800 Mechanical Pencil | 0.5 mm | Black Metal Barrel

No doubt if you are looking into a 45 quid pencil you'll be doing your research. And some of that will lead you to a lot of people saying that the retractable Rotring has a slight tip wobble (because it's moving parts). I've been using this daily for over a year now and it's still going strong. I'm a massive fidgetter so I'm constantly popping the nib in and out and taking the rubber protector on and off and it's still not gotten to a point where it's worn or damaged. This is my favourite pencil. It weighs a really nice amount for me and feels like a good bit of kit. The improvements I think it could do with are minor. The first is the little tab thing that you slide it onto shirt pockets and what not. I think this should not be painted. This area is the one that gets the most wear and naturally the paint chips. It'd made more sense to plain finish it. The second is the availability of the rubbers. The rubbers last ages but they are a little difficult to pickup, in the end I opted to go for the ones direct from their site because they are a special size and didn't want to get the wrong ones. Besides that though I really like the pencil. I'd definitely recommend it if you are looking to upgrade to a something proper.

I’ve had this pencil as my EDC along with my fountain pen and ball point for over 6 months and it has been a phenomenal writing instrument for me. It is compact with a great mechanism that provides not only satisfaction if you’re a fidgeter like me but also great function by hiding away the lead sleeve when not in use so that it doesn’t damage the point. It is a very easy carry in the pocket or in any pen case you could think of. The pencil oozes class and quality. I wanted a pencil that would serve me for many years and I’m confident it will do just that! Highly recommend this pencil for anybody who needs a pencil on the go or in the studio or office environment or just about anywhere else!

Without doubt, the best mechanical pencil I have ever bought. In fact I would go as far as to say it is the best writing tool I have ever purchased. The build quality is flawless. Solid metallic components everywhere. Really solid mechanism for revealing and retracting the tip. Loading can be a little fiddly and frustrating but this has been the case for every mechanical pencil I have ever had. I previously had one of these but the tip was bent by someone whilst I was away from my desk. Either that or the product failed. Replacement works just as well. Recommend the 0.7 over the 0.5 as 0.5mm Lead is very fragile and I found it breaks frequently. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I’ve tried many mechanical pencils, and I’ve settled on this one. It’s extremely well made, and well weighted. The knurled grip is defined enough to provide control, but not too deep to be uncomfortable over extended use. The retractable nib, which differentiates this model from the 600, allows for safe pocket carry, and to be honest it’s an extremely satisfying sound and feeling when engaging/disengaging. You don’t need to be an engineer to appreciate this pencil, but using one will make you appreciate tolerance and design in ways you never knew!

First class pencil.

I really, really really wanted to like this pencil due to the retractable tip and ability to carry it around without worry. Unfortunately the amount of play in the tip is so great that it simply can't be ignored. I read a ton of reviews , watched loads of videos and bought this thinking that it can't be as bad as people made out in certain reviews but it unfortunately is. There is absolutely no reason why a pencil that clearly has top end machining and solidity elsewhere in the body has such an unacceptable amount of play in the KEY part of the pencil. To be clear, the part that extends and retracts has visible and very noticeable radial play between it and the section it slides up and down in to the point that it audibly clacks when you're writing with it. It should be approaching an interference fit and be absolutely solid as a fixed tip for something that costs as much as it does. It's current lax production format may be fine for casual writers and people coming to it green with few expectations or less demanding technical/precision needs but when you compare it to its fixed tip sibling, the 600, or the literal solid and precise, bones of your hand extension that the Pentel P205 is and writes like (still in my humble opinion the greatest mechanical pencil on the planet today), the difference is night and day. Can't recommend this at all and if you're thinking about it, I'd say buy the 600 in the tip diameter you want without any worries and buy yourself another four P205s with the money saved and fit a variety of different hardness leads in them for fun and variety. You'll be infinitely happier and better equipped in day to day pencil options. Sorry Rotring. For this to be your flagship pencil, you really should be doing better. Either sort your sliding mechanism tolerances out or add a sexy screw on cap to the 600, charge a fiver more for it and dump the 800.

I bought the 0.5 mm version. It breaks the lead internally all the time, making it near useless. Returned it, bought the 0.7 mm in case. The first I received didn't feed. I received the third today, I hope it's better. Apart from being non-functional, it has absolutely everything you'd want from a mechanical pencil.

Looks great, beautifully made, perfect size, weight and feel in the hand. And the retracting mechanism means it doesn't rip your pocket or bag. Can't find a minus point to be honest.