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Best iPad Stylus Roundup
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The more and more we use the iPad, the more we have noticed that a stylus for the iPad is just one of those essential accessories that no serious padder can do without. Whether you are a budding artist, accessing your home computer remotely, trying to do delicate procedures with tiny links online, or just have fat fingers (or long nails…), almost everybody will find that an iPad stylus is a necessity. In this article, we review the top selling iPad styluses on the market…
How Does The iPad Touch Screen Work?
First of all, let’s put to rest this “we want a fine tip iPad stylus” request that I’m sure we’ll get in the comments. The iPad is a different kind of touch sensitive device than say a Palm pilot. Most devices work with a resistive screen, meaning they essentially measure pressure. So when a fine point stylus presses on them, they measure the pressure in a pinpoint way. More accurate yes, however, this requires you to push down more heavily for your gestures to be registered. This is tiring, irritating, and just plain antiquated.
The iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch (and all track pads for that matter) use a capacitive screen which is much easier to use and only works with conductive materials. Basically it measures the electrical state in a given area, and touching it with a conductive material changes that state. If you’re interested, this is a very detailed explanation of exactly how the iPhone touch screen works. Since the iPad is designed to be used by the human finger, the iOS software in its current form cannot recognize a fine tip iPad stylus. It also has a hard time measuring pressure sensitivity. However, this all may be changing very soon since the leaders in iPad and iPhone stylus technology Pogo have recently cracked the iPad pressure sensitivity issue with a yet to be released app (this is very exciting to all the digital artists out there). Surprisingly, despite it’s “essential accessory” nature, your options for a good quality iPad stylus are quite limited. So, that leaves us with the question…
What Is The Best iPad Stylus?
Universally accepted as the best iPad stylus on the market, the Pogo Sketch leads the pack. The Sketch is the upgraded version of the original Pogo Stylus. The barrel and tip of this iPad stylus are very slim, about .25 inches to be exact, which makes for improved accuracy. A major plus for this stylus is the material used for the head, it’s soft and extremely smooth on the iPad. It glides across the surface easily without leaving any trace of residue like many cheaper styluses do. The barrel is aluminum, and the pocket clip makes it easy to store away when not in use. Read the reviews for yourself, this is simply the best iPad Stylus on the market right now and as seen from the new pressure sensitive app they have produced, they will do everything it takes to make sure their product is top quality and ahead of the curve. Get your Pogo Sketch now for $14.95 or less!
Ten One Design Pogo Sketch
This stylus has received mixed reviews, the materials used in its manufacture are good, however the large size makes it less attractive for many. It’s not an artist’s stylus by any means, however the thicker barrel makes it more easily gripped and used, and it’s also much harder for this stylus to fall in between the seat cushions and disappear for all eternity… For a large handed person or for anybody who has difficulty gripping the thin barrels of the other iPad styluses out there, then this is the best option for you. The BoxWave iPad Stylus retails for $18.95.
BoxWave Apple iPad Creative Stylus
This is a pretty cool looking stylus for the iPad made by Samsung. The brand speaks for itself, and can attest to the quality of the product. It’s a great general purpose stylus with a cool look to it. The Instinct stylus has a hand pocket clip and classy styling. Unfortunately, that’s where the good features stop for this stylus and it cannot in any way stack up to the Pogo. The tip of this pen is quite large and oversized, it also reportedly is not nearly as sensitive or smooth. Most complain that it doesn’t work consistently on the iPad or iPhone, and that they hardly ever use it. However, the price tag is a bit lower at just under $8. You can read about the Samsung Instinct here.
Samsung Instinct M800
Last in the lineup is the TouchTec Penz stylus. This is a multifunction stylus in that it is a ballpoint pen at one end, and an iPad stylus at the other. The ballpoint pen uses standard cross pen refills and writes on any paper surface… obviously. The other side is a relatively nice iPad stylus that has a thin profile and tracks easily on the iPad’s surface. Again, it’s simply not an artist’s pen, but for every day use this is a pretty good bet. If you are *extremely* short on space and can’t bear to have a separate pen and iPad stylus in your briefcase, bag, or portfolio, then the TouchTec Penz stylus is a classy solution. The TouchTec iPad Stylus is available for $14.95.
TouchTec Penz Multifunction iPad Stylus
You’ll notice in this review that we didn’t include any of the super cheap iPad styluses out there that sell in three packs for under $2 and that sort of thing. We have had very bad experiences in the past with these sorts of styluses for the iPad with them leaving residue on the screens, falling apart, or even scratching the heck out of the glass and back. We are not fans of these sorts of cheap knockoffs and go for quality over quantity. Who knows though, maybe you’ll find one that works for you. You can find plenty of these cheap iPad styluses available on Amazon.
Cheap iPad Styluses
5 Responses to “Best iPad Stylus Roundup”
What Do You Think?
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I bought the Pogo stylus, Dagi, and the Boxwave. Like many I was in search of a fine tip stylus – for note taking, not artwork. My solution came in an app. Note Taker HD recognizes the input as a fine tip despite the round tip of the stylus. I found the app and used it with the Dagi and Boxwave. (I’m a weird lefty, so the need to hold the DAGi in a certain position wasn’t for me). I use the Boxwave and find it easier to grip than the Pogo. I gave the pogo away ( before I found the app). So I’m not sure how it is in comparison on the app. But I’m sure the fine tip appearance would be the same.
One point not addressed is the effect that a glass cover, such as provided by Zagg, has on the stylus performance. So far, I have found that use of one precludes use of the other.
We can speak from experience that the Zagg cover does not effect the iPad stylus performance in the least, it is still just as sensitive and easy to use with the Zagg cover on it as it is without. However, we can’t speak for all iPad screen covers out there, I know a few I used for my iPhone really messed up the sensitivity of that screen. Thanks for bringing up a good point!
The Zagg cover DOES affect the use of a stylus, since it is “sticky” and prevents the rubber tip of any stylus from gliding smoothly. The naked glass of the iPad also provides more resistance than some of the stiffer but smoother iPad screen protector sheets. So, if you’re using a stylus, be forewarned. Agree with the reviewer on Note Taker HD – by FAR the best app for taking handwritten notes/sketches with a stylus, and both the Pogo and Boxwave perform equally well.
Boxwave is very good ipad stylus