This is a well crafted pencil and I love the design of it. I used to use Pentel GraphGear 500 and was always dropping them which would inevitably bend the tip rendering the pencil useless. I balked at the price of this rOtring, but have read great things about them so I chose the model with the retractable tip.
Pencil Feel/Balance - The balance of the pencil took a while getting used to, and I still don't think I'm fully there. The balance is smack dab in the middle of the pencil. The GraphGear 500 is closer to the end of the metal grip. This is only about a 1" difference, however I've found my arm gets tired much faster while using the rOtring to take notes quickly than it does with the Pentel. What this means is that I've relegated the rOtring to work use and exams/homework, while the Pentel still stays in my rotation as a note taker.
Lead Advancement - The click to advance on the rOtring takes a while to get used to. When you first press the cap, the tip extends ~3/32" and then hits a stop. At this point, you continue pressing and the lead advances. There is no need to release all the way between lead advancing clicks, just let off a little. When I'm in a rush, I often feel as though I advanced the lead with the first click but nothing happened, which takes more time to redo the motion.
Retraction - The rotation to retract the tip is wonderful. No more worrying about where the pencil is on the desk and if you'll knock it off and bend the tip. However, a note as others have said, ride the mechanism to fully retracted with your fingers (slowing the motion) to avoid it from slamming home. What I found is constantly retracting the tip whenever I set the pencil down (which could be every few minutes while I pick up reference material), was causing the lead to break (see more on this below).
Eraser - The eraser has a metal poker attached to it to help clear lead jams in the thin tip. Others have said it uses standard Pentel eraser refills, but I haven't tried this yet. I use Pentel Hi-Polymer erasers since they're the same material, cheaper and faster to use than removing the eraser protective cap.
Breaking lead - Within a few days after receiving this pencil, I started noticing the lead was breaking off in ~1cm pieces. Being the engineer that I am, I disassembled the pencil (twist to remove the knurled end) and started investigating why. Some reviews (here and else where) stated that this was due to a bent tip. In my case, the gold tip that makes up the first 3/4" of the pencil had loosened ever so slightly from the silver part. From what I can tell, when this gold tip is not fully seated, it is allowed to rock ever so slightly due to the nature of threads, when writing. This causes the lead holder to no longer be concentric to the gold tip and snap, the lead breaks. The solution that I found is to grip the silver ring (just below the spring) with my left thumb/forefinger and grip the gold tip with my right thumb/forefinger and tighten the gold tip as much as I can. The lead no longer breaks. However, after another week or two, I found another piece of lead was broken, so I employed this fix and didn't find another. This solution makes me want to apply some sort of adhesive on these threads to prevent the gold tip from loosening, but I haven't decided exactly what to use. A small dab of loctite (200 series or blue, i.e. NOT permanent red threadlocker) may be sufficient. I did contact rOtring about this problem and it took them nearly a week to respond. When they did, they wanted me to prove that I own the pencil (picture), proof of purchase (receipt), contact information, and what the problem was. They obviously did not read the email I sent and they may have just offered to replace the pencil, but it seemed like too much of a hassle to continue with that. Since, for the most part, this is a great pencil. If the lead breaks once a week, and I lose a 1cm length piece, that is a loss of maybe $0.1. It would take a long time for this to add up to the cost of replacement Pentel GraphGear 500 pencils that I was continually replacing due to bent tips.
Final thoughts - This is a great pencil. The black anodizing, red text and gold accents scream this is a quality utensil. The entire pencil is metal and feels very well built with attention to detail. Yes, it does break lead, but before completely discounting this pencil, figure out who much each little 1cm piece of lead actually costs. I think its a drop in the bucket and not worth fussing about. Keep an eye on the price though, it does fluctuate quite a bit and will drop down to a reasonable amount.
Haven't really spent more than a few bucks on pencils before, and I'd pretty much given up on them and swapped to pens for a the better writing experience, but I have to say this is by far the best pencil I've ever owned for several reasons.
1.) It feels great. It's got some real weight to it but a really nice balance. If you ever loan it to someone it's the first thing they'll comment on. It's easy and comfortable to hold and just looks great in the hand. I loaned it once to my mechanical engineering professor (after he had complained that his students should invest in a decent pencil) and he instantly fell in love with it.
2.) The retractable tip makes it pocketable and easy to carry. Too many of my pants/bags have holes in them from where pens/pencils have pushed through and ripped the fabric. It also keeps the lead guide from being bent.
3.) It doesn't have a lot of give in it, despite the crazy retracting mechanism, and holds the lead steady. Now I'm not using this for technical drawings or anything, but for markup it's perfectly acceptable.
4.) Is it expensive? Yes. But because it's an investment you're going to keep track of it (at least I will) so it'll last a long time
I felt obligated to write something about this pencil. This was one of the few times that I didn't read the reviews before ordering what seemed to be the perfect mechanical pencil. Just for the record, I wanted something that was fantastically solid, didn't roll away, and felt precise; I'm not a drafter, an engineer, nor an architect.... My career-life is digital, and I simply wanted something that made me smirk. I'm an avid fountain pen user, and have honestly never given carbon a chance since high school, but to be completely honest, my favorite ink (noodlers baystate blue) didn't work well for quick notes in my Midori passport notebook without inking the opposing back page before drying. I will defend ink to my grave, but for notes..... Yeah, I'm willing to give some slack.
So this lead me into the idea of pencils, or rather, mechanical pencils! If you've looked for a high-end mechanical pencil, then you've undoubtedly stumbled across the rotring 600/800/800+ series. I personally don't want something to replace my finger, so I opted out of the 800+ and simple ordered the regular 800; I already mentioned: I'm not an engineer, drafter, nor architect.
So for the regular person that is wanting to try a nice mechanical pencil..... How exactly does it feel? Simple! This thing feels better than anything else you've ever touched with a graphite core! I'll assume the readers have filtered themselves through a ton of mixed reviews, but I'll just say that unless you've handled some sort of ultra-simple and ultra-high-end drafting pencil..... The 800 will put a smile on your face. The second it touches the first page, you'll feel an immediate connection, or rather a full-blown obligation to excite your very own tactical page-dump. In a nutshell, you'll wish you owned something like this during your high school days.
Does the lead break? No. I swam through over a hundred reviews that boasted the whole lead breaking thing, but I assumed it was because the fittings weren't properly tightened.... I actually feel like I was right. Right out of the mail box it was loose.... Pretty much all of the mechanics were loose in all honesty, but I tightened them before the 'lead' ever hit paper. I haven't had a single break yet. This isn't to say I'll never have one, but while I may not be a technical drawer, nor an engineer, I assume breaks come from wobbly pieces, and these are absolutely stone-solid once you tighten everything.
It wobbles: it does, by definition, have a bit of play. With that said, the "play" is significantly less than any other mechanical pencil I've ever used. The guide tubes in every other mechanical pencil I've ever tried has significantly more play than what I'm seeing with the 800. This may move literally (in definition) a hairs-width when it hits the paper, but it is 1,000 times more precise and less playful than any other mechanical pencil I've ever used.... I'm just someone that wanted a fantastic mechanical pencil, not some engineer or drafter.
It feels like a marshmallow when you advance the lead. Nope, my specific sample is crazy clicks and has insane advancement feedback. Idk if this has been improved, or if This is simply the mindset of someone that isn't in that type of career, but it isn't spongey like I've read at all. Keep in mind that I did tighten everything, so maybe that's why, but I'm not totally sure.
The actual mechanics feel really solid. When you extract the tip, you realize this isn't some sort of cheap Zebra pencil. It is about 1/4th of a turn to manipulate the tip, and it is scary efficient. The second you hit paper with it you'll most definitely smile.
In the end, I'm sure that, by definition, the 600 model will be more precise, but as someone that's not in that type of career where I need to draft or design..... This thing really does make you feel like you've been missing out on the world of graphite. Perhaps I received a premium example, I'm not sure, but after feeling the one I received, I am pretty sure I would return/swap this as many times necessary to eventually get a good one.... It's that nice.
I've read quite a few reviews detailing the lead-breaking problem with these pencils. One solution is found in a front-loaded review, which states that you need to manually tighten the gold portion of the lead holder. This seems completely viable to me. I have both the .5 and .7 pens, however, and I haven't noticed breakage in the .7 model really at all. In my .5 pen, it occurs when I'm absent-minded and overload the lead cartridge. (I don't overload the .7, really, because those leads are so much wider.) So, folks with the .5 may want to restrict the lead to what is actually "chambered" (i.e. in use) and ONE backup lead in the cartridge. The cartridge can fit many, many more -- but I don't think it's a good idea with any rOtring (I have RapidPros, as well, and they get *seriously* jammed up from trying to keep too many leads in the cartridge).
I do recommend the RapidPro over this model, however, if you are like me and tend to grip pens and pencils very near the writing tip. The 800 presents basically a straight drop from the knurled barrel to the needle point of the lead holder, which leaves an awkward surface for low-grabbers. I'm glad that I have the 800s I do, but I don't plan on buying any more of them -- not really even if I lose one.
I really do like this pencil, that being said you don't want to advance the lead past 1-2 clicks at a time or it can break but really 3 clicks of lead is more than you want or need sticking out. If you stick to 1-2 clicks it WON'T break. I don't really think that the breakage is more prevalent with this pencil then others I've tried. This of course is just my opinion and writing pressure but I've only had the lead break once in around 10 pages of writing and that was when I did 3 clicks. I've included what one two and three clicks look like. I'm not sure if it will come across in the picture but with the pencil in front of you 3 clicks of lead looks like breakage would be reasonable to expect. I'm going on about this allot because of others reviews might worry you about it. (this is the .5 lead size. I got this 5JUN16. there are a bunch of reviews on YouTube to check out also. I hope this helps and I'll do my best to answer any questions about it that someone might have.
Feature Product
- An iconic tool meant for a lifetime of use Unique "Twist and Click" mechanism retracts entire lead and sleeve for durability and pocket-safety
- Full metal body providing ideal balance of weight and feeling Hexagonal barrel ensuring fatigue-free writing and drawing Shaped to prevent the tool from sliding when laid down on tables Non-slip metal knurled grip
- Hexagonal shape prevents sliding on tilted tables Design, pattern and size of metallic grip zone enable working for long hours without slipping
- Fixed lead guidance sleeve prevents breakage and gives a clear page view for ruler-based drawing Brass mechanism for precision lead advancement
- Limited warranty: guaranteed for 2 years from original purchase date against defects in materials or workmanship
Description
An iconic tool meant for a lifetime of use. Unique "Twist and Click" mechanism retracts entire lead and sleeve for durability and pocket-safety. The full-metal body has ideal weight balance for fatigue-free writing and drawing. Lead hardness grade indicator provides rapid identification. Hexagonal shape prevents sliding on tilted tables. Design, pattern and size of metallic grip zone enable working for long hours without slipping. Fixed lead guidance sleeve prevents breakage and gives a clear page view for ruler-based drawing. Brass mechanism for precision lead advancement. Limited warranty: guaranteed for 2 years from original purchase date against defects in materials or workmanship. rOtring 800 Retractable Mechanical Pencil, 0.5 mm, Black Barrel.
I'll start this off by saying that I was skeptical about this pencil, but needed something to replace the pencils that I had gotten previously that all broke rather quickly for one reason or another. I was not disappointed.
This pencil is solidly built- the barrel is all metal as stated (brass I believe), and has a good weight and feel in the hand. Most of the internals are metal, although there are some plastic parts, they re not part of the action of the actual pencil. The only plastic component that I can see is the led reservoir tube and eraser holder. The pencil in itself, is just a nice object in general, the lines that create the shape are simple but elegant and very pleasing to the eye, and it has a great and solid weight to it, making it great to write and draw with.
It is worth noting- the first one I got did have a problem with breaking lead occasionally (I got a second one because the first- I thought- was stolen, although it turned up later), this was easily fixed by a small piece of tape around the part of the led sleeve that extends from the grip, and this completely solved the problem, and the pencil has not broken a single piece of led since I did this. The second pencil I purchased did not have this problem in the first place and functions perfectly.
This pencil writes very well, as mentioned before although not quite as well as the Rotring 600 because the retractable tip inherently makes the system less "stiff" when writing. The Retractable tip though, is in my opinion a huge upside for my purposes, as I like to carry it around, something that is not recommended with the Rotring 600.
Overall, I would highly recommend this pencil to anyone looking to get a reliable, aesthetically pleasing pencil that writes very well. It is a bit pricey, in my opinion worth every penny.
I've had this pencil for 2 years and 6 months. Read other reviews for the writing experience because this review is about long term use/ownership. Otherwise I love this pencil.
Things to consider in the long term:
1) Paint chipping. I treat all my possessions with great care, so don't think you'll get away with being nice to it and not suffer the paint chipping. What was once a beautiful, uniform black pencil is now a mixture of black, brass, and copper. See the pictures. The barrel has worn off all its paint after about two years of intense writing, and the color is... something. I personally kinda like it, but I know it comes down to taste. Be aware of paint chipping in the eraser cap and clip, too. The clip will chip its black paint, and then it'll chip away another coat of some copper-colored thing.
2) Scuffing. Does not affect writing experience, but expect the thicker part of the extendable barrel to scuff up. There is also scuffing present on the body of the pencil, but is visible only at an angle, so it's largely unnoticeable.
3) Lead breaking. Definitely the biggest issue affecting experience. I don't know if there is a "break-in" period with this pencil, but for the first year the lead would occasionally go on spurts of breaking each lead extremely often, but after that it never broke any lead ever. It's frustrating to deal with, but it somehow fixed itself for me. That, or I don't know if I did something.
4) Erasers. Don't use them. If you do, use it when you absolutely need to and only if it's something tiny to erase. Spare erasers cost a fortune for this pencil (I bought a pack of four for $8 minus shipping and taxes). If you can figure out how to push up the remaining eraser after using it up, that would be great because half of the full eraser is shoved pretty hard into the holder.
As an engineering student I have had many, many mechanical pencils in the past. As I started getting into courses that required fine levels of detail in drawing schematics and also long sessions with a writing utensil in my hand I was on the look out for an end all, be all mechanical pencil. After having the pencil for nearly a year, it has become my most important tool aside from my calculator. This thing is a tank and I abuse it heavily. The construction is superb and extremely robust. The balance is perfect, and nearly exactly at the midpoint of the length of the pencil. The lead advancement is consistent and the clutch has never slipped on me at all. The striking good looks of the machine is just a bonus.
Now, there are cons. The tip does wiggle ever so slightly, but I must be clear here, it does not effect precision in the slightest, it is purely a symptom of manufacturing tolerances and the fact that there are so many moving parts within the pencil. The wiggle can make an auditory clinking sound if you really listen but I quite like the noise, it reminds me that I am using a truly mechanical pencil and I like mechanical things... Many people report lead breakage as an issue yet I have never experienced lead breakage, even while using 0.5mm 2B lead (one of the weakest leads). The only major issue I ran into started two weeks ago when I realized that the twist mechanism was experiencing some major friction and it made it very hard for me to extend the head of the pencil. Keep in mind this issue arose a full 9 months after I purchased the pencil and used it heavily every single day. At first it was looking like a was going to have to find a new pencil but then I realized I had some 3-in-1 lubricating oil. I liberally applied oil to the seams of the mechanism and inside the mechanism and let it sit for a while before wiping off the excess oil. It now works better than it did the day I got it. This thing is truly a wonderful writing utensil and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a precise, robust, and dedicated mechanical pencil.
As a side note, there is noticeable patina/surface wear from using it so much but I very much like it. It reminds me how long I've had it and how trusty it has been.
I have to start but complimenting the wonderful fit and finish of the overall product. The body has a perfectly textured feel, and decent weight. The pen was a little smaller than expected, though still the average when it comes to drafting pencils. The clip is heavy and not prone to bending, and the lead advance is nicely weighted. The design aesthetic is, well, overall the beauty we all love.
On the other hand, the lead advance is a bit much, I break lead, though that is subjective and I do use a more brittle underlay lead in this pencil. The biggest downfall, however, and the main reason for the 4 star review is that this pen has play or slight wiggling of the tip during use. This is due to the retractable tip. The function is great, though the level of quality is not precision. Ordering from a company like rotring and paying this much for a pencil, you'd expect a higher quality.
Overall, I'm glad that I purchased the pencil, though all buyers should be aware of the problems.
I love this pencil so much that I want to buy a pen version. Just ignore all the whiny babies saying there is too much play or not a good enough click or whatever. This pencil has no flaws and writes just like every other pencil. The magic is in the feel and density of the instrument. Is it worth the money? Probably not. But Neither are $150 Nike shoes or a $999 samePhone, I mean iPhone. Buy this pencil because it looks and feels AWESOME. Don't listen to the anal retentive reviewers who think they are the world's foremost experts on mechanical pencil's. Because guess what? If they are sitting at home writing an Amazon review, chances are they aren't.
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