Photo: rOtring
A three-in-one pen is a $10 idea at the stationer's. The 600 charges $54 for the same trick — the difference is a hexagonal brass barrel that cannot roll off the desk, and refills in the one format every multi-pen shares.
Verdict
| What it is | rOtring 600 3-in-1 (Black, ref 2164108) — black and red fine-point ballpoints plus a 0.5mm mechanical pencil inside the 600's hexagonal all-metal barrel, selected by twisting the knurled top section |
| Price | $54 — JetPens, checked Tue Nov 10, 2026 |
| Availability | In stock at JetPens at check. rOtring's own store lists no US price for this model — US sales run through stockists |
| The angle | The drafting barrel, not the refills: flat sides, knurling and the red ring survive the move to a multi-pen intact |
| Verdict | You pay for the barrel. The refills are the standard D1 format, so the expensive part is the part that lasts. |
What it is
The 600 is rOtring's drafting line: an all-metal barrel cut as a hexagon, so it sits flat on a drawing board instead of rolling off it, with a knurled grip and the line's red ring at the top. The 3-in-1 keeps that barrel whole — nothing about the shape is reworked to make room for the extra tools. The black featured here is reference 2164108; Silver (2164109) sits alongside it, and Iron Blue and Camouflage Green have been added to the line since.
Inside are three tools: a black ballpoint, a red ballpoint — both fine-point, 0.5mm — and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. Twist the knurled section at the top and the three rotate past each other until the one you want is deployed. Pull that same section out and the refills come with it, ready to swap. The selector is the barrel's own hardware, not a button grafted on.
The consumables are deliberately ordinary. Both ballpoints are standard D1 refills — the format the whole multi-pen category uses — and the pencil takes standard 0.5mm leads. Prefer a different D1 line to the ones fitted? It drops in. Nothing about this pen strands you with a proprietary refill.
Why it matters
The multi-pen is usually a disposable format: three cheap refills in a plastic shell, bought again when the shell tires of the job. The 600 inverts the economics — the shell is machined metal, built to outlast the refills by years, and the refills are the cheapest, most standardised component in the pen. Whether that inversion is worth $54 against a $10 multi-pen is the whole question here, and our read is that this is the rare case where the arithmetic works: the part you pay for is the part you keep.
Specs
| Brand | rOtring |
| Model | 600 3-in-1 — Black (ref 2164108); also Silver (2164109), Iron Blue, Camouflage Green |
| Tools | Black ballpoint; red ballpoint; 0.5mm mechanical pencil |
| Refills | Standard D1 ballpoint refills (0.5mm fine fitted); standard 0.5mm leads |
| Mechanism | Twist the knurled top section to select; pull that section out for refill access |
| Barrel | Hexagonal all-metal (brass), knurled grip, red ring |
What to check before buying
- The fitted lines are fine. Both ballpoints are 0.5mm fine-point. If you want a broader line, swap the D1 — the format is standard across the category, so the choice of replacements is wide.
- The US route is stockists. rOtring's own store publishes no US price for this model; JetPens carries the line and listed the Black at $54, in stock, at check.
- Black is the featured colour. Silver carries the same three tools and mechanism; the newer Iron Blue and Camouflage Green are the same pen in different finishes.
Price record
| Price | $54 |
| Source | JetPens (jetpens.com), checked Tue Nov 10, 2026 |
| Featured | Site-first, Tue Nov 10, 2026 — the Instagram post follows in Friday's Writing Tools carousel |
Want one?
- In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
- Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
- This one: at the source — See it at JetPens. Not our listing. See Disclosure.
Related picks
- uniball ZENTO 3 Flow — a ballpoint that treats the grip as engineering, at ¥2,530
- Pilot Capless Stripe — a fountain pen with no cap to lose, at ¥52,800
Spotted, not sold by us — this pen is sold through stockists; we checked it at JetPens. Prices are a snapshot from when we spotted it. Disclosure
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Shop the pick
rOtring 600 3-in-1 — Black
$54 — JetPens, checked Tue Nov 10, 2026
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