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Rotring 600 Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm $20.88 + Delivery ($0 with Prime/$49 Spend) @ Amazon AU

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The free Prime shipping deal is over, but the price has now dropped to $20.88 plus $7.16 delivery, free with orders over $49 if you have Prime.

Yes it's an expensive mechanical pencil which is not aimed at the same market as this. Some people don't mind paying more for the build quality, feel, and design of something like this though.

This is nearly the best price so far according to the Camel (61c more).

Shipping is free with Prime, or $7.16 without.

It has their classic brass hexagonal barrel and is made in Japan.

It starts at $38+gst on eBay, and is US$21.37 on Amazon US

Video review
Product page

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.

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closed Comments

  • +30

    I thought it was 600 lots of Mechanical Pencils for $22.77.

    • +1

      Haha me too

    • +6

      I thought it was $0 for prime members

  • +4

    I have the 0.7mm of this pencil. Its great, good build quality and durable. Orgianly paid $43.50 from another store.

    • I quite like my 2mm Rapid Pro, so thought I'd give this a go!
      Picked up the 600 ballpoint pen too. The slimmer body compared to the Rapid Pro looks interesting.

  • +6

    Time for another pencil!

    • +1

      It's always time for another pencil.

  • +3

    I've been using this Kuru Toga for sometime now and rate it highly - currently $14.06 (white is a fraction cheaper also) https://www.amazon.com.au/Mechanical-Pencil-Kurutoga-Roulett…

    • +6

      Get the Kuru Toga if you don't mind a mushier writing experience and prefer a lighter pencil with a wider grip

      Get the Rotring 600 if you prefer a thinner grip and a heavier, more precise writing experience. Rotring is also incredibly solid but the tip will bend if you drop the pencil tip down. Something to keep in mind

      FYI this is the cheapest I've seen the 600 so get the 600 if you're an Ozbargainer

      • Define 'mushier writing' for me…

        • +57

          All Kuru Toga series have a mechanism that rotates the lead every time you push the tip down. This is to ensure that you're always writing with the sharp edge of the lead so that all your lines are uniform in thickness. But because this mechanism is activated by pressure that means there must be a spring right? Additionally because the clutch holding the lead has to rotate the lead, that also means it can't be part of the body of the pencil. This means when you're writing there's a springy feeling every time you put the nib down and there's also more lateral movement compared to a fixed sleeve such as that found on the Rotring 600

          Source: I have both

          • +1

            @Bacons: awesome response! :)

          • +1

            @Bacons: I was writing a response to this, but I’m glad I didn’t because you did a much better job. V comprehensive, and accurate, as someone who has also written with both pencils.

          • +1

            @Bacons: Just to add on to that, you can also get the kuru toga series with a metal body, it weights in a little bit less but it still gives you a solid grip

            • -3

              @sushimaster: at the end of the day, people don't care how you write… only what you wrote matter…

              • +8

                @dlovep: Sure, but who cares about them? I'm doing the writing, and if I can appreciate the writing feel of different instruments, I might as well make that task more pleasant, right? :)

          • @Bacons: As a technical drawing person I was taught to rotate my pencil as I draw. It's a skill and becomes natural after some practice. Engineers like to find problems for their inventions. You will need more downwards stroke pressure than normal to use this pencil. Japanese gimmick at best.

            • @skillet: Many people subconsciously rotate their pencil a little when the line becomes too thick. The Kuru Toga mechanism is definitely a useful "gimmick", it really works and the sales reflect that as one of the best selling pencils in Japan. This is because it was primarily designed and marketed for writing the Japanese language which has detailed characters. This is also why Pentel is the only company that makes 0.2 mm mech pencils. For technical drawings, most people prefer a fixed tip for the preciseness and feedback

      • Rotring is also incredibly solid but the tip will bend if you drop the pencil tip down.

        Use a Bic ball pen cap, fit perfectly.:)

    • +1

      Ouch, someone must really dislike the Kuru Toga to neg me. lol. Poor sod.

    • +1

      Second this, I had both and I prefer Kuru Toga because Rotring is heavy for long period writing.

      • It really depends on what I'm doing, whenever I do any drawing related work I would use my rotring without a question. Otherwise kuru toga is a solid daily driver

    • You can get the regular version at OW for only $5 FYI

  • +5

    I remember my dad having this brand mech pencils when I was growing up
    Their stuff is high end

  • +1

    I bought this twice previously in 2011 and 2014 and lost both of them. I miss it so much - too good to pass up on. Thanks OP. Such a weighty and beautiful pencil.

  • Seems everyone wants to be an astronaut. They need a pencil at least.

    • +10

      Not as much as you’d think.

      The bits of graphite from pencils floating around in zero gravity can be a hazard.

      As a result, astronauts replaced them with grease pencils, then felt pens, then Fisher space pens. Now they just use laptops.

  • got one. thx

  • I wouldn't mind one. Just not sure when I will get to use it ;/

    • +1

      I don't either as I'll use my 2mm way more, but at this price I "buy now, think later". :)

      • +2

        2mm technical pencils are the bomb. I work in engineering design and am always sketching and marking up drawings. I currently use awesome Staedtler 925, 2mm amd 1.3mm pencils

    • I am in the same situation, but i think is a good value and I can get motivated to sketch, I know I should keep my money in my pockets, but will buy it.

  • Darn. I was in the market for a 0.35mm

  • Bought one for the missus, hopefully, she won't tell me it was a waste of money and she loves drawing.

  • +1

    I like how OP pre-preemptively justified the price of the pencil.

    • +11

      Let's just say… I've been here a while. :)

      • Haha evidently. Well done.

      • me with anything related to fountain pens lol

  • i almost bought this while in japan but went with the pilot s20 instead, overall nicer and more "premium" feel. i wouldn't buy an s20 online though as each one is very different in wood color and grain.

  • I have one of these and a Kura Toga and a Staedtler Avant Guarde.

    I would recommend that Staedtler Avant Guarde for general use…
    The Rotring is nice for just pencil use (if you like the weight & use a drafting table - which is sloped)

    • +2

      The Rotring is nice for just pencil use

      Yeah, it doesn't work very well as a pen. ;)

      • +1

        To clarify.
        The Avant Guarde has pencil, blue pen, black pen & red pen all built into a single slim barrel.
        (i.e. It does work very well as a pen)

        The Rotring only has pencil… but it's fine if that's all you want.

    • The Avante Guarde is a lovely writing/drawing tool

  • +1

    Is this for people who are afraid of commitments?

    • correctomundo!

    • Signed my marriage certificate with one of these;)

      • Sure it wasn’t a stick of charcoal, tightass? 😁

        Jk

  • +1

    That silver variant is so slick tho….

  • -6

    Meh. Does not compare to the superb craftsmanship and understated status-climbing of my Mt Blanc pencil.

    (edit: apparently that is a real thing :)

  • Viggo Tarasov likes this.

    • +1

      With a ****ing pencil!

  • -4

    I'll have to give this a miss - I picked up a used rotring mechanical pencil recently for free. Not the 600 but similar quality. I still have a rotring drafting table and t square won as first prize in my tech drawing class.

  • +2

    I'm into technical stationery and have these pencils - and they're good. Not as good as the Japanese-made Staedtler 925 series but still good.

    This is an excellent price too - Rakuten is another good online outlet but if you're ever in Tokyo, get your ass to Sekaido in Shinjuku - tech stationery ground zero. Itoya in Ginza a distant 2nd

    • if you're ever in Tokyo, get your ass to Sekaido in Shinjuku - tech stationery ground zero

      Aww man I was just in Shinjuku in May and had no idea!

  • What a bargain!

  • Any other recommendation for other good looking mechanical pencils with bright colours and with retractable tips?

    • https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zebra-DelGuard-Light-MAZ84-0-5mm-Me… I buy these zebra delguard pencils over anything else, hard to break the lead even drawing on rough surfaces like timber and the yellow colour makes them hard to lose.

    • -1

      Oh, well there's… Wait. You send pencils.

    • +1

      Uni-ball Kuru Toga metal version.

      Auto rotating lead everytime the lead gets pressure from writing surface.

  • bought 800 for 32ish yesterday.

    • 4 cents each - well done!

      I almost bought the 800 ballpoint this morning, it was going for about $50. In the end I thought the click action on the 600 ballpoint was more convenient than the twist action on the 800. Build quality is otherwise the same.

      • How much is the 600 ballpoint version? Heard it’s out of production and crazy pricy.

        • It's about $42 delivered.

          They started making them again, in Japan instead of Germany. The original German ones are still pretty pricey!

  • Good bargain.

  • +1

    This is a classic example of a bargain for the more affluent OzBargainers. Bargains to be had at every price point. 😬

    • +1

      Mechanical pencils are a pretty cheap collectible, you can have all the basic clasdics for a couple of hundred.
      Cheaper than watches and fun to appreciate the mechanism for a while.

      • Agreed with your sentiment. However not everyone appreciates or see the logic in spending 100x more than let’s say a $0.20 wooden pencil. Not everyone enjoy (or appreciate) the finer things in life…

      • I suppose so if you take everything literally at face value :)

    • I thought the Tesla deal was a classic example of that but to reach their own I guess…

  • Thanks OP, did not need it, got it, literally have no use for it.

    • Who knows, it could be a gateway instrument to a whole new world of quality writing instruments for you. :)

  • The 600 ball.point became collector item after was used by Jason Bourne in Bourne identity movie

  • I bought one of these for uni 5 years ago. Still going strong, worth every cent I paid for it (40 bucks or so at the time I think).

  • Can someone comment on differences between 500 & 600 series ?
    https://www.amazon.com.au/rOtring-0-5mm-Mechanical-Pencil-50… is cheaper

    • +2

      Weight
      - 500 is a plastic barrel
      - 600 should be metal (originally brass clad in whatever for the finish)

      The 600 series is perfect

    • I always just assume, the higher the number, the better.. i.e. 600 is better than 500… just like the 800 is better than 600

  • +1

    Thanks. Bought two for gifts (my collection are all the silver ones)

    The 600 series are the best working writing tools I've ever owned. Great to see them being reissued from Japan… means I can leave my German ones at home.
    I've been using at least one 600 (Newton) daily for 20 years (my granddad swore by then in the 60s)
    - had one trio pen replaced when they still made them after using it for a couple of years

    The fountain pen needs a re-release; it's amazing.
    If they start doing the lava finish again I'm in for a whole set

  • Can someone explain what use cases justify buying a "fancy" pencil? Is it for drawing? Artistic writing (kinda like how people like calligraphy)? Technical drawings?

    Cos for simply writing certainly seems like a waste and the last time I used a pencil extensively for writing was before I had gotten my pen licence :P

    • +1

      Can someone explain what use cases justify buying a "fancy" pencil?

      No need, you already explained the three most common uses. :)

    • +1

      Sorta like why some people buy Toyota vs Lexus. Both gets you from point A to B.

  • bugger wanted the 0.7

  • +1

    Why the heck did you post this OP. Just when I thought I got through the whole PrimeDay sales without doing any financial damage :)

  • Price is coming up for me as $30.77.

    • +1

      Sounds like you're seeing the Sakura Sakura Sakura price. Change the seller to Amazon. It's still $22.77 for me.

      • Yep - I just reloaded the page and it shows the correct price. Thanks.

  • John Wick pencil !!!!

    • +1

      That's the Muji version of the original JDM Graphgear 500

      • Nice. I bought the Muji one in China last year as I had a few Yuan to finish off

  • +4

    Thanks OP, bought one plus $9.70 Pentel Super Hi-Polymer Refills, 0.5 mm Medium, HB, 180 Pieces of Lead to complement my purchase.

  • John Wick killed 3 people with pencil

  • What's the cheapest way to buy 0.35mm lead?

  • so. much. mechanics…

  • shame it is not the .7mm. my eyes are tired of light strokes…I'm getting old I believe

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