rOtring 600 series pen

[scribble]

Rumors are this pen might be discontinued. Availability is sketchy right now and sites that offer it usually only have one or two odd nibs available. Perhaps it's the weight or the price point but there aren't any other pens like it so who knows why they would be phasing it out.

 

The Pen

 

Cost: $100 list, $75 from Pendemonium where I got it.

 

Length: 5 1/2 inches capped and a whopping 7 inches posted!

 

For the most part I use the pen unposted. That's ok since I do that with more normal resin pens but this one seems made for it. With the weight and length it is wobbly with the cap on there.

 

Barrel: matte black hexogonal metal

 

This is what attracted me to the 600. This pen has a very ordinary somewhat tech appearance and is very sturdy. With the small undecorated nib no one would notice this pen should I be using it in a coffee shop somewhere. The tech character follows in line with some of the drafting pencils I've seen in the past. Modern but not trendy.

 

(sorry no pics but you can see it on Pendemonium, FPH, Swisher, etc)

 

Nib: small rigid stainless steel EF

 

Had to have an EF since I got this one as a carry around for use with Moleskines and that requires the finest line I can find. This one has a very fine line and not too wet either. The pen writes flawlessly even though there is no breather hole or feed fins. I have some bad memories of using cartridge/converter pens in the past but this converter is so much better I'm liking it just fine. It has Parker marked on it and operates just like a piston. This might change my feelings about pens with converters.

 

Overall: definitely recommended

 

I was ordering some inks from Pendemonium when this caught my eye. Priced a little high maybe, but I wanted a hex bodied pen for this tech look and this one perfectly fills the bill for me. I came up with the idea of getting a knockabout road pen for use with Moleskine notebooks and sure enough there it is. They had a choice of medium and extra fine so I was in luck for a change.

 

What makes this pen such a good find for me is that it so perfectly fills the specifications for my intended use I still cannot believe I found it.

[Ann Finley]

Thanks for the review, Scribble. I've thought of getting an "old style" 600. Is this what you got? If you know what the differences between the old style & new style are, I'd like to know.

 

TIA,

Ann

[scribble]

  Ann Finley said:

Thanks for the review, Scribble. I've thought of getting an "old style" 600. Is this what you got? If you know what the differences between the old style & new style are, I'd like to know.

 

TIA,

Ann

I didn't know there were styles on these. The pic on Pendemonian is a little fuzzy and they might have lightened it a bit for detail to show so it looks dark grey, but the pen is matte black. The pic on fountainpenhospital is a bit larger but shows a ballpoint. Pendemonian is $10 cheaper and both EF and M nibs.

 

The only other one I've seen is a 18kt gold nib one on swisher's clearance site for $87.50, but only M or B. Might be a good candidate for a grind to italic.

[Ann Finley]

One of the nib choices that the old style has is OM (oblique medium--and they have OB, too), and this is what I was thinking of getting. It probably wouldn't give a good thick & thin out-of-the-box, but could be sharpened.

 

I don't know whether the new style has any offerings of oblique nibs. Somehow I have the idea that the nibs aren't interchangable between the old & new styles--but that may not be true. There must be some differences between the styles, but they look about the same and I can't tell what the differences would be.

 

Thanks for your reply & taking the time to check on the ones you did.

 

Best, Ann

[Ellie_IV]

The Rotrig 600s come in matte black and silver with a smooth finish. There is also a dark gray -- sometimes referred to as "lava" -- with a rough surface. The underlying metal, I understand, is brass.

 

I am not sure that the pens sold in the U.S. are actually manufactured by Rotring; I have heard that Sanford manufactures them under license.

 

 

No matter what, they are great pens with a long history in the world of drafting. Their hexagonal cross section assures that they won't roll off of an inclined drafting table.

 

If you are interested in acquiring one, check out eBay.

[southpaw]

Thanks for the good review Scribble.

[Kaivon772]

I have one in the silver. It is a great pen. Wonderful writer, and fine either posted or unposted. Weight is just right. I notice with some of my other pens that they are a little light after using it, but in the end it is my workhorse. Would love to get another, but one is enough for right now. I don't understand why they would phase it out either. Got mine for a gift, but the price was about $50 when they bought it. (Levengers) they have a few left that are even less, and just as fine. If anyone wants one let me know and I would be happy to be the go between.

[ClintnTx]

As a sometime draftsman, I am attracted to the pen.

 

I have one in the silver finish, too. Don't remember what I paid for it, but the fellow who sold it said it wasn't for him & made me a good price. B point, good signature pen. Might not want to write my memoirs with one that hefty, though.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on the Parker converter. I like that better than those little international cartridges.

 

C

[wimg]

Hi Scribble,

 

Thank you for the nice review!

 

Over here in Europe, according to my stockists, the pen has been discontinued already.

 

Warm regards, Wim

[Maja]

  Ann Finley said:

Thanks for the review, Scribble. I've thought of getting an "old style" 600. Is this what you got?  If you know what the differences between the old style & new style are, I'd like to know. 

 

TIA,

Ann

Yes, great review, Scribbble! Keep 'em coming...

 

Ann,

I am no expert on the old style Rotring 600 fountain pens, but I do recall people saying that they had a knurled* grip. This shows a Rotring pencil, but I think the fountain pen's grip's texture was similar...

 

* [knurled= "(having) a series of small ridges or grooves on the surface or edge of a metal object"]

 

Since you mentioned Moleskines, here is a Moleskine Friendly Fountain Pens online article I found while Googling!

[scribble]

Thanks Maja for the Moleskine link, always great to read some more on those.

 

My rOtring 600 FP has a smooth tapered metal grip.

[Ann Finley]

Thanks for the info on the differences between the old style 600 and new style 600.

 

Does anyone know if the nibs are interchangable between the two?

 

Best, Ann

[*david*]

The nibs are not made to be easily removable.

 

On my two pens, with converters in place, the newer section will fit into the older barrel, but the older section gets hung up part-way into the newer barrel. With the converter removed, (or, I assume, with a cartridge), either way fits. Caps only fit their own sections, so if you switch sections you must switch caps as well.

 

Whether the actual nibs can be interchanged by someone with more skill than I have, I don't know.

 

Caps won't post on opposing barrels.

Edited August 21, 2005 by *david*

[theking]

I have this pen with medium nib.

 

The pen has very consistent flow with most of the ink that I used. The nib is super smooth. The build quality is superb.

 

On the other hand, the nib--being steel--is hard as nail. The ergonomic is not very good: at least not for me. The pen is both heavy and small, making it hard to properly grip the pen.

[bdngrd]

I'd like to tell you how my Rotring 600 saved my life...

[The Man]

  bdngrd said:

I'd like to tell you how my Rotring 600 saved my life...

Let's hear it.

[GrantC]

Oh man, here we go again!

[Dudley]

  GrantC said:

Oh man, here we go again!

we should be prepared for anything at this point.

 

So...let's hear it =D

[bdngrd]

You asked for it....

I was walking on a not-so-frozen lake in northern Minnesota, when I saw a hairline crack in the ice and it suddenly shattered and I fell through. I found that I could not gain purchase on the ice that I was attempting to belly up on. As I thrashed about, a monetary feeling of clam stuck me; I had my Rotring 600 FP! I quickly grabbed the trusty pen, uncapped it and drove the point into the ice shelf and dragged myself up onto the ice. Happy to be alive, and amazed at the pen had saved me, yet again; I was still in a bad way. With sub-zero temperatures and a soaked-to-the-bone condition I was sure to succumb to hypothermia without a fire. I crawled to the shore.

After gathering wood and shivering almost uncontrollably, I tried in vain to strike a flint to my Rotring, when I realized the brass pen would not work, perhaps I had come to think the 600 could do anything, how foolish, I berated myself, but then, an idea, my steel nib! I could produce a spark, but the damp pile of twigs would not catch. At that moment, I remembered reading on FPN than Noodler’s Emergency Red was flammable and so I dumped out some ink and tried again. A healthy fire soon was my delight and I felt the warmth of life returning to my cold-numbed existence.

Yet, without food, I was sure to yield Winter’s icy hand, so I fashioned a spear out of my Rotring600, and used it to chop a hole in the ice near the shore. With my coat blocking the light around my head, I laid on the ice and gazed into the depths. Much to my surprise, I saw the waters teaming with fish. I thrust the spear in, skewered a small trout, and was on my way to dinner. Later that evening in my repose next to the crackling fire, with a full stomach, I dried out a journal page, to recount my story as I had just enough ink left. I documented my adventure, and made a note that the next time I had a rainbow, I would hope to stuff it with almonds, celery, breadcrumbs and lemon zest- perhaps with a nice pinot grigio as well… Oops, the fire had gone out, I was shivering again, but then a Backcountry Game Warden walked into my clearing and wrote me a ticket for fishing without a lisence! His pen, a BP, then ran out of ink! I said, “Hey if you are careful, you could borrow my Rotring 600. Oh, by the way, let me tell you about an alligator in Florida and how this pen saved my life!”

[goodguy]

I got a 600 few month ago and I found that the pen is nice and heavy,nicly balance and just looks great.

Once I started writing with it I was disapointed.To write with my FP I like to put very little effort and to glide with the nib.Well the M nib need some pressure on the paper to write.It is fairly smooth but has a weird feeling to it that I also found in my Lamy.So I know since then I dont go for ergonomic FP like Rotring and Lamy.

Bottom line I am dissapointed and probably will sell it sooner or later.