the model numbers, searched each, and then bought from the seller with the best overall price (with shipping).  There are huge differences between sellers’ prices, so it pays to go through that process.

 

 

[ajcoleman]

Congratulations! Very nice additions to your collection. 

 

 

[Intensity]

On 6/22/2025 at 5:36 PM, donnweinberg said:

Hello, friends.  As I’ve recently added a few more Pentel-Kerry P-1035 models to my collection, I wanted to share some photos with you.

 

In this photo are 4 pens that I believe were issued in 2023.  The top one, a P-1035-BXDQ, has a bright red plastic bottom, with a GP band and a red metal cap, which has the inscription “Kerry Since 1971.”  The final three are from a 2023 collection with the models VNA (slight purplish tint on cap), BZNA (copper tint on cap), and ZNA2 (shiny stainless steel cap).  All three contain the inscription “Pentel 5” and feature a demonstrator body (separated by the GP band).  The bands on all 4 of these pens present the typical central band pattern on most of the Pentel-Kerry pencils.

 

 

 

The next is the WWO model, a 2023 issue, with a white body and white cap, along with the typical stainless steel band pattern.  That band pattern distinguishes it from the PEPH3-038W “CDT” model seen way above here. 

  

 

 

There are two newer all-black models, both issued in 2023.  First, is the AAO, which sports an all-black body and a black band with the typical pattern, along with a black metal cap.  Second is the AZO, which has body and band identical to that of the AAO, along with a brushed stainless steel cap.

 

 

 

 

Before I purchased these pencils on eBay, I found the model numbers, searched each, and then bought from the seller with the best overall price (with shipping).  There are huge differences between sellers’ prices, so it pays to go through that process.

 

 

I am very curious about the Korean LEs.  Is the sparkly stuff in black embedded into the plastic on top, or is it all a paint coating for the metal grip and the top plastic barrel?  How is the finish quality?  Early reports of that release had some problematic quality control defects.  

 

Congratulations on your additions!

[donnweinberg]

On 7/31/2025 at 1:19 PM, Intensity said:

I am very curious about the Korean LEs.  Is the sparkly stuff in black embedded into the plastic on top, or is it all a paint coating for the metal grip and the top plastic barrel?  How is the finish quality?  Early reports of that release had some problematic quality control defects.  

 

Great question to which I don’t know the answer.  I just put these pencils into my collection but use only a few of the more common ones.  I’d be interested in reading the early reports to which you refer, so I can look out for such problems.  

[PennyTheDog]

On 7/3/2023 at 11:51 AM, MYU said:

Fantastic write-up of the Pentel "5" Kerry, Don! Impressive collection. I have to fight against clutter in my realm, so I stuck with just a few. Love this design. Pentel really hit a homerun with this design, and the fact that they're still making it proves that.

 

I love both of those clear demonstrators! Between my two sons and me, we have a black, two different blues, and a red.