The Pen Addict

Review: Pilot Dr. Grip Full Black Dual Layer Grip Ballpoint 0.7mm

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:

Review: Uni-Ball Fanthom Erasable Gel 0.5mm

The Uni-Ball Fanthom is the latest entry into the friction based erasable pen market, and compared to the Pilot FriXion, it is a pretty decent option.  While erasable pens have their good and bad points, I do see some value in them, especially for students.  In the business world, maybe not so much, but this pen is designed for fun, so know what you are getting before you take the plunge.  Hopefully this review will help.

The ink is the real selling point of the Uni-Ball Fanthom.  Like the product description states on JetPens, the ink is thermo-sensitive, meaning the more heat friction I create while trying to erase it, the better the ink comes off the page.  This poses two problems for me.  One, it is difficult to erase a small area.  I write small, and it is tough to generate enough friction to erase just part of a character.  I have to erase two or three characters to get a clean enough area to make my correction.

Two, and this is a real stickler for me with the Fanthom as compared to the FriXion, the harder and faster I erase, the more I "gloss up" the area of the page I just erased.  I don't know the official term for "gloss up" but what I mean is by rubbing so hard on the page, I tend to create a smoothed out area that now has different properties than the page around it.  When I write my letters back over that spot, they look different than the other letters that weren't erased.  Not a big deal for some, but with my anal retentive ways, it bugs me.  The FriXion eraser has a little more give in it to where it doesn't treat the paper the same way as the Fanthom.  The Fanthom doesn't even have an eraser per se.  You just use the point of the pen cap to get the job done.  At least Uni-Ball put the eraser on the correct end of the pen.

On the plus side of the ledger, I thought my writing looked absolutely killer with this pen.  The letters were clean and sharp on the page.  The barrel is very well designed also, with a nod to the Uni-Ball Vision Elite barrel, which is one of the best around in my book.  Also, the Fanthom is refillable.  That is a very nice touch for heavy users - like students - who should find this pen quite handy.  While the ink colors are much lighter than gel or liquid ink pens, compared to other erasable pens it isn't too bad.  The regular FriXion seems lighter to me, but the colored pencil-like FriXion is darker.

Who knew there would be so many words to write about an erasable gel ink pen?  After all of that, there are probably things I have left out, so please leave a comment below and I will address any questions you have.  I haven't tested out any of the non-traditional colors yet, but I plan on it soon.  At $3.00 a pop, they are priced to where you could try one out before committing to the entire rainbow.

Click here for the XL review.

Product Links:
Uni-ball Fanthom Erasable Gel Ink Pens at JetPens
Large Writing Pad from Doane Paper

Exploded view:

Review: Uni-Ball Signo UM-153 1.0mm Black Gel

For the sheer number of pens available in stores and online, there aren't too many options when it comes to 1.0mm gel ink pens.  I keep meaning to grab a pack of the Uni-Ball Gel Impact RT that I always see at Staples, but the Uni-Ball Signo UM-153 1.0mm is a similar (if not the same) model pen, and a very good one at that.

While micro tip pens are more of my forte, I can see why a pen like this is so popular.  The size of the tip alone makes for one of the smoothest writing experiences around.  Add in the jet black gel ink and you have a pen that is very versitile.  I can picture everthing from sketching to novel writing with this pen.  The barrel and the grip are nice as well, and make for a great overall experience.

At $2.25 each from JetPens, the UM-153 actually checks in less than the Gel Impact on the store shelves, which run about $3.00 per pen.  I will try to buy a Gel Impact soon and do a direct comparison.

Click here for the XL review.

See also:

Review: Uni-Ball Signo Broad UM-153 Dark Blue

Review: Pilot G-2 1.0mm Black

Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream Color 0.5mm Orange

I broke out the pink last month, and as my friend the Office Supply Geek did earlier this week, it is time to break out the new-ish Uni-Ball Jetstream Color Series 0.5mm Orange pen.  Before you read any further, head on over and read his review if you haven't done so already.  Go on, I'll wait.

Done?

Ok good, because I pretty much agree with everything he says.  Like I mentioned in the pink review, if you have never used an 0.5mm Jetstream, you may be in for a bit of a surprise.  The line is obviously very fine, and a little scratchy.  I happen to love it, but if you are used to the smooth, free-flowing writing of the 1.0mm Jetstreams, this one is in a completely different area code.  My only wish for this pen is that the cartridges were made the same size as the traditional Jetstreams so that I could swap these cool colors out of the funky barrels they reside in.

The not so subtle "Love Goes Home to Paris in the Spring" by the Magnetic Fields gets my vote as one of the top breakup songs ever.  Lead singer Stephin Merritt is a bit of an acquired taste, but once the acquisition is complete, you are hooked for life.  Merritt has a great talent for songwriting, and I am a huge fan.  In fact, as the Office Supply Geek can attest to, I use the name "Magnetic Fields" for some of my fantasy baseball teams (I'm kicking his butt by the way :).  Enjoy the video below:

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Blue Black

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm Blue Black pen is about as simple and as straight forward as it gets.  This is one of those basic pens that I have laying around in a few places so that I always have a pen handy that I will enjoy writing with.  The 0.3mm tip size has become my personal favorite.  It combines an extra fine and sharp line without the scratchiness that is found in the 0.25mm models.

If you have never tried a Hi-Tec-C before, there are a couple of downsides that you should be aware of.  One, it sometimes takes a second or two for the ink to get flowing, but once you get it going, it is fine.  If you do a lot of stopping and starting with the cap off of the pen it can get a little frustrating though.  Two, the 0.3mm and 0.25mm tips do not play nice with cheap paper.  Standard copier paper and Post-It Notes especially.  I stopped even using this pen on those things because the line doesn't turn out as nice as it does on Doane, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and others.  If you can put aside those two things, this may be your new favorite pen.

Click here for the XL review.