[0x_rs]

There's no mention of this in the article, so be aware there's multiple posts online about QC issues. Rotring quality has been going down over the years, or their name outgrew the actual quality of the product. Current generation of 600s especially suffer from: cracking of the body (0, 1); but most importantly for pens, the joint part that screws into the bottom and upper part of the pen is extremely susceptible to wearing out the thin and fragile upper part's threads, as they are two different metals. So you should be prepared to exercise your warranty if you purchase one.

0. https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalpencils/comments/1fzacf9/...

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalpencils/comments/1439ru7/...

[nabilhat]

Oh, that's a very specific crack. This is an extrusion error. The extrusion temperature is dropping too low while it's still over the internal die. The thicker peaks cool more slowly than the thinner flats, remaining at a weaker temperature longer, and they're pulled apart by accumulating contraction.

These cracks usually aren't obvious until they meet a conflicting load. For example, tapping threads up the end without supporting the work correctly. It's not like this is a load bearing part, they could get around this issue with a little care. Holding the work in a hex collet during tapping is cheap, adds efficiency, and would solve the problem. Sending feedback to the extruder is free and usually effective. Or maybe the product is moving well enough on brand equity that it's not worth bothering.

[wilkystyle]

These are the kind of comments I come to Hacker News for.

[munificent]

> Rotring quality has been going down over the years, or their name outgrew the actual quality of the product.

This story is so common that I wish there was an established economic term for it. Something like "reputational arbitrage" or perhaps "sentiment stickiness".

The basic idea is that a business can change its quality much faster than its reputation changes. If the business rapidly cuts costs and quality, their sales will reflect their reputed quality more than their actual quality for some amount of time. That gives them a window of very high profits where they can basically sell shit like it's gold.

Eventually the reputation catches up with them, but it seems to take a very long time to do so, if ever, so it's an extremely tempting business model.

There is a related but different effect where a brand establishes some level of cachet or meaningful emotional attachment back when the product was good. The product tanks, but people keep buying it even while knowing it's garbage just because of the emotional associations they have with the historical product.

The line between these two effects can be blurry. I think Pyrex leans more towards the former where people keep buying it simply because they don't realize it kind of sucks. But Jeep is the latter where it seems like everyone knows they'll spend half the time in the shop but people just like Jeeps anyway.

[handsclean]

Legitimately curious, could you tell me more about Pyrex? I only heard that they changed the formula years ago to trade some impact resistance for thermal shock resistance, not that there are all-around better options. I haven’t had issues with mine, though I haven’t dropped them, and the only other options I notice in stores are store brand tempered glass that seems to be competing only on price.

[CharlesW]

> This story is so common that I wish there was an established economic term for it.

I thought we'd collectively decided on "enshittification"? Or is that different?

[kps]

The original Rotring is gone; Rotring was bought by Newell Brands and is now just a label on copies made elsewhere. (They did the same with Parker and Waterman.) 20th-century Rotring is the real thing.

[ForOldHack]

I had an old one and it broke, so I went looking for a new one,and it just felt cheap. Then I saw a pair at a flea market for $10, and only one had been used. I use a black rubber tape on them for comfort and it makes it less prone to cracking on the handle, and store them in a black box. ( Less UV ). I do keep going back by the store, and hoping their cheap ones get discontinued... But they are still. There.

What are the best refills to use for them?

[MrSkelter]

This is correct. I have NOS Rotrings made in Germany. They sell for a pretty penny online. People who love the pens know the modern production isn’t the same.

[edwinjm]

I have such a pen and it’s not my favorite. The grippy part doesn’t feel nice, it’s too rough. Also, the top button makes an abrasive, squeaky sound.

It’s not made to be kind to humans.