Customer Reviews

Paper Mate PhD Retractable Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, 1.0 mm, Black Cherry Barrel, Black Ink (67202)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been using these PhD pens now for nearly 10 years even though I no longer do anywhere near as much pen to paper work as I used to. The bureaucracy I'm in has been largely computerized since 2000, but it used to be quite common for me to write all day long. Spending the extra money on these PhDs proved an excellent investment. They greatly eased the pain in my hands and fingers and made me more content at work. Also, they turn out to be cheaper than you'd think after you take into account that refills can be bought separately for them. Luckily, I don't need these instruments as much as I used to but they remain both a luxury and a therapeutic intervention in my life.

The Papermate PhD series of writing instruments all share one unique feature in common. The grip is perfect. Thin pens take more gripping force to use, this can cause pain for people with repetitive strain injuries, arthritis, or problems with hand cramping.

The PhD is not unique in having a medium barrel thickness. The triangular grip, however, is as close to perfect as possible. It's not too soft, and it's shaped to just float between the thumb and the first two fingers. I have (literally) written "all day" with mine - the only pen I've been able to do this with.

The ink cartridge (and refills) write smoothly. They're not quite as exquisite as the Pilot G2 (Pilot G-2 Gel Ink Rollerball Pens, Fine Point, 0.7 mm) and unfortunately, the G2 refills won't fit into the PhD. My experience with third party refills for the PhD has been quite unsatisfactory (too much drag and occasional ink blobs).

If the G2 (fine point only) didn't exist, I would have to call this pen "perfect." Since I know that the writing experience could be even smoother, I have to knock it down to 4.9 stars.

(Some day I'm going to hack together a PhD grip onto a G2 Pro).

My favorite pen. Use it all the time. Do not recommend the seller Econoffice Products, Oldsmar Fl. Charged $25 for two pens.

I have been using these wonderful pens for many years. They fit my hand perfectly, and make writing easy, tireless, and cramp-free. I took copious notes through my Masters and Doctoral classes, and never used any other pen without regretting it. I just wish Papermate still made them. The burgundy and black is stylish and classic.

I really love this pen. I am always writing and have a pen on hand all the time. My hands do not cramp up when I am using this one. Everyone is always trying to take it from me.
The only thing I am a little disappointed in is how much the refills are for it, but the pen is great.

I bought the Ph-D pen at WalMart about 8 years ago. I'm not sure if this is the first generation Ph-D, but It is great . Very easy to hold. Strong clip, nice exterior look and feel. Smooth ink flow. I have repalced the refills several times with the blue in refill. Now that I'm older and have nerve damage in the hands this pen is still easy to grip.. I ended up buying one for each car and four more for the house..

I have the black barrel, blue, red and green. I think thay all came with black in refills which eventually were switched to blue in refills.

They did change the style of the pen a few years later. But this review would be fore the style available in 2004-05.

Ink doesn't last as long as I expected it to..but writes beautifully and extremely smooth. I would recommend this product.

This is an excellent pen. It is very comfortable to hold, writes smoothly, and looks nice too! With other pens I would often get hand cramps, but not with this pen. I highly recommend this pen to anyone who has to write a lot!

I LIKE HOW IT FEEL IN MY HAND I HAVE BLUE INK IN IT FOR SIGNING LEGAL DOCUMENTS.
I ALSO HAVE THE BLACK ONE FOR BLACK INK.

This pen is as close to an ideal pen, as I have used. Thickness is enough that that your fingers feel relaxed and it won't give you the Writer's cramp. The grip is nonskid and the ink does not smudge or leak. Writing flow is smooth but not the best. The pen looks nice and the metal clip grips the pocket securely. It comes in black color too Paper Mate PhD Retractable Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, 1.0 mm, Black Barrel/Ink (67204). Personally, I prefer the cherry color.

I have written for several hours a day for 30 plus years and this is the most practical and ergonomic of the pens I have used.