Time for a Pencil Review! The Rotring 800

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Hey, me again. I'm back after a bit of a hiatus. With school going back in person, I've not had much time to write lately. That being said, I am going to try to find time to make posts weekly (at least.) 

Lets get right in to it, shall we?

This is a review I have been wanting to write for a good while. The fabled Rotring 800. My 800s are probably my favorite pencils in my collection. All brass, retractable tip, nice knurling, what more could you want? 

I currently have two Rotring 800s, with one being the first good mechanical pencil I ever purchased. (By good I mean one that lasts longer than one school day, and won't fall apart after minimal use.) I have the 0.7 model in black and the 0.5 model in silver. The black one (pictured below) has seen significant love and abuse, as evidenced by the paint wearing off. This may be an issue to some, but to me it shows the adventures the pencil has taken, and adds some sentimental value. 



The Rotring 800 has a very crisp mechanism. When advancing the lead, there is a smooth click, not too mushy but not too firm either. I would even go so far as to say that it is "just right." The only real problem I have experienced is a strange mechanical issue were the lead sleeve won't extend when there isn't lead loaded, but that shouldn't be too big of an issue. 

The twist mechanism is my favorite feature. By twisting the knurled but at the top by the eraser, the user can extend the lead sleeve. On my black 800, this movement is absolutely flawless. It is completely smooth with no resistance. This is likely due to the fact that the pencil is nearly 3 years old. My silver 800, however, has a slight resistance, but it isn't too cumbersome.

Overall, I would recommend the Rotring 800 to any mechanical pencil aficionado. I would not, however, recommend buying it for the MSRP of around 60 dollars. There are almost always sales on Amazon, and I have seen it for as low as 25 dollars. It's a step up from the 600, but it is definitely worth it for the added features and heft.

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