Rotring Core - Titanium - First Impressions!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- This video is my first impressions of the Rotring Core XL in Titanium ... I have wanted one of these for about 3 years and finally the e-bay timing and price + seller originating in the US ... was just right so I am excited to add this pen to my collection. I show you how the pen looks, talk about the converter and cleaning ideas I had, compare it with other pens in my collection, and show you a writing sample with TWSBI Royal Purple.
It has a very smooth XL (broad but writes like a juicy medium) nib -- and such a unique style!!
I was so excited even filming this video ... I think I forgot to actually SAY the pen name until half way thru the video. Please forgive me!
I've watched multiple reviews over the years starting with chrisrap52s and waskisquirrel's plus a post by Mike at Inkdependence -- so I had a lot of confidence that the pen would be a good writer and it is!!!
These are not being made anymore but you can find them on the 2nd hand market. They come in a variety of colors and the nibs are marked either XL or XS I believe.
Mine did not come with a converter but luckily I can share converters between my Faber Castell Loom & Ondaro with this pen!!! It could be tricky cleaning this without a converter because mine at least has some holes which made water squirt all over with a bulb syringe. But the converter will function like a piston pen and clean the nib and feed with multiple flushes.
Here are some good links to reviews in case you're looking for more of a traditional review:
Chrisrap52:
• rOtring CORE Fountain ...
Waskisquirrel:
• Rotring Core (XL)
and Mike's blog post:
www.inkdependence.com/2012/05/...
I have 2 other Rotring pens in my collection which I have inked and been working on sporadically -- to learn - they are very slim pens and I plan to include those in future Chris' Inked Pens videos.
Here is a link to Alicia's Etsy shop (maker of the journal sticker that was on the cover of my Currently Inked B6 slim booklet):
www.etsy.com/shop/FigandBeanC...
Thank you so much for watching! I'd love to hear from you if you have one of these pens - your thoughts and experiences!!!!
Follow me on Instagram: / snowball7470
My pen email: chris@inkswatch.com
Always appreciate and enjoy your enthusiasm ... enjoy!
Hi Chris. I have three of these and they all have the xl nib and all write flawlessly. Mine i brought when they were, I think, still being made and I used them extensively at work as daily writers until I realised how the value of them had increased. Now they live in a wooden box because they don't fit in any of my pan cases. They have a few battle scars but I don't plan on selling them.
If you want to use a bulb syringe to clean them cut the end off a cartridge pop the cleaned cartridge in and blast away.
Great pens, truly unique.
Pain-free wishes to you.
Hey Chris, I'm German, your pronunciation of "Rotring" is great, don't worry :-) Of course, your "r" sounds very American, but even Americans who've lived in Germany for years don't lose that American r when they speak German, so never mind :-)
Hi Eowyn -- oh thank you -- I'm relieved that I got close even!!!! This pen is just awesome - I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it for years to come!!!
I like that there is almost nothing about this pen that is run-of-the-mill.
Hi JG3 -- right!!! It's just so unique!!!!
I have a Rotring Surf, but I have been interested in the Core. It very much has an early 2000s look 😄
Hi Book Dreamer -- I keep putting it off but I'm not sure why because I really like this pen!!!!!
I saw a video a while back with another way to clean a section. Cut off the back end of an old cartridge and attach it to an ink syringe. Install the other end in the section and you are able to draw in and expel water. This takes less time than using a converter. I've tried it and it works well. I hope this is useful.
Hi Andrew -- I'm going to try this -- it would really make things easier!! Thank you!!!!
Nice review and it's great to see your enthusiasm for the Core. It's a very weird pen. The cap reminds me of a ski pole handle! So many interesting color themes in the Core line. The titanium and coridium are probably the most conservative. About the converter, I prefer to use an extended cartridge. Waterman made these, compatible with the International cartridge socket. I simply refill mine with a syringe. And then those holes on the body show off the ink level really well.
Hi @cynterians -- oh that's a great tip about the rOtring Core ... using a long cartridge. I'll try that! :) Thank you!
@@ChrisSaenz13 You're welcome. Yeah, without the screw bits of the converter to get in the way, the extended cartridge holds like 3x more ink!
Chris, there are many pen brands that do not include a converter, no matter if they are reasonably priced or expensive. 1 of my pet pen peeves is not including a converter if the pen will take one.
Hi Kevin -- I feel the same way -- like with the Lamy Safari's I really really balk about them not including one when Jinhao $1 pens include one .... it seems wrong somehow. But I love Lamy's so it doesn't prevent me from purchasing them if a color comes up that I really like. :)
I really like the way the Core looks. Haven't convinced myself to pull the trigger on getting one, yet, but hopefully soon. 😁
Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Paul - you're very welcome!
It's just personal taste, but I've never liked the look of pens that have a huge cap. I prefer a traditional look where the cap and barrel are the same diameter where they meet. I can live with a slight difference, or on a very small pocket pen like the Kaweco Classic Sport, but even then I don't like the look.
What I don't like about this pen, other than the large cap, is that the grip drives me crazy, and I never found an easy way to clean it. I finally resorted to wrapping a couple of layers of good duct tape around those openings, and then one of my bulb syringes worked pretty well, but I didn't like having to do that. Putting the tape on, then taking t back off, was just a nuisance.
Still, the one I had wrote very, very well. The nib was perfectly smooth, I had no hard starts, and very good ink flow. No complaints at all with how well it wrote. They are good pens, just not to my personal taste.
Hi James -- I'm surprised I didn't think of duct tape -- it's my solution for so many things!!!! LOL But once I found a converter that would fit that helped. Also, now people are talking about taking the back of a (long) cartridge and then being able to use the bulb syringe. That will be a good solution I think!!! I'm just REALLY lucky that the grip doesn't both me. I'm actually using the pen for notetaking on a non-fiction book I'm reading just to see if my patience runs low but so far it just hasn't -- I end up with a good place for my small fingers and it's not uncomfortable but I can see it would be really hard depending on your grip and finger size.
looks nice. good job!
Thank you Hana!
I have a couple of Rotring mechanical pencils, but have not tried a fountain pen. As Rotring are part of Newell Brands (along with Parker & Waterman) then it makes sense to know that their fountain pens will be ok.
Hi Annie!!!! These do seem like very good quality and I've found that with the German made pens in general so it's nice because this design to me is fun and unique! :)
Hi Chris! Do you know that the little orange plastic inside the Core that you have removed was the ink reservoir? So you could write for a longer time than without it. I write with the Rotring Primus which was the “little” brother of the Core and it has the same gripping awesome gripping section as well as the Core. The Primus was sold from 1998 - 2003 and it has a yellow lacquered wooden barrel and a green plastic gripping section and cap.
I'm so excited about this video!!!! I had gotten a Rotring pen (I can't identify the model... tried and can't find it anywhere) but there was no converter. And none seemed to work. Never thought about trying the Faber Castell and after seeing your video checked it out and YAY it fits!!! So thank you so much for sharing. The Core is on my wish list... maybe one day the price will be right.
Hi Vicky!!! Oh that's awesome! I have 2 slim Rotring fountain pens that someone sent me - I can't identify those either but I inked one last night (long overdue) that one has a converter and it writes good - has just a little feedback but it's quite a nice little slim black pen. The other pen is the same model but no converter and missing a part. I'll work on that one and see how it goes. I hope you find a Core at a good price. You never know - ebay seems to be a great place to find them or someone who has one and wants to sell it. :) Good luck!
Love this!!
Hi Sharon!!! I thought you might like it!
Faber Castell includes a cartridge without the wider end so you can’t fill it with ink to use on pens. However, I have used that cartridge in the past to put a bulb syringe for an extended fit such as this pen.
I love rOtring mechanical pencils so I’ll have to try one of their fountain pens to see it I like them too! Thanks Chris!
Hi Cynthia - - oh I'll have to check out the Rotring mechanical pencils -- my husband just loves mechanical pencils.
Writes really nice and I would love for them to start making Fountain pens again. The only thing that bums me out is that the rubber on the cap gets really ugly even though I don't think I exposed it to THAT much abuse: it got hard, yellowed and started pilfering a bit. However, it is quite old: I got it around 2001
Hi Rene -- I too wish they would still make these and maybe correct a few things slightly lol. :) I am keeping mine in cases hoping to keep them good for as long as possible and we do have brutal weather here -- so hot in the summer but we run the A/C.
I bought one with an orange cap somewhere in the mid-to-late '90s -- and liked it so much, I bought another one. They were fantastic writers! I'd clip one to the collar of my shirt, cos it was light and handy.
I don't have many fantastic writers anymore only because of this weird "too many pens" feeling. :-D (But I still have fantastic writers--just not so many.)
LOL I can relate to the "too many pens" feeling. But I just keep making discoveries and connecting dots with the pens and parts that I have ... I may have "fear of getting rid of something that could turn out to be very useful or much better than I originally judged it to be." If that makes sense.
It's a pen that I also always thought about buying, but I never pulled the trigger.
I didn't know that Koh-i-noor made cartridges. Their ink is very good, and it has a good price. I have been using "Document ink" on my work pens for over a year.
Thanks for the video.
Hi Nelson -- I have some Koh-i-noor ink I've been meaning to review for awhile now. I need to learn more about the ink company. :)
I have one of those pens from when they first came out. I think I even have some Rotring cartridges somewhere. I have only recently revived my fountain pen hobby, so was sad when a universal convertor didn't fit. I'll try and find a Faber Castell convertor so thank you for the tip!!!
Oh awesome! It's so fun when we can find something in our stuff without having to order just for a converter!!!!! Hope you find one!
That's a chunky pen. Glad you found it finally. 😁
Hi Dash - thank you. Yes, it's a chunky pen -- I am currently carrying it in a Rickshaw Coozy case in the space between the folded hand roll I have in there. Nice that it isn't delicate!
It looks like a pen the motorcyclist would pull out of his leather jacket! Interesting. I kind of like it. I have that same Lamy Nexx which I like a lot.
Hi Arlene -- lol -- exactly!!!!
I’ve really enjoyed Chris’s reviews. I can see that I have a different aesthetic than most of the good folks who commented. The Rotring strikes me with a design excess that metabolized and infected the entire instrument. I just can’t see the art in it nor can I see the functionality of the features. I liked the original Rotring which was poles apart in inspiration, was too heavy and became egregiously overpriced, alas. I’m bound to my vision, I admit and definitely like various styles, just not this fountain pen cum sneaker.
Hi James! I truly think they were appealing to kids, especially after seeing the packaging LOL (which came when I got my 2nd one). :)
What a fun color for this pen! And it writes beautifully! Yo never did discuss the "space wand" feature of the pen. Was yours out of batteries?
Ha Ha! Yes, my space wand batteries were all out of juice!!! :)
I used to have that pen, and there were movable pieces on either side where the holes are. For whatever reason on mine they moved while writing, and it seemed to cause the cartridge to disconnect.... messing up the ink flow. (If I remember correctly). So not having those pieces in those square shaped holes may be a blessing. I think I got frustrated and threw it away.
Hi Melinda -- I can see now that if I don't use a converter I'd get totally frustrated ... I'm just glad I had a converter to swap onto this pen!
@@ChrisSaenz13 I'm glad you had one too!
Chris. Does your pen post. I just got one and the cap will not stay on the back, just falls off. On other videos I c people posting it, I notice u do not. Thanks.
Hi DM B -- this one does not post. After the filming of this I got a red one that does post. So I am puzzled too as to what causes the difference. The pens look exactly the same from the outside.
This is also my type of pen. Love the look! I didn’t know Rotring made this type of fountain pen either. Thanks Chris…
Hi lju5001 - you are very welcome!
How can they design such a grip section ? Do they not know that some persons hold the pen at the end, close to the nib ? I have the same criticism for Aurora.
Hi Davide - I'm not sure what they were thinking! But I will say I find I am using the pen a lot and the weird section isn't stopping me. Just wish they'd gone a tad more traditional on that part of the pen!
do the holes on the side allow you to see into the body of the pen to see the ink capacity ?
Hi Marilyn -- I can't see my ink in the converter from the outside ~ thru the barrel but if I take the barrel off the holes help me see how low it's getting in the converter if that makes sense. :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 Thanks Chris I appreciate you checking that out for me :)
I have the same pen but with XS nib.
Hi Stefan -- oh nice -- does it write a very fine line? I was happy to find the XL since I don't like too fine a line.
@@ChrisSaenz13 yes it writes very fine line. I was using it mostly at school, and XS was great for cheaper paper. I have bought it many years ago an it was bundled with Rotring Core mug.
What intrigues me about the Core is the grip section which is "lowered", changing the relationship between the nib and your hand. I wonder what the perceived upsides were that led to this unique design element. Since no other pen has picked up that shape, and you don't care for it, I guess it is a failure. Perhaps it was intended to be more precise.
Hi Ichiro -- I will write more with it and see if the lowered grip section works at all for me -- right now I'm finding that I sort of cling to the round part closer to the nib. I too wonder why they designed it that way!!!!
Found this video because I got the same pen. True it looks unusual but we have to remember that the target customer they had in mind was not necessarily the fountain pen enthusiast but kids and teens. I bought my Core pens because they looked different and I got them for little money in a clearance sale. I use a rather primitive way to clean my fountain pens. I just soak them in warm water for about 20 mins. So far it has always worked, no matter if they were cheap or expensive pens. I understand that you use mostly converters in the US but why not use the cartridges up since you already have them? Afterwards you can use the converter again. Have fun with your pens and stationary treasures. Greetings from Germany 🙋🏼♀️
Hi Anja -- oh that's great you found the clearance sale!!! These pens still appeal to me they are so cool and unusual!!!!
Jihnao converters are actually not universal,they look universal but they arent ; I discovered that too.
Faber Castell, Caran d'Ache, Waterman, Kaweco, Monteverde..... are universal and can be used interchangeably, but not Jinhaos. Jinhaos are strange in that they will sometimes adapt to a universal pen, but more often than not they wont adapt.
Your Rotring will take a universal cartridge or converter but not a Jinhao.
Hi Red Moon Venus -- I'm glad to hear you say that the Jinhao converts sometimes adapt to a universal/standard pen because I think that's why I get so confused. It has worked SOMETIMES. LOL I felt lucky I already had the Faber Castell converters.
@@ChrisSaenz13 I was confused too ! Then I realised the Jinhaos didnt have the same tip, it looks like the tip of the universal converter but it is not the same size and doesnt work each time ! Ah ! I wonder if it looks so much similar on purpose.....
THAT is HOT 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤️