For the squeaky threads I recommend rubbing a pencil lead on them, it acts as a dry lubricant. Also great in electronic applications as it doesnt add resistance.
Though they look very similar, aesthetically (and completely metal) I would lean more towards the 600 (plus I have the mechanical pencil 600 already), but the most important factor is how it writes, feels in the hand. Hence will buy the Rapid Pro. Function over Style anytime.
Thank you for another excellent review. I write this as I have just purchased a Rotring 600 in silver, which took 7 weeks to come from Japan to the UK. The pen appears well built, but all these Holbein built pens have the Rotring name slightly offset. I bought the Rapid Pro ballpoint in black over a year ago, on an offer. It is heavy. The Rotring 600 is light, and has the balance of a wooden pencil. Both write well, with the 600 having a better, or more positive, click mechanism. The cross-section of the Rapid Pro reminds me of the Wankel engine. Chunky. The Rapid Pro 2mm mechanical oencil has a progressive advance mechanism, like the Staedtler 925 35 20, which I prefer to the sliding clutch of the Rotring 600 2mm mechanical pencil. As you can infer, I use these for sketching. I also use the Tikky, ballpoint and mechanical pencil. Oil-based ballpoint ink is good for this. As you hold the Rapid Pro at an angle, when sketching, you are unlikely to break it at the plastic section. Hope these comments help someone. The failure rate for the Rapid Pro appears to be circa 5 per cent with rough handling, based on online reviews. Parts are not available. All the pens are made in Osaka, Japan, apart from the Tikky, made in China by persons unknown. All the designs date from the late 90s or before, prior to the Newell Rubbermaid takeover. This is why 'Heritage' is stressed in advertising, as there are no in-house designers. The Rotring Rapid and Rapid Pro appear unrelated. The Rotring 600 ballpoint is officially launched in the UK on September 13th 2019, for the modest price of 41 GBP. I paid 21 GBP from Japan earlier this year, before Boris put the GBP in a tailspin whilst we leave the EU for no sensible reason.
Very thoroughly compared. Thanks for the good analysis. I’m now heading out to the art supply house to do a final “hold in my hand” test before making my choice. P.S. I’ll be buying local. Paying a couple of extra bucks versus ordering online is worth it to me to support the community.
My problem with rotring 600 is that the grip section is so thin that I almost instantly get hand pain. 9.5-10.5mm is perfect for me. Rotring has a grip section of 8.1mm. I really wish they had a larger grip section offering
I recently bought the 600, 800, and the Rapid Pro from watching your videos. Thanks! All of these pens are fantastic! They seem to be made very well and have a nice balance feel to them. Honestly the Rotring cartridge also works very well. These are my favorite pens right now! I’m strongly considering buying another one of each just to have in different locations. Car, work, house, etc. I can’t believe these aren’t more popular. Perhaps they are but I just heard about these a couple of weeks ago. Thanks again!!!
So after going crazy and buying a bunch of bolt action and other expensive pens I find myself using my Rotring 600, 800, and Rapid Pro on a daily basis. I sold off most of the bolt action pens and lately 99% of my time is with the Rapid Pro with a Schmidt P 900 M refill. I actually like the Rotring refills but I prefer black and the Rapid Pro came with a blue refill. For me these pens are some of the best out there and for the price they can’t be beat. I was stuck on Fisher Space Pens for a long time and really wanted to love them but for me I think they are horrible for writing. The ink makes more of a mess then I can deal with.
I have a Rotring 600 mechanical pencil and I love it, I had to get a rapid pro ballpoint pen since the 600 ballpoint hadn't been re-realeased yet, still a fantastic pen but I'm planning to get myself a 600 at some point specially since I prefer the flat hexagonal shape and the nice visual appeal of it
I believe the original idea of the hex design on the 600 (developed from the 500 and Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic series), was to reduce rolling on drafting tables. That is why they have a smaller diameter for the grip and clip-section, so that nothing protrudes past the wider hex body. The Rapid Pro, while nice, suffers from less thoughtful design. The red ring bulges beyond the diameter of the rounded hex body, making it prone to rolling and rendering the hex body meaningless.
I just bought the 600 ball point purely because it matches my 600 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7. I also have the Rotring 600 cluch pencil and the rapid pro body looks almost the same as this.
I had the rapid pro mechnical pencil from rotring and loved it, but just bought the 600 as ballpoint and I don't like the weighting of it quite as much. This beautiful pen but kinda wish I went for the rapid pro! Seems to have a better feel in the hand, at least for me
I’ve just bought the Rotring 600 ballpoint silver version . My only complaint is that the cap cover is a bit loose that it makes noise wherever I handle it. Do you know how to fix this issue?
I really like that the pocket-clip on the pro is higher, that was the only thing holding me back buying the 600. I like to carry my pen in my right hand pocket (clip).
What would be the best ballpoint refill to get for the Rotring 600? I've heard that the quality of the Easy Flow 9000 has decreased once their product got popular. Would the Schneider one be better?
@@unsharpen it cracked in half from dropping. i think heavier top and the bottom makes it easier to break even than a plastic pen because it makes too much pressure on one spot.
i recently discovered that the knurled part next to the pusher twists on the 600 BP. I don't understand why as it doesn't have the color indicator anymore.... its the 2018 or after version.
I have a Rapid Pro and am thinking of getting a 600. What I dislike about my Rapid Pro is that it seems like the middle section (where the Rotring Rapid Pro logo is) is a sleeve on top of the red plastic and clicky sections. The tip section attaches securly to the red plastic but i'm able to wiggle it back and forth prior to unscrewing if that makes sense. Like the middle, Rotring logo, section is slightly too big.
is the tip made of metal i plan to use it as an edc selfdefense pen but what is out there is too much in your face and i hate the screw open to write design
What kind of mod would a Zebra Sarasa Dry refill need to work in these? Just cutting down the length, or would they need an adapter at the end for the click mechanism to work?
Glad you mentioned the size difference, same for the 800 / 600. For me the increased diameter shifts the pen balance far too high up the barrel and makes the pens weight a distraction. I have large hands but the 600 is way more comfortable. To me the smaller grip diameter allows your fingers to rest against each other and the pen sort of disappears, just like triangular grip sections on the Staedtler Triplus and Omas 360. The 600 is and will always be the iconic classic - for good reason. fyi, if the squeaky threads bug you put a tiny drop of wd40 or silicone on them
Thanks for the comparison and almost 12 minute video...but I can't believe you didn't write with either of them, I would have liked to see how they perform rather than how they look🤪
Sal I think I would rather leave the Clip on the pen. I don’t like Clips, but this one looks nice / is a solid build / basically weightless. Thank you for your opinion / advise :) And the Video of course. I really like the Rotring 800 twist retractable ballpoint. The one you did a Video on not too long ago. I would have to order it from Japan on eBay. Not really available in Germany though it once was a German company... Rotring would translate to Redring. This probably explains the red ring around their pens :) Rotring doesn’t make more sense in German than Redring in English. We would call a red ring a (a = ein/einen/ the = der - just some pronouns infront) roter/roten/rote Ring. rot = red ; Ring = ring
@@herrkeks8509. can you tell me if the tikky model existed in the mid-80s? where was it made? i remember owning one similar to it. don't recalled if it had the word tikky on it, but it was a rotring brand. it felt it was made of metal, aluminum perhaps. when did they started making them out of plastic?
s. guttmann I’m sorry, but I’m not really a rOtring expert. I also don’t know a lot about their products, especially about their older ones. And in the 80s I haven‘t been around yet :)
@@darkthrushI'm not knocking Unsharpen. He's still the go to guy for information about things like this, in my book and I think that the fact he 'love hearted' the O.P.'s comment speaks volumes about his character but I also think @asitmc has a point or two, you may not have considered. A writing and refill demo are about more than the ink or what else you can load into it. It would be nice to see what you are getting, included with it, for your money, no matter what you intend to put in. There's also the stock, designed, writing ability of the pen, to be considered. Some people don't like pens that go clickety clack, too much or 'at all', when they write. Also, I've heard some people say, on RUclips and elsewhere on the Internet, that the Rotring G2 style refills aren't good, for some reason that I currently don't know and they recommend swapping them out. A confirmation or refutation of that would have been helpful and to know whether they are even good enough to be loaded into any old, say Parker, pen bodies you have lying around and gifted to somebody else, or whether they're only good enough for the bin. Of course, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for most people who intended to buy one of these pens, especially people so into them that they already have a favourite G2 refill in mind (out and out total geeks like us iow) but some people may be watching this before deciding to buy it as a gift and it might be at the end of their budget; they might not have enough money to include a new refill to include, as a present, with their brand new pen to replace the brand new one that's inside it. For other people (mainly geeks) these facts (clackiness and stock-refill-crappiness) would just be interesting to know.
@@darkthrushWhat about the click-clackines when you write with it or if somebody is watching it with a view to buying one as a gift and their budget doesn't extend to including a brand new refill with the brand new pen that they've bought for somebody? What if they just expect a brand new Rotring refill in a brand new Rotring pen to be good but it's not? Click-clackines and stock refill goodness or crappiness would be interesting to know. I know I am still curious after watching this, otherwise very good, vid.
Bought a silver Japanese Rotring 600. Man am I disappointed. The push button feels super cheap, it wobbles around when writing and rubs against the side of the barrel when being pushed down. My dad has a 15 ish year old Rotring 600 Newman, and that thing feels way better than this one. I think the Japanese manufacturing is sub-par compared to German in this case. Don't buy!
@@SmuggestOfRats yeah I'm not sure. Couple reviews online mentioned it, I think it's just the way it is. I think I'll just swap springs with my Newman and use that one haha.
For the squeaky threads I recommend rubbing a pencil lead on them, it acts as a dry lubricant. Also great in electronic applications as it doesnt add resistance.
GREAT!! That works!
Though they look very similar, aesthetically (and completely metal) I would lean more towards the 600 (plus I have the mechanical pencil 600 already), but the most important factor is how it writes, feels in the hand. Hence will buy the Rapid Pro. Function over Style anytime.
Thank you for another excellent review. I write this as I have just purchased a Rotring 600 in silver, which took 7 weeks to come from Japan to the UK. The pen appears well built, but all these Holbein built pens have the Rotring name slightly offset. I bought the Rapid Pro ballpoint in black over a year ago, on an offer. It is heavy. The Rotring 600 is light, and has the balance of a wooden pencil. Both write well, with the 600 having a better, or more positive, click mechanism. The cross-section of the Rapid Pro reminds me of the Wankel engine. Chunky.
The Rapid Pro 2mm mechanical oencil has a progressive advance mechanism, like the Staedtler 925 35 20, which I prefer to the sliding clutch of the Rotring 600 2mm mechanical pencil.
As you can infer, I use these for sketching. I also use the Tikky, ballpoint and mechanical pencil. Oil-based ballpoint ink is good for this. As you hold the Rapid Pro at an angle, when sketching, you are unlikely to break it at the plastic section.
Hope these comments help someone. The failure rate for the Rapid Pro appears to be circa 5 per cent with rough handling, based on online reviews. Parts are not available.
All the pens are made in Osaka, Japan, apart from the Tikky, made in China by persons unknown. All the designs date from the late 90s or before, prior to the Newell Rubbermaid takeover. This is why 'Heritage' is stressed in advertising, as there are no in-house designers. The Rotring Rapid and Rapid Pro appear unrelated.
The Rotring 600 ballpoint is officially launched in the UK on September 13th 2019, for the modest price of 41 GBP. I paid 21 GBP from Japan earlier this year, before Boris put the GBP in a tailspin whilst we leave the EU for no sensible reason.
Hi, i want a Rotring 600 ballpoint for sketching but i want to know if the ink is like the Bic pens or like a gel pel.
Very thoroughly compared. Thanks for the good analysis. I’m now heading out to the art supply house to do a final “hold in my hand” test before making my choice. P.S. I’ll be buying local. Paying a couple of extra bucks versus ordering online is worth it to me to support the community.
My problem with rotring 600 is that the grip section is so thin that I almost instantly get hand pain. 9.5-10.5mm is perfect for me. Rotring has a grip section of 8.1mm. I really wish they had a larger grip section offering
Try the RapidPro unsharpen.com/pen/rotring-rapid-pro/
I recently bought the 600, 800, and the Rapid Pro from watching your videos.
Thanks!
All of these pens are fantastic!
They seem to be made very well and have a nice balance feel to them.
Honestly the Rotring cartridge also works very well.
These are my favorite pens right now!
I’m strongly considering buying another one of each just to have in different locations.
Car, work, house, etc.
I can’t believe these aren’t more popular.
Perhaps they are but I just heard about these a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks again!!!
Awesome to hear. Enjoy!
So after going crazy and buying a bunch of bolt action and other expensive pens I find myself using my Rotring 600, 800, and Rapid Pro on a daily basis.
I sold off most of the bolt action pens and lately 99% of my time is with the Rapid Pro with a Schmidt P 900 M refill.
I actually like the Rotring refills but I prefer black and the Rapid Pro came with a blue refill.
For me these pens are some of the best out there and for the price they can’t be beat.
I was stuck on Fisher Space Pens for a long time and really wanted to love them but for me I think they are horrible for writing. The ink makes more of a mess then I can deal with.
@@dominickperone3971 what do you think of the Jotter XL?
What a coincidence, I was just deciding on which to get earlier
I have a Rotring 600 mechanical pencil and I love it, I had to get a rapid pro ballpoint pen since the 600 ballpoint hadn't been re-realeased yet, still a fantastic pen but I'm planning to get myself a 600 at some point specially since I prefer the flat hexagonal shape and the nice visual appeal of it
yes the flat hex design is better on the 600
I believe the original idea of the hex design on the 600 (developed from the 500 and Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic series), was to reduce rolling on drafting tables. That is why they have a smaller diameter for the grip and clip-section, so that nothing protrudes past the wider hex body. The Rapid Pro, while nice, suffers from less thoughtful design. The red ring bulges beyond the diameter of the rounded hex body, making it prone to rolling and rendering the hex body meaningless.
Too true. Thank you for the explanation. I am sure the designers of the 600 retired decades ago.
I just bought the 600 ball point purely because it matches my 600 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7.
I also have the Rotring 600 cluch pencil and the rapid pro body looks almost the same as this.
I had the rapid pro mechnical pencil from rotring and loved it, but just bought the 600 as ballpoint and I don't like the weighting of it quite as much. This beautiful pen but kinda wish I went for the rapid pro! Seems to have a better feel in the hand, at least for me
I’ve just bought the Rotring 600 ballpoint silver version . My only complaint is that the cap cover is a bit loose that it makes noise wherever I handle it. Do you know how to fix this issue?
Rotring always feels great to me.
I really like that the pocket-clip on the pro is higher, that was the only thing holding me back buying the 600. I like to carry my pen in my right hand pocket (clip).
Could you also show a shot inside the top half of the pens to show the clicker mechanisms? Are they metal or plastic?
I just bought 2 600s. Now maybe I'll grab this one too. Seems like a quality pen
What would be the best ballpoint refill to get for the Rotring 600? I've heard that the quality of the Easy Flow 9000 has decreased once their product got popular. Would the Schneider one be better?
@@unsharpen Thanks for the reply! I'll check them out
TheHarjaap jetstream is really good. I highly recommend that.
my rapid pro broked by the plastic section
@@unsharpen it cracked in half from dropping. i think heavier top and the bottom makes it easier to break even than a plastic pen because it makes too much pressure on one spot.
SAME. Try getting a replacement through warranty. They seemed nice through emails
My rapidpro never broke but that joint would always have a little creak or give. Not very satisfying since they were over $30 when I bought mine.
@@nevahenuf This comment thread pretty much made my choice for me.
Hi. Excelent review!
Do you have some wobble issues with your rapid pro guys?
Does the rotring 600 ballpoint version top knurling twist? You should try it and pls reply, my ocd is acting up.
i recently discovered that the knurled part next to the pusher twists on the 600 BP. I don't understand why as it doesn't have the color indicator anymore.... its the 2018 or after version.
i have a rotring 800 and the thread moves as smooth as butter so maybe its a thing with the older models
I have a Rapid Pro and am thinking of getting a 600. What I dislike about my Rapid Pro is that it seems like the middle section (where the Rotring Rapid Pro logo is) is a sleeve on top of the red plastic and clicky sections. The tip section attaches securly to the red plastic but i'm able to wiggle it back and forth prior to unscrewing if that makes sense. Like the middle, Rotring logo, section is slightly too big.
Common complaint. The downside of the 600 is that it’s a bit thin
Will a Pilot G2 refill work in either pen?
Parker G2, which is a different refill obviously.
They make a Parker style G2 for the Uni Ball Jetstream, my personal favorite.
I use shmidt easyflow 9000
is the tip made of metal
i plan to use it as an edc selfdefense pen but what is out there is too much in your face and i hate the screw open to write design
The reason for the red ring,Rotring translates to red ring.
What kind of mod would a Zebra Sarasa Dry refill need to work in these? Just cutting down the length, or would they need an adapter at the end for the click mechanism to work?
Glad you mentioned the size difference, same for the 800 / 600. For me the increased diameter shifts the pen balance far too high up the barrel and makes the pens weight a distraction. I have large hands but the 600 is way more comfortable. To me the smaller grip diameter allows your fingers to rest against each other and the pen sort of disappears, just like triangular grip sections on the Staedtler Triplus and Omas 360. The 600 is and will always be the iconic classic - for good reason.
fyi, if the squeaky threads bug you put a tiny drop of wd40 or silicone on them
The rapid pro is surprisingly large if you are used to the 600
Thanks for the comparison and almost 12 minute video...but I can't believe you didn't write with either of them, I would have liked to see how they perform rather than how they look🤪
Point taken. They take any Parker style refill so the writing is going to be dependent on the refill you use.
Are the Clips on the Rotrings removable? :)
Sal I think I would rather leave the Clip on the pen. I don’t like Clips, but this one looks nice / is a solid build / basically weightless. Thank you for your opinion / advise :) And the Video of course. I really like the Rotring 800 twist retractable ballpoint. The one you did a Video on not too long ago. I would have to order it from Japan on eBay. Not really available in Germany though it once was a German company... Rotring would translate to Redring. This probably explains the red ring around their pens :) Rotring doesn’t make more sense in German than Redring in English. We would call a red ring a (a = ein/einen/ the = der - just some pronouns infront) roter/roten/rote Ring. rot = red ; Ring = ring
@@unsharpen it is posible then? i'd like to remove the clip but it seems imposible...
@@majortom7483 It is possible, but scratches the finish on the pen. You cannot remove the scratches with light abrasive,
@@herrkeks8509. can you tell me if the tikky model existed in the mid-80s? where was it made? i remember owning one similar to it. don't recalled if it had the word tikky on it, but it was a rotring brand. it felt it was made of metal, aluminum perhaps. when did they started making them out of plastic?
s. guttmann I’m sorry, but I’m not really a rOtring expert. I also don’t know a lot about their products, especially about their older ones. And in the 80s I haven‘t been around yet :)
Hey Sal what twizby eco pen do you like & what tactical pen do you think is the best?
Sal Ok buddy thanks.
Is there a parker g2 style refill that is a rollerball?
Thanks a lot! Your comparative revision help me for a more suitable decizion. Best regards!!
You convinced me to buy both. I ordered them online, I hope to receive them on Monday. Have a nice weekend!
hey i wondered whats the thing on the behind? by the way i liked your video 👌
Do you mean what the pens are sitting on?
Will any other ink cartridge sizes work on the the rapid pro? (ex fine point)? Thanks
Is it possible to use Pilot G2 gel refills?
No
Thank you!!
I have the rotring pro 2mm i hate how it flexes slightly in the middle when in use, feels like my lead would break. I liked their older design.
I regret giving away my 600s from the 1990s. It's time I got the new 600. One black, one silver.
I’m sure it made some one very happy!
Hello, has someone try if pilot g2 refill fit in rapid pro, thanks.
WOW - So much effort to review pens - can you please review everything? Literally… like+sub- thank you 😊
this information is very useful thakyou
Glad it was helpful!
Wish I could afford the old Rotring 600 fountain pen.
Great review!
Very helpful!
Just bought the 600... but nooo way I'll keep it being that wiggely, wiggely, wiggely!!
600 vinner
lol, I don't know how long I have been waiting for this video
reviewing pens, but did not once write anything in this 12 minute review.. nice
Lol because there’s a refill inside. The ink doesn’t matter when you just switch it out for your favorite refill.
@@darkthrushI'm not knocking Unsharpen. He's still the go to guy for information about things like this, in my book and I think that the fact he 'love hearted' the O.P.'s comment speaks volumes about his character but I also think @asitmc has a point or two, you may not have considered. A writing and refill demo are about more than the ink or what else you can load into it.
It would be nice to see what you are getting, included with it, for your money, no matter what you intend to put in. There's also the stock, designed, writing ability of the pen, to be considered.
Some people don't like pens that go clickety clack, too much or 'at all', when they write.
Also, I've heard some people say, on RUclips and elsewhere on the Internet, that the Rotring G2 style refills aren't good, for some reason that I currently don't know and they recommend swapping them out. A confirmation or refutation of that would have been helpful and to know whether they are even good enough to be loaded into any old, say Parker, pen bodies you have lying around and gifted to somebody else, or whether they're only good enough for the bin.
Of course, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for most people who intended to buy one of these pens, especially people so into them that they already have a favourite G2 refill in mind (out and out total geeks like us iow) but some people may be watching this before deciding to buy it as a gift and it might be at the end of their budget; they might not have enough money to include a new refill to include, as a present, with their brand new pen to replace the brand new one that's inside it.
For other people (mainly geeks) these facts (clackiness and stock-refill-crappiness) would just be interesting to know.
@@darkthrushWhat about the click-clackines when you write with it or if somebody is watching it with a view to buying one as a gift and their budget doesn't extend to including a brand new refill with the brand new pen that they've bought for somebody?
What if they just expect a brand new Rotring refill in a brand new Rotring pen to be good but it's not?
Click-clackines and stock refill goodness or crappiness would be interesting to know.
I know I am still curious after watching this, otherwise very good, vid.
Because the standard Rotring refill is just awful :)
Bought a silver Japanese Rotring 600. Man am I disappointed. The push button feels super cheap, it wobbles around when writing and rubs against the side of the barrel when being pushed down. My dad has a 15 ish year old Rotring 600 Newman, and that thing feels way better than this one. I think the Japanese manufacturing is sub-par compared to German in this case. Don't buy!
@@SmuggestOfRats yeah I'm not sure. Couple reviews online mentioned it, I think it's just the way it is. I think I'll just swap springs with my Newman and use that one haha.
Thank you!