Rotring Esprit Retractable

[calvin82]

This is my first post for a pen review. This is not a detailed review. I just intended to share a new pen that I have received from ebay today. When I was searching for a mini fountain pen, I was attracted by the appearance of it. I just can’t understand why this nice little pen was discontinued. Even though I haven’t inked it, the appearance of this pen has impressed me. As a rule of thumb, I have flushed the nib and now waiting for it to dry-up in order to avoid any disappointment.

 

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/waichian_82/IMG_8062.jpg

 

It comes with a very nice packaging: a steel box, warranty document (don’t know still got warranty or not since it’s discontinued), and a cartridge.

 

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/waichian_82/IMG_8064.jpg

 

When it’s capped, the overall length is significantly shorter than my Lamy Safari and Knight.

 

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/waichian_82/IMG_8070.jpg

 

Uncapped, the length is almost the same with my Safari. I don’t think I will use this pen posted because the cap is easily loose when posted.

 

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/waichian_82/IMG_8074.jpg

 

The nib has some nice engraving. It’s quite smooth by just try it on the paper even uninked.

 

 

[MYU]

Interesting pen. I'm familiar with the Esprit, but not the retractable version. Does the section partially compress back into the barrel when you cap it? Also, the "wave" design of the section looks like it might be a soft grip. How does it feel?

[calvin82]

Interesting pen. I'm familiar with the Esprit, but not the retractable version. Does the section partially compress back into the barrel when you cap it? Also, the "wave" design of the section looks like it might be a soft grip. How does it feel?

 

For the retractable Esprit, the snap in the cap will extend the grip once we pull out the cap. When we cap it back, the grip will be pushed back along with the cap. The grip is matte over steel and sometimes I feel slippery but the trends on the grip helps a lot.

 

When I first inked it, I had some skipping problem with the nib. It will skip frequently when I draw a horizontal line from left to right. It is OK for others direction. So, I was suspected it's a nib problem. After I adjusted the nib, I think it's fine now but it's still under my observation now.. Anyone has ideas about it?

 

The width of the Fine nib is almost same with my Lamy Safari. Compared with my Lamy, the Esprit is a bit toothier.

 

Overall, Im impressed with the design of this pen but disappointed with the writing performance of it.

[MYU]

These Rotring nibs have good potential. You're right about checking for tine alignment, as a subtle asymmetry can cause the problems you see. If you examine the nib with a loupe and the tines appear aligned, you might need a little smoothing to reduce the tooth. The "paper bag" technique is always a good first candidate. After that, micromesh.

[calvin82]

These Rotring nibs have good potential. You're right about checking for tine alignment, as a subtle asymmetry can cause the problems you see. If you examine the nib with a loupe and the tines appear aligned, you might need a little smoothing to reduce the tooth. The "paper bag" technique is always a good first candidate. After that, micromesh.

 

Thanks for the advise...I just wish to fix the skipping problem now. This will be a great pen if it didn,t skip. I didn't intended to make this pen any smoother because the toothier writing feelings is not always bad. The writing experience will be less fun if I make all my pens to be same in it's smoothness. For me, the smoothness of a pen brings different character and writing experience to a pen.

Edited October 21, 2008 by calvin82