Objective: Literature started to point out essential parameters involving reciprocating instruments through clinical and laboratory essays. Looking into apical debris extrusion, incidence of instrument breakage, canal centering ability, apical zipping, a myriad of information has become available. The aim of this review is to revisit the literature and compare reciprocal and continuous rotation techniques.Methods: A review of current literature may collect recent findings.Conclusion: Reciprocating systems are similar in some aspects in comparison to rotational systems, with regards to cleaning ability, centered preparations, cleaning ability, reduction of Enterococcus faecalis and dentine defects. On the other hand, being single use and enhanced resistance to fatigue, together with novel methods to treat the alloy may lead to the thought that reciprocal systems are an excellent aid to root canal preparation. However, more needs to be understood about this new era of instruments to verify, long term and especially in vivo, the success and failure when these instruments are used.