This time I am writing about the PF330 (PF335, PF337 & PF339) series of pencils that Pentel put out for writing on plastic film. These pencils are marked so that they can be identified easily that they contain the specific lead for this use, although they can use standard pencil lead as well.
All of the pencils in this series have the same creme color body, with the text and text color denoting the size (brown/dark red for 0.5mm, blue for 0.7mm and orange for 0.9mm).
PF335 Generation 2
This is one of the two newest PF series that I have received. I got it in June 2017 in a collection of pencils. This is the only PF pencil I have that does not have any text on it, but it does have the molded 0.5m/m on the bottom. All of the PF335 models have a sliding sleeve tip. Because these pencils use a special lead, they do not normally come with an eraser, but rather a black rubber stopper. I received this particular pencil with a standard green eraser instead of the stopper, indicating that it was probably used with standard pencil lead.
I classified this as a Generation 2, but I am not absolutely certain that the text was not removed from the side, since it looks to have been well worn. I know that there were Generation 3 of these pencils, but this is the only one of these I have ever seen.
PF335 Generation 3
Here is a true Generation 3 PF335 with brown text. In this generation, the word FILM is all capitalized in the text, as well as the molded size on the bottom of the pencil. I picked this one up at the beginning of 2017. I can see this version of the pencil on the cover of the German 1975 catalog (at the bottom right), so it goes back that far at least.
PF335 Generation 4
One of the earlier pencils in my collection, from 2012, this Generation 4 pencil with brown text is where Pentel dropped the molded size from the bottom of the pencil.
PF335 Generation 4 (with Red Text)
I received this pencil (and another one) in a batch at the same time as the Generation 2 above. The only difference between it and the Generation 4 above is the color of the text. Even more than the pictures above, when they are sitting side by side there is a very distinct difference in color.
PF335 Generation 5
This pencil was in my dad’s effects when he passed away and I took it for myself. He used regular pencil lead in it at his job, but I have replaced it with the correct Film lead.
Generation 5, as commented about in other posts, was a major changeover in production for the P200 family of pencils. In this case, the most visible exterior change is the common dropping of the “/” in the mm, and on the PF pencils, the word Film is now in upper and lower case.
PF337 Generation 4
I picked up this pencil (as well as the PF339 Gen 4) in 2014. It uses the 0.7mm sliding sleeve for the tip, and does not have a molded size on the bottom. As mentioned at the top, this pencil uses blue ink for the text.
PF337 Generation 4.5
I picked this pencil up in 2012 and for the longest time, I thought that this generation was a distinct generation, not just a hybrid due to changing the manufacturing process and using up older parts (Generation 5 outer body & Generation 4 inner body & cap).
PF337 Generation 5
I picked up this pencil in 2016 and it is a true Generation 5 (as opposed to the Generation 4.5 above). The interior pieces are now all Generation 5 to match the outer body.
PF339 Generation 4
The 0.9mm pencils do not have a sliding sleeve available, so the PF339 pencils use the standard 4mm fixed tip on them, as well as orange ink for the text. Otherwise, this pencil is the same style as the other PF Generation 4 pencils.
PF339 Generation 5
I am not sure when or where I got this pencil, as I have lost the receipt and the information is not in my database. It is the standard Generation 5 with the upper and lower case and no “/”.
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