rOtring S0699370 Isograph Technical Drawing Pens, Set, 3-Pen College Set (.20-.50 mm)

This is my first set of these kind of pens and I’m very happy with them. The set has three sizes (.2, .3 and .5), a mechanical pencil, lead, an eraser and ink. The ink flows effortlessly and evenly. Even the 0.2 one, which I thought might have issues, does not skip. They have a nice weight and grip. I work with ink and watercolor. I thought the ink would run since it doesn’t specify that’s waterproof, but it doesn’t. I’m not sure about durability since I just got them, but so far, I really like them. I love the fact that they are refillable thus reducing plastic waste

伝統を重んじるドイツ製のグラフィックペンです。私もかつて大学院生のときの修士論文でお世話になりました。グラフをこのペンの0.5ミリで描くのですが、直線がにじみ苦労しました。これは普通の定規はインクゲージというインクのにじみを防止するオフセットの付いた定規が必要なのですが知らないとは罪なこと。何度も書き直しました。見栄えはグラフ描画ソフトの比ではないです。圧巻の美しさです。これの0.3ミリ以下はインクが詰まりやすいかなと言う点が懸念されますが、使い方をきちんと学べば全く問題ないです。インクが出なくなったら、まずペン先をティッシュで拭う。これでも出ない場合は、インクタンクを手で温め、熱膨張によりインクを出させる。これでもダメな場合は、安全な場所でペンを振って、慣性力で出させる。後はこの複合をやればいいです。このように多少は手間も掛かりますが、これを使いこなし、美しいグラフィックを完成させた時の感慨はひと潮です。もちろん、私は、車のグラフィック・デザイン画を作成するのに利用させてもらっています。ドイツの伝統技術を使いこなすことに無常の喜びを感じるのは私だけでしょうか。

You can never go wrong with a Rotring product. They are every Engineer & Architect's friend. German quality product is second to none. I really enjoy using this product.

Value for money, excellent very happy.

The isograph ink an metal nib is some of the best I've ever drawn with. The ink is very dark and is pretty resistant to feathering, ghosting, and staining (dependant on the paper you use). The only competitor that I see to this pen are the newer Aristo technical pens, which are a lot shorter than I'd like in a pen. So, this pen is essentially my favourite technical pen. However, it has a history of being high-maintenance and expensive. You can't get away from the fact that this isn't very affordable, but what you're buying is quality. In the long run, it will last forever as long as you treat it well, or if you live in a humid environment. In Southern Ontario, the weather is mostly humid, so the ink doesn't ever dry. But if you live in a dry area, you'll have to clean the pen (separated into its disparate pieces) in warm (not hot) water once a week. You might also need to use certain cleaning solvents if your particular pen is VERY dirty. Because of the different pieces involved it can also be easy to destroy if you're clumsy. So I would advise you to think long and hard before you make a commitment to these pens. But if you treat them well, in the long run they're actually cheaper than getting disposable pens. My only gripe is that these pens sometimes don't write or draw very smoothly. Pens with a plastic nib are rounded, so they write pretty smoothly. But if the paper is rough enough, you can sometimes see scratches on the paper if you write too hard, and you might even find some bits of paper in the metal nib. However, this is just what happens if you decide to buy a long-lasting pen. Metal nibs last long, but they aren't rounded. They're flat, so the proper way to write with them in a smooth way (and with a consistent line width) is to write with the pen perpendicular to the paper. It's weird at first, but you'll get used to it quickly. TL;DR: One of the highest quality of pens, but takes a lot of maintenance to make it last forever.