2025-09-11-12-16

I’ve been eyeing the Rotring 600 3-in-1 for what feels like forever. This isn’t just another multi-pen; it’s a mechanical pencil, red ballpoint, and black ballpoint all housed in Rotring’s signature hexagonal barrel. The price tag always made me hesitate, but when I spotted it on sale recently, I finally took the plunge.

My plan was ambitious but simple: replace both my trusty Caran d’Ache 849 and FIXPENCIL (my daily bullet journal companions) with this single tool. The appeal of having three writing instruments in one, plus gaining that extra red ink option for highlighting and annotations, was too tempting to pass up.

The line is finer than what I’m used to with the 849. There was definitely an adjustment period as I got accustomed to the precision, but honestly, it feels very good to write with. That characteristic Rotring accuracy is exactly what you’d expect from the brand.

My one concern so far is practicality. These refill cartridges are genuinely tiny compared to standard ballpoint refills. As someone who writes extensively every day, I’m already wondering about replacement frequency and whether constantly swapping cartridges will become more hassle than it’s worth.

Time will tell if it truly replaces both my previous pens, but so far, it’s looking promising.