For being the unofficial "rOtring guy" of the pen blog community, I've been letting everyone down! In looking through my post history I haven't done a rOtring review since November, so it was definitely overdue to share some of my recent acquisitions. Over the next few weeks I'll try and fit in 3 or 4 rOtring reviews if that sounds good to everyone?...
The rOtring I'll be reviewing in the post today actually came as a surprise when the opportunity to buy one appeared. I've had my eye on various rOtring multipens from time to time as I wanted to add one to the collection, but the Lava was one I figured might be somewhat out of reasonable reach.
I found this one in an auction on eBay from the original owner that said it really hadn't been used. From the pictures it appeared to be in top shape. I won't be disclosing how much I paid for it, but it was what I felt to be within a "reasonable" price range for these pens. If you do a search for "rOtring Lava Trio" on eBay you'll see the going rate for a buy it now auction (which is ABSOLUTELY INSANE) which I gladly didn't pay anywhere near that price for mine.
Buying rOtring pens for a good deal takes patience and timing mostly. If you're interested in acquiring certain models and not really excited about paying through the nose for them, there is a waiting game to play.
This is a very big pen. If you thought the regular 600 and Newton series pens were large, this one is hefty and right in line with the fountain and rollerball pens, but is an incredible piece. When handling it, the first thing you notice is the weight. I enjoy a heavy pen so not a burden for me, but for some people it might be too much.
I do have a few others of the Lava finish that still need review, but one of my first rOtring pens (and pens reviewed on The Clicky Post) was a Lava ballpoint. I'm debating whether I should try to find an independent mechanical pencil to add to the set or if I should just settle for the 0.7mm in the Trio?... (sigh)
Upon receiving the pen both the red and blue refills were dried out as they were the original rOtring branded ones that came with it. This was comforting to me as it made the story add up from buying! The pens are the normal D1 style refills that fit a variety of multipens, so the selection is broad.
I've tried the gel refills that fit the Zebra Sharbo X (on my list) before, but found them to be a bit fine. I'm a fan of the space pen so I loaded the Lava Trio with some blue and red U1F and U2F Fisher refills. These are good writers (as well as people like the Fisher Space Pen I suppose) that work great for me.
There is some slight movement in the tip while writing, but not noticeably distracting. I don't write with it and think to myself that it is a bother.
The feed system for the trio is pretty cool as it works off of gravity. Many multipens require you to press a specific nock/plunger or twist the barrel until you get to the right one, but the rOtring simply requires you to hold the pen in a specific position. Laid out on the barrel are markers: a blue dot, a 0,7, and a red dot. Depending on which one is facing up dictates which tip comes out. See images below:
Blue:
0,7mm (0.7mm for US):
Red:
Very cool. Hopefully not too prone to wear or breakage over time, but we'll see.
The release mechanism for the tip is a twist just below the nock. Push the nock all the way in to extend either the pen or pencil, and then twist the top to retract it. Took a second to figure it out, but I like it.
The nock also acts as the "clicker" to extend the lead in the pencil, as well as a place to hold one of those useless mechanical pencil erasers. Considering this eraser might be 15 years old, I'll probably not give it a go as age will merely add to it's uselessness.
I wouldn't consider the mechanism on this pen to be one that I will play with a lot. It isn't a smooth click-on, click-off type motion with the twist release. And also, I don't want to break the darn thing by wearing it out too fast!
The Lava finish is simply stunning on these pens. It is difficult to describe as it is grippy but not sharp, and sparkly but not shiny. Kind of reminds me of graphite or grip tape on a skateboard.
I'm really loving this pen and I think it'll be one I'll keep around for awhile.