Review: Pilot Dr. Grip Pure White Dual Layer Grip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Soft Green Accent Body

This is a review of the Pilot Dr. Grip Pure White Dual Layer Grip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm - Soft Green Accent Body.

I was one of the lucky winners of JetPens’s 11 hours 11 giveaways that took place on November 11, 2011! I enjoy ballpoint pens for day-to-day writing because I know they all generally behave the same - it won’t bleed through the paper or take too long to dry. It’s hard to justify adding more ballpoints to a collection because...well... they’re ballpoints! You really only get variation in the body of the pen. Obviously I am one of those people who have quite a few ballpoints (you know...because I'm a pen freak). I honestly could never have justified to myself buying another one so I was really excited to win this one in a giveaway! And not just because I won a giveaway (exciting in and of itself), but it was a great one to win! Thank you, JetPens!

The “Pure White” series of Dr. Grips are a pearly white color (which I think is very pretty) on the body/tip and have a chrome-colored metal clip. I don’t care much for the clip... I don't think the harshness of the chrome matches the other soft colors of the body. A brushed metal would have looked better, and would be easier on the eyes. It's a shame because the pen is really pretty, despite the clip.

I love the color of the green accents! It reminds me of green candy or something. Lately, I have been quite taken with green stationery items and this one suits my tastes well. Other than the soft green accents, this pen is also available in blue, white, and pink! They are all as softly colored and quite nice to look at. 

The appearance of this pen reminds me fluffy clouds and green grass of summer. Who can argue with the pleasantry of that?!

The barrel is thicker than a typical ballpoint pen, making it easier to hold comfortably for most people, especially if you’re writing extensively. I'd say I have average-sized female hands and I had to adjust to the larger barrel. However, once I found the pen's sweet spot for being held, I was very happy with it and was able to write much more neatly.

Compared to the Zebra Z-Grip Ballpoint pen

 

Once you've grown accustomed to the barrel size, writing is a cinch with this pen. It has a good weight to it for being plastic and is nicely and comfortably weighted for longer writing sessions. The ink is smooth and never skips! You don't have to press hard on the paper like with a lot of ballpoint pens. So far, this pen has not started blobbing ink and I hope it doesn't. Because it is so smooth though, it does tend to be fairly wet so be careful with smudging, especially if you're left-handed. I was a little disappointed with the smudging but because I'm right-handed, it's not a big problem for me. I also found the ink does get used up quickly but given its smooth/wet nature, this is not surprising.

Note the smudging where I colored in the design.

The pièce de résistance of this pen, of course, is the grip! The grip is smooth but firm enough that it doesn’t feel soggy or sticky. It’s actually two layers of silicone rubber - the inner layer is softer and is covered by the harder layer for firmness, stability, and durability. There may be concerns about the color of the grip and the possibility of it discoloring... I have an older model, similar pen - the Pilot Dr. Grip CL Skytime Deco Ballpoint Pen. If you observe the grip, it’s not exactly the same thing but has a very similar texture and color. I’ve had it and have been using it for three years now and it still looks brand new! I’m not too worried about the grip of the Pure White series getting dirty. I think it'll look like a fluffy cloud forever!

Price

JetPens - $13.50 
JetPens Refills - $1.65

Overall


The design of this pen lends itself to a pleasant, comfortable writing experience. It is aesthetically appealing and fortunately, is refillable. I say fortunately because it’s $13.50! Not something you want to be replacing all the time. Refills are reasonably priced though so if you are looking for a nice but affordable and unique ballpoint pen, the Dr. Grip Pure White series is a good choice.