rOtring Rapid Pro Series Ballpoint - Pen Review

September 7, 2013

Round two of rOtring Week on The Clicky Post is the currently available Rapid Pro model ballpoint.

I was privileged to receive some samples of the Rapid Pro series by Alice, rOtring's Assistant Brand Manager, and am excited to put them to the test against their iconic cousins from previous years. Thanks so much Alice and rOtring for providing these for review!

As I'd only been exposed to discontinued models of the rOtring brand, I've been more than excited to try some of the current lineup they had to offer, mainly the Rapid Pro as I felt it most closely resembled the 600 series roots that fanatics (like myself) go crazy for.

First impressions were good and ongoing impressions are getting even better.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the Rapid Pros as far as weight is concerned, but the pens carry a good heft to them. If you are familiar with the 600 series, the weight and feel holds very true to what you are used to. The pen feels great in your hand and isn't too heavy.

The barrel of the pen is actually a more subtle hexagonal shape with more rounded edges. All this time I though they were more of a smooth cylinder, but they held on to a bit of heritage by keeping the faceted sides, although less defined. Of course, I'm a sucker for the sharp edges of the 600 series, but feel that the barrel is tastefully done. It doesn't really jump out at you like the older ones do though.

The Rapid Pros come with a tightly knurled grip similar to the 600 ballpoint I reviewed on Thursday, but with a slightly larger diameter. Actually the pen itself is larger in diameter than the thinner 600 series, but not by much, perhaps a millimeter or so. My friend Dan Bishop has been telling me I need to buy a digital caliper or micrometer which would actually come in handy at this very moment; note taken, Dan, and it is now officially on my shopping list...

Now, concerning the knurling: as I have an example of both the matte black and silver editions, I find that the knurling on the silver pen tends to "bite" a bit more on the skin in comparison to the black version making it more grippy. This doesn't offend me, but I could see some people being put off by the sharpness of the knurling on the silver version. I'd compare it pretty closely to the Zebra F-701, although just a bit sharper. The black version has a coating on it that seems to dull the bite a bit. Aesthetically the silver is nice and shiny and shows off the detail of the knurling pattern better and accentuates the red ring just above it. The black version does look really stealthy and subtle though... Well heck, I like them both.

Also mentioned in the previous post is the sound that the knock makes based on the different pen finishes. They both have a a nice click to them comparable to the older models that are pretty stiff and responsive. No "squish" clicking, although not quite a Parker Jotter click if you know what I mean. The black version seems to have some resistance due to the matte finish where the knock rubs a bit against the side of the barrel. It feels like it drags a bit which is to be expected though. The silver version has a mirror finish chrome knock that creates a higher pitched "click" and is very smooth. No resistance on this one and I personally find it a bit more enjoyable. Is it odd to analyze the knock of pens for their "click"? I'm sure to non-pen people this sounds absolutely nuts!

There is one part of the pen that enthusiasts will likely cringe at being that the threading between the grip and barrel (the red line) is a plastic piece. (Gasps everywhere...) .

Maybe the cringing might be in two parts as they also moved the red ring from the knock section to the barrel break (and away from view when in your pocket) and made it plastic. I know that I personally preferred the line at the top of the pen from a design stand point, but I'm not so sure how I feel about the part being plastic. For manufacturing I'm sure the plastic parts are much cheaper and the fact that it also simultaneously creates the aesthetic of the red ring in the process at the barrel break, it makes sense. My hopes are that it holds up well in the case of an accidental drop or if someone mistakenly tightens the sections to much.

Despite the last paragraph of some concerns, I can say with all honesty that I think the Rapid Pro ballpoints are really great pens and, in my opinion, worth the price tag of $40. If you're not ready to take the plunge on a discontinued model, these would be a great starting place or introduction to the brand for sure.

rOtring 600 Ballpoint with Knurled Grip - Pen Review

September 5, 2013

As announced on my Instagram feed, (feel free to follow if you'd like) the upcoming week will be dedicated to a brand that I've grown extremely fond of, rOtring. I've done a couple of other rOtring reviews on The Clicky Post of the 600 series rollerball and 600 lava series ballpoint (both discontinued models) and am looking forward to a blend of both old and new over the next week. Stay tuned and check back often as it's going to be fun.

To start us off, this is a model I've had my sights set on for some time. Along the lines of the rollerball, the discontinued 600 series ballpoint with the knurled grip (love knurling) was very high on my list. Probably tied as a sort of rOtring "Holy Grail" for me with the rollerball and I'm so happy to have picked this pen up. The knurled fountain pen edition is pretty high up there, but a bit out of reach still with those babies running in the $300+ range consistently.

The barrel, made of brass, has a solid heft and feels good and sturdy in your hand. Even with the slimmer barrel of the ballpoint pens, it doesn't distract from the feeling of quality due to the nice weight. It doesn't feel heavy on either end and is just about the right length and only extends about an inch and a half past the fleshy part of my hand between my thumb and index finger.

One cool feature (although kind of geeky) about this particular ballpoint is the ability to twist the knurled section right below the knock which acts as an ink color indicator. You can select between red, blue, black, and green (Ana from The Well-Appointed Desk would love the green...). With blue being my go-to ink choice almost always, that is where it has been set since having the pen. Although, it would be nice to own four of these - one for each ink possibility... probably not the most practical idea, be we can dream, right?

I swapped out the proprietary refill with a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, although I wasn't overly disappointed in the quality of the included refill. In the upcoming week I will include a sample of the rOtring refill (although likely also made by Schmidt) for comparison.

The knock of the knurled 600 has a very nice stiff click to it. Not overly loud nor quiet, but is very responsive. I'm going to assume that the click is quieter actually due to the black finish on the pen. It is a matte, bead blasted type finish that muffles the sound of the knock against the barrel a bit. The silver rOtring ballpoints have a chrome or more metallic knock which produces a different sound.

And of course, the iconic 600 series has the hexagonal barrel which we love so much. I love the look of this pen. It is modern, yet technical in design. The facets of the barrel come together at a sharp angle which produces a nice crisp line that adds some visual texture and dimension visually to the pen.

The downside to this pen is the fact that it has been discontinued for some time. To find one, you'll need to search eBay (where I found mine), pen shows, or possibly pen related sites that may still carry some new old stock. I did find a listing on Montgomery Pens for this exact pen, although their list price was much higher than I paid for mine. For discontinued NOS rOtrings you're generally looking to be a bit spendy for them.

Again, so excited to have picked this pen up as it is an iconic example from rOtring's history and is a fantastic piece. Stay tuned for another post soon!

The Orange Bolt by Karas Kustoms - Pen Review

September 2, 2013

I'm generally a pretty conservative guy. Maybe too conservative for my own good, and this usually bleeds over into my pen buying decisions. Not that there is anything wrong with mainly sticking to black or silver pens most of the time... (although I did branch out and buy an orange Lamy Noto recently). I generally like things that are simple, yet refined and functional. Minimalist even?

And then, there is the blazing orange Bolt pen that you see before you...

If you've been following the blog for awhile you know that I really enjoy Karas Kustoms pens. I live close to those guys and get the opportunity to stop in and hang out with them pretty often. Good guys.

If you are new to the Karas Kustoms scene, you should definitely give them a look. They actually provided me a promo code that can be used at checkout, CLICKYPOST, to save 10% off your purchase. Sweet!

If you need a little help deciding which pen to pick up from those guys, I wrote a recent post titled Which Karas Kustoms Pen May Be Right For You? that goes into a lot of detail about materials, refills, function that I hope might be helpful.

The Bolt is/was the second pen offering from Karas Kustoms and they did a fantastic job. It is called The Bolt due to the bolt action mechanism that holds the pen tip extracted for writing. Not a traditional "click" mechanism, but similar as you push and twist the knock to move the bolt action into place to secure the refill in the writing position.

Now, there are other bolt action pens around, but the difference with The Bolt by Karas Kustoms is that the action is flush with the barrel instead of having a protrusion sticking out the side to activate the mechanism. This was a very intentional design feature that Bill Karas and Dan Bishop worked out because they wanted the barrel of The Bolt to be sleek and smooth. Success.

The refill I generally use in my Bolt is the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 (in blue) as it is my favorite "Parker style" due to it's ballpoint/rollerball hybrid action. This refill is actually compatible with all of Karas Kustom's current pen models.

The clip that The Bolt comes with has been the standard edition for Karas' pens over the last three models, and this thing is a stainless steel tank. I've had a couple of Karas pens for almost two years with pretty heavy use and the clip hasn't lost even a touch of spring.

Back to the color; this bad boy throws conservative out the window, but is fantastic. The orange anodized aluminum is bright and striking and looks great. It is definitely an attention getter, and is a pen that people are likely to notice when you use it. I'm not sure in getting this pen that I've completely changed my ways (yet), but I'm so glad I picked this particular color up to add to the arsenal.

(Picture below next to it's more conservative raw aluminum cousin)