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Reviews (1)
Jan 04, 2017
Better than Rotring 600 for long writing sessions, IMHO
This is the lighter sibling of the Rotring 600 mechanical pencil, considered by many as the holy grail of mechanical pencils. R500 has all the features of R600 except metal barrel (upper body). R500, is much lighter being metal grip and plastic body. I use it for writing (not drafting) and prefer it to R600 which I find too heavy for long writing sessions. Metallic knurled grip is very comfortable to hold and the pencils feels balanced (upper part being plastic). Like R600 it has a lead grade indicator which is also metal and does not turn on its own. The iconic red band at the top comes with attractive golden lining. The black paint on the grip is mat finish and does not distract while writing. The grip is narrow, which I like.
Another mechanical pencil which has similar structure and feel is the Alvin Draft Matic which also I find excellent. It has, however, sharper knurling and very shinny (chrome) grip section.
IMHO, I consider Rotring 500 as my best mechanical pencil (pencils: have 0.35mm, 0.5mm and 0.7mm)