Another Modern Classic: The Rotring 600 Pencil

October 15, 2015

Sometimes you run across a product that makes you wonder why it took you so long to discover it. The Rotring 600 mechanical pencil, what I'd consider another classic of modern industrial design on par with the Lamy 2000, is the latest. For around $30, it's an excellent buy if you're looking for a high quality mechanical/drafting pencil to add to your kit.

I've had a hard time finding a good mechanical pencil that makes me want to use it every day. When I was in school, I used them pretty frequently (especially in classrooms that didn't have decent pencil sharpeners), and they are always handy when you want to make really, really small notes. They attract a lot of snark in this community from both fountain pen users ("It's not a pen!") and pencil enthusiasts ("It's not woodcase!"), but mechanical pencils are useful tools that have their place.

Ok, NOW I get what the fuss is about. Thanks @penchalet!

A photo posted by Joe C. (@gentlemanstationer) on Oct 5, 2015 at 8:41am PDT

The design of the Rotring 600 is, well, Rotring-esque. Rotring basically defined the modern drafting pencil with hefty metal construction, a knurled grip, and a mechanism at the end of the pencil that you can turn to reflect the hardness of the lead you are using. The pencil itself is slender, and while heavy, is well-balanced for medium-length writing sessions. (Mechanical pencils in general, and especially this type of drafting pencil, aren't intended for novel writing, but rather sketching, calculations, and jotting notes.) I've been using my pencil with the Rotring stock HB lead, which is pretty nice, though my typical preference is 2B Ain Stein lead.

Rotring packaging is minimalistic, consistent with Rotring products.  I was surprised that the pencil came in a simple triangular cardboard sleeve (without much protection).  I don't dwell much on packaging, so whatever. — Rotring packaging is minimalistic, consistent with Rotring products. I was surprised that the pencil came in a simple triangular cardboard sleeve (without much protection). I don't dwell much on packaging, so whatever.

The Rotring 600 fountain pens are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and in some cases can go for as much as $250-300 in eBay auctions. At $29 from PenChalet, the Rotring 600 mechanical pencil is an economical way to scratch that itch, but beware, the fountain pen starts to look pretty good after a while....

Take note: the 600 model is not a "retractable pipe" drafting pencil, in which you can depress the nock or another button on the pencil and retract/extend the metal sleeve that holds the lead. If you're looking for that feature in a Rotring pen, you will need to opt for the Rotring RapidPro (slightly more expensive at $35), or the Rotring 800 (nearly twice as expensive at $60). There's also a Rotring 800+ model that comes with a stylus tip, but I'm not sure that justifies increasing the price even further to $72.

If you don't feel like spending $30 on a mechanical pencil, but like the "blackout" looks and the knurled grip of the Rotring, the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette is probably my second favorite all purpose mechanical pencil. The Kuru Toga Roulette is round, lighter, and has a slightly larger diameter than the Rotring, so if you use your mechanical pencil for long writing sessions this may be the option for you.

The Uni Kuru Toga Roulette next to the Rotring 600 Mechanical Pencil.  The Roulette is slightly larger in both length and diameter, but features some plastic construction. — The Uni Kuru Toga Roulette next to the Rotring 600 Mechanical Pencil. The Roulette is slightly larger in both length and diameter, but features some plastic construction.

DISCLAIMER: I was provided the product by PenChalet at no charge, for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links. All Amazon pricing and availability is subject to change, and is only current as of the time of publication of this review.

PENXO: "Impressive."

October 10, 2015

So yesterday, this rolled in. I'm not sure what the final verdict will be, but my initial impressions of the PENXO, billed as "the most minimalistic leadholder pencil," are positive. I've never used a leadholder or clutch pencil before, and its interesting. The one thing I really like is that the PENXO, for me, is the same length as a woodcase pencil that has been used and sharpened down to that "perfect length" for my hand. While leadholders typically are used for drawing/drafting, the PENXO works well for daily writing (though I am still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Darth Vader's lightsaber. For those of you who missed out, PENXO is taking preorders on its website.

For my Kickstarter reward, I chose the Cobalt Blue and "Darth Black" versions.

My Kickstarter add-ons:  24 HB Leads, 12 Read Leads, and 12 Blue Leads; two sharpeners; and an eraser. The packaging in the background is a Retro 51-esque tube. — My Kickstarter add-ons: 24 HB Leads, 12 Read Leads, and 12 Blue Leads; two sharpeners; and an eraser. The packaging in the background is a Retro 51-esque tube.

One comment I do have is that the "clutch" lead-release mechanism takes some getting used to. Machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, the fit is pretty tight, and my thumb is a bit sore from opening the pencil and figuring out how to adjust the lead for sharpening. My sense is that things will loosen up a touch as I use the PENXO more, or I figure out the perfect spot to apply pressure. The embedded video below was released by PENXO, and shows how things work. I will probably update this as I use the pencil more, but I wanted to get my initial thoughts out there. If you're a PENXO backer, and have received your reward, what are your impressions?

DISCLAIMER: I purchased the product featured in this post with my own funds, for my own collection. I was not compensated in any way for this review.

The Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen and Ballpoint side-by-side.

Lamy 2000 Ballpoint: My Go-To EDC Option

October 3, 2015

Back at the Atlanta Pen Show, I purchased a ... gasp ... ballpoint pen. First things first, I'm not one of those pen snobs who never uses ballpoints. They have their place, but my primary beef with ballpoints is that I have small handwriting, and most ballpoints come in 1.0mm widths or broader. Plus the ink in the cheaper models tends to blob. That aside, a good ballpoint pen is one of the more useful tools that you can have with you at any given time. They write on more or less any surface, the ink tends to dry quickly and be permanent, and they don't dry out immediately if you leave the cap off the pen.

Other than my Tactile Turn Mover with a Uniball Jetstream refill, the Lamy 2000 is the only ballpoint pen that I use on a regular basis. (The Jetstream I really don't even consider to be a true ballpoint pen--it has more in common with a gel pen, and the .38mm refill is a personal fave.) The Lamy looks great, has perfect proportions for shirt pocket or pants pocket carry, and is reliably built. The ballpoint features the same Macrolon (polycarbonate) material as the fountain pen, and the two look particularly sharp when carried together. My favorite feature of my ballpoint, however, is this:

You read that right: West Germany. I have no idea how old this pen is, but at a minimum I would think it predates German reunification in 1990 (or was manufactured shortly thereafter, before Lamy had a chance to change their mark). A cool piece of history and one of many reasons why you should attend pen shows!

As others have pointed out, the one weakness of the Lamy ballpoint is the refill (or at lease the older Lamy refills that are still out there on the market). I picked up the blue "Fine", which writes an adequately narrow line, but the refill itself tends to fall on the light side for me. I suspect that the refill I purchased at the pen show is simply old, because others who have recently purchased a Lamy ballpoint refill have been pleasantly surprised.

A touch light for me, but it works better on smoother paper, such as the Nock Co. Dot-Dash. The line also tends to get lighter and skip more if I write with this pen for extended periods.

2023 Update: Over the years, I became frustrated that not many retailers were carrying the Lamy 2000 ballpoints and focusing on the non-fountain pen portion of Lamy’s excellent lineup, so I became a retailer! You can now purchase the Lamy 2000 line of pens, including the ballpoint, directly from T.G.S. in the Curated Shop.

While I'm at it, I also have to brag a bit about this, which I just received in the mail from Renee at Scriptorium Pens. I'm inking it up today and can't wait to use it and get my thoughts up on the blog!

A photo posted by Joe C. (@gentlemanstationer) on Oct 3, 2015 at 5:17am PDT

DISCLAIMER: I purchased the pens featured i this review with my own funds, for my own collection. This post also contains affiliate links.

What really makes this pencil so great: The red end cap.

Pencil Revisited: The Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood

September 30, 2015

Update to Review as of August 10, 2020. See bolded text throughout for details.

I've intended to write a more in-depth review of the Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood pencil for a while now. It's recently exploded in popularity, so much that they're difficult to get a hold of, and many retailers have raised the price. [UPDATE: Not anymore! As of 2020, Caran d’Ache sells multiple versions of the Swiss Wood, which I now stock in the T.G.S. Curated Shop.] What makes this pencil so great? So great, in fact, that it really has been the only pencil that I've used regularly for the past few months?

What I like:

The weight. This is a hefty piece of wood. The marketing copy describes it as dark brown Swiss Beech wood from the Jura forest, but I wonder whether the wood has been dyed that dark brown color. Other products made from beech wood don't have that extremely dark-chocolatey hue, and the soy-sauce/chocolate/earthy smell doesn't exactly smell like wood. But anyway, this pencil is solid, and has near-perfect balance, even without an eraser.

The end cap. Speaking of no eraser, the end cap on this pencil is painted red with the white Swiss Cross. Enough said.

Point Retention. Point retention on this pencil is exceptional. If I had to point to one particular selling point, this would be it. People may ask, "why on early would you spend upwards of $5 on a single pencil," but the Swiss Wood seemingly writes forever. Caran d'Ache has marked the core as an HB, but to me it's a shade lighter and harder (probably more like an "H"). For textured paper (like that found in the Baron Fig notebooks), it's perfect, because it leaves a legible line without forcing you to sharpen your pencil every two pages. Yesterday I wrote three single-spaced pages in a dot-grid Baron Fig Confidant and still had a nearly intact long point on the pencil. The lighter graphite also doesn't ghost or smear.

The point on a Swiss Wood Pencil lasts forever. You can also see the size difference between the Swiss Wood (on the right), and the Black Wood (on the left). For it's size and hardness, the Black Wood doesn't do a bad job with point retention, eithe… — The point on a Swiss Wood Pencil lasts forever. You can also see the size difference between the Swiss Wood (on the right), and the Black Wood (on the left). For it's size and hardness, the Black Wood doesn't do a bad job with point retention, either.

What I don't like.

"Don't like" is a bit strong for what has become one of my favorite pencils. The lack of general availability can make this pencil hard to use at times, though I'm trying to master my fear of not using my favorite products just because the manufacturer might discontinue them. I have four or five of these pencils, which should last me a good long while. A few more "cons" (though they're pretty nitpicky):

Darkness. Compared to a pencil like the Caran d'Ache Black Wood, the graphite in the Swiss Wood can be too light for some everyday uses. When marking up or annotating documents at work, the Swiss Wood can be borderline illegible for some people. I typically use a pen (with red ink) to mark stuff up, so this isn't a huge deal for me. At the end of the day, every pencil has tradeoffs in this regard: you sacrifice darkness for point retention, and sacrifice point retention for darkness. The point retention on this pencil is so good, and it works so well in my Baron Fig (my preferred pencil paper), that I'm willing to give up some darkness, even though I generally favor 2B pencils.

[Update: As of 2020, Caran d’Ache apparently has changed the graphite in the Swiss Wood to make it write darker, akin to the Black Wood, which has now been discontinued.]

Compare the darkness of the Swiss Wood vs. the Black Wood pencil, which is a "mini-jumbo" pencil with a softer, darker core. The paper is laid cream-colored paper from Papier Plus in Paris.

Price. I feel like I have to mention price again. This is an expensive pencil. One of the most expensive that I own. If the "burn rate" on this pencil was higher, and it didn't last as long as it does, it wouldn't be worth the price to me.

Franklin-Christoph prominently displayed their new line of inks at the 2015 D.C. Pen Show.

New Franklin-Christoph Inks: Round One

September 26, 2015

Last month at the Washington, D.C. Pen Show, Lori at Franklin-Christoph kindly provided me with a handful of samples of Franklin-Christoph's new line of inks. Franklin-Christoph has carried its own brand of inks for a while now--readers who have been with me since the beginning may recall that I reviewed colors such as Syrah Syrah (a dark, wine-colored red) and Olde Emerald (what I'd characterize as a "money-colored" green). Both were decent inks, but after long-term use had some traits that kept them from making it into my regular rotation, namely their tendencies to dry up in the nib after about a week or so of use and leave residual "gunk" (scientific term there) on the nib and feed. I can happily announce that, from what I've seen so far, Franklin-Christoph fixed those issues.

My D.C. Pen Show haul, which I'm slowly working my way through.

Lori set me up with some healthy samples of the following inks: Loden, Black Cherry, Dark Chocolate, Midnight Emerald, Noir et Bleu, and Tenebris Purpuratum. (They must have a multilinguist in house: respectively, Dark Green, Red Black, Dark Brown, Dark Teal Green, Blue-Black, and "Purple Shadow" (my Latin's rusty).) So far, I've had the opportunity to use the Dark Chocolate (used for the writing sample in my TWSBI 580 review), Loden, and the Black Cherry. The first two are great inks that I've enjoyed a lot. The third, the Dark Cherry, is a good ink but just doesn't do anything for me personally. I'd reach for other dark reds/burgundies before this one. Once I finally drain all of the pens I inked up to take to D.C., I'll load the rest of these samples for review.

I've had no issues with any of these inks. The colors that I've tested are fairly earthy and muted, but behave well on all sorts of paper. I've witnessed no clogging, gunking-of-nibs, or staining-of-pens, and these inks have been loaded and writing for well over a month now. If I had one criticism, it would be that the inks (or at least the three that I've tested extensively) tend to write a bit on the dry side, but I personally don't consider that a bad thing as long as the ink doesn't skip or hard-start, which these do not. These inks wouldn't be my first choice for writing on super slick paper like Clairefontaine, however, given their slight dryness.

Paul over at Gorgeous.Ink has posted an excellent overview of the new Franklin-Christoph line, as well as some in-depth reviews of specific inks (including ones I don't have samples of). His site in general is well worth a read.

DISCLAIMER: I was provided the ink samples used in this review free of charge, for review purposes. All of the inks reviewed here are available for purchase directly from Franklin-Christoph on their website for $12.50. This is not an affiliate link, and I have not otherwise been compensated for this review.