Saw a few auctions on mercari. Starting price was 4000yen!
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Can you tell us where you ordered it from? I tried using some Japanese sites but just couldn’t make it happen with translation in my browser. Also they didn’t accept my PayPal there. Don’t know why it didn’t work. BTW any idea when 0.3mm will be available?
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The manufacturer has announced that the 0.3 mm model is scheduled for release in late July 2025.
Both of the websites above should accept PayPal. If you’re not sure, please try contacting the shop by email.
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Welcome!
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Hi. Thanks for that info re: 0.3mm. Re: the two websites above: I tried bundoki.com (Staedtler told me to go there) but it’s totally in Japanese and my translation tools could not get me all the way through. Do you speak Japanese? Wish they had an English site! I emailed them for help in English but have not heard back! Is the second one mercari.com? I just looked and only saw the original 925-85’s up for auction, not the new re-release. Am I missing something? BTW so lousy that Staedtler North America has such a slim selection, and none of the high-end models!!!
Thanks! This looks like a very cool forum! I’ve recently been bit by the mechpen bug so I have to watch my fever!
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This forum will NOT help slow your purchasing… that’s for sure
Also 590&Co is where I bought from. It directed me to an outside Japan proxy. I look forward to seeing more from you.
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Haha. Then I’ll be sure to direct more energy towards savoring than on spending. (Already thinking about those black versions!)
Thanks for that tip re: 590and.co. I just took a look and it is definitely more English-friendly than bundoki! Thanks. I will keep them in mind.
My “disease” is admiring the design, aesthetics and functionality. I’m not a graphic artist, but I mostly just buy them to use — and admire and fidget. Collecting them could be incurable. I just broke my own rule and received two 925 35’s from South Korea (olive and orange), which I do think are quite cool.
Once I’m done satisfying more of my Staedtler strain, I may venture to other brands…
Also, does anybody have anything to say re: differences between 925-85 re-issue and the originals from 2006? Or is it only that little tweak to the REG logo but otherwise identical?
Unless the sites like Bundoki and 590 & Co are using original stock images, the new issue looks almost exactly like the original.
The only thing I notice is the eraser cap did away with that molded shape and went with a flat disc instead. It’ll be very curious to see if the internals are the same or if there have been some improvements (or corners cut).
The original 925-85 in plastic blister pack had at one point commanded some notable money but in more recently years auctions and listings for them have closed lower. If the 925-85 today is an exact copy or an improvement, that’ll suck for those who splurged for the older one.
BTW, Elton is trying to get $160 for one, which is totally ridiculously insane.
Staedtler should’ve offered an option for a 925-95 nose cone that you could screw on in place of the 925-85 nose cone. 
FWIW, I ran a check on the 590 & Co listing through ZenMarket and they will make a purchase for you. There is of course the ¥500 proxy fee, plus ¥275 domestic shipping (cheap!), bringing the total cost to ¥4400 [$30 USD] (before shipping from Japan to USA). So, if you have an open proxy, it’s almost a no-brainer to go this way.
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Hi cytherian! Thanks for jumping right in to answer re: changes to 925-85 REG and for posting side by side images. Did not realize re: change to eraser cap (I have not held one of these yet!). Thanks.
You make a very good point that it would actually be a bad move to make them identical to the originals, because then the premium paid for originals will be for naught. That would suck for those who paid more!! True. There should be clear ways to tell which version the pencil is.
In looking at the photos I’ve seen, it appears that the original looks “shinier” while the re-release looks more “matte” and less shiny. Is this correct? Or could it be just differences in lighting when photo was taken? I happen to prefer the more metallic “shinier” look, but I don’t think I want to pay that much more for a 2006 model, even if the prices have come down.
Thanks for checking for me re: purchasing. So that cost was $30 USD but then shipping from Japan to USA will be ON TOP of that, correct? Never used a proxy to buy so I’m not so familiar with how it works.
BTW, props to Ryuji at Bundoki who just got back to me in English and who offered to facilitate a purchase for me in English.
Your idea re: selling 925-95 nose cone is an interesting one but then that opens the door for Frankenstein-ed 95’s! Haha. As you might have noticed, I chose that nose cone for my profile image. It just SCREAMS technical to me. That’s why I love it! Love that knurling, too!
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Companies like Staedtler do not think about affecting the potential resale of previously discontinued products. The volume of purchases by collectors is so incredibly small compared to mainstream retail purchasing.
Here’s another earlier 925-85 image provided by an owner
I would not judge shine or sheen from the current stock photo. The lighting effects can dramatically affect how light is perceived. The only real way to know will be to see user photos first hand from new owners.
However, if there is an anodizing finish difference between the old and new… that may be a good thing for collectors… meaning, still interest in buying the original. But, these are not so incredibly rare as to command serious money any longer, now that the new one in physical design looks nearly the same. Kind of like the rOtring 600G vs. rOtring 800.
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For a long time now, many manufacturers have been using renderings rather than real photos, and the first photo looks very much like that to me.
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Thanks for that great pic! It does have that metallic sheen that I like. But as you say, it is hard to judge the finish of the new ones from stock photos. The best way to see differences would be for someone to take a pic of them both side-by-side so we can see! I was not aware about differences in anodizing. I guess that the finish has to be applied to the aluminum in some way. It’s not just raw, unpolished aluminum, I suppose.
Differentiating the old from the new is better for collectors, but as you say, that’s not Staedtler’s primary concern. Honestly, we should all be greatful that this model has been re-released. They certainly listened to popular demand.
I guess the difference between rOtring 600 and 800 is the retractable tip, correct? BTW, the only other mechpen I have is a silver rOtring 600. I started my education on the subreddit and now I’ve graduated to here. LOL
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Yes, I would agree! It looks more like a designer’s rendering than an actual photograph. I guess the drawing could be finished well before the actual pen is even made, so they can use it to market.
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Actually, notice “600G” vs. “600”. The “G” denotes gold accents on some components, but that model has the retractable tip… which became the 800 later on. Some have argued that the older mechanism is better, while others contend that you really can’t tell much of a difference.
FWIW, I did a little check with ZenMarket.
Bundoki shipping to them is ¥660
But 590 & Co shipping to them is ¥275
Nearly ¥400 is not a huge difference, but it could also be an indicator that 590 & Co will have a shorter shipping time within Japan. <— actually, that’s wrong. Apparently BOTH are in Kobe Japan… so it’s simply their choice of carrier or preparation fees.
Thanks! Now that you mention it, the lighting of the image does look rather flat… like it was a rendering vs. actual photo. Makes sense. Also, the way they rendered it, they could’ve simply kept that last bit at the end simple… so the end cap could end up exactly like the original.
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And it’s also much easier if there are variants which differ only in colour or lettering. – Sometimes the redering was done before the product was finished so the rendering differes slightly from the actual product, leaving collectors looking for an item that never existed
You should also always be careful with item numbers. In 1974, the soundtrack to a movie (“The Spook Who Sat By The Door”, music by Herbie Hancock) that had just been released in cinemas was to be released. Unfortunately, there were riots at the premiere, so the film was pulled from theaters and the soundtrack was never released. The only problem was that CBS had already announced a catalog number which was later mentioned in a respected reference book on soundtracks (the “Osborne Guide“, 2nd edition, 1997), so collectors were looking for a phantom. I don’t know if there was ever anything comparable in stationery, but I wouldn’t be surprised. – By the way, when the soundtrack was released around 30 years later (with that exact catalog number) it was a bootleg with the music from a VHS tape.
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I think the old version now will have a reason for the higher price. The cap in a gear shape was the charm of the Reg, which IHMO, is one of the best cap designs (and the pencil overall). Recently, I lost a 0.7 due to my crazy ideas and lack of care (tried to insert a paper in the tube to reduce rattling). I’m getting a new version, but just from this I prefer the old version. Let’s hope the rattling is at least reduced.
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You got me. I actually noticed that “G” in “600G” but I will freely admit I’m not very rOtring knowledgeable (yet). But thanks for that edifying! I appreciate your mentioning of possible preference in older mechanisms. I could believe that. I’m just not yet at a place to be able to compare to older mechanisms because I don’t have any.
Thank you so much for the ZenMarket research! Very much appreciated! I’ll have to look up proxy buying to get a better handle on how the entire process works. Seems that there are wrinkles to learn.
Good points re: rendering vs. photo. The only way we’ll really be able to tell the difference is if somoene has both and they photograph them together. Would be interesting!
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Yow! Yes, it was that gear-shaped cap which attracted me initially. Didn’t yet realize that it may not be coming with my version! Oh well. Not sure I want to pay the extra premium for an '06 version just to get it. I’m not that rabid. Sorry to hear re: loss of your 0.7. I did read something about rattling. But some things maybe better not fixed? Now you’ve got me fixated on the old version, which seems to be coming down in price. Actually, I’d like a 0.7 myself, and the new ones are only 0.5 and 0.3 (thinner).
Bastards!!! They lost the gear!!! Woe is me.
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