EXHIBIT 5


                                THOMPSON HINE LLP
                           2000 Courthouse Plaza, N.E.
                              10 West Second Street
                             Dayton, Ohio 45402-1758

                                January 28, 2002


Robbins & Myers, Inc.
1400 Kettering Tower
Dayton, Ohio 45423

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         Reference is made to the offering by Randomat International B. V., a
shareholder of Robbins & Myers, Inc., an Ohio corporation (the "COMPANY"), of up
to an aggregate of 600,000 common shares of the Company (the "SHARES"), pursuant
to a Registration Statement on Form S-3 being filed under the Securities Act of
1933 (the "REGISTRATION STATEMENT").

         As counsel for the Company, we have examined and are familiar with the
Articles of Incorporation of the Company and various corporate records and other
proceedings relating to the organization of the Company and the issuance of the
Shares. Based upon the foregoing and upon investigation of such other matters as
we considered appropriate to permit us to render an informed opinion, it is our
opinion that:

         1. The Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of the State of Ohio.

         2. The Shares are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable.

         We are members of the bar of the State of Ohio and, accordingly, we do
not express any opinion as to any matter governed by any laws other than the
laws of the State of Ohio and the federal laws of the United States of America.

         We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and we consent to the reference to our firm under the
caption "Legal Matters" in the Prospectus forming a part of the Registration
Statement. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, this opinion may not
be relied upon by any other person, or used by you for any other purposes,
without our prior written consent.

                                       Very truly yours,

                                       /s/ Thompson Hine LLP