Rotring 600 Converters

[mvh]

I just bough a brand new Rotring 600 for €25 locally and the seller said that normal international cartridges fit, but I thought I read somewhere that they need special converters. I tried it at home, but none of them seem to fit.

 

Any suggestions which work?

[kushbaby]

I don't have an answer, but I will be watching for someone else's reply. A couple years ago I got a couple convertors for Rotring 600s, but don't recall where or which type. One busted, and I need another, but I don't know what to get. My lovely black Rotring 600 with 18K EF nib is languishing! I hope we can get some info... :hmm1:

 

Edit to add: You got a good deal on that pen!

Edited May 5, 2011 by kushbaby

[rjbull]

[...]Rotring 600 [...] the seller said that normal international cartridges fit, but I thought I read somewhere that they need special converters.

 

Not a direct answer from my own experience - but the article Rotring 600@Everything2.com says

uses standard cartridges or converters

.

[mana]

International size converters work fine, Faber Castell, Schmidt, Pelikan etc. The Writing Desk has a good selection > http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/converters.php

 

Rotring converters (albeit labeled International size) work so-so, they are meant for Art Pens and they do not seat securely on a 600. I use a few in my 600 series pens but they have a tendency to work themselves loose over time. That actually reminds me that I need to order a bunch of Pelikan converters, had them before and they work a treat on a 600...

[gds]

The 600 should take standard international converters. Waterman cartridges fit, but Waterman branded converters don't seem to. I think the problem is with the shape of the neck where the converter mates with the pen. On the converter I have that works (an unbranded 'international' converter) this piece is straight, while on the waterman converter it is somewhat tapered and I think this is blocking it. It's very small but I think it's enough.

 

Interestingly, a Parker slide converter does fit, though the Parker piston converter does not. The two Parker converters also have this straight/tapered design to the neck of the converter.

 

Attached you can see four converters (sorry for the quality of the pic). From the left, a Waterman (doesn't work), An international (does), a Parker slide (does), and a Parker Piston (doesn't).

 

[coldman]

The answer depends on which pen you got. Which of these two look most like your pen?

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/1631621d61c8387500591620a039381f3bcd8735.JPG

 

If it's the lower one, any international converter should be OK. If it's the upper one, you need a narrow converter (many converters are wider than the cartridges). I found that a Waterman brand converter worked, and a Pelikan converter did not work.

 

(Picture from dogpoet's review)

[mana]

Just chiming in with some additional info (and to prevent any confusion), the upper one is a copper colored Rotring Newton, the lower one is a 2nd gen 600 (also known as 600 Newton).

 

The only thing they share is the hexagonal barrel shape.

 

The original 600 series was introduced in 1984 and discontinued in mid 90's (could be '97, can't recall exactly).

 

The Rotring Newton is a completely different pen that was introduced in early 2000 when Rotring was under new ownership and management (Sanford bought Rotring in 1998).

 

My theory is that the new management wanted to cash in on the positive image and status the classic 600 series pens had attained and chose to call it Newton.

[coldman]

And to add to the confusion, you will find the Newton on eBay listed as a 600 Newton, alongside the true 600s.

[mvh]

I just got a few converters from The Writing Desk and they fit. All international cartridges I have from Diamine, Waterman, pelikan fit, but none of my international converters fit.

 

Coldman,

 

I have the same pen as the one in the bottom of your pic. Smooth black.

[flight878]

For the Rotring 600s, the Rotring 251300 converter will fit perfectly, which is strikingly similar to the Waterman converter (56010W). It fits properly on my Rotring 600, and 600 Newton Lava. The black pen pictured above is the 600 Newton Black. These converters can be found on eBay anywhere from $5 to about a criminal $17 USD each (some pitiful chaps fell for that high price too). JetPens sells them for $7.50. There is also a Schmidt variant that has the exact same dimensions.

[kushbaby]

For the Rotring 600s, the Rotring 251300 converter will fit perfectly, which is strikingly similar to the Waterman converter (56010W). It fits properly on my Rotring 600, and 600 Newton Lava. The black pen pictured above is the 600 Newton Black. These converters can be found on eBay anywhere from $5 to about a criminal $17 USD each (some pitiful chaps fell for that high price too). JetPens sells them for $7.50. There is also a Schmidt variant that has the exact same dimensions.

 

OK, after seeing all of the responses, I don't feel so foolish for being confused about this whole thing. I just ordered a converter from JetPens (along with a very cool black matter Lamy! )

 

:bunny01:

 

Thanks for everyone's input!!!