Tombow remains a deeply underrated “sleeper” Japanese stationery brand. Known more in the states for their art supplies than writing instruments, Tombow also offers a deep lineup of pens and pencils. We’ve long carried the Tombow 2558 woodcase pencils - one of the best standard office pencils around - as well as the high-end Tombow Mono in various degrees of graphite. This year, we’ve expanded our selection of Tombow “shaker” mechanical pencils, and just recently added pens, including the L105 ballpoint and “Airpress” pressurized pen!
The L105 belongs to a class of ballpoints that I’ve recently come to enjoy: full-sized retractable ballpoints (as opposed to multi-pens) that use the universal D1-sized refill. The L105 is a cylindrical twist pen that ships with a standard .5mm Tombow ballpoint refill, but which is also compatible with other D1 cartridges like the Uni Jetstream and the Zebra Sharbo gel refills. Similar to the mechanism in the Craighill Kepler pen, the D1 refill attaches to a longer “holder” inside the pen body, allowing you to use a full-sized twist or click mechanism to extend the tip.
I keep one of these Tombow extendable Mono erasers in my pencil case at all times!
Finally, we recently expanded our range of Tombow Mono extendable erasers. Now available in three different formats (rectangular, 2.3mm round, and 3.8mm “Mono Knock” round), Tombow makes some of the best erasers on the market. The “Mono” line sets the standard for me personally, whether it’s a retractable stick eraser or the standard Mono block erasers. They erase cleanly and without much residue. Pencil lovers should have at least one stand-alone Tombow eraser in their kit!
The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Tombow and other brands sold. TGS is supported entirely by purchases from the Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.