Amazon has the rOtring 600 mechanical pencil on sale right now, and at a very good price.
It’s the black-barrel 0.5mm pencil that’s on sale, for $17.66 at the time of this posting. This is a steep discount compared to the pencil’s regular price of $29 to $31 at other reputable sellers.
I bought mine for a little more 5 years ago, and it is one of the finest mechanical pencils I have ever used.
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In my experience, the rOtring 600 has a comfortably balanced metal barrel and a very satisfying and precise lead advancement mechanism.
Do you need one? Probably not. But maybe you want a fine precision tool at a discount.
Unless something has changed that I didn’t hear about, the rOtring 600 is made in Japan.
Sale Price: $17.66
“I want a great mechanical pencil but that’s too much money.”
I’ve got two recommendations for you – the Staedtler 925 series (~$11-12 at Amazon), and the Pentel GraphGear 1000 (~$8-12 at Amazon).
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The Staedtler feels like a finer writing instruments, but the GraphGear 1000 is a more durable and even workshop-friendly mechanical pencil, thanks to its retractable lead tube.
I prefer 0.5mm mechanical pencils for most tasks, and use 0.7mm sizes for rougher markings and such.
Robert
Kira Toga’s are also very nice mechanical pencils about at that price point. Made in Japan.
Jeff
Uni Kuru Toga is my go to! Cheaper $6 and the way the lead is shielded with a retractable sheath works great in incra and other type marking tools. I have a Pentel graph gear 1000 and a rotring 600 both have been dropped and the ends bent and they are almost impossible to get straight after. They are intended for draft work at a desk. Uni Kuru Toga has been dropped and thrown and still works perfectly. I have 3-4 different models of these and they are all spectacular.
Daniel L.
Totally agree with both of you. the Kuru Toga is my go to as well.
Yadda
I’ve owned a Rotring Quatro for over 20 years and it is still going strong.
William Adams
Nice!
I’ve owned 3 in the past 3 decades — two of which are the only pens I’ve lost since high school.
Current replacement is N.O.S., and in my bag which I carry to work and when traveling.
Really wish I could find a replacement for the first one I had, a Levenger model w/ rubber coating.
Jim Felt
Levenger has a (not really unreasonable) habit of providing very cool stuff and simply dropping the items when they feel like it…
AKA they used to sell leather seat cushions. Don’t laugh. They were (and still are) great. ;-)~
Bob
Sounds nice, but very expensive compared to what I use. The
Zebra Delguard Mechanical Pencils – HB 0.5mm – 1 of Each Colour Barrel – Pack of 3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PSNPQF4
Also made in Japan.
Stuart
I bought a Zebra DelGuard for around $6 in 2017, and it’s about the same price. It’s decent, but not even close to the Rotring.
I also like Kuru Toga pencils, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Pencil-Starter-Silver-Barrel/dp/B089QC2C8G/?tag=toolguyd-20 .
A lot of people like these, which are 10 for less than $3. https://www.amazon.com/BIC-Xtra-Life-Mechanical-Pencil-10-Count/dp/B00260X7F2/tag=toolguyd-20
There’s no right answer. Anyway, 3 DelGuard for $11 sounds like a good deal too.
TonyT
DelGuard is available in various trim levels, from all plastic to ergo grip to metal grip. 3 for $11 is still a good price, but the DelGuard is especially good for 0.3mm because of its lead breakage prevention features.
Koko The Talking Ape
rOtring makes great drafting pencils. I used them lo these many years ago when people actually drafted on paper. Recently I got a 800 model with a retracting lead barrel when I heard (from ToolGuyd) that it was on sale. I know from sad experience that a fixed barrel can bend, rendering it useless (it can also stab you if you put it in a pocket.)
People should be aware that these are specialized drafting pencils. IMO both the 600 and 800 are too heavy for writing. For general use I like these Pentel Twist-Erase GTs. They are sturdy and have large erasers.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDWELI4/
I used to like Paper Mate Clearpoints, but they have a design flaw that causes the upper barrel to crack and then refuse to stay affixed to the lower barrel.
Fatboy
For sure. They don’t do well even falling from the desk onto carpet. That one was unusable after that.
Analyst
I bought one of the 800+ models the last time Stuart wrote and introduced me to the rOtring family of writing instruments.
While the 600 doesn’t have the “‘twist and click’ retractable mechanism of the entire sleeve and lead” feature, I’m going to buy one of this more plebeian model for desk only use.
Thanks again Stuart!
928'er
I’ve got a nice little collection of 0.5 mechanical pencils starting with a:
Faber-Castell TK-matic. which I’ve had since the ’70’s and is now, apparently, highly collectable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Gvlb81XMM&t=564s
Pilot Automac
rOtring 600
rOtring 800
Pentel GraphGear 1000
Pentel GraphGear 500
And, of course, a couple of plastic Bics.
Don’t really know why, I just seem to gravitate to mechanical pencils (and fountain pens).
Wayne R.
I’ve got a 600 & 800+. The 800+ has a retractable tip (and a tablet-friendly soft tip when retracted), so it won’t stab you if you use the pocket clip.
The 600 has a pocket clip and is very stabby in a shirt pocket. It remains at my desk.
They’re both very nice pencils. I don’t use either of them. I much prefer the Pentel Twist Erase QE405. Lightweight, big/easy eraser, much less stabby, have not broken any when dropped, got a bunch of them everywhere. Out of production, but current models are similar.
It struck me that mechanical pencils & LED flashlights share something here: We can have a lot of more-than-adequate models of both scattered around everywhere, or a few fancier, fiddlier models in a few places. I prefer the former over the latter.
(And if I need a writing tool in my pocket, I go with a Fisher Bullet Space Pen. Always works, zero stabs.)
Koko The Talking Ape
I tried the QE405, and it’s a cheap, effective pencil, but the lead sleeve in the tip doesn’t retract.
TonyT
There are mechanical pencils with big erasers and retractable lead pipes. I forget which, but you can do a parametric search at Jetpens to find some.
Koko The Talking Ape
I have found several! I like one particular one, which I mention above.
MIKE GUENTHER
I’m a fan of Pentel mechanical pencils* with different lead sizes, but my go to pencil is a Staedtler 2mm lead holder for carpentry and wood working. The lead advance on the end has a built in lead pointer, or sharpener. A single lead will last me longer than two regular wood or composite pencils.
* When I was taking graphic arts back in the late 60’s, a friend of my mother’s gave me a set of Pentels.
Ryan Guldbrandsen
I just bought the last ones at that price.
HushHouse254
I use the Skillcraft version of the Twist-Erase and it’s one of the best for EDC. The eraser is large and retracts. Which means it won’t fall out and become a FOD issue. The main difference is the point retracts, so no holes in your pockets. Plenty of storage for new lead and they are good value for money.