500 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil, Black (502505N) (1904725)

This is my favorite pencil thus far. I LOVE its very traditional design, I love that it is all black, and I absolutely love how nicely it fits in my hand when using it. The body is made of black plastic. The grip is made of black metal that prevents slipping. The weight of it is ideal since it's lightness encourages my hands to keep writing (it's debatable whether that is a good or bad thing). There is a basic clip that serves its purpose quite nicely, and it has a tiny eraser under the black cap that comes in very handy when I want to erase some minute thing that would otherwise distract me from continuing my writing. Note that I mainly use it to hand-write, not to draw, but it is reminiscent of my days in college when I took art classes and stole a similar one from a then-boyfriend. Well, it's true. It had a good fit then, and I love the fit now. Of the pencil. I clip this on an equally black Moleskine notebook where I write before going to sleep. I chose this pencil because with it I can write from any angle, even facing up, all my deepest and darkest secrets and it will not break the lead making it fall into my mouth or nose. I hope this helps.

I know some reviewers have commented that the rOtring 600 is "better" because of the weight. I disagree, and here's why: I'm not in the NBA or the NFL or any other profession where big strong hands are a given. My hands are a normal size for an adult woman. The 600 is, in my opinion, too heavy. That, my friends, (and of course the price difference) is why I recommend this pencil over the 600, any day. Note to anyone with large hands: this is about the same diameter as a wooden pencil. If that size isn't comfortable for you, stay away from this pencil. Now back to the good stuff: The 500 strikes a beautiful balance between performance, comfort, and click. If you don't yet own this or another rOtring pencil, I think it's important to tell you that they have the most satisfying reload *Click* (sound and feel) of any mechanical pencil I've ever used. (NOTE: The click on the 600 is the same as the 500, but it is my understanding that the 800 has a softened click. If that's your reference point, fahgettaboutit just get this one.) The pencil grip is metal, so don't expect a cushion for your finger-- just a perfect writing utensil. And a few bads: When the graphite wears down to about a half inch or so, you might as well just pull it out and start a new piece because your lines will get noticeably soft and thick. This is an occurrence that seems to be unavoidable in mechanical pencils. I personally like sharp lines, so I just toss the excess at the end because it's useless to me. If you use fancy lead (and lots of it), this can get expensive over time. Perhaps that problem is less severe in the more expensive (heavier) models.

An extremely durable and good pencil that will strike envy into others. While when I received this pencil a small part of the grip paint seemed scraped off, that didn't' bother me. (It's bound to happen after heavy usage). This pencil is sturdy, cool (in temperature), and pretty lightweight. Some people may not like it because its grip might be considered like a 'cheese-grater' but it's pretty good. So, if your hands sweat a lot then this pencil is good for you since it helps you keep your grip. However, if you have sensitive skin, then it may be a bit irritating and like small punctures. This pencil is extremely precise and as for the eraser, it may seem small but you can lift the eraser up more and more as needed. I definitly recommend this product.

The Rotring 500 is a really great mechanical pencil that feels premium, without the price of a 600 version, and in my opinion, feels better too. Things I like: - The build quality is impressive for plastic. - It looks minimal and professional. - The weight on the pencil feels nice, and is comfortable over a long time. Things I don't like about it: - The eraser is small, although replacements can be ordered. - The tip will tilt if dropped. - The seller, which in my case was "Village Market Inc," shipped the pencil in a plain plastic bag, which meant that the tip could have been damaged during shipping if someone were to not take care of your package. I believe that the pencil does have a box, just in my case, it didn't come in it, and instead came in a bendable plastic bag (attached in images). The Roting 500 is a great pencil from the Roting brand, and I recommend it for the price, as long as you take care of it, and not drop it.

Why I love this pencil: It has the same classic form factor as the Rotring 600 but with a lighter weight that's distributed towards the front. Erasers can be replaced with Pentel Z2-1n, which is a really affordable and good eraser. The lead advance is perfect: 2 clicks gets you just enough to write half a page or more, while still protects the lead from breaking. Tolerances in the eraser cap can easily be fixed with tape, without affecting the feel or sound of the lead advancement. Also, the eraser cap can easily be sanded down to allow me to use the eraser without it wobbling around. About the new batch: I had a Rotring 500 for about a year now, and decided to buy a new one so I can run two lead softnesses and have a backup. The new Rotring 500 seems to be a different version. Some minor differences is that the newer version has a matte plastic finish while the older has more gloss. The newer version's eraser sticks out less, and the clutch sticks out more. The newer version's lead advancement feels more tactile and sounds louder. In the images and video, the top one is the old version, bottom one is the newer version. Both tips are be interchangable, and they advance lead at the same rate. So basically no functional difference. But some people might appreciate these changes.

Metal grip feels so good! It keeps the center of mass towards the writing surface which allows for a lighter grip during those long days. Best pencil in its price range!

This is a pretty good pencil which I used to study for most of my senior year of high school. It’s decent quality but I have a couple major gripes with it which made it just okay. I have had a couple of these break, and at the price point i’d hope for better durability. I also ended up developing wrist issues from sports and the pencil became unusable for studying because the size is so thin. It isn’t a bad luxury mechanical pencil but I would go for one or Rotring’s higher end models for durability and feel.

I have heard about the good reviews of this pencil for a while. It doesn't disappoint its fame; indeed, this is a very good pencil. The grip is very comfortable. And I can confirm some of the reviews here: it comes with no packaging, just a plastic bag. I was fortunate to receive the pencil without any damage despite the poor packaging.