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I hate this pen: Rotring Art Pen 1.1 Stub
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- Опубликовано: 14 авг 2024
- Hello pen friends!
This is the last pen (that I own) which I hate. For now…
The Rotring Art Pen should have been better. Why isn’t it? Don’t know.
Let me know your favorite pen to hate on in the comments! Or if you like this pen and you want to tell me why I should give it another chance, I guess you can leave that comment too. I won’t though. Just to be fair.
Pens I like coming soon!
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Contents:
00:00 Introduction
01:17 Parts and features
06:53 Ink fill
07:54 Test lines
13:34 Test drawing
15:05 Final thoughts
I’ve been using these for near 9 years now. Still my favorite.
Good to know. Maybe I got a dud? Or maybe the older version is best? Just curious, what nib do you have in there?
I have been using the Rotring Art Pens with the EF, F, M, 1.1, 1.5, 1.9, 2.3 Nibs. Although I have noticed that using the old batches of Rotring BlackBlue are not too readily available.
I currently only use the MontBlanc Piston Converter and MontBlanc Permanent and Mystery Black for these pens. Great performance.
Additionally, just something I’ve ended up doing as a joke that I’ve kept permanent was running a 6x10mm Neodymium Magnet in each pen body for ballast.
My go to nib was F, love it. Also my pens were manufactured in Germany.
Love the video!
I, too have been using a Rotring Art Pen with a 2.3 nib.. for 40 + years now 😂
I've had a couple of these, and I loved the first one, which was either the EF or the F nib, that I got about 30 years ago. I like how light it is, and I always figured it thinned out at the end to keep it's meager weight between your fingers for maximum control. My cap could be posted on to the thin end. Way deep down in the cap there was a thinner section that fit onto the thin end of the pen, (maybe you just need to push it harder, or maybe they did away with that) although I never liked to do that because the inside of the cap would get inky and it would transfer ink to white end of the pen, which my OCD could not handle. Also it kinda ruined the balance. I bought a second one about 10 years ago and I've had some of the same issues with weird ink flow that you show here. I would rate my first pen a 10/10, the second one I dunno, it's been hard to get along with. I do miss the Rotring ink in jars. It used to be my favourite ink, it was nice and matte and black when you laid down big swaths of it. I'm sure there are other inks out there that compare but I don't know what they are and keep winding up with stuff that has a coppery sheen.
This comment and others like it have confirmed my suspicion that the reason this pen exists is because there used to be a much better version of it. No doubt in my mind I have the worst version of it.
By the way, I tried to post the cap again after your comment, but I couldn’t do it, despite pushing it to the point of almost breaking the cap. I’m guessing that’s also something that once existed on a much better pen.
I’ve had mine for 20+ years, it is definitely not flimsy. The body is solid and definitely not plasticy. There is no way i could squeeze or crush it. Perhaps u get cheap knock offs?? To be honest, havnt used mine in forever, looking to get back to using, and came to see how best to clean etc. my nib is a B.
You know, I’m starting to wonder, given all the comments I’ve heard about people having had these pens for a long time… if we compared what I have (maybe more recent?) to your old school version, would we see a dip in quality? That term “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” existed for a reason. My dad had a set of Rotring Rapidographs from the 80s that I stole from him a few years ago, and even though they need some work (thinks about doing a restoration video about them here) they’re clearly built like little line-making tanks. Rotring wouldn’t be the first brand I’ve seen drop off in quality over time, if that’s what’s going on.
Rotring and Mont Blanc are my favorites tools for writing... changing video clip!
I wish I could say better things about this pen. I do like Rotring pens. I really think they’ve missed the ball on this one.
Yeah, I dug out an Artpen “F” nib I haven’t used in 30+ years. Definitely better made than the pen in your demo. After a thorough cleaning and a few skips it worked fine. I guess they don’t make’um like they used to. Like any other tool, the key is maintenance. Thanks for the video, it’s inspired me to crack open a bottle of Higgins again.
I suppose it’s a good thing that the brand degrades over time, rather than the artist! I think that maintenance is the second step, while the first step is a quality instrument. I wish that Rotring had retired this model (as I’m understanding from the comments that they did) before putting out the version that I picked up. I’ve got a lot of love for the Rotring classics.
Funny how times have changed!!! Back in the 80's this pen was THE pen to have for cartoonists... The only other choice was either crowquills or snooty expensive fountain pens. I think perhaps that maybe your style which is more illustrative and refined can't "de-nuance" itself to allow for messy scribbley lines (please don't change!). Also, I seem to remember that their build quality was on a much higher level and not so flimsy... Oh well!😜🙉🍕
I might like this pen better with a more solid build quality. Still feel like it’s a worthy conversation for this channel, even though it’s not for me. Maybe someday I’ll learn to scribble, but. Just love sitting down and getting lost in the details. It’s like therapy!
I reground a nib to a stub recently. I played around with it so that the reverse is still stub but a smaller width on the down stroke. Had to preserve some tipping material to pull that off.
That is an interesting idea. I have no idea how you would even do that.
@@stepheninks basically you grind the bottom of the tip into a stub before working on the top. Then slowly grind away till some tipping material is left making a smaller surface area on top. I started with a fine that was close to a medium. Looking straight on the tip looks like a isosceles trapezoid.
I have 3 of these in fine and extra fine and I do love to sketch with them. I also like the fact that they take standard ink cartridges so its easy to switch colours out. The shape feels good in the hand but I don't like that you have to hold the cap while sketching outside and that they are too long for most pencil cases 😕. I also find the cartidges dry out quickly if the pen is not used for some time so the seal is not good. Overall I only end up using it at home when I want to do a fun sketch or use an unusual colour.
I find it interesting the wide range of peoples experience with this pen. I think that a commenter on this video is correct in saying that this pen was probably good at one time, and then the quality fell off. I most definitely got my pen after, if that’s the case. The shape is fine, but the quality of the materials are so poor that I feel like I could crush this pen with my bare hands. I’ve held pens that cost 1/10 of what this one cost me, and I didn’t feel that way. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a good thing that they put this model to rest.
I had a similar problem with a pen skipping and being very inconsistent. I then saw a video where the guy said with cheap pens he usually cleans the pen before using it as they frequently have oil in them from the manufacturing, I flush them with ammonia. Stub nibs are notorious for being quite sensitive to the angle you write with them, oblique nibs are even more finicky but when you hit the sweet spot they rock. Both are more for calligraphy than drawing IMHO. If you cleaned it first and were aware about stubs feel free to ignore this. I enjoyed the video.
I agree that stubs are better for calligraphy, and yes I do clean my pens. This particular one has not been cleaned in a while, but it was cleaned when I first bought it. I didn’t expect it to be great for my purposes, but I do have a calligraphy nib that is really fun to draw with. That video is coming soon. I think it’s worth it to show off a pen like this on an art-facing channel, just in case anyone is curious as to what that experience might be like.
Experiences are different, I like my Rotring 1.1 Stub since many years. I also cannot confirm any inconsistency, it always wrote reliable and consistent. Imho the material is decent and durable for a cheap pen. Stubs and in particular cursive italic nibs require a consistent writing slant, if this can’t maintained by the user it’s not the pens fault. Modern day users are only used to blob shaped spherical nail nibs which writes in any condition so that all ballpoint barbarians can write with them. Writing with italic and flex nibs has to be learned. Btw. the Rotring Artpen is unfortunately discontinued since more than 2 years by now. So you are lucky to get one. They were under 20€ while still in production, which I considered a good price.
Interesting to know that they don’t make them anymore. Maybe it’s worth holding on to for that reason. I think maybe what you’re using the pen for has a lot to do with if you have a good time or not. Maybe if I was spending more time journaling or writing calligraphic script with something like this I might enjoy it more. I still think that even considering the stub/italic nibs, there are a lot of nicer options out there at a similar price point.
Just an observation: Rotring actually made special ArtPens for left-handed people. I wonder if one of those would make a difference for you…🤔
It’s possible. What I’m hearing from others in those comments section is that the ArtPen is no longer in production, so I don’t know how I would test that theory. I think there might be some other brands that use that nib as well.
@@stepheninks Yeah it's discontinued for good. I asked at Rotring. All apparent ArtPens on Aliexpress and such must be knockoffs. I'd be super curious whether the original left-hand nib would make a difference, but yeah aquiring one wouldn't be easy :/
I've used both the muji and the rotring art pen. I own the rotring art pen EF nib and I've had for over 15 years and have to say its the best pen I've had for drawing, as for posting the cap, these types of pens are referred to as desk pens. You need to be careful as far as 15 years ago people started making fake rotring equipment, my father's friend was legit distributer and he had warned me about the counterfeit rotrings.
It’s very possible that is what I do have. Given the experience of many of the commenters on this video, I’d say it’s a 50/50 split as to whether or not you get a real one or a knockoff. Unfortunately, that still counts against the pen, since the fakes seem pretty common. Even more so since they apparently don’t make this model anymore.
I just found my old rotring fineliners from the 80's and I'm terrified to open the box and see what condition they are in! I don't think I've seen many people draw with a stub, maybe colour in? I second the platinum carbon desk pen love from down in the comments.
I want one of those! I don’t k ow if the modern version is as good as the old-style one. Given that I’ve only seen the old one for 3rd party sellers at 5x the original cost, I have my doubts. I could kick myself for not picking one up for cheap when I first got into fountain pens. They were still making that design then.
@@stepheninks I have heard the line isn't as fine on the new ones. I have a couple of extra ugly red ones in the OG style and I would be happy to send one to you. I won 5 on ebay for £14 as they were listed with incorrect spelling. I still have your email from the time I won the Octopus Market postcard. Lemme know if you are interested.
@@cerealnana I would totally love that because I was even thinking about paying the crazy expensive price for one so that I could get the new one and do an comparison video. Shoot me an email if you’re interested and that’s exactly what I’ll do!
@@stepheninkscheck your spam folder. I have sent you an email.
@@cerealnana I saw your email. It’s just been an awfully busy week, so I’m just now sitting down to write you back. Really excited
So far, my favorite stub is the one I got with my first TWSBI Eco, and it was just because that was the only nib I could find with my chosen TWSBI colorway at the time (glow green - I got to it late and in demand). I'm so happy I got it with a stub. I don't use it a ton for when I want to draw with a controlled line quality, but it's awesome for doodling, and fun for loose urban sketches. I find the nib really smooth without being too wet, and the unpredictability is half of the fun. I keep it loaded with Platinum Carbon, and I think I'm going to get a second TWSBI Eco stub and fill it with a warm, waterproof brown.
Interesting. I have heard good things about the Twsbi stubs. I don’t really abt another Twsbi though, because I was sooooo disappointed when the section of my Eco cracked. It’s really soured me on the brand, even though they sent me a replacement for cheap.
@@stepheninks Ah, that's such a bummer. I remember you talking about that now. Replacement should have been free. Well, if you decide to try the TWSBI stub someday, you could always give it a go on the GO. I decided to try out the Eco-T this time (in Saffron!). Gonna throw some Noodler's Walnut in there. Arrives in a few hours!
@@kseanmcfarlandTwsbi occupies a weird place in my brain… I flip back and forth between enjoying them, and feeling a responsibility to the people who watch my videos to explain what I’ve experienced. I’ve actually thought about picking up a spare number 5 nib unit from Goulet. I’ve heard that those fit Twsbi. Unfortunately, Twsbi doesn’t sell the nibs by themselves for the Eco (I asked, and they said no).
Mine is quite old, and may be better made than the one you're showing. I like it, it's not cheap and flimsy at all. It also works reliably, though with no variety of line. It will also take carbon ink, without clogging. However - it's no longer available; Rotring don't make it any more. So - you don't need to stess about it any further! The model I've got may, as I say, be better made than yours - I've no way of knowing; and mine doesn't have a stub nib, either, so it's not a fair comparison.
However, if it were still available, I'd buy another - for drawing, for general handwriting, maybe not for calligraphy. The pen I wouldn't buy again is the Lamy Joy - which, for all I know, you may love: but if you want flimsy..... the Lamy Joy really is; and it skips, clogs, won't flow, suddenly will, then won't again. My Rotring Artpen is superior in every way to that.
You are describing the pen I wish I had. I feel like we truly are talking about the same pen in name only. A better version existing before makes a lot of sense as to why this thing exists in the first place.
I’ve never been much into the Lamy Joy. I don’t actually know why I bought the Art pen to be honest. Maybe just curiosity.
I have the rotring in broad and it seems to work really good but they weren't kidding about the broad . It is really wet too . I hear the golden ticket is the fine nib , but I can't find one . Did they stop making them ? I think may be the did ....
According to some other people who commented on this video, it seems that they did stop making it. If you’re looking for a really great European fine, I think that the offerings from Faber Castell might be up your alley. I love my Grip, and I know the Loom is really popular (personally, I think the design looks like a stubbed toe, but the nib is nice)
nice video.. thx.. this pen I use daily, and love it.. not as wet as you say.. so it made me think you came accross one with some problems.. lovely pen for me.. very successfull, however ı am not an expert as you are.. maybe should try some else to comment.. will watch your videos and see which I should try.. upon your reccomendations.. cheers
It is quite possible that I have a bad one. Some people have commented that their enjoyment of the pen highly relates to when they bought it, so it makes me think that maybe Rotring isn’t making them like they used to. Probably older models are of a bit higher quality. I’m glad it works for somebody.
Mine has W Germany stamped on the clip....i guess that makes it quite old! Either way, i love it!
That pen, if it’s the real deal, might actually be worth a decent chunk of change on the right forum!
Me, too. IT SKIPS A LOT. POOR INK FLOW.
I kind of wonder if they even tested this design before putting it out?
It is a good pen.
I fully respect people’s right to like it, but it also seems there has been a reduction in quality towards the end of the life of this pen, meaning that you might have one of the “good” ones while I have a “bad” one. I wish I liked it too.
Yes, I tried one, it sits unused.
I think there are a lot of other great options now.
1. I had one of these briefly, XF. It didn't reliably make a consistent line. I tossed it.
2. Desk pens can be great. I swear by my Platinum Carbon Desk Pen, a superlative XF.
3. I use stub and Pilot Parallel nibs to fill in large areas, something I do regularly. And for extra-wide lines.
The Pilot Parallel is anther pen I have had for a while but never put out a video on. I feel like there’s more to that pen that I need to learn before I can talk about it. I really wish I had an original Carbon desk pen, but I might buy one of the new models at some point.
@@stepheninks the drawings you show on youtube are all fine-lined. You might need to develop/use a different style for a Parallel to be useful. Or, you could just draw 20 times larger.
@@ichirofakename both of those things sound like fun.
Mine has been non operating for 24 years. Now does not work. Washed. Taken the feed out. To no avail .
I wouldn’t be surprised if after 24 years mine has disintegrated into dust. But if you’re committed to saving that one, an overnight bath in some warm, soapy water might help. It probably has a clogged feed.
I took the nib and the feed out, washed in hot water, Bleach and soap, then solvent- aceton- no It didnt work After that treatment!
Rotring once made the best fountain pens. Now they make cheap plastic farts and steal money from art students for technical pens.
ROtring was once great. Now it’s loathed. (My opinion)
I have some rapidographs I stole off my dads junk drawer that I think are from the 80s. I’m going to find the time to clean them up, and maybe do a video about them. I bet they run amazing!