Rotring 600 Drafting Pencil, A Lesson In Design

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Pen Addict podcast has seen a lot of interest lately regarding pencils — both mechanical and wood case pencils. Because of this, I found myself browsing the mechanical pencils section one day in JetPens. I hadn't looked at mechanical pencils since I was in college at our local bookstore, which always had a nice selection of drafting pencils for the engineering classes. But, of all the cool pencils I acquired during college, I'd never seen something as beautiful and striking as the Rotring 600 Drafting Pencil. This seems like the exact pencil that draftsman would use daily in the course of his craft. It's always a bit sad to think that this craft has been largely replaced with computerized tools, but you can never completely do without paper.

To call the 600's design timeless is a good place to start. It features the classic Rotring red ring and plenty of knurling and angled edges. This pen is not soft in appearance. It's a clean precision instrument, and it oozes industrial design aesthetic.

Appearance and feel

When you first pick up this pen, you'll notice the weight immediately. The insides are brass, which contribute to that weight. The second thing you'll notice is how much it feels like an instrument instead of a pencil. This isn't the pencil you used in high school trigonometry, or even Calculus III in college. This one is reserved for the professionals.

The barrel is hexagonal except for the knurled grip section, which is round. The cap comes off to reveal a small eraser, which can be removed to add more lead to the reservoir. The top of the pen features an indicator window (knurled, of course) that allows you to select what type of lead you currently have in the pen. I'm assuming that people who use these types of pencils in their work would probably have more than one, or might swap out different leads for different tasks. Thus, an indicator.

The tip of the pencil features a pipe to protect the lead and make it easier to use with a straight-edge. It reminds me of something you'd expect to see in a space ship.

Of course, there's a red ring between the lead indicator and the push cap, which is a signature Rotring feature. There's also some text one one side of the hexagonal body that reads, "rotring 600 / 0,5mm" (mine is a 0.5mm version) in red paint. Apart from that, the pencil is devoid of any branding. I believe the design of the pen is the branding, since you recognize it as a Rotring from any angle.

The clip is really strong, and I don't see there ever being an issue with the pencil coming unclipped. It's actually a bit difficult to clip onto something due to the strong resistance in the clip. Again, it feels industrial and serious.

Writing with the Rotring 600

Since this is a drafting pencil, it's more geared toward precise drawing, lettering, and use with other tools (like a straight-edge). As such, I don't really enjoy using it for normal writing. I'm sure other people wouldn't have any problem with this, but I certainly feel like I should be doing something like drawing, sketching, or lettering when I pick it up.

That said, the pencil is extremely easy to control since it has a knurled grip. The weight and balance is perfect and also makes it easy to control the pencil. Since it's a mechanical pencil, I find myself rotating the pencil a bit every other word to keep the sharp side of the lead on the page, which is something the Kuru-Toga aims to solve.

The included eraser in the cap is a joke, but that's the case in almost every mechanical pencil.

Conclusion

The Rotring 600 is a pencil that feels like an expensive tool for specific jobs. It's not a hammer, but a micrometer. It's an example of timeless design and looks good on any desk, whether or not it's used for drafting, lettering, or other artistic purposes. If you're a fan of mechanical pencils, you owe it to yourself to try one of these at some point. And, if you're not a fan, this one might convert you.

You can pick one up at JetPens in either black or silver and in 0.35mm, 0.5mm, and 0.7mm lead sizes.

A Pocket Safe Intro Into The World of Mechanical Drafting Pencils

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on his blog, Smallberry Drive, Twitter, and Instagram.)

Pencils are essential. They are the flint, the scaffold. They are the part that says, "This isn't something yet, but it is hiding inside this." Pencils are the creation part of any project; any inking, typing or painting is a refinement of what the pencil started.

Look, I like analogies, and there are plenty in the pencil and pen world. Wooden pencils are analogous to standard ballpoint pens (they come pre-packed with the writing medium, they are typically one use and disposable) where mechanical pencils are much more like fountain pens (they are the vessels for the writing medium, you can pick your lead/ink yourself). I have long loved my mechanical pencils, but my go-to pocket utensil was always a pen. I had used a drafting pencil nearly every day for over a decade (Alvin Draft/Matic .9mm, still have it) but I wouldn't carry it daily because the tip was too dangerous to my pockets, I also didn't want to bend the tip. Well, after washing my fair share of Pilot V5's and ruining at least one load of delicates, I knew I needed to find a non-ink option to carry. Enter the Uni Shift.

The Uni Shift Pipe Lock Drafting Pencil, is a mouthful of a name, so I will be calling it the Shift. Uni's unique and innovative design, especially in the mechanical pencil world, is once more shown off here with the Shift's retractable tip. Retractable tips are not exactly a new thing in the mechanical pencil world, but it is still something that gets a new spin on it every few years. This particular pencil has been around since at least 2009, no one could call me an early adopter. Right off the bat this pencil has a lot going for it: pocket safe, cool looking, nice heft to it, decent clip. They have five sizes to choose from (.3mm, .4mm, .5mm, .7mm, and .9mm).

I choose the thickest one possible, the .9mm. Since I am typically sketching with the intent of inking over the marks, I go for a wide, soft lead that won't put too much of a dent in the page. An added bonus is that the thicker leads tend to break less. I used Pentel 2B .9mm lead with this pencil. If you are unfamiliar, H leads are harder and less dark, 6H typically being the hardest. B leads are softer and darker, 4B typically being the softest. H=Hard B=Black is an easy way to remember. I sometimes have trouble erasing anything past a 2B because the pigment will leech into the paper. I would occasionally switch over to a red lead but mainly stuck with the black.

The Shift’s gimmick has been well documented, you twist the grip and it will slide down and snap into place, displaying the lead sleeve. Twist it the other way and slide the grip back up and it will hide the lead sleeve, making it safe to tuck in your pocket. The metal grip is pretty solid when locked, which was the thing I was worried most about. Once it is clicked, it takes a very deliberate effort to un-click it. At no point in the two months I kept this in my pocket did it come unsecured on me. My only gripe with the mechanism is that it is difficult to work one handed. I have read reviews where people claim they can do it easily, “It just takes practice!” Well, so does riding a unicycle, doesn’t make me want to take the time to do it. Suffice to say it is possible, but not intuitive or quick.

The cool factor is high with this one. I had to keep it from being stolen no less than four times (once by the founder of the company I work for) and one co-worker bought one after seeing it. The body is mostly the same circumference, where a lot of drafting pencils taper in plateaus at the eraser, the consistent body gives it a great silhouette. It is forward weighted, due to the grip that is utilized as the sliding mechanism being the metal part on the body. While the forward weight might seems like a negative, the balance feels really good when writing. The metal knurling on the grip is perfect, nice wide pattern but with a fairly shallow depth so that it isn't sharp if you are sensitive to these sorts of grips.

-Warning, a bit of a rambling rant ahead-

Here is where some people are going to write this pencil off: the body is plastic. Plastic bodies are not a taboo in drafting pencils, my aforementioned Alvin Draft/Matic has a plastic body, but for Mid/High grade drafting pencils, full metal bodies are the norm. The plastic body on this pencil looks great and I'm sure it helps keep the price down, which makes this a great intro pencil, and I don't want what I'm about to say to detract from the actual product. The Shift is fantastic and one of it's main attractions is it's affordability, but I have often wondered why Uni has not done a full metal version, like they have with the Kuru Toga Roulette. Sure, the Kuru Toga has a “wow” factor to it and is arguably one of the most name checked pencils of the last decade, but the Shift is no bad shakes either. Putting the two head to head is a no brainer, I’m going to pick the Shift every time, even if the hypothetical Kuru Toga in question was a Roulette model. The lead rotating mechanism is neat, but actually using it did not work for me. I doodle, therefore I don’t pick up and put down the lead at an interval that makes the Kuru Toga engine work. Whats worse is that engine creates a bit of “play” in the lead, where the Shift has none of it. Plus, I actually LIKE that the lead wears unevenly, which is why I like .9mm leads. I can have a nice, thick line or spin it around to use the fine point for details when needed. The gimmick of the Kuru Toga never stopped being anything more than a gimmick to me, where the Shift had an honest to goodness function right off the bat. Other high end drafting pencils have similar gimmicks and functions, and if Uni were to step up the build materials, they would be competing with the best of them. For some reason, I find it super frustrating wanting the opportunity to pay more for something that should exist, but not having the ability to, because it doesn't.

There is one other down side to this pencil, it is not designed to be taken apart. For me, and I am sure I’m not the only one, it is almost a ritual. Sacred. Taking apart the mechanical drafting pencil to inspect it is usually one of the first things I do. I consider it a sort of ode to the engineers and drafters these pencils are made by and for, so I try to take the time to figure out how each one works. The Shift is not designed to be taken apart. I pressed my luck and nearly broke it once, after that I stopped fooling with it. I understand the design reason, you twist the grip to deploy and hide the sleeve so you wouldn’t want to accidentally twist it loose all of the time. But, it would be nice to be able to check to see if a piece of lead is broken or if you need to clean the inside. Maybe if they added a break lower on the pencil body, closer to the eraser, but I am no engineer and am sure they have their reasons. Price point is probably one of them.

Pros:

• Great weight
• Looks very cool
• Solid construction with no lead wiggle
• Shift mechanism works wonderfully
• Innovative design Uni is known for
• Great price point

Cons:

• Plastic body
• Two hands needed to deploy lead sleeve
• Can’t take it apart

I am not sure how it comes across, but I feel like I have been beating this pencil up. Rest assured, I REALLY like this pencil, and would recommend it in a heartbeat. I like it so much that I want the opportunity to pay more for a nicer model. If you are thinking about entering the crazy world of drafting pencils, you could certainly do worse. If I had my druthers they would never stop making these, as they are a perfect starter pencil, but also introduce a Roulette version of the Shift that is all metal. Function, looks, and design make this an amazing pencil that is a bargain even if you are only just curious. If they ever do build an all metal version they would be competing with Rotring, but for now you just have a damn fine pencil, not THE damn fine pencil. The Uni Shift Pipe Lock Drafting Pencil (whew) can be found at JetPens.com in a variety of sizes.

(Disclaimer: This product was provided for me free of cost but I am not otherwise being compensated for this review. The opinions contained are my own.)

Pentel Graph Gear 800 Drafting Pencil Review

Like micro-tip gel ink pens, mechanical pencils are a tool I like to have handy everywhere I may be writing. There is something about their technical design and fine lines that speak to me, and the Pentel Graph Gear 800 is a nice addition to my lineup.

Pentel’s Graph Gear lineup is well known and widely respected. The 1000 model drafting pencil and ballpoint are hugely popular with their aluminum barrel construction, but there is a definite place for the plastic barrel of the 800 lineup. The key is in the grip. It is metal, giving it the proper weight and balance for a drafting pencil, and features the same rubber pads that give other Graph Gear models an excellent feel.

Pentel color codes their barrels to match lead diameters, with black for 0.5 mm, blue for 0.7 mm, and yellow for 0.9 mm (green is 0.4 mm and brown is 0.3 mm for those product lines that use them). This is helpful for professionals who may have a lineup of pencils on their table when having to switch up line widths.

I find using the Graph Gear 800 to be a real pleasure. It is a comfortable writer while retaining the solid feel of the twice as expensive 1000 model. I prefer it over the less expensive Pentel Sharp model as well. The grip alone is worth the added cost.

Overall, this is a quality drafting pencil that I’m happy to have at my desk.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)