Back-to-School with Pilot: Power to the Pen {Review & Giveaway}

Hey y’all!  I don’t know about where you live, but the back-to-school countdown has begun here in Southern Ohio and we have t-minus 10 days and counting before our little ones are heading off to school and I couldn’t be more sad (I miss my babies when they’re in school all day).  Of course, there are lots of positives to back-to-school too and shopping for clothes and supplies is right up there at the top of that list and we want to help make this BTS season as successful, stress-less and easy as possible so that’s why all week long we’re bringing you the latest gear, the best supplies and the hottest back-to-school deals around—make sure you check back all week because we’ll have lots of cool reviews, great deals and awesome giveaways…y’all ready?  Well, let’s get to it!

If you know me well, or if you’ve been hanging around here for a while, then you probably know how much I like pens, yes, pens…I love them.  Maybe it’s my love of writing, maybe it’s just the feeling of happiness I get when I put pen to paper and create, or maybe I’m just weird, but I love pens.  While I enjoy pens immensely, they also happen to be the number one item I’m always losing and the one thing that is always in high demand in my house, especially during the school year.  Given how important it is to have a good, make that great, pen to use on all of that homework, I thought showcasing one of my favorite pen companies on day one of our Back-to-School Blowout was a complete no-brainer and and I can’t wait to show all of you the new goodies that Pilot has for back-to-school 2013!




About Pilot Pen.

Pilot Corporation of America was established in the United States in 1972, and is recognized as a premiere manufacturer of quality writing instruments.   Pilot’s growth has been driven by the consistent development of highly innovative products that deliver unsurpassed quality and an exceptional writing experience.  Pilot’s diverse line of pens has been created in a culture that has revered the art of writing for over a thousand years.  The essence of art, design and quality of Pilot’s fine writing line can be seen throughout its entire range of product offerings, including Pilot’s everyday pens - G2, Precise, FriXion and many others.

Before I show you the goodies that Pilot sent me I wanted to share a few fun facts about Pilot Pen…

#1: Pilot is the market leader in the gel and rolling ball categories
2 miles: The distance a G2 pen’s ink flow will last; more than 2X longer than other gel ink brands
4 point sizes: G2 is the only Gel Ink pen that comes in 4 point sizes – because one size does not fit all!
15: Number of our product lines that received the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval
6 bottles: The average amount of recycled bottles in a dozen pack of our bottle-to-pen, B2P pens
18 karat gold: Namiki pens are available in hand painted and hand lacquered gold paint; $18,000: The retail price of our most expensive Namiki pen, Setsugekka

An 18 karat gold pen?  I so need that!  Alright so Pilot didn’t send me one of their Namiki pens, but they did send me a ton of their favorites to test out and share my opinion with all of you and if you stick around, there might even be an awesome giveaway for one of you!

First up is the G2 family or pens and I must admit, they’re some of my favorites! The classic G2 is not only available in 14 vibrant colors (enough colors to please even the pickiest teenage girl), it’s also available in 4 different point sizes.  I received both the Classic G2 and the G2 Fashion, which is available in classic black in with 5 funky and hot barrel colors—it was a definite favorite amongst all of us ladies.  The G2 is America's No-1 selling gel ink pen for a reason ya know, it’s super long lasing ink makes it a great buy for back-to-school and the smooth line it creates it perfect for everyone—love it!

My daughters are all about “cute” pens and the Acroball and Acroball PureWhite were their personal favorites of all of the pens we reviewed.  I love that the Acroball features a hybrid ink that allows users to have the vibrancy of gel ink with the quick-drying with the water-resistance of a ball point ink—brilliant!  Acroball PureWhite is available in black or colored ink and in a variety of vibrant, brilliant grip colors—I personally love the African Violet grip…so pretty!



As someone who has carpal tunnel pain constantly when I write, my number one priorty when choosing a pen ( or any writing utensil really) is choosing one that feels good in my hand, if it’s too big or too small or doesn’t have the right size grip, writing can become very painful, very quickly.  The Dr. Grip family of pens from Pilot has been commended for it’s ease-of-use by the Arthritis Foundation and in a Georgia Tech study it was proven to be twice as comfortable to write with than a traditional ballpoint pen—I’ll definitely vouch for that.  The Dr. Grip line makes it super easy for me to write for longer periods without getting cramps and without losing feeling in my hand, not only that, they’re also relatively stylish which is a big plus in my book!

Sporty Spice is in middle school and while pens aren’t completely banned, they are frowned upon simply because they’re permanent, but not with the FriXion family of pens.  The FriXion Clicker is retractable, is available in 8 vibrant colors and is erasable making it perfect for younger children to use in school as mistakes can easily be erased—you have to love that.

I couldn’t mention Pilot pens without mentioning their B2P (or bottle-2-pen) family of pens, they are the world’s first line of pens that are made from 89% post consumer recycled water bottles, I love that.  B2P is available in both gel and ballpoint and they both feature a comfortable rubber grip and smooth writing.



Pilot has so many other great pens that I know you’ll love, so make sure you head over to the Pilot Pen website and check out everything they have to offer and make sure you pick up a pack (or 5) for back-to-school…your kiddos will be so happy that you did!  Don’t forget to Like Pilot Pens on Facebook and Follow Pilot on Twitter for the latest!

WIN IT! 
One lucky MIBR reader will win an assortment of Pilot Pens (similar to the picture above)…for official rules and to enter check out the Rafflecopter Widget below!



a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure:  I received the items listed above in order to facilitate my review..all opinions are my own!