Rotring 800 Drafting Pencil - 0.5 mm - Black Body

For all you cheap #2 pencil pushers - please don't waste your time and go elswhere before dropping down your too hard earned $$$ on this fine writing instrument. Poor reviews come from those dissapointed geniuses whose expectations are never met in life.

Now that I said it, this is my 2nd #800. Worth every penny. Flawlessly executed, extremely comfortable, perfectly balanced - almost natural - extension of your hand. Give it a try and you will fall in love with it.

Solid all-metal body & most parts (one exception, for good reason) are metal - either anodized aluminum or highly polished brass. Clean lines, clean threading. Smooth & solid click feed advance mechanism. The clip might look like a piece of cheap tin in the photos, but it is thick & strong. The knurling on the grip and extension knob is more squarish (less of a diamond) but still good for grip without abrasion.

One great thing about this versus other retractables (like the Pentel Graphgear 1000 or the Ohto Super Promeca) is that it retracts far enough to allow room for a reasonable amount of lead to remain extended from the guide, but be protected inside the body. The result is not having to constantly fuss with retracting lead before retracting the guide, then re-feeding lead after extending the guide again. Very useful overall.

My only gripe : I wish it was available in 0.7mm (my favored lead size!).

Many years ago now, I had hand problems as a result of overuse of a computer keyboard, and it was during the resulting period of physical therapy that I rediscovered the joys of writing with pens, pencils, and fountain pens. Since every writing instrument seems to have a different feel and grip, I bought many, and found that by switching pencils I was able to write for very long periods without having any pain. I still own most of them.

I bought three Rotring mechanical pencils. A nonretractable, that is now the 600 version, the 800 version, and a very clever one (Rotring Trio) that allowed you to select between three sizes of lead (0.35, 0.5, and 0.7 mm) and also retracts the tip. For flexibility, the Trio is my favorite. If I am using only 0.5 mm lead, which is my most frequent choice, I prefer the 800 over the 600 because of the retractable tip and the quality feel of the mechanism. The 600 version sees very little use. I have over 20 mechanical/drafting pencils!

All of the Rotrings that I have, and I also have a ballpoint pen, have held up tremendously well. They are solid and hefty, and beautifully executed. Although they are heavy compared to other brandss, they do not tire my hand. I don't know if this is an issue of balance point or grip, but I can just comment that they are a joy to write with.

Over the past few years, with the poor dollar/Euro exchange, the price of Rotrings has gone up considerably. I am reasonably sure that I bought my 800 when it was under $40. We can hope for a better exchange rate. If you are on a budget, there are other pencils that are certainly enjoyable to use. If you want to indulge in something special, I would buy this pencil. The craftmanship and materials are both top-notch.

As a architectural designer and drafts person I have gone through quite a few sets of drafting pencils. I would have to say that is is the best one I have tried yet. It writes really nicely and the lines are really firm. The pen's steel casing is really polished. I have to say the it will be way worth my money as I am not prepared to change to another drafting pen any time soon

I own many different mechanical pencils and I am a collector. I wanted to give the rotring 800 a try and I bought the 2.0 and the 0.5mm version, both in black color.

I have to say that the mp is solid and comfortable to use, if you love heavy writing staff like I do. The weight helps a lot in using a low force to write and draw nice black lines.

Anyway I can’t give more than 3 stars. Not because of the price, but because of the retractable tip. I love the idea but not how they made it. The tip seems to have a little of play, not very stable like other rotrings that I own. In the beginning I thought that it was a problem of my 0.5 so I made a video and sent it to other rotring 800 users that I found searching in ebay feedbacks. Most of them told me that they have the same “problem”. This is not something that you will easily notice when you write or draw, but from a rotring I expected more “stability”.

I am more then happy with the 2.0mm version, but I really don’t suggest to buy the 800 0.5 unless you can try it. I will not return it because, as I said, I am a collector, but if I had to decide what MP to buy I would go for a rapid pro or a 600.