I’ve held off writing much on Retro 51 over the past year because I wanted to first see what was happening with the future of the company. As many of you may have heard, Retro 51 announced last year that their owners were retiring, and that the company would be “wound down” over the first six to nine months of 2020. Many were surprised - and a bit puzzled, to be honest - as Retro continued to roll out a seemingly endless stream of special and limited editions, store exclusive pens, and new products throughout the year, only to announce in January 2021 that the company wasn’t closing after all, that it was being acquired by new ownership, and that most of the staff would stay on to maintain continuity of operations.
The Retro 51 “The System” Pencil designed by my friend, Mike Dudek of Dudek Modern Goods and The Clicky Post. I have a pen/pencil set, and it’s probably my favorite of all the Retro 51s.
While Retro 51 has never been one of my main collecting interests, the possibility of any pen company shutting down made me sad. While I’m glad to see the pens will still be available, and presumably all the Retro employees will keep their jobs, I will admit to some unease about how the company took an entire year to announce the “change in plans,” presumably knowing that fans were snapping up Retro 51 pens as “last chance” purchases because - as far as they knew - Retro 51 was shutting down. For now, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until we know more details about what happened over this past year and the plans new ownership has for the company.
Shown here in-hand, the Retro 51 “Albert” pencil from the Vintage Metalsmith Collection.
But back to the substance of today’s review: the Retro 51 Tornado Pencil, a somewhat unique writing instrument that’s often overshadowed by its (much) more famous sibling, the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball. Shape-wise, the pen and pencil versions of the Tornado are identical, save for the large (and very good) eraser on the pencil. The pencil even uses the same twist mechanism to retract the lead, which is an ultra-wide 1.15mm. In terms of weight and balance, the Tornado Pencil and Rollerball feel nearly identical, so if you’re a fan of one, you’ll like the other. IF you can get past the lead size….
Twist mechanism and eraser.
That brings me to the main downside of this product. A 1.15mm mechanical pencil lead is extremely broad - almost as broad as a leadholder pencil, but still too narrow to sharpen in a lead pointer. That leaves you with a rather blunt pencil point. For me, it limits the utility because I can’t write small, and annotations/marginalia while reading are my primary use case for mechanical pencils. You also won’t find many refill options other than the Retro 51-branded option, as 1.15mm is an odd size, and you’re typically stuck with standard HB grade without the option to go darker or harder.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
Overall, the Retro 51 Tornado is a good mechanical pencil, and I keep a couple in my collection. Since I enjoy writing small, the lead size on the Tornado Pencil makes regular use a challenge, despite the functional twist design and quality build. When I do use this pencil, it’s typically to jot quick notes to myself. Those with larger handwriting, or who prefer a broader pencil point for things like drawing, may not be bothered by the lead size, and if you find standard woodcase or mechanical pencil barrels too narrow, you may appreciate the more substantial Tornado.
Writing sample shown here against a Rotring 800 with a .5mm lead. Paper is the Write Notepads Engineer Notebook.
Retro 51 Tornado Pencils are available for purchase individually, or as part of a pen/pencil set, from most Retro 51 dealers such as our friends at Vanness Pens. stand-alone pencils are priced between $40-45 and sets anywhere from $60-80, depending on the edition. This pricing is consistent with most high-quality mechanical pencils and the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball, which I consider good value. Refills are somewhat difficult to find, given the uncommon lead diameter, but are mostly available from Retro 51 dealers.
Further Reading on Retro 51
I’ve not written much on Retro 51 in the past, but I have previously reviewed the Retro Collection Desk Set, as well as a piece comparing the Tornado Rollerball and the Baron Fig Squire. Even though I don’t use it as much as other rollerballs these days, I should eventually do a stand-alone review of the Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball.