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Any Love For Rotring?


Xaltotun

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I remember using Rotring pens and mechanical pencils at the university (I studied Industrial Design).

 

Anyone here loves them? I am dying to find a fountain pen, but they get sold on eBay for what I consider to be inflated prices.

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I have a Lava 600. It writes very nicely indeed. I appreciate the industrial design.

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

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I also got a lava 600 sadly I had to pay the "inflated" price. I think its worth it though I can't use mine much as it's not a wide enough pen for me to use for long periods of writing. Though I find myself staring at it a lot as I find it a wonderful design.

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Rotring fountain pens are very good writers and have great designs, unfortunately they have stopped manufacturing of these beautiful pens.

 

I recenty, picked up the Rotring Esprit Telescopic Fountain Pen. The design is very unique and the mechanism is fabulous. The pen is small in design but pulls out like a telescope when needed for larger palms.

 

The Lava 600 is a must have pen but available with "inflated prices". I remember reading somewhere, that this pen was constructed as a non-destructible pen and can sustain even an explosion.

Pilot Vanishing Point Royal Red

Sailor Professional Gear - Sailor Jentle Grenade

Kaweco AC Sport Red Limited Edition - Kaweco Red

Sheaffer Prelude Chrome - Private Reserve Sherwood Green

TWSBI Diamond 540 - Sheaffer Purple

Sheaffer 300 - Private Reserve Orange Crush

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I have a full collection (ftn pen, roller ball and pencil, no ball points- don't allow them in the house) in both black and silver from years ago. Love them all. The only problem is that due to their weight they are difficult to carry in a pocket. I use them at home or carry one of the pencils secured in a leather notebook. They are weighty and wonderful to use and in my opinion wonderful to look at. Sadly, they were discontinued although there are some look-alike copies available from various sources but none of them have the knurled parts of the originals. Great writing instruments.

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I have a full set (BP, RB, MP, FP) of the 600 (aluminum, silver colored, brushed finish) model as well as an Initial and two Cores. Every single one of these instruments work flawlessly and are among my favorites from my overall collection. My Initial is almost always inked, and the 600 RB has a permanent place in my briefcase for those moments when a FP just won't do. I lament the fact that Rotring has gotten out of the fine writing instrument business and may still increase my collection with NOS or mildly used models as time goes on.

Collection Counts: Cross-4, Esterbrook-15, Eversharp-1, Graf von Faber-Castell-1, Jinhao-2, Kaweco-1, Lamy-6, Levenger-2, Monteverde-1, Pilot/Namiki-3, Noodler's-1, Parker-18, Rotring-10, Sailor-1, Sheaffer-19, TWSBI-1, Visconti-4, Waterford-1, Waterman-7

Favorite Inks: Diamine, Levenger, Private Reserve, Noodler's Lexington Gray

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I just picked up a Rotring Initial at Overstock.com.

 

I just inked it up to take for a test drive and it is a heavy but well-made pen. The fine nib is a true nail and the section feels a little slippery because it is brushed aluminum with some grooves cut out to help with gripping.

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I have a couple of Esprits. I also had an Initial which I gave to my sister. All are great writers but they can be thirsty.

 

The 600s are solidly built pens and very few seem to surface for re-sale in my neighborhood. The ones that have them tend to keep them.

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I have a few Rotring 600s /2x FP; 3x MP, 1 BP/ . I prefer the earlier series, with the knurled grip section, though I was thinking about trying one with a lava finish...

I haven't tried a rollerball yet, but I know they must be better then the ballpoints...

 

The 600 is just perfect for me. Yes it's heavy, but very comfortable even for long sessions, and this goes to every piece of the series...

This full metal weapon is also very durable ...

I just love the 600s...I'm still thinking about getting an other FP and a 0.3 mech pencil :cloud9:

Maybe a Rotring 800 too (the 600G pencils are a bit too pricy, but you never know)

The new Rapid Pro is also nice...I have a 2mm leadholder and I was eying with the black ballpoint before I got the 600 BP...

 

I love to share my photos (not 'cause they are that good), so here's one:

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/6227491387_869f39a583_z.jpg

Edited by attika89
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I have a few Rotring 600s /2x FP; 3x MP, 1 BP/ . I prefer the earlier series, with the knurled grip section, though I was thinking about trying one with a lava finish...

I haven't tried a rollerball yet, but I know they must be better then the ballpoints...

 

The 600 is just perfect for me. Yes it's heavy, but very comfortable even for long sessions, and this goes to every piece of the series...

This full metal weapon is also very durable ...

I just love the 600s...I'm still thinking about getting an other FP and a 0.3 mech pencil :cloud9:

Maybe a Rotring 800 too (the 600G pencils are a bit too pricy, but you never know)

The new Rapid Pro is also nice...I have a 2mm leadholder and I was eying with the black ballpoint before I got the 600 BP...

 

I love to share my photos (not 'cause they are that good), so here's one:

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/6227491387_869f39a583_z.jpg

 

Very nice set indeed.

There is something with these 600 series that draws you in the fp/pen/pencil world in an instant.

Very attractive yet simple design.

 

All of these combined with a quite large selection with again quite a lot different editions = One of the best collector's item.

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Counting non-FP, I have three Rotrings in my collection. First among equals is a gold-nibbed knurled-grip 600 that I had no business buying when I did in the late '90s - prices for those pens were surprisingly modest for what they were (I paid $150? for it I believe), a result of underappreciation for the product and a stronger dollar at the time. But I was in my early twenties, just post-college and highly impulsive. I probably fell behind on bills as a result but damn I fell in love with the hard-but-elegant industrial aesthetic of it. It's influenced my buying habits every since. That it's a fat and wet M is the only thing that prevents me from using it daily now (I tend to write in small notebooks that demand F nibs)

 

Recently, probably feeling nostalgic, I sprung for a brushed steel-barrel Initial that I found NOS on a NYC treasure hunt. Stainless EF nib (which I had never seen before in that line) writes very smoothly, requiring no pressure; it's my only pen that I will use unposted.

 

I also re-acquired a similarly NOS 600 Newton (non-knurled) ballpoint. In my memory I didn't think I liked that style, but the pen is highly ergonomic and balanced to write very well, at least for my hand. I use it with a Fisher F blue refill.

Edited by johnlmiller620
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Very nice set indeed.

There is something with these 600 series that draws you in the fp/pen/pencil world in an instant.

Very attractive yet simple design.

 

All of these combined with a quite large selection with again quite a lot different editions = One of the best collector's item.

 

Thanks!

 

"There is something with these 600 series that draws you in the fp/pen/pencil world in an instant"

That's how I've experieced it too... started with only one MP :lol: ... and there was no way back...

I don't even remember how I've found the 600 series...though it wasn't that long ago :hmm1:

(I remember how I've found the Lamy Safari...but not the Rotring 600)

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I have a few of these 'technical pens' that belonged to a relative, one day I will sit down and clean them properly and try them out.

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I love the rOtring 600 series! Have a bunch of black ones, 2 x B, 2 x EF, 1 x OB fountain pens and 0.9 and 0.5 mm mechanical pencils (also have a spare M nib).

 

Other rOtring... Renaissance FP with a M nib, a silver Trio Pen, a bunch of rapidographs and also a bunch of Art Pens. I modified a few of them by shortening the tail end and the 1.1mm italic ones are my current favorite writers, really expressive and cheap, excellent bang for the buck.

 

Looking to get the 600G series pens (gold nibs and trims) and Newtons (2nd gen), they look pretty cool too. And also all the first gen ones I can get my hands onto... ;) I am also interested in the new rapid PRO series in black (namely the 0.5 & 2mm MPs and the BP). If they feel as good as the 600 they will replace them as my EDC pens.

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Definitely, great pens. I've been looking for any Core model in XL for a while.

I believe there is a set of three XLs in the classifieds just now.

ron

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Mixed feelings. I had an early-style 600 which was my only work pen for several years, and which I loved and thought indestructable. Then it became the only fountain pen I have ever had fail in service: the nib literally broke and fell out. I never seen anything like this before or since, even from Wearever. Maybe the apparent durability of the pen somehow influenced me to apply pressure that I wouldn't use with another pen ... I just don't know. Maybe the nib was defective.

Subsequently, I've had an inexpensive plastic Rotring, which I assume was a student pen, and a Core, which I'm sure must have been aimed at either students or sci-fi fans. Both are decent, unexceptional writers, but nothing more.

ron

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I have an Initial, which is a great pen to have around in case you ever need to drive a fountain pen through a 2x4 without damaging it. :)

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