When did these pens come from?

January 25, 2012 7:23 AM

Cleaning out the supply cabinet at work and I come across a box of dried up old pens. They look sufficiently old enough to be interesting. When might these pens have been made? Are they gel or standard ink?

The box is new enough that is has a UPC, but old enough it says Pentel Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan. The pens were made in Japan, per the box. None of the pens write anymore (of if they do, it's not consistent enough to be considered writing quality).

I'd just like any information I can find as far as manufacture, type of pen, ink composition, and most important to me, when they might have been made (so I can see how long they've been in that cabinet. Google's not helping or I'm stupid.

Thanks!

(I can take more pictures on request, including that of the pen itself. Just have to rescue one from file 13.)

posted by deezil to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

From the picture on the box, those look a lot like pens that came out when I was in High School in the mid 90s. They wrote like crap and everybody hated them. That could be why they got shoved in a cabinet to begin with.
posted by TooFewShoes at 7:27 AM on January 25, 2012

I've got a load of those in my drawer (well, mine are the original Hybrid model. not the Hybrid-2). No idea when I bought them - late 90s, probably. They were very common, at least here in the UK. I have a mix that includes metallic and highligher versions. The refills are still available, as far as I know. I can't easily tell, but I'd guess they were early gel pens (possibly before they started using the term). I vaguely recall them being really scratchy if you didn't hold them at a very upright angle.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:34 AM on January 25, 2012

Best answer: A Pentel KF6 refill now is gel ink, and I'm not sure whether anyone would change the constitution while keeping the product code - so probably gel rather than ballpoint, yes.

The design of the pen itself is identical to the Pentel Hybrids that I was first using around 1997. They do seem to be fairly conservative a company in design though, as I bought Superb ballpoints recently with identical barrel and cap design to these.

My gut says something like 1995 from the box and copy, but it honestly could be any time, if the graphics dept weren't too fussed about being up-to-date!

PS, just noticed the words 'Will not glop'. Best thing I've read all week. :)
posted by lokta at 7:36 AM on January 25, 2012

Best answer: "An Introduction to the Gel Pen," Journal of Forensic Sciences, JFSCA, Vol. 41, No. 3, May 1996, pp. 503-504.

Four brands of Japanese gel inks have been obtained and examined: the Uni-Ball Signo by Mitsubishi Pen, the Zebra J-5 gel pen, the Pentel Hybrid-2, and the Sakura Gelly Roll. Only the Gelly Roll and the Pentel Hybrid-2 have been found to be currently on the market in Southern California.

posted by elsietheeel at 7:56 AM on January 25, 2012 [3 favorites]

Have you tried googling the UPC?

Here are some that are still available: http://www.slsarts.com/defaultframe.asp
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:09 PM on January 25, 2012

I have used those pens. They are terrible.
posted by freshwater at 5:14 PM on January 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The "Hybrid" name on the box is trademarked. It looks like this trademark was first registered in June 1996. So the pens are, at the very least, newer than that.
posted by peanut butter milkshake at 11:16 PM on January 26, 2012

Response by poster: UPC didn't google well, Mr. Yuck.

I agree with everyone that they are some of the most terrible pens ever, and that's why they ended up in the trash.

Thanks everyone for your answers, my curiosity is sated for the time being :)
posted by deezil at 5:38 AM on February 1, 2012