Pentel Tradio EnerGel Combo – Nature Matte Grey
What is it? A funky looking gel pen with a uniquely textured body.
Notes: It’s not often that I pick up a pen and immediately fall in love with it. The Tradio EnerGel combo takes the unique body of the Tradio, but makes it compatible with the EnerGel refill. The pen comes loaded with a standard black 0.5mm refill, but I opted to swap in the 0.7mm Needle Tip in blue. It. Is. Great. Read on to find out more about this great everyday pen!
Check out JetPens for tons of awesome Japanese pens and stationery. Free shipping on orders over $25, and hitting that is always an easy task!
The Tradio is a great everyday pen. The size, refill, cap, looks and grip check all the boxes for me. I’ve been carrying it nearly every single day and find myself feeling lost without it. I’m not sure if it’s the subdued grey body (that has a slight texture) or the funky lines, but this pen just resonates with me. The grip section has a light texture to it that helps during longer writing sessions. I really like how it tapers off into the refill tip, it leaves plenty of room so you can see precisely where the line is going down on the page. The pen is light enough so that you don’t feel tired after using it, but has just enough weight as to not feel cheap. It’s still very light though.
I’ve always been a fan of needle point refills, and the Pentel EnerGel LRN7 in blue is one of the best ones I’ve tried. It’s silky smooth, has great flow, and leaves a vibrant line behind. While I did like the standard conical tipped refill that came with the pen, I preferred the needlepoint.
My one gripe with the pen is how the cap clicks on. It’s not super secure and I wish that it had a bit more grab to it. The clip is nice and robust, but that doesn’t do much if I’m worried about the cap just coming off. If they made it so that it was more secure, I’d say it’s a pretty ideal pen for me. If you like what you see, you can grab one from JetPens for around $9.
You can pick up the Pentel Tradio EnerGel from JetPens here.
Gallery:
edjelley.com - Fountain Pen, Ink, and Stationery Reviews 
Thanks for featuring this pen. I’ve been using the Tradio daily for about a year. My only grip with the Tradio is the cap: I’ve discovered the cap easily splits when posted (i.e, the cap is prone to hairline cracks along the ‘seam’ if it’s posted too far).
Absolutely. Yes! I bought a box of 12 Tradio 07 Gel and I’m now on my 4th after about 6 months. A hairline crack appears along the cap and gets worse as time goes on. Pentel have either used a non-malleable material or made the cap grip too tight to hold it in place. Ambient temperature by the way also seems to play its part too. Very cold temperatures cause the cracking to occur sooner. There are 2 tricks that help to improve matters. 1) Carefully drill out the grip lugs in the cap with a 10mm drill bit which of course will make it less tight on the body of the pen and/or 2) place a 12.2mm diameter metal ring around the base of the cap. Doesn’t look too pretty, but seems to work.
Reading this review inspired me to pull my Trading out of the drawer, swap in LRN7-V needle point (I agree they are a bit smoother and/or wetter for some reason) and start using it again. Lightweight, good looking, ergonomic. I share your gripe about the cap, but so far no cracks. I have a matching pen with the T radio felt tip, but the energel is better for general use
i have this exact same pen brand, design, and color finish BUT as a fountain pen, instead of as a gel pen. it’s interesting to see how the pen looks exactly the same when capped, yet when uncapped the whole grip section all the way to the nib is totally different. and i have to agree with you, Pentel pen is a great, cheap and reliable writing instrument. i have yet to have any problem with my Tradio fountain pen.
Not many Tradios that I don’t have in my collection. You can refill with any of the EnerGels, the 0.5mm pencil or the Pentel fountain pen. One of Pentels best kept secrets.
I really love this pen!
One of Pentels under rated pens. I have about 40 of these Tradios and they will take any of the Energel refills, fountain pen and the 0.5mm pentel. Many more colors are available overseas.