Two and a half years into it and this is my first Dr. Grip review? A staple of the office supply world and I have never reviewed one? Yep, this is the first one to grace the pages of the Pen Addict. The way I see it, either you are a Dr. Grip person, or you aren't. Well, it's taken me 2 1/2 years to review one - I wonder where I stand?
That is a bit unfair right out of the gate, but I have had a Pilot Dr. Grip around the house and office for years, but never really fell in love with it. In fact, I have the refill swapped out with a Uni-Ball Signo RT ink cartridge and I still rarely use it (I haven't seen what other refills fit this model yet). I think it is the grip part of the Dr. Grip that I am not crazy about in my older model. It is too firm for my liking. The grip in this Full Black model is nicer though, and is one of the big selling points of this pen. Check out the product page at JetPens and you will see that this is a dual layer grip, with a softer inner layer surrounded by a harder, more traditional outer layer. I definitely prefer this newer style grip.
The ink cartridge is very nice, but it is impossible for me to not compare it to a Jetstream, and of course it falls short of that. And if I may unfairly nitpick one thing - this pen is named "Full Black", but the big chrome pen clip kind of disagrees with that, don't you think? Believe me, I ordered it full well knowing the clip wasn't black, but it would be so much cooler if it was.
I hate to be too hard on this pen though, because it is actually very nice. It isn't for me personally, but if you are a fan of the Dr. Grip line I think you would like this pen a lot.
Click here for the XL review.
Product links:
Pilot Dr. Grip Full Black Dual Layer Grip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Black Accents from JetPens
Large Writing Pad from Doane Paper
See also:
Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream Alpha Gel Grip Ballpoint 0.7mm
Exploded view:
