Pentel Multi 8- Artist Reviews Pencils

Hey Artnerds! Today we're taking a look at an unusal mechanical pencil that houses 8 colored leads- the Pentel Multi 8! In Japan, it's used for corrections- there's even an alternate version geared even more towards editing. In the US? It's sold for Bible journaling and coloring. But what does this artist think?
Pentel Multi 8
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8 color automatic pencil
2mm leads
Refills available
Get your own:
Clear Body: amzn.to/33hS7wr (around $22.05)
Grey Body- $31.11 on Amazon: amzn.to/35s0SXI
Refill: $10.49 on Amazon: amzn.to/2FcoMvE
Packaging:
Plastic Sleeve+ Foam Insert
Simple and elegant, but it takes up a lot of space and creates more waste
This is the English and Japanese release, so instructions are in English and in Japanese
Pencil inside is grey, clear, silver, and black.
Plastic sleeve:
Simpler packaging- a reusable plastic sleeve with instructions inside. Pencil is mostly clear with yellow tip
This pencil is misaligned- I'll have to mess with it off camera to get it to release the selected leads correctly
The Pencil:
No real grip, but some grooves to help with grip towards front of pencil
This is the PH802 model, designed for checking use
This includes Diazo Non Copy pink and PPC Non Copy light blue, which could make it an ideal clutch style lead holder for artists.
This thing is honestly really neat- I wish Pentel would release a .7mm and .5mm Multi 8 mechanical pencil as well!
Clutch style pencil
Holds 8 different leads
Recommends that you only use their leads
Note: Realignment is simple- just extend the lead and adjust the arrow on the top ring to match the knotch, then put the lead back into the body.
Selector moves with a ratcheting movement
PPC blue is different in both pencils- the clear one has a much lighter lead
Actually many of the colors in these two pencils differ- no pink in the Japanese one, the greens differ
Will have to swatch all the colors in both pencils for comparison
The PH803 (not shown today) includes two pens and graphite: amzn.to/35ze39p
US release treats it like a color pencil: amzn.to/2Fnqtpu
In that regard, it's similar to the Zebra Zensations (reviewed on this channel): amzn.to/3k0uP54 or the INC Colorpoints (also reviewed on this channel)
If you want to put a fresh point on these, you'll need a lead pointer.
US Refill Leads (Marketed under Pentel Arts)
Definitely marketed more towards coloring than towards sketching or correction
Like most US products, it's blister packed in totally disposable packaging.
Pentel recommends you only refill with their Multi 8 Refills
these refills have a metal cap at the back and are cut to a specific size- the metal cap probably helps reduce breakage
Multi 8 container samller than regular small Pentel lead container
Contains two refills
This package contains:
Red
Blue
Yellow
Brown
Green
Orange
Blue (light)
Pink
And corresponds with the US release of the pencil
Swatches:
so Diazo Non Copy doesnt look pink as a lead, but it is pink
No snapping with the Japanese leads
Color order is different, and colors are different. While I swatched in order as they appeared on the pencil, I also moved my swatches around so we could compare colors.
Japanese pencil has colors labelled, US pencil does not.
Leads are fairly soft- could potentially be blendable if you wished to use this for coloring
Pink snapped with very little pressure in the US pencil
Too finicky a pencil to give to younger children, but older kids might get the hang of it quick
Would not recommend for school use
If you drop this pencil on a hard surface, lead may snap
Erasing: Neither really erase- probably not great for sketching, maybe good for class demonstration?
Sketching:
Not overly bulky for an 8 color clutch pencil
Lead dulls quickly- you really need a lead pointer with this one
Again, this doesn't erase easily, so if you enjoy the ability to correct your mistakes, this might not be a great fit for your sketching needs
Inking:
No Issues with Inking
The Verdict:
Definitely more interesting than your average lead holder, but the fact that you HAVE to use Pentel Multi 8 Lead is quite limiting, as that may be difficult to find, and you may prefer to use your favorite brand, or may even wish to put graphite leads in rather than colored leads. For folks who like to work large, this could be a great addition to your toolkit, although it's not recommended for school use. For coloring, I find the color range fairly limiting, and would not recommend it in most instances, particularly not over the Zebra Zensations.
Music:
Kevin MacLeod
Tranquility
Silver Blue Light
Meditation Impromptu 03
#PentelMulti8 #Pentel #leadholder

[@spiritsjoy]

You can use other leads in these, you just have to use lead shorter than the metal top of the regular refills. Also the light blue in the clear model is just regular light blue lead, the grey version has the non photo blue.

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

This was a great review. When I got my Grey version one it came with the additional extra leads (2 each) for all 8 colors. I also was able to get a purple set of lead for the Multi 8. I definitely agree that it’s not for children under 10. I really enjoy using mine for drawing for Plein Air & Urban Sketching. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful mechanical pencil.

[@UJB123]

Snapping was you … push the lead in some more, it doesn’t need to be so far out. Don’t grind on your pencils if you can help it. 😊 I use it for coloring in small things when out urban sketching. I love it!

[@Blueappleegg]

Thank you for this vid! I was able to fix the jam in my pencil!!

[@penelopefp]

This is a really good review video!! Thank you for reviewing the packaging and showing the instructions. I've purchased some Zensations and I'm curious to watch your review video to see if our opinions are the same. 🙂

[@CAMERADACTYLCameras]

I think you can buy 0.5mm and 0.7mm pencil components for multipens. I hate them because they're inevitably wiggly, and in particular thin colored leads are very brittle, but with enough multipen pencil components you could make yourself a large multicolor pencil. I myself am looking for something like a pilot neox or uni nano dia in 2mm which would be erasable, but strong enough to put down a dark line, which is how i found this video. colored pencils have a ways to go for what I want to use them for

[@michelletulumello661]

Wanted to give you a heads up that you can buy the non reproducible blue and pink on Jet pens individually. Thank you for the review. I really love these and just bought the American version.

[@vermis8344]

Nice review and demo. Thanks! I might not have been paying attention at one point. What makes other leads incompatible with this? Is it the metal cap on the Pentel leads? (Kinda reminds me of the Mitsubishi Uni clutch pencil, where the lead had a plastic cap to stop it falling all the way out the clutch mechanism at the front.) I've tried making a multi-mechanical pencil, bodging Bic 0.7mm pencil mechanisms into Uni Style-Fit multipens, both the 3-way and 5-way versions. (After which, the idea of putting caps on 2mm leads holds no terror) Works alright for graphite, but the way the mechanisms had to bend to emerge from the tip of the pen was not conducive to maintaining the integrity of coloured leads. I.e. the bleedin' things always broke. I would guess it might be the same for any other mechanical pencil in a similar setup. Also, the big 5-way was just very awkward and uncomfortable to hold.

[@derkrank]

Gracias

[@1Clairecijntje]

Hello! Thank you very much for the review! If you really must erase, the Faber-Castell Perfection eraser pencil with the brush at the end (as well as other comparable erasers), does a good job. Of erasing, that is, not of keeping the paper flawless.... So in the end it is just a matter of what matters most in every case. Have a nice evening.

[@LL-nw6cd]

Great presentation and video. I think the pink snapped cos you had the lead protruding too much. :)