Review: Rotring Mechanical Pencils; Tikki, 300, 500, 600, 800, and Rapid Pro Comparison | 555 Gear

[@brucemurray2520]

You set the lead hardness indicator when you load it. So if you have multiple pencils you can see which has which type lead. It doesn't result in any internal adjustment.

[@555Gear]

Thanks!

[@joelmoore3804]

@@555Gear also I was told by a pencil geek, that the metal tip was called the sleeve

[@km006]

I have had a Tikky for 3-4 years now, it's held up pretty well, I've dropped it like a million times and even thrown it to the ground but it's still completely fine. I have bent the tip once, but was able to bend it back straight. Definitely worth the $5 I paid for it.

[@brown-wizard]

I had a bunch of those Tikky pencils when i was younger, one of them is still going. They're great if you don't want to spend too much money for a pencil. My only issue with that pencil is the grip section is made out of some sort of rubber material which breaks down as time passes and after a few years it becomes so fragile even a little push with my fingernails will break it. Because of this I'd have to replace my Tikky every few years so I recently upgraded to a 600 and overall I think it was worth the money. Not only does it have the potential to last a lifetime if you're careful with it but it also feels so much better when using it, makes me think "dam, this is some premium pencil right here" every time I start sketching something.

[@user-tz2zz5ij1s]

As a person that has a 600, 800, and pro, I definitely prefer the pro. The cushion mechanism on the pro is an amazing upgrade.

[@Deathlycream]

can you say why please? I'm hesitating between 600 and 800 actually. I would use a 0.5. Thanks

[@user-tz2zz5ij1s]

@@Deathlycream I use .5 and my primary use of the pencils is math. When I come to a difficult equation I found that sometimes while thinking it out and writing I will push down harder on the pencil and break the lead tips. With the cushion mechanism you can actually feel the tip push back and slide up. It has a good resistance to it so you won’t notice it unless you really start to push down. I found the more cylindrical shape to be more comfortable also than the 800. I ended up switching to the rapid pro on pens also. If you are thinking of getting a pen also I would highly suggest getting the Schmidt easy flow 9000 ink replacement cartridges. They are a lot better than the ink cartridges that rotoring makes. Remember you are paying for the body of the pen and pencil, not so much the ink or lead that come in them.

[@Deathlycream]

@@user-tz2zz5ij1s Thank you for your feeback. I would use it to write but mostly to draw. I want something solid but not fancy. The 800 series have a full metal system if I'm not wrong while 600 has plastic parts. I will use Staedtler lead or Faber Castell. Thanks again

[@user-tz2zz5ij1s]

@@Deathlycream not 100 percent sure if the 600 has plastic or not. Have never fully deconstructed it. They both seem to weigh about the same. They both are solid and I don’t think you can go wrong with either. What happened to me was I started with the 600, then had the itch how much better could the 800 be, and then was wondered about the rapid pro. I think most people that start off at the 600 will end up getting the 800 and the Rapid pro just because of that thought.

[@Deathlycream]

@@user-tz2zz5ij1s I've watched a video where someone showed them in detail. I thought the rapid pro was under the 800 but it's just different. Thanks a lot for your feedback

[@mr.michael5691]

Great help, I'm looking to buy my first 'expensive' mechanical pencil, and I'm deciding upon a rOtring, this helped a lot! It's an upvote from me.

[@psommer4218]

As an Artist, from Germany no less, I cannot recommend the Rotring design for drawing. For writing, sure. But for drawing, the grip is too short and the hexagonal shape gets in the way. I much prefer the Pentel GrapGear 1000 over my Rotring 800 mechanical pencil. For ballpoint pens, the Rotring 600 is flawless.

[@hellothere2863]

man, youre getting pretty close to 55.5k subs, GL!

[@sebit2874]

Very good review, thanks! I'm also a fan of mechanical pencils, I've collected a few so far. I also have these except 800. Because 800 is part of the top 3 in the most honest review, I will buy this one in the next period. Seeing too many negative reviews and being too expensive I avoided buying 800 so far. Thank you again!

[@davesolo5984]

That was a helpful description of features. Thanks!

[@ronink.9009]

I've had my 800 for 6 years now, still working like new but the black paint is coming off on the corners and where I hold it, I think it looks really nice and adds a bit of a personal touch.

[@jhammons2310]

DUDE GARAND THUMB REFERENCES lol the greatest crossover since Supernatural x Scooby Doo

[@sadmanislam5111]

Great Review. thank you for the helpful comparison. I love using Rotring pencils. I mostly just use the 500 (0.5mm) and 300 (2.0mm) and a Tikky (0.7mm). The tip of a mechanical pencil is called the lead sleeve. The new 600 have some plastic on the inside whereas the 800 is a full metal pencil. Also would like to mention that most are made in Japan except for the Tikky which is made in China.

[@petertattoo]

Interesting that the 600 have some plastic inside. I have used it for several years and no problem but I sure like full metall more

[@sixteenbitter]

Nice breakdown. Personally I prefer the Rapid Pro to the 600, but you really can't go wrong between the 3 higher end ones.

[@555Gear]

Agreed

[@thulegezelschap5884]

Same, I love the grip on the Rapid pro, it spoiled me so much that I now feel the 600 is ‘slippery’ 😂 Going to replace my 2mm 600 with a Rapid pro too

[@roadballet]

thanks for making this video, will really help me in deciding which ones to purchase in the future! currently using a GraphGear 1000 and I love it, despite the negativity it gets

[@DanielGonsalezDani27891]

Thanks for this review. Nice collection

[@jdmjuniversal3730]

Oh man, I love this video❤️

[@anferFFmax]

The 600, the 800, and the 800+ are my favorite Drafting Pencils ever!

[@맥날-l2n]

Thank you for uploading the video.I bought 600 right after watching the video.

[@Laura-hl3hg]

congrats on 55.5 thousand subscribers 555 gear!

[@anjalianand6253]

I was quite confused which of these I should buy thanks for helping me decide. Thanks for this valuable review.

It's nice to see stationery featured on your channel. Interesting review!

[@davidschwartz9636]

Thanks for making this video. I’m in the market for a mechanical pencil and am considering the Rapid Pro, the 600 and the 800. Your thoughts and comments have certainly given me much to think about. I agree with your thinking about the 800. - Really impressive mechanism, but will it stand up to everyday use and wear? Talking of wear, in a lot of ways I like the way the finish on these brass body pens wears, as It seems to give them real character. - Can see from your black 600 and Rapid Pro, those have been your companions for many long hours of study / work. I’m going to take a look at some reviews of the matching ball pen versions of these, perhaps that will help me decide. Failing that, I’m just going to end up like yourself, with all of them! Regards David.

[@benisrood]

Yeah, the withdrawal mechanism of the 800 impacts the solidity and stability of the drawing tip in my experience. I would pick the 600 or Pro over it. That issue doesn't apply to the 800 2mm, of course.

[@joelmoore3804]

I've been looking into getting some good mechanical pencils. As an architect I've been finding myself using pencils more and more lately. I like to have different pencils with the different hardness lead, instead of changing the lead and using the indicator. I didn't even realize I needed these until I saw this review. Thanks!

[@beanie0026]

I don’t have any need for pencils. But I like the Rotring 600 pen

[@joelmoore3804]

@@beanie0026 I normally just use Micron pens. I'm curious about the rotring ball points. If you get one let me know how it is.

[@beanie0026]

@@joelmoore3804 I have one and they are nice. The ink is ok.

[@anjalianand6253]

Thanks for a very helpful review. I liked 800, rapid pro, and 500.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

The 600 is the mac daddy. Just found one in .9mm on eBay and can't wait for it to arrive. The 500 reminds me very much of the Alvin/Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 563x pencil - it would not surprise me that these are, in fact, the same pencil just using different colors/brands. I believe they are all made in the same factory in Japan.

[@drfaustens4504]

My favorite is the Rotrig Rapid Pro. Why? you ask. Because I could get it in a 2mm lead which means I can put softer lead in it. Which means I am always pointing it. Not a problem. If I am not mistaken the lead cap at the top doubles as lead pointer. The point is broader than other pointers I use (but it is still a point). Being soft it wears down faster, but being a softer lead erases paper better with an acrylic eraser ( Staedtler Mars Plastic). Something I learned working for a rare book seller who constantly changed prices in his books to keep up with market (that is auction) values. Hard leads emboss paper on the front paste down or flyleaf, but soft did not... so the erasure did not leave a record of the former price. Anyway I just got into a habit of using softer leads. Now as a writer I use notebooks and am sometimes obliged to erase whole pages and to re-use the page; this way there is not of residual bleed through its almost like a brand new page with soft leads. Any that all folks...

[@mertdaniel00]

Nice video, thank! I was only curious, why you choose 600 over 500? Is it worth for extra price?

[@wpherigo1]

Rapid pro has a lead sharpener in the cap. I’d imagine the website or artist supply websites would have descriptions of the parts you were struggling for words about. Cheers!

[@jonibri9793]

@@isaacwathieu4099 the rapid pro 2mm lead holder has a lead sharpener in the eraser cap, the one in the video (0.7mm I think) is just a thin lead already and doesn’t need sharpening

[@brendanhasenstab4586]

Still a helpful tour of Rotring’s lineup of pencils! And they are my favorites, too. For years the 600 0.7mm pencil and Rapid Pro pen has been my “desk pens” in the office, and some of my favorites overall. Quality in the hand. Not too heavy, but heavy enough-if that makes sense. Capital-D Democratic of spirit to produce these at an accessible price point. I am quite sure they could charge more for these, but cheers to management for staying true to the brand’s history. 👍

[@tokintalk]

I bought the 800 pen a day ago and I'm waiting for it to arrive. I hope the twist mechanism holds up, but I really liked the slow tip return on the pen version. Great video!

[@felixfelix3421]

how has it been so far? I want an 800 after my 600 for the retracting ability

[@tokintalk]

@@felixfelix3421 I love the 800. I use it at work and it looks and feels great in the hand. The knurling is also really nice. I did find that after a full day of writing it does fatigue the hand, but that is probably because my hands are on the large side and this pen is fairly thin.

[@lilluis80]

I've been using the 800 for over a year now, and to this day I still feel the same enjoyment when twisting the sleeve open! I'm very happy with my purchase, and I had no idea I started off with Rotring's flagship pencil until I saw this video! I'm looking forward to getting the blue 600 that came out recently!

[@felixfelix3421]

@@lilluis80 Thank you!

[@jpolar394]

The Rotring Tikky is the same exact mechanical pencil as the BAZIC TRITECH which I picked up 4 of them from a dollar store for 1 dollar each around 4 years ago and I have 1 left that's still new in the package. In matter of fact, the pencil even comes with a package of extra leads besides the 3 that come inside of the pencil. The pencil size is 0.7

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

The Tikky 3 is a rebranded Paper mate precision

[@alyantza]

Rotring is a fantastic brand for mechanical pencils. I would buy from them all the time, the only thing keeping me from doing so is the price. That said, I wonder what your opinion is on chinese imitations such as the RedCircle 600 mechanical pencils, which are almost indistinguishable from the normal Rotring 600 design.

[@mike_dunno]

Been using the rapid pro for some time😎

[@JBass33]

Liked the chart at the end.

[@ΜαρίνοςΤ-μ4ρ]

I own a rapid Pro 0.5. It was droped once and although thre is absolutetly no visible damage, the back erasor cap keeps coming off on its own and indeed it requires no efford to remove it. Does anyone have a solution to this? Thank you.

[@farzindoroudian4013]

I would argue between all these Rotrings, 500 is the better option, because it has the good quality mechanism that 600 has, but unlike 600 and Rapid pro which have the center of gravity in around middle, on 500 the center of gravity is much more towards the tip, which means less hand fatigue when using the pencil for long duration of time. Also the 800 has a wiggling problem (I generally have no problem with a wiggling of the tip with retractable pencils like Pentel Graphgear 1000, but 800 wiggles a lot) you can minimize it by putting a plastic ring inside it, but still the tip wiggles.

[@eykeld.p6538]

Hey, I broke my 600 tip so I was thinking that if the 500 tip would fit in the 600, if you have both pencils can you me a favour, can you check if the rOtring 500 tip would fit in the 600 series, it would be a massive help. Thank you

[@softwareengineer5334]

Saw your video yesterday and got 600 0.7mm today. It's so premium and I don't feel worthy of holding it lol 😂 !!

[@greekveteran2715]

They used to have, the Tikky T , which was one of the best, if not the best pencil for drawing, really good for technical drawiing or even writing too! Only pencil, that performs close to that, is the Pentel Sharp P200 seires, which is also an old design. Unfortunately, after Rotring stipped that model, they didn't make any other mechanical pencil to much that pencil's peformance. The best by far Tikky, the Tikky T, was at it's best around early to mid 90's. I think I got mine around 1994-95. Tikky have dropped from being the best drawing tool, to a mid-performance writing pencil. That's a huge fall. Nice presentation sir!

[@randompersonn4726]

No poke good is gonna be my senior quote

[@font9aninea86]

Very difficult to find a Rotring 700 Lava these days.

[@SocksAndPuppets]

I started my drawing journey with cheap disposable mechanical pencils from 5-star (office supplies) - but I quickly moved onto the tikky. Nowadays I use the pentel p203. I've tried a lot of more expensive pencils, but I always go back to the p203. I'd love to try some of the expensive rotrings, but none of them come in 0.3

[@bngr_bngr]

My 600 is a .35mm.

[@Neur0bit]

Great video! Love Rotring. Used their products professionally several years ago as a draftsman. Top notch writing instruments. BTW, nice to see you quote Garandthumb 😊

[@555Gear]

Thanks for watching!

[@Neur0bit]

@@555Gear Thanks! Just ordered a black 600 based on your recommendation. Take care!

[@liselottefrejdig1112]

Is the Rapid Pro really the top Rotring? Even if the red ring and screw is made of plastic?

[@jblev736]

I just wish that rotring made a pencil with a thicker grip. I get instant hand pain using my rotring 600 and always end up using my pentels instead

[@kurroth]

Rapid pro

[@PersonPlaceThing1]

Not sure if it's a Canadian thing or not, but they are so expensive in Canada. 800=$80-$90 600=$45-$65 500=$25-$55 I've waited years to buy some because my cheapo mechanicals have been fine. Finally dropped $300 on some, And been impatiently waiting for them to arrive.

[@ui8549]

I got the 300 and the eraser holder got stuck can you tell me how to take it out plz ?

[@Sifo_Dyas]

The lead hardness affects how dark the linework will be. HB is equivalent to your classic #2 pencil. The harder the lead, the lighter the linework and vice versa, which a draftsman would want to know and be able to identify at-a-glance when he/she has multiple pencils with different hardness leads.

[@thulegezelschap5884]

I use different colour bodies for that. In theory the indicator is good, but you still have to grab the pencil to look at it. With different pen body colours or types even an idiot like me can see it from a meter away

[@RtoL-si1em]

İ wish i’ve bought the 800 but i think it definitely doesn’t deserve its price especially in Turkiye.

[@tomnelson8515]

***Nerd Alert*** The Rapid Pro 'lead sleeve' retracts.

[@teamhonn]

So the 1st one you reviewed has the lamy grip which i like others might not.

[@CigarSnob87]

Tip to Butt, Garandthumb earned you a like and subscribe =D Exceelent review on the rotring line, thank you

[@MayDay14000]

I’m an on-the-go type of person, so I either have to pick the Rotring 800 or the Rapid Pro just for the sake of quality and the pocket I’ll be putting the pencil in.🤔 It may not be cost effective to buy both, but since you mentioned about how the retract mechanism of the 800 MIGHT break and become entirely useless, I’ll consider getting both anyway.😅😆

[@felipemts]

I just have a a rOtring 600, and I completely blow away by the quality and look&feel of them, My only wish is working with this pencil more than with my keyboard...

[@sagarpatil3559]

Love it

[@erdem158]

Thank you for the video which was a nice review

[@Zpicismrad]

is "Rot Ring" a jab at "Blau Punkt"?

[@AngusMurray]

O I have 1 of those

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool

[@pritambiswas4185]

what about 800+ ?

[@henryph__am]

Wow you clearly love that 600 a lot

[@AllEDCFlashlights]

Good video

[@lashazaridze813]

555 gear 55.5k subs yeah

[@SocksAndPuppets]

pencil nerd out there, the retractable piece of the rapid pro is called a "guide pipe"

[@ThomasdeHoop]

HexAGonal

[@Daneel662]

In 2024 the 800 Is 100€ 💀

[@kerryallen5677]

I don’t own a Rotring yet, but the Pentel GraphGear 500 and 1000 are similar to the Rotring 600 & 800 for less $. The Pentels lack the all metal bodies, but are well made. But anyone that likes to write with mechanical pencils should own a Pentel Kerry. It is not for draft work, but for writing.

[@davidschwartz9636]

Pentel GraphGear 1000 is a metal body

[@JLeppert]

Thanks for this. I'm a writer, but I still obsess over hand feel.

[@Дюбель]

Это они просто не видели обзор наших кошельков! Если бы видели, сняли бы со своей головы корону, и продавали бы по разумным ценам. Людям, которые могут себе позволить этот карандаш, он не нужен, а те люди которым он нужен, не смогут себе его позволить. Буржуйский дибилизм в действии.

[@LazyStory]

IMHO The Tikky and 300 are not worth the money. So many better pencils out there. ... I like my 500, the 600 gets heavy fast, not good for freehand drawing.... and the 800 is too expensive and when it does not hold the lead absolut in place, but rattles, it is a piece of expensive junk..... I dream for the Rapid Pro...

[@eykeld.p6538]

Do you have both 500 and 600 rOtring series?

[@bingcrosby1378]

get a Montblanc

[@mikeyhill6224]

Way too overpriced when there are other other good brands out there for much much cheaper price

[@ShahzMunir]

You haven't kept them well.

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

The tikky 3 isn't a real Tikky (rebranded paper mate). I don't recommend buying it because you'll have a bad impression of the Tikky line. The Tikky 1 and 2 are very good, specially the 1 (the real Rotring one)