[Pen/Pencil Review] Pentel V Feel 0.5mm Red Ink Retractable

Today’s pen comes from the impulsive trip to Kinokuniya a while back. It’s been something floating around in the pen bag but as I have quite a bit of editing and other writing to do, I have a feeling this will get quite a bit of use. It’s from Pentel but it’s also a bit of a mystery. The clip says “V Feel” – but I can’t find it online anywhere…so here goes.

I believe the “V Feel” is part of the Vicuna line of pens. The ink seems consistent with the Vicuna which is an extremely low-viscosity ball point ink with a very smooth ball point. The ink is rich for the fine point line – this pen came in my favorite 0.5mm point. There’s a tiny bit of smearing on smoother paper – but in the most cases it’s negligible.

The barrel matches the ink, but it’s a translucent plastic so you can see the ink levels (which is always a perk to me). The mechanism is smooth and secure. The grip is a slightly softer rubber, and the lines of the pen are comfortable. It’s about 5.75″ long – which is just a touch longer than a standard retractable pen. The clip a “push clip” like Sarasa is known for – with the spring like a clothes pen that I have found I really do like.

It’s a great workhorse of a pen. I will be using it a A LOT in the upcoming weeks. It’s a nice little pen. It was reasonably priced at Kinokuniya at $1.95, but you have to go to one of their stores. Like I said before, I can’t find these online – or I’m not looking at the right line or something. I do believe it’s refillable – but I’m assuming it’s the Vicuna line of refills. One can only experiment to find out. Might be worth it.

The Numbers.

1. How does it work? – 1 – This is a solid working pen. The ink is good. The point is solid. The retractor mechanism is pretty standard.
2. Look and feel – 1 – It’s a decent pen, but it has a good look and feel – good hand feel with a nod to ergonomics and balance.
3. Material – 0.5 – It’s your basic plastic retractable pen with a translucent barrel so you can see the ink. Decent grip.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s functional. It’s an average length retractable pen with some artistic details and a great clip. It’s got a good color ink and fine point. It’s a good point.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – This pen is affordable but not the cheapest pen ever. At Kinokuniya, they run $1.95. It is refillable. HOWEVER, I can’t seem to find this particular pen anywhere else, not even on Jetpens or Tokyo Pen Shop.

4.0 out of 5 bronze pencils.