Customer Reviews

Pilot Dr. Grip Limited 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil, Platinum Metallic Barrel, 36173

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love these things. They're easy on the hand, write clearly, and you don't have to shift your grip to get more lead! All you do is shake it once and press on. The best mechanical pencil I've ever used.

This is definitely worth the price if you're looking at a long term investment. I've had my pencil for about 7 years already and it's still going strong. Although mine has some battle scars (7 years is a long time) the color has not faded or chipped off, and the mechanics work as well as it did when I first purchased it. For as much as I use it, this pencil has better endurance than any other pen or pencil I've tried. It's wide enough to rest comfortably between my fingers, and smooth enough for me to WANT to use it for hours at an end.

Trust me on this one. When it's time to replace mine, there's no doubt it'll be another one just like this (maybe I'll get the pink one next) :)

This is an all around great pencil. I have used a Pentel P205, a Paper Mate ClearPoint, and various other mechanical pencils in my quest for "the one". I liked the ClearPoint, but it was plastic and fell cheap and broke easily. After several years of searching I came across this pencil and I am very happy with it.

I have somewhat large hands and so pencils that are a "regular" pencil size (like a standard No. 2 pencil) are too small for me. This pencil has a larger grip diameter, and I can use it for hours on end without getting cramps in my hand. The rubber grip piece is nice too, though in my opinion it could be a little thicker making the pencil easier to grip. But I don't really notice it so it's not a big deal.

When you shake this pencil there is a little thing inside which advances the lead a small amount. When I first got this pencil home I did not realize it was a "shake" pencil. I didn't like that the pencil rattled, and so I took it apart and removed the metal tube inside. I used it like that for two weeks and was happy with it. It wasn't until going on here to write a review that I realized the pencil is a "shake" pencil! I will try the shake functionality going forward but if you are accustomed to advancing the lead with a thumb-presser mechanism you will be happy with this pencil with or without the shaking advancement.

My one gripe with this pencil is I wish it was made out of aluminum. It appears aluminum - with a glossy, metallic paint finish - but upon first disassembly one realizes that the body is indeed plastic. Other than that the only gripe is the rubber grip as mentioned above. If they could make an aluminum version of this pencil with a slightly thicker rubber grip it would be the perfect pencil and would last for decades. But I guess what can you expect at this price range?

All-in-all a well-designed, comfortable to use, easy to write with, economical pencil. And I'd like to add that I bought mine from Target for less than half the Amazon price.

well it is my first time OWNing a shakey pencil but i really love service rocked! one day it took to get to my house! yay the writing is smooth only thing is u cant lock it so even though it shakes it wont come out so if it is in my bag and its shaking a bit the lead comes out i also hoped for a squishier grip but i thought if the grip is too squishy its too hard to write so the hard grip makes it easy well i recommend it to everyone!

I have just now replaced this pencil after nearly 7 years of daily use. Extremely reliable until you lose a piece of it. The eraser is basically nonfunctional because it is so small and it is difficult to find a replacement, but if you are used to using a separate large eraser it is the best pencil you could ever have. It has a slight, satisfying weight to it, and if you shake it down once or twice, the lead will come out to exactly the right length. (Takes 0.5mm lead.)

Replacing lead is not difficult but you must be careful not to lose either the eraser cap or the eraser holder, two separate, small objects, while filling the barrel. Lead sometimes gets stuck but can be removed by unscrewing the tip and pressing a sewing pin backwards through the tip to remove the stuck lead, or if it is not a problem with the tip, by holding the lead-advancing mechanism open while clicking for more lead, and then removing the offending pieces of lead or letting them drop back into the barrel.

It can be dropped, sat on, taken apart and put back together without any risk of damage (as long as you don't lose the parts). Even the rubber grip is fidget-proof: I have taken it off, turned it inside out, twisted it around and around, and done every conceivable elasticity test to it but it has not stretched or cracked anywhere. It is still rubbery and comfortable on the fingers, unlike some pens whose rubbery parts melt in the sun and become sticky! The shiny coating will wear off (underneath the silver version is a slightly yellowed white, for the record) but it will still look uniform and the texture will be smooth. No rough or sharp edges except the tip. Best pencil I have ever owned, and as long as Pilot continues to produce it, it will be the only one I ever buy (replace) because it has lasted me so long.

I am replacing mine now because I lost the piece in the tip that restricted how much lead comes out with each click -- it is a tiny rubber ring that should not have been dislodged except that I used the sewing pin to dislodge lead one too many times and accidentally removed this piece instead. Even with this missing component, I was able to manually adjust the lead (press to the paper with the click-top pressed) and used the "broken" version for a couple of months before I went and bought a new one. I give it the very highest recommendation.

The design of this mechanical pencil is beautiful. I never really thought of a pencil as beautiful before, but this one actually is. The lines are very clean, and the silver color makes it look pricier than it is.

It's slightly thinner than the pen version of the Dr. Grip. The grip part of it is fairly hard though, but still sits comfortably on my fingers. I use it for writing, and thin pens and pencils make my hand cramp. This is a good width though (and just light enough) so my hand does not cramp.

Hasn't jammed yet either, and yes you can shake it instead of clicking the top to make the lead come out. So, all in all, I like it.

Me and my girlfriend have been using this mechanical pencil for over a year now, recently I just bought her this new one since she just misplaced it somewhere (terrible!). I like the overall design texture of the pencil itself, it's fancy and professional. I use it a lot for school taking notes and writing paper. The "shake-to-advance" mechanism isd just fast and easy. I just need to shake it and new lead comes out without having to switch out of the position that I'm holding my pencil. I'll tell you, I wrote for hours! One more plus is that it is an approved writing instrument of Arthritis Foundation. I had a lot of mechanical pencil in that past that used "push-to-advance" style really been a hassle because of the bad writing mechanism having to move back and forth. My fingers just felt painful when I was done taking writing. I am very satisfied with this pencil. I just hope that Pilot keep on advancing making this style of pencil. Thank you!

This is a very comfortable pencil to use. It is thick and has a nice grip which is not too squishy but still soft. I expected the barrel to be metal and weigh more, but sadly it is made out of plastic and feels light for its size. It has a sliding metal sleeve in the center which advances lead when you shake it. It is nice to not have to shift from writing grip to advance lead, but it is in no way a revolutionary feature. I paid 10 bucks for this pencil, which I think is a bit much for what it is (should be around 6-8 bucks IMO). I would recommend the uni-ball KuruToga as it is cheaper at the time of this review and has a interesting feature of turning the lead as you write, allowing you to always have a sharp point (no chisel tips).

This pencil is better than the cheap stuff but in the end, it's a pencil. It doesn't waste the pencil lead at the end like some of them do, so that's a plus. However, the pencil is a little fat in the hand, so that's a con. It's also very, very plastic. It looks like metal but feels plastic. It feels cheaper than I would like but still better than the el cheapos from a convenience store. No eraser.

After using my roommate's pilot dr grip .5, hers is the balance one so its a bit heavier and squishier on the gel part, i fell in love. i feel so comfortable using this pencil. It reduces a lot of strain I get when I write in chinese for a long period of time. unfortunately, the pencil didn't have such a great build for some reason, the tip, where the led comes out somehow dented a little? and so no led was coming out and it was turning into powder every time i clicked. i have no idea how that would happen because it was such a small and precise bend just enough to block the led. i've taken great care of this pencil, since it is pricey, and i have NO idea how that tiny damage came to be nor how it couldn't be fixed. so unfortunately, i've only had this pencil for two lovely weeks, it was great while it lasted. i will purchase another one for the new year and hope it won't have the same fate!