Discontinued Pens People Still Want (2027 List)

Lineup of five discontinued pens standing tip down: the Pilot Explorer retractable rollerball, uni-ball Signo Bit, Pentel Hybrid Gel Roller, Pilot 78G fountain pen in black with gold-tone trim, and the Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.25 mm with its clear barrel — The five confirmed discontinued pens, closed. Drawn in proportion, since only two lengths are published; the first three are drawn in neutral colors.

Products compared

Product	Brand origin	Made in	Price range
Pilot Explorer retractable rollerballPilot	Japan	Not stated^*	Price range: $
uni-ball Signo Bit gel pen (0.18 mm)uni-ball	Japan	Not stated^*	Price range: $
Pentel Hybrid Gel Roller (K105)Pentel	Japan	Not stated^*	Price range: $
Pilot 78G fountain penPilot	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $$
Pilot Hi-Tec-C gel pen, 0.25 mm (LH-20C25)Pilot	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $

Notes on these facts

Pilot Explorer retractable rollerball: Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan). Country of manufacture not stated: None of the sources we found states where the original Explorer rollerball was made. Pilot later reused the Explorer name for a fountain pen (The Pen Addict, 2023); that is a different pen.
uni-ball Signo Bit gel pen (0.18 mm): Made by Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd. (Japan). Country of manufacture not stated: The Pen Addict's reviews (2008–2010) don't state a country of manufacture, and Mitsubishi Pencil no longer lists the pen.
Pentel Hybrid Gel Roller (K105): Made by ASTRUM Corporation (Tokyo), called Pentel Co., Ltd. until April 1, 2026; Pentel remains the brand. Country of manufacture not stated: The Pen Addict's 2010 and 2011 posts give the model (K105) and 0.7 mm tip but no country of manufacture.
Pilot 78G fountain pen: Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan). Made in Japan: Unsharpen lists Japan as the country of origin for the 78G. Its successor, the 78G+, is sold mainly in China, per Unsharpen; we found no source for where the 78G+ is made. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Wonder Pens says the 78G was originally released in 1991. Wonder Pens announced its discontinuation on November 27, 2016, and Unsharpen says it was officially discontinued in 2016.
Pilot Hi-Tec-C gel pen, 0.25 mm (LH-20C25): Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan). Made in Japan: Unsharpen lists Japan as the Hi-Tec-C's country of origin. This entry is the discontinued 0.25 mm size; the current 0.3–0.5 mm range has its own guide. Source.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

Pilot made the 78G fountain pen from 1991 until 2016, when it was replaced by the 78G+, sold mainly in China, per Wonder Pens and Unsharpen.
The Pen Addict called the 0.18 mm uni-ball Signo Bit discontinued in September 2013; uni-ball had marketed it as the world's thinnest pen.
Pilot's Japanese catalog now starts the Hi-Tec-C at 0.3 mm (LH-20C3); the 0.25 mm LH-20C25 is gone from it and sold only while stocks last.
Several pens often called discontinued are still made, including the uni-ball Signo UM-151, listed in Japan at ¥165 (about US$1.00), and Sakura's 13-color Gelly Roll Stardust.
A maker's notice is the only proof a pen has ended; an out-of-stock listing or a single dealer's 'discontinued' flag usually means one pack size, color or market.

What discontinued pens are people still looking for?

The modern discontinued pens people still ask after most are the Pilot Explorer rollerball, the uni-ball Signo Bit, the Pentel Hybrid Gel Roller, the Pilot 78G and the 0.25 mm Pilot Hi-Tec-C. We list only pens whose end is confirmed by a maker’s catalog or a reputable reviewer. We haven’t handled these pens ourselves.

Pilot Explorer rollerball (Pilot). A retractable liquid-ink rollerball whose heyday was the 1980s and 1990s, per The Pen Addict, which found it had all but vanished by the early 2000s. The Pen Addict’s editor picked it in 2015 as the discontinued pen he most wanted back.
uni-ball Signo Bit (Mitsubishi Pencil). A 0.18 mm gel pen marketed as the “World’s Thinnest Pen”, per The Pen Addict. The Pen Addict reviewed it in March 2008 and called it discontinued in September 2013.
Pentel Hybrid Gel Roller K105 (Pentel). A long, sleek 0.7 mm gel pen, in The Pen Addict’s words. A Pen Addict reader said in October 2010 that he could no longer find it anywhere online, and the site called it discontinued in May 2011.
Pilot 78G (Pilot). A Japanese steel-nib fountain pen made from 1991 until 2016, per Wonder Pens. Unsharpen says the 78G+, sold mainly in China, replaced it.
Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.25 mm, LH-20C25 (Pilot). The finest size of the needle-tip gel pen. Pilot’s Japanese catalog now starts at 0.3 mm, so the 0.25 mm survives only as shop stock.

How do the five compare?

All five are Japanese, three are gel or rollerball pens, and only the 78G has a published start and end year.

Pen	Type	Ended	Evidence	Closest current pen	Band when sold new
Pilot Explorer	Rollerball	No date found; scarce by the early 2000s	The Pen Addict, 2012 and 2015	Pilot V-Ball RT Extra Fine (Pen Addict); Pilot Precise V5 RT	$
uni-ball Signo Bit	Gel, 0.18 mm	No date found; called discontinued in 2013	The Pen Addict, 2009 and 2013	uni-ball Signo UM-151 0.28 mm	$
Pentel Hybrid Gel Roller	Gel, 0.7 mm	No date found; gone by 2010–2011	The Pen Addict, 2010 and 2011	Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip 0.8 mm (Pen Addict); Pentel EnerGel	$
Pilot 78G	Fountain pen	2016	Wonder Pens; Unsharpen	Pilot Metropolitan; 78G+ in China	$$
Hi-Tec-C 0.25 mm	Gel, needle tip	No date found	Absent from Pilot’s Japanese catalog	Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm	$

The band is the typical price when the pen was sold new: the 78G’s from Unsharpen’s listed MSRP, the others our estimate from comparable pens. The Pen Addict’s substitutes date from 2011–2012, and leftover stock can cost more.

Which “discontinued” pens are actually still made?

Many pens people call discontinued are still in their maker’s catalog; they are just hard to buy in the US, or one color or pack has ended.

Pen	Status on October 21, 2026
uni-ball Signo DX (UM-151)	Current: Mitsubishi Pencil’s Japanese site lists 0.28, 0.38 and 0.5 mm at ¥165 (about US$1.00)
Pilot G-Tec-C4	Current: the export name of the 0.4 mm Hi-Tec-C
Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust, Moonlight	Current: Sakura lists Stardust in 13 colors
LAMY studio	Current: still on LAMY’s site
Parker Vector	Narrowed: per Parkerpens.net, standard Vectors have mainly been sold business-to-business since 2013
uni-ball Vision Elite, Paper Mate Write Bros	Single packs dropped by some dealers (Staples suggests the Paper Mate Profile); no line-wide notice found
Pilot Petit1	Unconfirmed: a 2026 blog says it’s out of production; Unsharpen still lists it as sold
Sharpie stainless steel refillable pen	Unconfirmed: one 2018 forum post quotes Sharpie customer service saying it was discontinued
Pentel EnerGel, Zebra Sarasa, Pilot Precise Grip, Pilot Vanishing Point, Kaweco Sport, Pentel Pocket Brush	No maker notice found; current versions are on sale

How can you tell if a pen is discontinued?

Check the maker’s own catalog in its home language first; a pen missing from it, plus a dated report, is good evidence. Some Japanese makers also publish discontinued lists, such as CARL’s 生産終了品/後継品一覧, which names a successor where there is one.

Be wary of single signals. A dealer’s “discontinued” flag often covers one pack size, and some endings are regional: Mitsubishi Pencil’s Japanese refill page says the Signo 207 body is no longer made, yet US packs are still sold, as our Signo 207 guide explains.

Where can you buy new old stock?

Start with Japanese-pen importers and the shops that announced the discontinuation, then pen shows, Reddit’s r/Pen_Swap and eBay. Wonder Pens, for example, said it stocked up on 78Gs as soon as it heard the news.

Prices for leftovers rise as stock dries up, so compare several listings and ask for photos of the tip and packaging.

Are refills still made?

Sometimes, so check refill compatibility before you pay a premium. Fountain pens are the easiest case: Wonder Pens says the 78G’s nibs are interchangeable with the Metropolitan’s and Prera’s, so a damaged nib can be replaced.

Pilot Japan says it sells no refill for the Hi-Tec-C, though export refills exist in current sizes. We found no sourced refill information for the Explorer, Signo Bit or Hybrid Gel Roller, so treat each as a pen that writes until its ink runs out.

Should you stock up?

Only for a pen you use daily, and only while it costs close to its old price. Old stock may not write when it arrives, so buy a few rather than a lifetime supply and test them on arrival.

What about older pens?

Pens made before about 1970 are vintage, a different market of restored and collected pens. See our vintage fountain pens guide for the Parker 51, Sheaffer Snorkel and other classics.

Frequently asked questions

Is the uni-ball Signo DX discontinued?

No. Mitsubishi Pencil's Japanese site still lists the uni-ball Signo UM-151, the pen importers sell as the Signo DX, in 0.28, 0.38 and 0.5 mm. uni-ball doesn't sell it in the US, which is why it can be hard to find.

Is the Pilot G-Tec-C4 discontinued?

No. The G-Tec-C4 is the export name for the 0.4 mm Pilot Hi-Tec-C, which Pilot's Japanese catalog still lists. The size Pilot has dropped is the 0.25 mm, model LH-20C25.

What replaced the Pilot 78G?

The 78G+, which Unsharpen says replaced it in 2016 and is sold mainly in China. Outside China, Unsharpen notes that most buyers choose the Pilot Metropolitan instead; Wonder Pens says the nibs are interchangeable.

Was the Pilot Explorer brought back?

Not the rollerball. Pilot reused the Explorer name for a fountain pen; The Pen Addict's 2023 review of it calls the original Explorer a discontinued rollerball that is really hard to find.

What is the finest gel pen you can still buy new?

Among widely sold pens, the 0.28 mm uni-ball Signo UM-151 and the 0.3 mm Pilot Hi-Tec-C, since the 0.18 mm Signo Bit and 0.25 mm Hi-Tec-C are gone. Both are Japanese makers' current catalog items.

How do I find out if a pen is discontinued?

Check the maker's own catalog in its home language, then look for a maker notice or discontinued list. A dealer's 'discontinued' flag or an out-of-stock listing often means only one pack, color or market has ended.

Are Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pens discontinued?

No. Sakura's global product page listed Gelly Roll Stardust in 13 glitter colors when we read it on October 21, 2026. Individual colors in sets may change, so check the color name before buying.

Sources (22)

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