Rotring 500 0.5 mm Drafting Pencil Review

As a fan of the brand, it doesn’t take much for me to test out anything from Rotring. So, why did it take so long for me to review the Rotring 500? The simple fact that the Rotring 600 exists.

The 600 is the best mechanical pencil on the market, and one of the great stationery products of all-time. If there were a Stationery Hall of Fame, the 600 gets in on the first ballot, without question. There is no better in my book.

Rotring may want you to believe that the much pricier 800 model is better, with its retractable lead pipe and fancy gold trim, but no, the rock-solid 600 is better. Don’t @ me.

The 500 takes an alternate path as the entry level Rotring drafting pencil. At less than half the price of the 600 ($14 vs. $31,) the main difference is that plastic is used for the center barrel in the 500, compared to brass in the 600.

For some writers, that may be preferred. Why? Balance. Most mechanical pencils that get classified under the “Drafting” category have a low center of gravity for better control when writing small details on the page. The 500 uses the classic metal knurled Rotring grip, and in conjunction with the plastic barrel, the weight is moved towards the tip. The full metal barrel of the 600 is more balanced throughout the length of the pencil.

If you want me to continue to list out the differences between the 500 and 600, well, you will be disappointed to know that is it. Plastic barrel in the 500, metal in the 600. That’s the list. In reality, you should be excited, because every other part of this pencil is the same as its much more popular pencil partner, while being much cheaper. Same grip, same clip, same lead indicator, same eraser and cap. It’s fantastic.

Now, if you think I’m about to tell you I would pick the 500 over my beloved 600, you would be wrong. The brass barrel makes the 600 what it is for me personally. But the 500 is a fantastic choice, right up there with the Uni-ball Kuru Toga and Uni Shift Pipe Lock as favorites in the $10-$20 price range. And, if this Red barrel is any indicator (along with Blue and Green,) maybe Rotring is ready branch out like they have with the 600 over the last several years.

Whatever Rotring is going to do, I’ll be here for it.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Blackwing Pencil Extender Review

I love Blackwing Pencils. Blackwing accessories? Well, that’s a different story, with varying outcomes.

When Blackwing first launched their paper lineup, via various notebook styles, they were well received. They did a great job with the release, and I even found them to be fountain pen friendly. They continued to update formats and styles, and have remained excellent over time. I’m not sure how many other Blackwing accessories I can say that about-especially on the first iteration of products.

The Blackwing Point Guard was my first odd experience with a new Blackwing design. The concept is great, as I already used various pencil tip protectors, but this one was was sized oddly at launch. More specifically, some of the Point Guards didn’t fit on Blackwing Pencils. They were too tight to use. Blackwing quickly corrected the issue and made it right, but I filed that information away in the back of my brain.

I would need that info on the launch of the Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener. I had heard there were blade issues on launch, which caused poor pencil sharpening, so I waited a bit for that to shake out. Apparently, I didn’t wait long enough, as I got one of the bad ones. Once again, Blackwing made it right by providing replacement blades, and now the sharpener works as intended.

To first mention the focus of this review-the Blackwing Pencil Extender-at this point probably makes you think there is another technical flaw with this product. There isn’t. But what compelled me to buy this product in the first place is how ugly it is. There is no sense in sugar coating my thoughts on that aspect. But is it a good product, despite my thoughts on the physical design? Let’s find out.

The goal of any pencil extender is literal in two senses: to extend the life of a well-used, and now short, pencil by extending the usable length of the pencil in your hand. If you have a product you love, you want to squeeze every last bit out of it, right? You wouldn’t toss out your favorite ink with 25% of the liquid left in the bottle, would you? No! You would grab a syringe and drink up all the ink until there was none left.

Blackwing pencils give me the same feeling. They are some of my favorites, and I want to use up every centimeter I can. Pencil extenders can help with that. They aren’t a new product, but most are built for pencils with a traditional round ferrule. Circular diameter extenders, like the simple Peanpole from E+M, slide over most traditionally-sized ferrules. The standout design element of Blackwing pencils, the rectangular ferrule, prevents this type of extender from being used. You can remove the Blackwing ferrule if you have a favorite traditional extender, if you like.

To solve a problem of their own making, Blackwing engineered an inelegant solution. To use the Blackwing Pencil Extender, you remove the existing eraser inside the existing ferrule, slide the rubber end of the extender into the now-open ferrule, and toss the eraser into the bin. There is nowhere else to put it. Nor should there be-traditional extenders cover the eraser as well.

Overall, it … works?

I mean, it does. If I’m sitting in that design meeting at Blackwing HQ, I’m thinking yeah, this is great. Ship it! But in the broader scope of their usually sleek and refined lineup, it stands out to someone like me who obsesses over this type of minutia. I can use it, but I can’t unsee it.

So Mr. Pen Addict Opinionated Design Guy, how would you fix this? I wouldn’t. Not every problem needs a solution. Blackwing designed the most iconic pencil on the market. Just like I can spot a Lamy wire pen clip from a mile away, the rectangular Blackwing ferrule is a timeless design. The Blackwing Pencil Extender breaks line of sight on that most important design element. The Extender exists to solve a 10% problem, not a 90% problem, which is an area rarely worth designing for.

Wooden pencils are beautiful because of their disposable nature. Grab one, sharpen it, use it, sharpen it, and so on, right until it is too short to hold in your hand. What now? Who doesn’t love pulling out a fresh, unsharpened pencil from the box? I promise that last inch of pencil won’t hold it against you for throwing it away.

The Blackwing Pencil Extender is a Superfan choice, not a universal one. If you are invested in the Blackwing ecosystem, then $10 is nothing in that context. I’m going to keep mine around, but I’m going to paint it, or sticker it, to at least make it more fun. Maybe that’s the key to unlock the joy of this product.

Now, where is my silver paint pen?

(I bought this product from Yoseka Stationery at regular retail price for review purposes.)

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Mitsubishi 9850 HB Pencil Review

I’ve known for years that the Mitsubishi 9850 HB Pencil was good, but maybe not necessarily great. I think I’ve been selling it short: it is great.

I guess I’m fortunate that I didn’t review it previously, as it has stood the test of time on my desk, in competition with dozens of other pencils that have passed through my hands. Good products rise to the top in this way. Usage is a good scoreboard.

In previous pencil reviews, I often grabbed the 9850 to use for comparison. Only when recently reviewing the Kitaboshi 9606 HB did I realize I had never done a proper review of the 9850. I went looking for that review because as I was testing pencils, I realized the 9850 was better than all of them. That included the Blackwing 602, a default favorite pencil.

There was no review to be found.

I found praise for it as a side note in other posts, but only against these other pencils did I finally realize how special the 9850 is. Am I going to tell you it is the best pencil on the market? No. But I’m not going to not tell you that, either.

Pencils are difficult to compare directly to one another. Graphite cores are an obvious differentiator, but sometimes they are tough to tell apart when they are the same grade. Heck, they are sometimes identical, as I discussed in the aforementioned Kitaboshi review. I like a dark core, with a balance between smoothness and some feedback, plus good point retention. That’s honestly not too difficult to find between several brands.

Freshly sharpened with the Uni KH-20 (left,) and 300 words later.

Aesthetics matter, too. The 9850 is a classic, general-use design, while other popular brands like Blackwing and Caran d’Ache have more premium fits and finishes-with prices to match.

This is all to say that when accounting for everything-quality, style, comfort, experience, price-the Mitsubishi 9850 might be the best total package on the market.

I do hedge a little bit, because there are a few pencils I prefer style-wise over the 9850-the Blackwing Eras with the Extra Firm core, and the Tombow Mono 100 HB, for example. But are they better than the 9850? I wouldn’t go that far.

The Mitsubishi 9850 has been around for decades, and is the standard by which all office pencils have been measured. It should be the standard by which all premium pencils are measured as well.

You can pick up the 9850 for $1.40 per pencil at JetPens, or grab a dozen from St. Louis Art Supply for $10.95.

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!