Rotring 0.5mm Mechanical Lead Pen Pencil Matte Black ABS Plastic Body Hexagonal Body Non-Slip Textured Metal Grip Click Mechanism 500 Series Lead Indicator Ideal for Technical Drawing

If you read internet mechanical pencil reviews, as I did, you will read a lot about how great Rotring pencils are. This is not born out by reality as the famed quality is simply not there. The knurling feels unpleasantly abrasive and, looking at it with a loupe, you can see why - it's not very well done and there are many jagged edges and it is markedly poorer than on, say, a Pilot S10 or a Pentel Graphgear 500. Some people say they like sharp knurling but I can only imagine that they are people who have mechanical pencils for reasons other than using them to write with for any period of time. I have nothing against collecting or buying the perceived premium product... but please don't then try and convince people that it's actually good for its purpose.Not only is the knurling poorly done but the finish comes off if you so much as give it a hard stare. After a week in my pencil case with some rivals, the Rotring was looking very second-hand. All the others, including a very old Pentel P205, still looked like new.In use, I found the grip to be narrower than I'd like. Obviously that's not a fault with the pencil and just my preference but this is at the narrow end of the spectrum so bear that in mind before you get one. What IS a fault with the pencil is that the lead wobbles in the guide tube. It only wobbles a little but something I learned from trying a LOT of mechanical pencils is that it is really important for me to have the lead completely precise. There is a great deal of argument about tip/lead wobble online and my conclusion is that one person's "rock solid" is another's "all over the place". So.. if you don't care about a bit of lead wobble, this will appear rock solid. If you do care, then it's not all over the place but it will irritate you until you swap it for a different pencil. (Pentels and Pilots seem reliably solid (apart from retractables like the Graphgear 1000, of course, which is definitely all over the place - others, like Rotring, Tombow, Uni Kuru-Toga & Shift-pipe, Staedtler and Platinum Pro Use all wobble.)At least the 500 is not as bad as the 600 which has all the same problems and adds extra weight and poor balance to make it very unpleasant to use for any length of time.If you like a narrow grip then I'd recommend the classic Pentel P200. Much more precise and much more robust. For a larger knurled metal grip, the Pilot S10 is a much better pencil than the Rotring.

Personally I’m not sold on the plastic body. It just feels cheap and uncomfortable. The 600 is much more expensive but I prefer the weight and durability. Each to their own

I was between the 500 and the 600. Then i decided to go with the 500 as i couldnt see huge differences. The pencil is very steady with some plastic and mettalic parts providing a nice balance. The only negative and this is a reason for the minus 1 star is that it came without a box and with only one refil.

My first Rotring was Rapid pro, I hated it since the first push of a button, such a murky feedback. Also it was heavy and weight center brought towards the tip. Second one was the legendary 600. I liked its built quality, pushing the button gave tactile feedback, very pleasant to use, but it was also heavy. Its weight distribution is more centered, so definately better when Rapid pro, but every time I was using it (I use it a lot as an architect), I could not get use to its weight, because I prefer lightweight pencils. It constantly slipped out of my fingers, I've got this feeling, that I can break its metal tip at any time. I also tried Rotring Tikky (I have several of them with dieferent hardness graphites), it was so well made, lightweight, tactile feedback, cheap, very pleasant to use. Suddenly I found myself using Tikky more than the 600, ok I thought, thats it, the 600 is beautiful, solid, premium, but just not for me. So I bought 500 and could not be more happy. Its as good as 600, has the metal grip which I prefer, looks as good (except for the silver ring, but at least it differs from 600), solid build like 600, but its Lightweight! Finally, I found a perfect pencil for me. It feels like it disapears in hand, its like having a pure uninterupted connection between my thougts and a graphite tip. My recomendations: first buy Tikky, its a very good value pencil, If you want something more premium, go with 500 or 600, consider the weight factor. I can recomend Rapid pro only to someone who writes, not sketches. Also Rapid pro has a softer grip, I prefer 500/600 more harsh grip.

- Not very comfortable to hold for long period of time (small circumference)- nothing to complain other than that