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:

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Review: Nomadic PE-10 Tri-Fold Pencil Case

I love the design of the Nomadic PE-10 Tri-Fold Pencil Case, but I was honestly concerned about the functionality of it when it first arrived.  Would the Tri-Fold stlye work for me?  How would it close with the pens stacked on top of each other?  Am I doing it right?  I still have some questions about this pencil case, but the more I use it, the more it grows on me.

First off, if you have ever owned a Nomadic case, you know how well it is designed and constructed.  The nylon is durable, the stitching is tight, and in the case of this black model, the color is deep and striking.  I have played around with a few different pen layouts on the inside, and I settled on the "packed to the gills" style.  I'm not convinced this is the best way to go about it, but it actually seems to work.  I was worried how the case would close with all of these pens essentially stacked on top of each other, but that doesn't appear to be an issue.  It closes with no effort at all, and still lays reasonably flat.  You can see how many pens I have jammed in here in the photo below (apologies for the poor quality):

I still go back and forth a bit on whether I really love this case, or just like it.  The way it is laid out, I could actually see it used as an every day carry type of case, fitting some pens, plus a few larger items like a multi-tool, pen light, knife, scissors, etc., so I plan on trying that out as well.  I'll shoot a few more photos once I load it up with different accessories, but overall, I am pretty happy with this case.

The Nomadic Tri-Fold is available in six different colors from JetPens.  Most models are $10, but both the Gray and Light Gray colors have been reduced to $8.50.

See also:
Review: Nomadic Upright Pencil Case

Review: Nomadic Roller Pencil Case