# The Bauhaus Classic: 10 years on ...the Rotring 600 series hexagonal fountain pen



## snowfox

I think everyone I know (who knew about writing, or like me, had to write copious reams for work) lamented the demise of Rotring in the fountain pen industry.

This is the only Bauhaus pen which I ever really clung onto in university, thinking that it was clunky and heavy at the time, I shelved it and used up my Lamy; Waterman and the scratchy slowy Parker pens. Of course, the Montblanc was more of a dress pen than a daily throw it in your satchel bag.

Recently a friend found one (must've taken him an aeon to hunt it down on a flea pit internet site) and was crooning about it. Here's a good review of it:

Classic review: Rotring "Old Style" 600 - The Fountain Pen Network

Note that it is not the later 'Newton' or the 'Initial' design of the 600 series counterweight hexagonal pen.

The only pen in its class for me is the Parker Sonnet from the 1990's, but that was more of a dress pen and embarrassingly, had acrylic and none of the German Vorsprung durch Technik engineering of the Rotring.










Better condition:




























Sigh. The end of an era of fountain pen engineering. Is there anything else like it these days?


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## wardog

snowfox, I agree. I regularly carry (today even) a Rotring 600 fountain pen. Mine is the later "Lava" finish which seems to be very durable. Solid, to say the least.


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## snowfox

Lol.

That's 2 of us on this forum them.

I note you like Perrelet and Archimede too 

I can only afford the Rotring. Or maybe a Kaweco Sport too:

also from the Bauhaus era (1935): look - no hands! Or no clip rather. Ultra compact small little fountain pen. No more scratchy Parkers here 










At 4 1/8" inches capped - this is some achievement! Octagonal (not Hexagonal) design - brilliant centre of gravity. Like the Rotring - leak free; does not blot on writing and performs reliably and flawlessly after years.


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## snowfox

and here's a size comparison against a standard pen:










and a great review of the minimalist pen from the pen forum:

Kaweco Aluminum Sport Fountain Pen, the ultimate EDC pen?

All great stuff for those who can't get their paws on a classic Rotring


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## wardog

That Kaweco is cool! Is that a Pelikan 800 next to it? Some sort of limited edition? It's fantastic! I've only got a 215 but am looking at an 805.

The 600's still come up on ebay pretty regularly. I saw one in Lava in what looked like mint condition go for less than $80 recently. I also have an "Initial" from Rotring which I got for $20 on FPN. Currently waiting on a couple Chinese FP's in the mail. A Duke and a Jinhao.



snowfox said:


> and here's a size comparison against a standard pen:
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and a great review of the minimalist pen from the pen forum:
> 
> Kaweco Aluminum Sport Fountain Pen, the ultimate EDC pen?
> 
> All great stuff for those who can't get their paws on a classic Rotring


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## snowfox

Yeah - that's a Pelican M900. Nice pens...but like all dress pens ... impractical for carrying about or going jogging or motorcycling with. Actually, the Pelicans are in the league of the Kawecos and won't go leaking under sustained movement. The carbon fibre Kaweco Sport is my favourite pen - it's so handy! 

Jinhao's are fabulous pens to write with. I have a few - all costing around $3 and they all write better than my Parker Cisele which I use now and then. You have to take the metal ink dropper sheath off to squeeze the bulb to get the ink to rise anything more than 3/4 of the chamber. 

Yeah - you can still get Rotring 600 Newton hexagonal pens new old stock if you're willing to hunt. I saw a shop selling brand new ones for US$90 with the fountain well dropper but it was the wrong colour!


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## andy_s

I've a couple of the old Rotrings, both in plain metal, I'll have to do some pics. For 'dress' I've a MYU701 and a few stailess Parkers dotted about but the Rotring is probably the one I use most.


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## snowfox

Yes - a month later -it's the Rotring which is the most used pen in my battery!

It is the fastest writer; the smoothest writer; the most robust writer! The most ergonomic writer!

Its not the most compact though - that belongs to the Kaweco Sport


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## rukrem

The Rotring 600 series was truly a great model line-up ... I had the whole 600 series (Rollerball; Ball point; Pencil and tri-colored). I actually, just sold off the last example that I had on eBay the other day. Believe it or not they go for almost $300 new in the box (for the fountain) -if you can find examples of them. Mine sold, literally in about 2 minutes for $125.00; I am thinking I should have asked for a higher buy it now  ... Anyway here are the pics


























Also GOOD NEWS, Levenger is making a strikingly similar pen under their in house label L-Tech ... Levenger was one of the last places you could find the 600 series, so I am pretty sure these are true to the original (brass barrel, S/S nib, hexagonal, etc.)

HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=8-842|Level=2-3|pageid=6480
HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=8-829|level=2-3|pageid=6103
HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=8-830|level=2-3|pageid=6481
HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=8-911|level=2-3|pageid=6104


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## snowfox

It does look very similar....and very similar indeed to the aluminium hexagonal barrelled Rotring!

But it costs more than the original Rotring. Maybe that's a reflection of production costs 10 years on


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## watchNoob

rukrem said:


> Also GOOD NEWS, Levenger is making a strikingly similar pen under their in house label L-Tech ... Levenger was one of the last places you could find the 600 series, so I am pretty sure these are true to the original (brass barrel, S/S nib, hexagonal, etc.)
> 
> HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=8-842|Level=2-3|pageid=6480
> HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=8-829|level=2-3|pageid=6103
> HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=8-830|level=2-3|pageid=6481
> HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=8-911|level=2-3|pageid=6104


I'm considering the L-Tech for my next pen. I think it improves on the original in a few ways. It has a (less likely to wear out) screw cap and uses Levenger's interchangeable nib system. I'm hoping they got the ergonomics right.


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## rukrem

watchNoob said:


> I'm considering the L-Tech for my next pen. I think it improves on the original in a few ways. It has a (less likely to wear out) screw cap and uses Levenger's interchangeable nib system. I'm hoping they got the ergonomics right.


I was hoping the same thing ... if you get one let us know what you think.


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