Pilot's Dr. Grip Full Black Retractable Ballpoint Pen

A Big Box Store Bargain: Pilot Dr. Grip Full Black

August 30, 2016

Do you ever have those moments where you discover something great that you had completely forgotten about? A year or so ago I threw a couple of inexpensive retractable ballpoint pens into my shopping cart during an Office Depot run, intending to keep them around as utility pens and, eventually, to review them on the blog. I discovered them again in my wife's car this past weekend while moving some furniture. One of them was this Dr. Grip Full Black, and I've been using it off-and-on since.

A close-up of the Dr. Grip section, featuring rubber/gel padding that makes for a very comfortable writing experience over long sessions.

The Dr. Grip Full Black is the "stealth" entry in Pilot's long running, and very popular, Dr. Grip series. Loved for their comfort more than their looks, Pilot advertises Dr. Grip pens as intended for "students, office workers, or anyone who writes a lot and requires a comfortable pen in their hand." The Dr. Grip series has also received an Ease-of-Use Commendation from the Arthritis Foundation, because it's "easier to use for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand problems." The central feature of the Dr. Grip series is the wide, comfortable rubber grip.

The Dr. Grip Full Black uses Pilot's Dr. Grip "Center of Gravity" ballpoint refill, which from what I can tell comes only in a medium point. Though a touch wide for my taste, it's one of the smoothest standard ballpoint refills out there on the market, and it writes a consistent dark black line. The "Center of Gravity" line of Dr. Grip pens claims to be better balanced than the standard Dr. Grip, and I suppose it is. Taking into account the cushioned grip, overall balance, and light weight, this is a very comfortable pen to write with.

A size comparison between the Dr. Grip Full Black against the Fisher Space Pen (far right), the Kaweco Supra (second from left) and the Kaweco Brass Sport (far left)

The Dr. Grip Full Black falls into the category of pens that I think of as "cheap refillables": non-disposable pens that are inexpensive ($10 or less) and readily available. Previously, I reviewed the Pentel Energel Alloy, and the Pilot G2 Limited, both of which are excellent options if you need a sturdy pen body, enjoy a specific refill, and don't have a lot of cash to burn. These pens are all readily available at big box office supply stores, and most are Prime-eligible on Amazon. The Dr. Grip Full Black and its sibling, the Dr. Grip Pure White, are available via Amazon as both stand-alone items and lower-priced add-ons. There's even a Dr. Grip Full Black "Shaky Pencil," which I've not tried.

I've always believed that you can get an excellent writing experience in an non-disposable pen for around $10, even at the big box stores. I'd highly recommend you give the Dr. Grip Full Black (or any of the Center of Gravity Pens) a try, especially if you value comfort and ergonomics.

(Note: A few years ago there was a rumor that Pilot was discontinuing the Dr. Grip series. I don't think that's the case, since they are still widely available and Pilot has been introducing new models.)

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds for my own use.

The Pilot Custom 823 Vacuum-Fill Fountain Pen

Pen Review: Pilot Custom 823

August 27, 2016

The Pilot Custom 823 is one of those pens that sat on my “to purchase” list for a very long time before I actually pulled the trigger at the 2016 Atlanta Pen Show. Once I inked this pen up, I silently kicked myself for waiting so long. I could have saved myself a lot of wasted time and money by paying a little extra for the pen I knew I would like, rather than embarking on a futile quest to find a lower-priced substitute. (Yes, I’m talking to YOU, circa 2015 TWSBI Vac-700.)

Design and Build

While I’m not sure Pilot has a “flagship” pen, the Custom 823 sits atop the mainstream Pilot lineup, both in terms of size and price point. At $288 from almost all retailers, it’s definitely one of the most expensive pens sold under the Pilot mark that is readily available in the US. Only the Pilot Justus, which sports a nib that adjusts from firm to semi-flex, costs more.

The Pilot Custom 823 with gold trim and transparent amber acrylic. The pen holds a massive amount of ink, and it's fun to watch it slosh around inside the barrel.

First impressions: I’m typically not a gold-trim guy, but I find the gold trim very nice-looking here, as it complements the amber acrylic. You don’t see transparent demonstrators in this color very often at all (I struggle to even think of another example). In keeping with the light brown color scheme, the section, blind cap, and cap finial are solid brown.

The Pilot Custom 823 is a big pen. Given the length, I’d imagine that most people would want to use this pen unposted, and certainly those with smaller hands. That said, the pen is lightweight (the amber material is acrylic, after all) and the cap posts deeply, so I often post this pen when I’m on the go and don’t have a safe place to rest the cap. I’ve never had an issue with the weight.

Pilot ships this pen in a standard presentation box with a large bottle of Pilot/Namiki standard blue ink. I’ve not used the ink yet, but it gets excellent reviews, and I’m already a fan of Pilot Blue Black.

And now we get to the filling system, which probably serves as both an incentive and disincentive for people to purchase this pen. The Pilot Custom 823 is a vacuum-fill pen, not a cartridge/converter or piston filler. The pen fills when you retract and depress a metal plunger, creating in a vacuum that sucks ink into the pen on the downstroke. The pen holds an absolutely massive volume of ink, making it the perfect pen for someone who writes a lot for long stretches without an opportunity to refill. I haven’t measured, but my understanding is that completely full, the pen holds 2.2ml of ink. Writers or compulsive notetakers need to seriously consider this pen. Along with the Conid Bulkfiller, it’s my weapon of choice when I’m headed out on the road and only want to take 1-2 pens with me. Between the two of them, they hold at least a week’s worth of ink. Note: A vacuum-filler is different from the vintage “vacumatic” filling system, which is a pump filler. (See my previous review/explanation of the vacumatic filling system here.)

The filling system also makes the Pilot Custom 823 an excellent traveling companion because it's essentially leak-proof. When the blind cap is closed, it seals the ink in the reservoir, preventing leaks caused by pressure changes on an airplane, in a hot car, etc. If you are going to use the pen for longer writing sessions, however, you will need to loosen the blind cap slightly to open the seal and allow ink to flow freely. With the blind cap closed, the feed holds enough ink to get 1-3 pages of writing, depending on the size of the nib and your handwriting.

The Nib and Overall Writing Experience

I rarely have a bad experience with Pilot nibs. On the high end pens that I’ve tried such as the Custom 74, the Custom Heritage 92, and now the Custom 823, the nibs need little-to-no-tuning. Unless you order directly from Japan, the Custom 823 is available only in Pilot's stock fine, medium, and broad 14k nib. It’s a large, stiff nib, labeled “No. 15” size, which is roughly the equivalent of a German No. 6.

Pilot’s stock nibs run slightly wider than Japanese nibs made by Sailor and Platinum. Had I purchased a stock nib with the intention of writing with it unmodified, I probably would have gone with a fine. However, since I acquired this pen at a pen show, I purchased the medium so that I could have Mark Bacas add an architect’s grind.

For those of you unfamiliar with specialty nib grinds, an architect’s grind is best described as a “reverse stub” or “reverse cursive italic.” These two grinds have wide downstrokes and narrow cross-strokes, whereas the architect’s nib features a wide cross-stroke and a narrow downstroke. (See the writing sample below, and I’ve written more on this here.)

Writing sample of a medium architect's grind

So what do I think? Every time I write with this pen, it fills me with joy. It’s a true “writer’s pen”, and has made my list of pens that I always have inked and at the ready. I can’t stomach the thought of this pen wasting away time sitting in storage, and when you’re as big of a pen-hoarding crazy person as I am, that says a lot.

This Pen is NOT a Good Fit For…

Serial ink changers or neat freaks. 2.2ml of ink will last you a loooong time. You’re not going to be “writing through a fill” in an afternoon, unless a sudden attack of hypergraphia sets in. Furthermore, vacuum filling systems are somewhat difficult to clean. Sure, you can flush most of the ink out fairly easily, but you’ll always have just a touch of residue around the seal and caught in the silicone grease that seals the threads. Unless you’re extremely sophisticated with pen repair and assembly, I’d recommend learning to live with this and NOT taking the pen apart, which voids your Pilot warranty.

Where to Buy

The Custom 823 currently retails for $336 (as of 2023). While it’s a not-inexpensive pen, the combination of the filling system and larger 14k gold nib still makes this pen a relative bargain, especially once you consider how easily most gold-nib fountain pens jump above the $400 mark. Until recently, one of the drawbacks to living in the United States (or, really, “outside of Japan”) was that you didn’t have access to the Custom 823 in any color other than Amber. While that’s changed somewhat as of the date this review has been updated (2023), in that Pilot now sells the “Smoke” black demonstrator in the U.S., U.S.-based retailers still don’t have access to the clear demonstrator version, or the special colors released through Japanese retailers such as Bungubox.

Ink Review: J. Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre

August 24, 2016

J. Herbin has gone all-in on their "1670 Anniversary" line of inks, releasing their fifth ink in this line, Caroube de Chypre (Carob of Cyprus, or Cypriot Carob). The color is a nice reddish brown, and yes, the ink does contain the signature gold flakes. If, like me, you need a pronunciation lesson, check out this short video.

Even after shaking the bottle and filling, the gold sheen was less pronounced in my bottle of Caroube de Chypre than in my bottle of Emerald of Chivor, though this probably has something to do with the fine italic nib that I used. You can see the di… — Even after shaking the bottle and filling, the gold sheen was less pronounced in my bottle of Caroube de Chypre than in my bottle of Emerald of Chivor, though this probably has something to do with the fine italic nib that I used. You can see the distribution of gold flecks in this Macro Shot.

The red in Caroube de Chypre really emerges when used in a finer nib. The pen I've used for this review is my Scriptorium Balladeer, outfitted with a Franklin-Christoph 14k fine cursive italic nib that I picked up at this year's D.C. Pen Show. I'm sure this ink would look even more interesting in a broad, wet stub (and probably would show off the gold sheen better), but I don't really have many broad nibs since they don't fit my handwriting and generally aren't practical for my day-to-day needs.

In terms of how it behaves (bleed/dry time, etc.), Caroube de Chypre is comparable to Emerald of Chivor, which I've reviewed here on the blog. I do think that Caroube de Chypre dries slightly quicker, because I've had fewer issues with smearing. Perhaps because of the reddish tint to the ink, the gold-flecks are a touch more understated and only really emerge when light hits the ink directly.

A writing sample of J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre in my Hobonichi Techo.

Regardless of whether you can or want to take full advantage of the gold dust sheen, Caroube de Chypre is a nice reddish brown ink that is easy on the eyes. I've enjoyed the last two J. Herbin Anniversary inks (this one and the Emerald of Chivor), and even though I like to poke fun at the "glitter ink" phenomenon from time to time, the effect is subtle enough in these past two inks that I've occasionally been able to use these inks at work (in a very staid environment) without comment. As I've said before, the Herbin 1670 inks aren't inks that I use everyday, but I enjoy having them as options because they bring something different to the table. They're also festive, so as we head into the fall (and eventually, the holiday season), they'll get more use.

Where to Buy

Pen Chalet currently has J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre in stock, priced at the standard rate for J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary Ink ($24). Pen Chalet also offers the full range of other Herbin 1670 inks, including Rouge Hematite, Ocean Blue, Stormy Grey, and Emerald of Chivor.

Pen Review: Pelikan Classic M205 Transparent Blue Demonstrator

August 20, 2016

Apparently 2016 is the year of bringing back old pens out of the Pelikan archive. In addition to reissuing their classic M120 fountain pen (a school pen popular in the 1950s and 1960s), Pelikan, to my delight, also decided to reach back not quite so far and resurrect the M205 Transparent Blue Demonstrator, an extremely popular special edition pen that ended its run five years ago before I could pick one up. Once I found out that this pen was coming back, there was no chance I was going to miss it again.

Build and Writing Experience

The Pelikan M205 on its white faux-leather envelope-style packaging.  (A "penvelope?") — The Pelikan M205 on its white faux-leather envelope-style packaging. (A "penvelope?")

The "new" M205 transparent blue demonstrator is basically the same pen as the original, with one change. Per the Pelikan website, the ring at the top of the cap is now chromium-plated, as opposed to black on the original model. Like the original, it's a piston filler and sports a stainless steel nib. I purchased a fine.

I opted for a fine nib on my Pelikan M205, which has been ground to a cursive italic by Dan Smith (The Nibsmith).

The nib on my Pelikan M205 was excellent, both out of the box and after being tuned and ground by Dan Smith at the 2016 D.C. Pen Show. Pelikan steel nibs are some of the highest quality steel fountain pen nibs out there, and Pelikan's steel nibs write relatively true to size, as opposed to their gold nibs, which in my experience run extremely wide. I'd characterize the fine nib on my pen as a true western fine, but it definitely had enough tipping material to grind into a smooth cursive italic.

The line variation on this fine cursive italic is excellent. The ink used in this writing sample is Iroshizuku Asa-gao. The paper is Clairefontaine French (Seyes) ruled.

Otherwise, the M205 is your typical well-constructed Pelikan. The piston mechanism is smooth and reliable. The only potential issue I can spot with this pen's construction is the size: the M205 is relatively small, and the grip section is relatively short. If you tend to hold your pens high up on the section, the threading on this pen may cause you problems. I don't write with a death grip, and I tend to hold my pens fairly close to the nib, so it hasn't been an issue for me. The pen posts nicely, and given its compact size, I need to post to use it comfortably for more than short notes.

Overall Impressions

The Pelikan M205 is a sturdy, versatile little pen that fills a niche in my collection. Part of my love for this pen is nostalgia, since the blue demonstrator version is a reissuance of one of my early "grail" pens that I missed out on the first time around. My main criticism is price: I do think that this pen is a little high at $140, but I don't think it's a bad deal. Pelikan's steel nibs tend to write very well out of the box, and I you get a step up in quality and reliability from something like a TWSBI 580. The real competitor at this price point would be a pen like the Lamy 2000 or the Pilot Custom Heritage 92, both of which you can find with a gold nib for less money. However, the Pelikan M205 has the option of interchangeable nibs, and features Pelikan's distinctive design. I also love the color of this blue demonstrator, and I wasn't going to miss it a second time.

Where to Buy

PenChalet currently has the M205 transparent blue in stock in all nib sizes (EF-B), priced at $140 before any applicable discount. Pelikan categorizes the M205 Transparent Blue as a "Special Edition", which I understand means that there won't be a fixed quantity (like a "Limited Edition"), but the pen will only be manufactured for a limited amount of time - probably a year. If the design and the color of the pen appeal to you, don't hesitate like I did five years ago. For a limited time, there is also an Amethyst Demonstrator (to match last year's Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year), and the upcoming Aquamarine Demonstrator. I might be adding both to my collection soon!

Disclaimer: PenChalet provided me with this pen at a discount for review purposes. This post also contains affiliate links.

The KOSMOS Pen comes in four color options inspired by Apple devices.

Some New Kickstarter Projects Have Launched! KOSMOS, Ti Arto, and More

August 19, 2016

My inbox has exploded with pen and pencil-related Kickstarter news over the past couple days, so I thought it would be fun to do a short post highlighting some of these new projects.

KOSMOS: The World's Best Pen in 2016. Maybe a touch of hyperbole in the tagline, but the KOSMOS (pictured above) apparently did win the 2016 Red Dot Design Award. This is a nice-looking aluminum pen with a magnetic retractable "cap" that slides forward to protect the tip. The creators tout the pen as perfectly balanced and inspired by Apple's designs. (The four color options are designed to complement your Apple Devices). Early bird rewards are gone, and regular rewards start at 49 euros. With 21 days to go, this project is fully funded and has raised over $26,000.

The Ti Arto from BIGiDesign will accept 200+ refills without any hacking.

Ti Arto: The Ultimate Refill Friendly Pen. BIGiDESIGN is back with a new pen that accepts over 200 different refills "without even a smidgen of tip-wiggle." (Only a true pen enthusiast/addict would know what that means.) The pen is made from a grade 5 titanium alloy, allows you to use basically any refill you could possibly imagine without hacking, and comes with a tool that you can use to repair the clip if it gets bent. The pen looks like it is designed to be used posted and unposted. Rewards start at $65, and with 37 days to go this project already has raised nearly $100,000.

Magno: The World's First Magnetically Controlled Pencil. If you caught my recent review of the Sostanza pencil, you know that I have a thing for 2mm leadholder pencils. Magno uses an integrated magnet to control the position of the lead. There's a gif on the project page showing how it works. Rewards start at 25 euros. With 31 days to go, this project has raised nearly $58,000 and is fully funded.

Personally, I've backed the Ti Arto and the Magno, but I'm on the fence about the KOSMOS because it uses Parker-Style refills and I haven't yet found one of those that I like. That doesn't mean I won't ultimately back it, though - there's a lot of time left!

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated by any of these three Kickstarter projects for this post, and I have backed two of the projects referenced herein using my own funds. Do note that if you choose to back a Kickstarter project, you are assuming a certain degree of risk. Please review Kickstarter's rules and terms and conditions before deciding whether or not to back a project.

Design and Build

The Nib and Overall Writing Experience

This Pen is NOT a Good Fit For…

Where to Buy

Further Reading

Where to Buy

Further Reading

Build and Writing Experience

Overall Impressions

Where to Buy

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