Pens for Arthritis sufferers

[Minotbob]

I was in the bank yesterday and I visited a lady that had Arthritis in her had and it was very painful for her to grip a standard sized pen. The doctor had given her a rubber cylinder about 2" long and 1" in diameter that she could slide over a cheap Bic style pen and it was much easier for her to grip.

I thought that this might open up a new area for penturning. They would be the ugliest pens around. I thought that is you started with a 10mm kit, and turned a blank so that you ended up with a profile closest to the nib of 3/4-7/8 inch.

What are your thoughts?

Oops. I guess I should have searched first. There are quite a few thread on this subject.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Guardians seem to work well!

 

[Wildman]

I did a search "pens for people with arthritis," and came up with "What makes a quality pen."

Have heard people with arthritis like Cigar pens, don't know if that is true or not. Found people (men & women) like them whether they have arthritis or not.

There are several large kits out there already that might satisfy folks with arthritis. Not sure what to tell you.

 

[aggromere]

I could never remember who posted it or the topic, but a forum member posted a picture of a pen they made for someone with athritis. It was very big at the bottom end. Maybe they will read this post and repost the picture.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I find that the cigars are too big and heavy for arthritis sufferers...at least, they are for me, and mine is mild!

 

[Mark]

Agreed. I think the Guardian Jr would work. It's a click, so it's easy to open with one hand. Click it on the table top if need be.

 

[Smitty37]

Sierra

A woman in our bridge group wanted a pen so I took a bunch to our game, including Cigar, Designer, Comfort, Slimline, and Sierra....she liked the Sierra best. The Cigar she said was a little too big, the slimline too slim, designer and comfort were ok but the Sierra was most comfortable for her. I think it depends on the size of the hands and the severity of the problem though. Another woman in our group couldn't really do much with any of the pens because her case was really severe.

 

[randyrls]

There are pens I have seen shaped like a spoon at the lower grip section. The spoon section provides a place to grip the pen.

 

[sbwertz]

I have several friends with both arthritis and carpal tunnel. The pen they like the best has been a soft grip that I turned without the grip with a bulb at the nib end. This is a picture of a slimline I turned that way. The soft grip pen is larger in the barrel and the knob was larger than this.

 

[el_d]

My mother has problems due to her cancer that has made it hard to write with previous pens I have made her. A long click and Jr gent were made previous to the full size guardian which is now her favorite and easier to write with than any other type of pen I make.