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Pilot Dr. Grip: A Comprehensive Guide

Pilot Dr. Grip: A Comprehensive Guide

August 14, 2023 - Posted by Stephanie to Guides, Mechanical Pencils

Pilot Dr. Grip: A Comprehensive Guide

For those who suffer from tired, fatigued hands, the Dr. Grip is just what the doctor ordered. This high quality writing instrument has an innovative grip design that provides the ideal combination of softness and support. Additionally, the weight balance is optimized for an ergonomic writing experience. To find out more about the different models of the award-winning Dr. Grip, read on.

Fans of the San-X characters Sumikko Gurashi are sure to appreciate these Pilot Dr. Grip ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils. Their barrels are decorated with adorable Sumikko Gurashi illustrations.

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Pilot Dr. Grip Characteristics
Silicone Grip
The Dr. Grip has a grip section that provides comfort and stability.
The Dr. Grip has a grip section that provides comfort and stability.
True to its name, the Dr. Grip is nothing short of a medical miracle for tired hands. What sets it apart is the double layer grip design. The outer layer is firm while the inner layer is soft, resulting in the perfect moderate softness: not too flimsy and not too hard. This creates a comfortable surface to hold that allows you to have a stable grasp on the pen or pencil. Combined with the barrel’s optimal weight balance, the Dr. Grip is an ergonomic writing instrument that reduces fatigue, earning it an “Ease-of-Use” Commendation from the Arthritis Foundation.
Pen and Pencil Types
Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pens use low-viscosity Pilot Acroball ink.
Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pens use the same low-viscosity inks found in Pilot’s Acro and Acroball series. Acroball ink balances the vibrancy and smoothness of a gel ink with the fast dry time and water resistance of a ballpoint ink.
Gel pens from the Dr. Grip line use the same ink as the Pilot G2, which is acid free and archival safe.
Gel pens from the Dr. Grip line use the same ink as the Pilot G2, which is acid free and archival safe.
Dr. Grip Gel Pens feature the same inks found in Pilot’s famous G2 Gel Pens. This smooth flowing, archival safe ink is a perennial favorite for writers of all kinds. G2 ink has some water resistance, so your notes will survive an accidental water spill. Additionally, you can highlight over your writing with only minor smudging. To perform our tests, we drew Xs with a Dr. Grip and applied water with a water brush. We highlighted over the swatches with a Staedtler Textsurfer.
Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencils use shaker mechanisms to extend lead.
Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencils use shaker mechanisms to extend lead.
Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencils use Pilot’s Fure Fure shaker mechanism. To advance the lead, simply shake the pencil up and down. An internal mechanism extends the lead using a metal weight. You don’t need to adjust your grip to push the clicker and advance the lead, so you can keep your focus while you write. The pencil makes a rattling sound when it’s shaken, and while this doesn’t bother us, you can also extend the lead quietly by pressing on the clicker at the back of the pencil.
The Dr. Grip Multi Pen has four ballpoint colors and a mechanical pencil that can be deployed with the push of a tab.
The Dr. Grip Multi Pen has four ballpoint colors and a mechanical pencil that can be deployed with the push of a tab.
The Dr. Grip Multi Pen combines four ballpoint colors and a mechanical pencil into one handy writing instrument. To extend the ballpoint refills, press down on the corresponding colored tabs. The mechanical pencil component can be deployed by sliding the clip down. With the pencil tip out, you can press down on the clip again to extend the lead.
Form Factor

All Dr. Grip pens and pencils are made of plastic and feature retraction mechanisms.

Pilot Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pens
Pen Name Length Diameter Weight
Dr. Grip Full Black Ballpoint Pen Full Black 13.8 cm 12 mm 0.69 oz
Dr. Grip G-Spec Ballpoint Pen G-Spec 13.8 cm 12 mm 0.64 oz
Dr. Grip G-Spec Flash Ballpoint Pen G-Spec Flash 13.8 cm 12 mm 0.64 oz
Pilot Dr. Grip Gel Pens
Pen Name Length Diameter Weight
Dr. Grip Limited Gel Pen Limited 14.2 cm 12.6 mm 0.72 oz
Dr. Grip Neon Gel Pen Neon 14.2 cm 12.6 mm 0.72 oz
Pilot Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencils
Pen Name Length Diameter Weight
Dr. Grip Ace Shaker Mechanical Pencil Ace Shaker 14.6 cm 12.6 mm 0.76 oz
Dr. Grip Classic Shaker Mechanical Pencil Classic Shaker 15.4 cm 12 mm 0.84 oz
Dr. Grip CL Play Balance Mechanical Pencil CL Play Balance 14.3 cm 11.8 mm 0.86 oz
Dr. Grip Full Black Mechanical Pencil Full Black 14.1 cm 11.8 mm 0.71 oz
Dr. Grip G-Spec Mechanical Pencil G-Spec 14.2 cm 11.4 mm 0.7 oz
Dr. Grip G-Spec Flash Mechanical Pencil G-Spec Flash 14.2 cm 11.7 mm 0.7 oz
Dr. Grip G-Spec Frost Mechanical Pencil G-Spec Frost 14.2 cm 11.9 mm 0.71 oz
Dr. Grip Play Border Mechanical Pencil Play Border 14.2 cm 11.2 mm 0.7 oz
THE Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencil THE 15.4 cm 12 mm 0.81 oz
Pilot Dr. Grip Multi Pens
Pen Name Length Diameter Weight
Dr. Grip 4+1 4 Color Multi Pen 4+1 4 Color 14.8 cm 12.7 mm 0.94 oz
Tip Sizes

Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pens, Mechanical Pencils, and Multi Pens are available in a variety of tip sizes. Dr. Grip Gel Pens are only available in 0.7 mm, but you can swap out the refill for any standard G2 refill.

Pilot Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pens
Pen Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pen - 0.5 mm Dr. Grip Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm
Dr. Grip Full Black Ballpoint Pen Dr. Grip Full Black Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm
Dr. Grip G-Spec Ballpoint Pen Dr. Grip G-Spec Ballpoint Pen - 0.5 mm Dr. Grip G-Spec Flash Ballpoint Pen - 0.7 mm
Pilot Dr. Grip Gel Pens
Pen Dr. Grip Gel Pen - 0.7 mm
Dr. Grip Limited Gel Pen Dr. Grip Limited Gel Pen - 0.7 mm
Dr. Grip Neon Gel Pen Dr. Grip Neon Gel Pen - 0.7 mm
Pilot Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencils
Pencil Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencil - 0.3 mm Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencil - 0.9 mm
Dr. Grip Ace Shaker Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip Ace Shaker Mechanical Pencil - 0.3 mm Dr. Grip Ace Shaker Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm
Dr. Grip Classic Shaker Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip Classic Shaker Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm
Dr. Grip CL Play Balance Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip CL Play Balance Mechanical Pencil - 0.3 mm Dr. Grip CL Play Balance Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm
Dr. Grip Full Black Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip Full Black Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm
Dr. Grip G-Spec Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip G-Spec Mechanical Pencil - 0.3 mm Dr. Grip G-Spec Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm Dr. Grip G-Spec Mechanical Pencil - 0.9 mm
Dr. Grip Play Border Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip Play Border Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm
Dr. Grip THE Mechanical Pencil Dr. Grip THE Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm
Pilot Dr. Grip Multi Pens
Pen Dr. Grip Multi Pen - 0.5 mm Ballpoint Dr. Grip Multi Pen - 0.7 mm Ballpoint Dr. Grip Multi Pen - 0.3 mm Graphite Dr. Grip Multi Pen - 0.5 mm Graphite
Dr. Grip 4+1 4 Color Multi Pen Dr. Grip 4+1 4 Color Multi Pen - 0.5 mm Ballpoint Dr. Grip 4+1 4 Color Multi Pen - 0.7 mm Ballpoint Dr. Grip 4+1 4 Color Multi Pen - 0.3 mm Graphite Dr. Grip 4+1 4 Color Multi Pen - 0.5 mm Graphite
*Note: The last two columns in the Multi Pens section refer to the mechanical pencil components.
Pilot Dr. Grip Product Lines
The Ace Shaker emphasizes comfort and convenience.
The Ace Shaker emphasizes comfort and convenience.
The Ace Shaker is a mechanical pencil that features an “active suspension” mechanism which absorbs the pressure made by the initial contact of putting pencil to paper. It allows the lead to retract slightly to avoid breaking, which gives writing a springy feeling. It’s ideal for those who tend to press down as they write or who accidentally extend too much lead. It also has a transparent window in the barrel that shows an orange warning indicator when it’s running low on lead.
The Dr. Grip Classic Shaker has a minimalist design.
The Dr. Grip Classic Shaker has a minimalist design.
The Dr. Grip Classic Shaker is one of the simplest mechanical pencils in the lineup. Inspired by the minimalist designs of the original Dr. Grips released in the early 2000s, the Classic Shaker gets rid of extraneous features so you can focus on writing. It’s available in four relaxing body colors.
The CL Play Balance has rearrangable metal and silicone metal rings in the grip that allow you to customize the pencil’s weight and feel.
The CL Play Balance has rearrangable metal and silicone metal rings in the grip that allow you to customize the pencil’s weight and feel.
The Dr. Grip CL Play Balance is a mechanical pencil that lets you customize its weight and feel. It comes with silicone and metal rings that can be inserted into the grip. The lightweight silicone rings yield when squeezed, while the firm metal rings add weight to the grip. You can arrange the rings in any order by removing the pencil’s nose cone and clear outer grip.
The Dr. Grip Full Black pairs an accent with a minimalist body.
The Dr. Grip Full Black pairs an accent with a minimalist body.
Full Black Dr. Grips feature colored accent rings above the nose cone and below the clicker. Choose from ballpoint pens or mechanical pencils.
The Dr. Grip G-Spec is available in several color series with different finishes.
The Dr. Grip G-Spec is available in several color series with different finishes.
The G-Spec was the first Dr. Grip model to feature an optimized weight balance. Most of the weight is concentrated near the body’s center of gravity, allowing the rotary motion of the pen to flow naturally with your hand as you write. The G-Spec is available in a standard model as well as several color series with different finishes, Flash and Frost. It’s available as either a ballpoint pen or mechanical pencil.
Pilot Dr. Grip Limited & Neon
These Dr. Grip Gel Pens are upgrades to the Pilot G2’s bodies.
These Dr. Grip Gel Pens are upgrades to the Pilot G2’s bodies.
These Pilot Dr. Grip Gel Pens are excellent upgrades to the standard Pilot G2 Gel Pen body. The Limited has a stylish matte body, while the Neon features a translucent body that lets you take a peek inside the pen’s inner workings.
You can customize the Play Border by swapping grip colors or adding decorations to the barrel.
You can customize the Play Border by swapping grip colors or adding decorations to the barrel.
Aptly named, the Play Border is a mechanical pencil made to be fiddled with. The inside of the grip has three rings in complementary colors that you can rearrange to your heart’s content. To access the rings, remove the nose cone and clear grip tube. The Play Border can be further customized thanks to a clear plastic insert in the top half of the pencil. You can apply stickers to the insert’s surface, or use it as a guide for decorative paper that can be displayed inside the barrel. A lanyard hole near the clicker allows you to attach keychains and other charms.
THE Dr. Grip is an elevated version of Pilot’s standard Dr. Grip mechanical pencils.
THE Dr. Grip is an elevated version of Pilot’s standard Dr. Grip mechanical pencils.
This Dr. Grip is an elevated version of Pilot’s standard Dr. Grip mechanical pencils. Both the top push button and the shaker mechanism have been designed to reduce noise by a whopping 50% compared to typical shaker pencils! The shaker mechanism can be turned off to reduce the chances of the lead from extending while the pencil is in your pocket or pen case. Just twist the barrel so that the notch at the top of the grip section aligns with the Fure Fure Lock logo on the barrel. Note that the lead may still extend slightly if the pencil is shaken with a great deal of force.
The Dr. Grip 4+1 combines four ballpoint inks and a mechanical pencil in one body.
The Dr. Grip 4+1 combines four ballpoint inks and a mechanical pencil in one body.
The Dr. Grip 4+1 is a multi pen that’s excellent for students and other heavy note-takers. It includes four low-viscosity Acro ballpoint inks in black, blue, green, and red that make it easy to color code notes. A mechanical pencil component provides an erasable writing instrument, and there’s even a small eraser beneath the cap on the back of the multi pen. We still recommend picking up a full-sized eraser for big mistakes, though.
Conclusion

The thought and care put into the design of the Dr. Grip’s ergonomic features set it apart from other pens and pencils. No matter the model, the Dr. Grip is a wonderful choice for a writing instrument.