rOtring 800 Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm - Review and Giveaway!

October 3, 2013

I'm very excited about this particular post as this is my first review while partnering with our good friends over at JetPens. JetPens, in our pen world, is an amazing resource and hub for getting writing instruments and goods that are hard to come by through normal retailers. If you're looking for a certain imported pen from Asia or Europe, there is a good chance that they have it.

They were kind enough to provide me with this rOtring 800 mechanical pencil to review, which fits right into the recent theme on the blog from rOtring Week a little while ago. In addition to providing the 800 for me to review on The Clicky Post, they will be doing a giveaway of a rOtring 800 pencil to a lucky reader!

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter, make sure you're a subscriber to the JetPens newsletter, and then follow the link below:

LINK TO ENTRY PAGE

The contest will run through midnight October 10th, so head over and enter!

Good luck everyone!

(As this contest is sponsored and fulfilled through JetPens, it is open to US Residents only)

The 800 mechanical pencil is one of the current rOtring models that has actually withstood the test of time with the brand. After rOtring was sold back in the 1990's, all of the 600 and 800 series pens that many of todays collectors and enthusiasts enjoy so much were discontinued. The current 800 pencil is a striking tribute to the high points of rOtring history and design and hopefully one that will stay around for awhile.

If you are familiar with the 600 series pencils, you will know the quality to expect from the 800. rOtring still continues to produce these pencils in a brass body and they really feel great. Almost too great. It feels super sturdy and solid in your hands. As I've been carrying with me over the past week or so in preparation for the review, I've let some friends and colleagues try it out and all have had a similar reaction to how nicely weighted it is.

Of course, one of the iconic design features of the 800 is the hexagonal barrel design that really does carry a very industrial modern yet timeless style. Before really getting my hands on a few rOtrings I was always drawn to the matte black versions, but the silver really is stunning. I think it actually accents the red ring more so and is a nice yet soft metallic. Not shiny per se, but silvery.

The tip retracts into the pencil which is pretty cool. To extend it, right below the knock there is a knurled section that twists. Once extended, the clicks on the knock are so subtle that you hardly realize they are doing anything. That took a bit of getting used to.

The 800 has some gold accents around the tip and just below the knock which adds a bit of "bling" to the pencil. This is an interesting design choice, although historically has been an aesthetic that rOtring has included in some of their nicer models. I've never really owned a writing instrument with gold accents so I suppose this is pretty exciting?

I really love knurling. It is almost to the point that when I see a cool metal pen with knurling I have an uncontrollable desire to use/own it. The knurling on the 800 isn't so much a sharp, pointy knurling like the 600 series or the Rapid Pro, but is more of like a cross hatch pattern that is designed into the metal. It is more subtle than the spiky grip of the others.

Now, with mechanical pencils one thing that drives me nuts is when the lead wiggles around. Oh my does that ruin the entire experience. rOtring has done an absolutely suburb job in the 800 in making sure this doesn't happen. When the lead is pushed to the paper it is solid. What is most impressive with this is that the 800 has additional moving parts in the tip and STILL has no wiggling. Bravo rOtring. Bravo indeed.

I again want to thank our friends over at JetPens for providing this sample for me to review and for sponsoring the giveaway!

Make sure to follow the link to the entry page for your chance to win!

Nock Co. - Hightower 3+1 Case in Midnight Blue/Foliage Grey

October 1, 2013

First and foremost I want to extend my congratulations to Brad Dowdy of The Pen Addict (the legend) and his colleague and newly made celebrity, Jeffrey Bruckwicki, an amazing seamster (cool word) who is becoming a legend in his own right. These two gentlemen recently set out to create a Kickstarter campaign to present to the world their new brand, Nock Co., and their first offerings in a line of affordable pen, pencil, and notebook cases.

I was privileged enough to have Nock Co. send me one of their sample prototypes of a model called the Hightower. Thanks gentlemen for the opportunity to review the prototype and share my thoughts.

The Hightower is what is considered a 3+1 case which means that it has three pockets on one side, and one pocket on the other. The configuration that Brad and Jeffrey came up with holds 3 pens on the left and one small 5.5 x 3.5 notebook like a Field Notes book or Doane Paper Utility Notebook on the right.

I have to say, even with this being a prototype model I am super impressed with the build quality and feel of this product. Knowing Brad and his particulars with certain products, it would only make sense that he and Jeffrey would do their best to provide a quality that they themselves would enjoy for their daily use and to protect their pens. The case is simple enough as it is made out of fabric and isn't anything overly fancy, but looks to be incredibly durable and I imagine it will wear really well.

The outer shell is made from a strong nylon material similar to what you would find in a sturdy school backpack and is a really tight weave. The walls of the case are lightly padded which is really awesome as you can fill it with some of your nice pens and not worry that they'll get scratched or damaged through the cover.

The inner pockets and flaps are made from a lighter weight material but still feels incredibly durable and should hold up to a lot of trips in and out of your bag or satchel.

I really love that there is a flap over the pens. If not, I'd definitely be worried that they might fall out while carrying, so good work to the guys for putting in this feature. When I first got it and opened the flap I though to myself that perhaps it would need some velcro or a snap of some kind to hold it down, but the way that it has been stitched keeps it pointed down and requires either holding it open or tucking it around the cover while laying on the table to keep it open.

Even the flap has a nice sewn edge all the way around that adds a nice level of detail and care in the manufacturing that shows how well they want to make their products.

The notebook pocket is deep enough to hold two or even three (maybe pushing it) of your small notebooks, although for the best result in closing the case I found that one really was the sweet spot.

The color way I was able to review was the Midnight Blue exterior and the Foliage Grey interior. Super conservative by all standards, but I really like it a lot. A classy combination if you're not looking to make a splash when you pull out your pen case! The bright colors shown on the Kickstarter campaign are really fun, but this combo may be the one I opt for in my cases if it is an option for all of them.

If I'm entirely honest, I've felt a need for a small, portable pen case although I haven't bought one yet. Being a pen fanatic, I seem to always have people at work that want me to "help them buy the right pen". Some days I was carrying one pen in my shirt pocket (or two), one in my jeans pocket, and maybe even another just in my hand to bring to work for people to try. This is what crazy pen people do; we spread the love and help other people make the decision to spend more money on pens than they probably thought they ever would. I'm so happy that the fellas decided to send me this one as just today I had a friend that was interested in rOtring pens and I wanted to bring some in for him to see. This case made it so easy for me to carry safely up to three additional pens to show him without needing to have them tucked in every pocket imaginable on my person. This is a super small need for me, but one that I'm so glad to have a solution for.

I backed the Mass Storage pledge level on the campaign and can't wait to get my other cases from Nock Co! If you haven't already seen the campaign, please go visit and pledge as the products are well made and extremely affordable. For international buyers the shipping is $10 which is super reasonable and coupled with the low price of the cases make it a great value.

Granted, the campaign has already reached it's goal by a landslide, but still give a strong consideration to pledging if you haven't already. Best of luck to Nock Co.!

My One Suggestion:

This isn't a criticism on the product in the least, but eventually I would love to see a version of the Hightower with a zippered edge as I think it would be a successful design and give even more peace of mind that your pens are safe and sound in your case with no chance of falling out. This is a feature that I would gladly pay a bit more for.

Lamy Vista Fountain Pen - F Nib

September 27, 2013

Oddly enough, I've owned this pen for about a year and a half and am surprised that it hasn't seen the light of day on the blog yet. Actually, this particular Lamy Vista is what I would consider to be my first legitimate fountain pen. I'm sure like many pen people that are looking to dabble in fountain pens, there is an apprehension or nervousness as it really is an entirely new world of pens. Ink, nibs, cleaning...this is some scary stuff if you're used to just popping in a refill when you toss your old one in the trash.

Against the backdrop of my new branding iron tests...

I had used a Pilot Varsity or Zebra V-301 before, but had not yet decided to take the plunge of buying a "real" fountain pen if you know what I mean. While visiting Jay up at Scottsdale Pen (wish I could visit more as he's awesome) and perusing his Lamy selection, I made up my mind that it was time to to buy a fountain pen. While looking through the Safaris and a few other "entry level" fountain pens, my eyes rested on the Vista and I decided that this was going to be the one.

Traditionally, I had really liked more broad tipped pens, so opting for a fine nib as my first go was a bit of a stretch. I'm so glad that I didn't decide to go with a broad as I've since tried them and it may have swayed my interest a bit in fountain pens; at least for a bit longer...

The F nib on the Vista (or Safari or Studio) still puts down a nice solid line. I would probably range it in a 0.7mm gel or your average medium rollerball tip. Not too wide, not too narrow for my writing style. If you've used the Lamy nibs, they tend to be great writers and starters and it didn't take much once inked up for my Vista to start putting down nice smooth lines. If it hadn't, I might have rethought my choice.

This is a really interesting idea as people that love pens that end up trying their first fountain pen could be really put off if they went and dropped $30 and the thing didn't write. On the Pen Addict podcast a few weeks ago, Ana from The Well Appointed Desk guest hosted and she and Brad discussed this very thing. With the Vista I'm so glad that Lamy makes such a great product in their Safari line as it has worked like a charm since the beginning.

I'm not really sure what made me buy the Vista instead of one of the brighter Lamy colors or even the more conservative black or blue models. Maybe it was just the most interesting to me at the time in that price range so I went for it. The demonstrator style of the Vista is really cool and I like that you can see the inner workings and ink through the barrel. It actually looks pretty cool with the converter you can get for it because it has the red twist that adds some color and dimension through the clear barrel.

Painted/Stamped Logo

Indented LAMY logo from White Safari

In the regular Safari line, the "LAMY" on the barrel is more pronounced and is actually indented into the barrel. On the Vista they opted for just a metallic sticker or paint of some kind that isn't textured at all. If I had a choice from Lamy, I would say that the indented logo is a bit more striking which they could have stamped with the silver letters also. I'm sure in production it is just easier to stamp it instead of trying to line the letters up perfectly with the indent.

Posted or unposted, I don't really feel a major difference in my writing as the pen is so light, but I seem to opt for posted due to convenience. I've read some other reviews that say posting the cap makes it a bit top heavy, but I'd imagine this is simply based on your preference or hand size.

I do really love this pen. Not sure if it is a 10 out of 10, but it ranks up there pretty high. Plastic barrel pens don't really push my buttons as well as metal ones and I'm interested in picking up an AL-Star at some point. It might fit my fancy a little more and I've heard good things. But, glad I made the purchase and I don't think you'd be disappointed if you did too.