Customer Reviews

Just got a new Rotring 600 for Father's Day! I'm so excited to finally have one, but so scared to use it at the same time! Everything about the pencil is awesome; it's just that sleeve that is oh so fragile that has me watching every move with this pencil.

The weight is a little more than I'm used to with my other plastic barreled pencils, but I'm getting used to it. I absolutely love the metal knurled grip. The pencil is a little thinner than I thought it would be which is a bonus, because I love thin barreled pencils!

All in all this pencil takes the cake. Precision engineering and design, with a quality name.

It's a shame that all the good quality pencils are made and sold in other countries; and all the sloppy plastic crap is sold here in the U.S. I'm so glad Jetpens is there to bridge that gap for us American pen/pencil fanatics.

Keep up the good work JetPens!

Creates instant jealousy from coworkers and fellow students. Holds lead firmly, and feels like it was made with the same precision and attention given to a rifle. Lead extension is solid and consistent, and makes me actually want to do my homework because I get to use it!

Only complaint is the eraser size, but i just carry around a Pentel click erase, and that takes care of that.

Also, i thought is pencil was bigger than it actually is. it's pretty small.

all that said i would buy it again in a heartbeat

I just received my black 600 today. I ordered it as soon as I noticed they were back in stock a few days ago. Just got it yesterday! Super fast shipping (I used the free standard).

As for the pencil itself, it's lovely. I disagree with those that said it was too heavy for extended writing and work. I just worked 5 hours of differential equations homework and it was a joy to use. Don't get me wrong, it's not a lightweight pencil, but it sits very comfortably in my hand. It's very solid, and I can just tell it's going to last me years.

I like the finish of the black. It's not smooth metal, it has almost a powdercoat feeling, a slightly rough matte feel. The grip is not overly-rough in my opinion. The points of the knurling are flat, and it feels solidly planted in my hand.

I use Pentel Ain High-Polymer lead in it (HB) and it performs flawlessly. Nice and dark and no breakage. It feeds nice, with a satisfying "snick" as the lead advances. The mechanism feels very solid, and advances consistently.

A quality pencil well worth the money. The only down side I can see would be the guide pipe possibly breaking (as others have said.) I am careful with my things, however, and this shouldn't be a problem.

Oh my, this is an absolutely lovely pencil. Writing with it is pure joy. Really. It's weighted beautifully, it works like a dream. It feels amazing in the hand. It looks sharp. The only problem with the pen is that I'm paranoid about the tip. I leave it in my office and don't carry it with me very often because I would hate (HATE!) to have this tip damaged. I haven't been able to justify the expense of the 800 with a retractable tip yet, but I love this pencil so much that I suspect that at some point I will. Really, if you don't plan on carrying this around in your pocket all the time, you can't do better. This makes every other drafting pencil I have ever used seem like a toy in comparison.

I just received it today and its awesome. I LOVE how solid this pencil is. I don't need to press down to write because it weighs enough that I can just guide it.

I've been using the Rotring Rapid Pro for about a year and it is a great pencil. Thought i lost it so i ordered the Rotring 600 in black. I can't put it down and the Rapid Pro is now in my bag. Ya, it's newer so maybe that is a part of it, but the weight and balance feel great. My favorite aspect is the Knurled Grip, it stays in the fingers much better than the knurl of the rapid pro. Only downfall is the lead sleeve doesn't retract. I took some PFA 3/8" tubing and cut a piece and flared it so it fits over the pencil tip nicely and protects it.

I have both the matte black and silver versions of the 0.5 mm Rotring 600 drafting pencil. I use them for technical drawing, mostly. Writing with these pencils is a pleasure, also. Some reviewers have posted some slight negatives about the weight / balance of this pencil. They might have a point, but I write with my silver model regularly, and I love the way it feels and handles. I use 2b lead when I am writing. In my opinion, hard lead with a heavy pencil is cumbersome for writing. So, the softer lead does the trick. But my primary use for these pencils is technical drawing, with drafting implements. In this application, the Rotring 600 is my favorite pencil, without a doubt. The balance is perfect for hand positions and pencil angles related to accurate drawing. Like another reviewer said, these pencils just might be the best model jetpens carries.

Rotring 600 drafting pencils make great gifts, even if the one receiving it doesn't own a drafting table.

Please restock. Thanks for the fair price, Jetpens. Others seem to gouge on the price for this pencil.

This is a great pencil. I have it in .35mm (like public, mine is old). Will be getting the silver body.

Oh wow, I have one of these that's about 20 years old, I didn't know they were still made. Superb pencil. I still use mine. It attracts attention, at least from engineers -- a coworker even offered to buy it from me. Then he threatened to steal it. ;)

Weight is good, durability (and lifetime) is mostly excellent. Keep in mind the tip at the end is exposed so, while 95% of the pencil is absolutely bomb-proof, that last 5% is vulnerable to bending. For this reason my pencil sees more use at home than on the road.

This pencil is excellent in every respect, so perhaps it's best to only list two hesitations:

1. The weight balance is evenly distributed across the nice solid, heavy, brass body. I personally would prefer a more forward balance with more weight closer to the tip. That being said, writing with a fountain pen has allowed me to adapt to letting the back end rest in my thumb/index hand groove instead of trying to suspend it with my fingers.

2. I'm afraid that I'll drop the tip, or knock it around in my bag, or something that might damage it. Yes, there are replacement tips, but they are expensive. I always carefully pack the pencil back in its box, wrapped with bubble wrap, for fear that I'll damage it.

Best pencil I have owned. Well balanced, nice weight, fully functional. Beautifully engineered. Highly recommend.

my favorite drafting pencil. i have this in 0.5mm in black and 0.7mm in silver

i personally prefer the black pencil's texture. also the black one's grip knurl is finer and smoother than the silver's (at least mine is).

i use a pencil case so the unretractable tip isnt a problem for me
if it bothers you, get an 800 or something else.

the graphgear 1000 and kurotoga or whatever are also great pencils and cheaper but this pencil is so minimalistically luxurius that i'd never choose another pencil over it. (unless rotring decides to rerelease their gorgeous lava ones)

The rotring is amazing... People say that the pencil is heavy, but I don't think so, I use it everyday and it feels just like an ordinary pencil (of course, it only FEELS like an ordinary pencil). I don't recommend the 800 if you are looking for a cheaper model that is still very good. The uniqueness of the pencil makes everyone around me look impressed, even my friends, who are pro mechanical pencil collectors, think that it's really good. I recommend buying this with a BOXY eraser and a pack of nano-dia lead HB.

The perfect pencil. Nice heavy weight, solid metal construction, solid internal mechanisms, works well, and just looks amazing.

Anybody that says this pencil is flawed, a tank, does not understand product engineering. Look at any pencil / pen while in your hand in a writing position and it becomes OBVIOUS that if it does have some weight forward it will not be balanced for the task it was designed for in the first place.

I had received this pencil in silver as a gift over twenty years ago and lost it two days later(I actually think it was stolen). So I finally replaced it in black as I had a hard time justifying spending so much for a pencil. I am so happy with this pencil that I just ordered one in silver for my wife. The more I write with this pencil the more I enjoy it. The balance is perfect, the weight is is enough that it feels solid without being heavy and fatiguing when writing for extended periods of time. I write up four hours everyday and my hand / forearm / fingers never feel tired or stressed. You need the weight in a pencil/pen otherwise you will grip it more and that is what makes your fingers get tired and stiff. I will never own another brand of pencil than a Rotring.

Easily the best. These pencils are not cheap however they are really solid. I bought one about 12 yrs ago and I still have it although I dropped it so many times and meanwhile the clip broke. Can someone find comparable pencils cheaper ? Yes, but not by much ( platinum from Japan is also made of metal ). Compared with the R800 I think that is a much better value.

Great as expected, Just received the pencil yesterday, it was nice. The body is slim and a little heavy (not use to it yet)... The whole thing is nice, but it would be better if the pencil can be a little bit longer to have balance. I feel like the pencil is kind of short.

Overall, I love the pencil and the services. Fast shipping and well packaged. I like the 600 series version where they actually have a red rotring letter name on the pencil. That one looks nice. But this one is great also ...

I love these pencils. I have been using them for years, very technical, and although expensive are worth the cost.

I found them here on http://www.google.com and glad I got such a good deal!

This is by far 1 of the best pencils I've ever had the pleasure of owning, I also have a Pentel 1000 and by comparison the overall design is much thinner yet at the same time being brass has more weight and solid feel then the Pentel. My order with the free shipping came faster then other online art stores with $20 shipping. Overall I am a very satisfied jet pens customer and can't recommend this retailer enough.

I've made 5 or 6 purchases from Jet Pens and have never felt compelled to write a review....until the Rotring 600 showed up on my desk. Seriously the best drawing/drafting pencil I have ever used. I don't have the steadiest hands, but the weighting of the 600 totally helps to balance that out. It's literally perfect. The Platinum Pro Use II was my favorite pencil to draw with before, and it's still great, but the 600 has forever won my affections....

pros:
-sturdy construction
-not too flashy
-good grip
-no flexing
-smooth writing

cons:
-cost: If you don't need it for actual drafting, it might not be worth the money. It is definitely made out of better materials than some of the other pencils out there, but a good portion of the price you're paying is probably going towards importing it from Japan. I bought it for taking notes and doing homework, and while it's nice, I can't help but think that I would have been better off with the cheaper Staedtler 925-25 or another solid pencil.

Great Pencil! This pencil is the best thing in my pencil case so far. Not to mention the most expensive. It's heavy, something that I like, and it's grip is skinny enough that it won't make your middle finger sore. (Unless you have large fingers)

PROS!
-Mostly Metal (Except for some small parts and some internal parts)
-Clip actually works
-Lead grade indicator
-Knurled grip
-Is compatible with the Pentel Z2-1 erasers
-Heavy (can be pro or con, depending on you)
CONS!
-Tip does not retract (not a big deal, just be careful)
-Dirty stuff can get stuck in the grip (I'm and aesthetic Nazi)

For the price, I think this pencil is worth it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

This pencil is so well built. I received this from my girlfriend for Christmas and I really love it. For the price you pay for it I would say it is worth the money. Comparing to the Ohto Super Promecha series, the Rotring 600 feel more durable compared to the Ohtos. I had a 1500P which broke on me, it was not worth the money for me to get another one. The Rotring feels very comfortable for the hands with the knurled grip and the hexagon above the kurled grip is just perfect for percision. The Pencil doesn't feel too heavy nor too light. I wished the tip can be retractable just like the 800, but for around 30 bucks It is well worth the money. If you love your pencils, you should really get this Rotring 600.

This pencil is a tank. Its mass becomes more of an issue if I use it for sketching than for laying out lines with straightedges and such, because lively strokes will accelerate that mass to create momentum that can catch me by surprise. While the grip is grippy, enough acceleration can cause it to slip right out, which has happened a few times, thankfully not landing directly on the lead sleeve. I'm glad I bought them (couldn't decide between black and silver), and I'll probably have them forever, but I'm afraid their borderline unwieldy mass, coupled with their price, means I don't find myself using them very often compared to my lighter pencils. Consider this an emotional purchase- they're conversation pieces for sure.