It’s perhaps true, that a musician is as good as his instruments, or a racer is as good as the car, or a carpenter is as good as his tools. Similarly, we understand that the creators of the modern world, the engineers, designers and architects, need instruments that can keep pace with the abilities and not slow them down, whether the tools of choice is a mouse or a pencil or the best rapidograph pens there is, it is important that these are to enhance the artist and his creative drive, not slow him down.
In the modern process of designing, where the designers not only need to keep in mind the safety, but also speed and precision, relying on modern instruments is ever so necessary.
One single wrong line could end up in a disaster.
So to prevent exactly that, we’ve reviewed some of the best Rapidograph Pens available in the market today.
No, we aren’t saying that these pens will are magic wands, but they will definitely save you the time and offer you the precision you are looking for.
So without further delay, let’s delve into the best ones to pick from.
Ready? Let’s go.Â
Featured Image via rawpixel@rawpixel
Best Rapidograph Pens Today
Table of Contents
- Best Rapidograph Pens Today
- 1. Rotring Rapidograph Technical Drawing Pen Junior Set
- 2. Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Pen
- 3. Rotring Rapidograph 0.18 mm Technical Drawing Pen
- 4. Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Stainless Steel Replacement Point
- 5. Rotring Rapidograph 0.13 mm Technical Drawing Pen Replacement Nib
- Things to Consider While Buying a Rapidograph Pen
1. Rotring Rapidograph Technical Drawing Pen Junior Set
- 3 Piece Pen Junior Set includes 3 rapidograph pens...
- The precision ink pen with the innovative...
Coming from Germany, we had no problems in picking this as one of our favorites.
Why?
Precision.
The color coded structure of the barrel easily indicates the width of line for ease and transparency.
This pen comes in a set of 3. And the line widths range from about 0.25mm to 0.5mm. There is also an option of 0.35mm tip to choose from.
Regarding the color codes, the yellow is the thickest width that you can use, the white color is the intermediate thickness, and the color brown is the thinnest line width to draw.
To us, it was a delight to see that the pens come with a very innovative feature, a refillable capillary system for cartridges to refill when empty.
Although sturdy build, it can be stressful on fingers at times.
Also for reliability, the pen has a stainless steel nib.Â
2. Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Pen
- Legendary pen handles like a pencil, moving in all...
- Extremely versatile to achieve precise lines with...
Running side by side with Rotring is the US made Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Pen.
No, this isn’t a replacement unit. In the packaging is a pen provided with a replacement cartridge as well.
We received the pen in the white color. Unlike the other pens from Koh-I-Noor, this model of theirs utilizes a chrome tip instead of a steel one.
This makes it cheaper than the steel alternatives but never compromising on the quality and durability.
Similar to others that we sifted through, the pen had color coding to dictate the width of the line it is capable of making.
The drawings were good. We tried our hands at a lot of technical drawings and they came out really well.
However, the build of the body could have been better. The hard plastic does give it that sturdiness but also makes it brittle.
For long use, this stress on the fingers is also noticeable.Â
3. Rotring Rapidograph 0.18 mm Technical Drawing Pen
- The precision ink pen with the innovative...
- For tracing paper, vellum drawing paper and...
Another offering from the German company Rotring, is the Rapidograph 0.18 mm tip pen for technical drawings.
The size of the tip is small enough to cater to smaller width drawings. We recommend you this pen if you’re looking for something in between 0.10 mm and 0.50 mm.
Being a Rotring product, this pen is filled up to the brim with ground breaking technology. There is one such like the capillary refill system for cartridges. You won’t need to buy a new one.
This makes it easy to refill and just keep using the old cartridges.
The nib, we’re happy to report, is made of stainless steel. This ensures dependability and endurance in operation. And the nib also ensures versatility to this pen.
We tried it on vellum drawing paper and line board, and the tip worked perfectly.
The only negative is the lack of grip, as the thickness makes it hard to draw continuously. Â
4. Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Stainless Steel Replacement Point
- Replacement point for Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph...
- Made of durable stainless steel to be used on...
This is a US made Rapidograph replacement point tip for Rapidograph pens. This is easily accessible with almost all the models of Rapidograph pens available.
The tip or the replacement unit is made of stainless steel which can be easily fitted and used on normal paper, vellum or even tracing paper.
Even though being a replacement unit for the Rapidograph pens, this unit includes the color coded ring to denote the size of the tip point.
We liked the build quality of this product quite a lot. The steel ensures sturdiness and resiliency in the most trying of conditions as well.
And you must not worry about the choices offered. There are numerous tip widths available. As many as 10 options varying from 0.13 mm to 1.20 mm.
One thing that might put you off is the price. That, and lack of a grip made of rubber or silicon.Â
5. Rotring Rapidograph 0.13 mm Technical Drawing Pen Replacement Nib
- Replacement nibs for your favorite Rotring...
- .13mm replacement nib fits S0203070
If you’re looking for a replacement tip for your Rotring pen, which also happens to be manufactured by Rotring themselves, then you must consider this one.
Available in at least 10 different tip choices, the Rotring replacement is ideal for those looking at a cheaper option to replace their broken or lost tip.
It is build by stainless steel and the tip uses the very same material too. Stainless steel has been a revelation in the pen industry. The usage of steel ensures reliability and smooth operation.
And just like the original, the color coded ring is available on this tip too. This is how you can differentiate between different widths to see which color comes with what width.
Also, as this is a replacement unit, inside there is a refillable capillary cartridge. We had no problems in filling up this replacement unit with ink.
Things to Consider While Buying a Rapidograph Pen
Although the pens that we have mentioned are worth looking and buying, but even selecting one from the six has to done after careful consideration.
Some of the things that we recommend you to keep in mind are discussed below.
Make sure that the pen you select comes with a grip. The grip could be a silicon based or a rubber based design. This ensures long hours of operation without unneeded stress on your fingers.
Next to consider would be the width of the tip to be used.
If you select a good width, something that suits your needs, you will never regret the pen of your choice.
Finally, there are several cheaper options available as well. Something like the Hi-Tec-C is for those who are looking to get the job done at minimal price.
Preferably, selecting a steel tip ensures long operation without failure. Even if you drop the tip, the chances of breakage are minimal.
To conclude
Going by our guide will ensure that your purchase doesn’t go wrong. That’s because we have tested each of them and weighed their benefits and limitations against one another.
Do keep in mind the factors that you should consider before buying the pen, and select one from our recommendations for the best purchase.
We hope we’re helpful to you day.
See you soon.
Do you have any advice about which brand of inks work best for different colors? A person at the art supply store recommended Higgins. However, I’ve seen a few different brands. Im not sure which other ones might work that have a wider variety of colors to chose from.