Rotring 600 Drafting Pencil - 0.35 mm - Black Body

Excellent in all ways. I'll list my shortcomings:

1. Thin lead like this breaks easily and wears quickly, so I switched from Rotring HB lead, to Ain Stein 2B. While it is softer and still wears quickly, the darker line means I don't have to apply as much pressure, and so the lead doesn't break nearly as often. I'd recommend a 2B lead for this thickness.

2. As with the other Rotring 600's, the weight balance is neutral, and I prefer more weight near the tip. But this is a matter of preference.

3. I'm always afraid I'll damage the tip.

This drafting pencil truly lives up to it's hype. It fits comfortably in my hands and has a nice feel to it. It's heavy and solid, but very well balanced. I'm heavy-handed and I grip my pencils firmly (almost with an iron grip!) when I write or draw. I've been looking to break this habit, and surprisingly enough, the weight of this drafting pencil combats that perfectly. I've only been using it for a few days since I got it, but I now write and draw with a lighter hand, as the weighted pencil does the work for me! The tip is strong, and it glides smoothly across the paper. I haven't had any problems with lead breakage at all (due to being heavy-handed) so I'm extremely satisfied and am looking to invest in the other sizes in the future!

Years ago I had a Japanese made .3mm Koh-i-Noor and it was the most amazing pencil I had ever used - it traveled with me for many years. Sadly, I dropped it and the Chinese made Koh-i-Noor was absolutely no comparison. In the years since then, I have used old .5mm and .9mm Koh-i-Noors (both Japanese) and struggled my way through.

I never sought to replace the pencil after the initial Chinese failings because I had serviceable (though not wholly enjoyable) replacements and my job requirements took me from pen and ink to keys and mice.

Now, I spend amazing amounts of time with paper in hand: I needed a replacement! So...I threw caution to the wind and with fear, I plopped down the $33 for the pencil.

Now, I said all of that to provide context for my commentary: Wow! The feel of the pencil in-hand is awesome. If you are a "wooden pencil" kind of person, this beast will not satisfy. The balance is awesome. If you have delicate hands, this pencil may not satisfy. The feed is precise and doesn't gum-up with 2B (which can be a problem with other .3mm pencils). For me, the combination of the .3mm size and the super soft 2B allows me to use a feather-light touch to get precise, tiny and dark lines.

If you are a drafting pencil junky, you need this pencil. But...you probably already know that. (-:

I meant to say that The platinum pro-use II looks much thicker than my rotring's grip, which I why I just ordered one. But still I really enjoy the look and feel of the silver .35 rotring.

I have the .35 mm Rotring 600 in black and silver. One thing to note is that the finish on the silver Rotring is much smoother. Also, the my black knurled grip tends to get noticeably dirtier than the silver grip, although this is a minor nuance. The pencil itself is very solid with little play. I've even taken a lit match to the body of both Rotrings (don't ask).

It is by far the heaviest writing utensil I own, and I wish the grip was a bit thicker. I find my hand cramping a bit after extended use.....like the Platinum Pro-Use II which I just ordered. Otherwise, this pencil is very cool yet professional looking, and should be great for drafting. Personally, I've used it for detailed Japanese and math work. I don't even bother with the tiny eraser, as the Mitsubishi boxy eraser does an amazing job.

Overall, this pencil is clean and modern with some serious craftmanship...I'm hoping to compare it to the Steadtler 925 and Platinum Pro-Use II very soon. In other words, you should probably get it.