Rotring 600 Mechanical Pencil, 0.5 mm, Black - Perfect for Writing, Drafting, Engineering, Architecture Professionals

The rotring 800 is the pinnacle of mechanical pencils. Prior to this, I was mostly using cheap plastic mechanical pencils that would cause lead breakage and would often leave me stranded in times of drafting or writing needs. That all changed when I picked this up. The metal construction does give the pencil a certain weight, but its hand feel and performance is not compromised. The tip does wiggle around a little, but this also does not affect the writing quality. The convenience offered by the retractable tip much outweighs the wiggly tip. This pencil makes it effortless to draft and write precisely, and when combined with rotring lead, I have very rarely broken any. Yes, it is quite expensive in the realm of mechanical pencils, but this is not your average one. You really do get what you pay for. The only minor complaint I have is the eraser, which is almost too small to even use! This is easily circumvented by the use of a small square eraser though, and all higher quality mechanical pencils also have this issue, so I won’t count it as a major ding against this one.

The heft of the rotring's are always the best. I love the pen's quality and heavy feeling making it feel premium. The writing with the pencil is smooth and depending on the lead I am using, makes it feel like butter when I write or use it for modeling.

Great pencil! I do a lot of pre-sketching before creating a painting and I really like the weight and comfort of using this mechanical pencil. It’s a bit more expensive then most mechanical pencils but worth it if you’re doing a lot of drawing for extended periods of time.

I've got a couple of these now and a few for friends. I normally put soft lead in them.

...if you want to know what it feels like to have your hands and fingers drive a Rolls Royce... then this is the german precision equivalent of it... you will not find a more luxurious, well designed and joyful writing experience... when I hold this pencil I feel perfection nestled in my hands...

I have been using mechanical pencils for years, mostly vintage metal/plastic drafting pencils from a well known brand. I prefer this style of pencil with a very long knurled metal grip since it allows for the full range of grips. This is my first metal bodied pencil in this style.The grip on this one is a bit more gentle than the grips found in competing brands, but it still offers very good traction. The tip falls away from the grip nicely to a long point. This makes it very easy to figure out where your line will appear.The body is very solid, being made of metal. The finish is not flawless. There are some streaks in the silver. I think the black version has a finish similar to that of the 800. Side by side, the 800 is a hair longer. If you have need of the retracting mechanism, then the 800 is the way to go. Otherwise the 600 gives you similarly tough construction, simpler (and apparently more study) internals, plus the rotating lead gauge indicator. (This is a big deal for me as I use many different leads).You'll find a similarity to some of the metal/plastic pencils on the market. The internals on this one are going to be superior. The question is whether the cost is worth the metal body and rugged construction quality. The extra weight is definitely a factor.

excellent build quality and writes very well with the proscribed lead. these are not cheap but i would rather wait and find products like this than buy cheap stuff made in asia.

High quality 👌Works well!