Heaviside
iPF Novice
I recently bought an "artist's pack" of three iFaraday styli and thought I would report on my findings. First, I will say that I have previously purchased and tested the Targus, the Roger iWand from Stylus-R-Us, and the Alupen. I also manufactured my own from conductive foam and a metal mechanical pencil holder. Ignoring several "cheapos" that I picked up for a couple of bucks that were worthless, I think the iFaraday tops them all.
I immediately will note that I am assessing a stylus for its comfort and useability in handwriting applications. I do a lot of mathematical work with hand notes, and prefer the Notetaker HD far and away for this work. I hold a stylus between my index finger and thumb, with my pointer finger lying along the top of the barrel. Thus, I need a stylus that will work from a somewhat slanted position. This has been a bit critical for most of the styli I have tested.
Most are too short, the Roger iWand and the iFaraday being exceptions. I found the iWand to really be too long, though I think shorter lengths are available.
The iWand has a tip that tends to compress and thus "run out of gas," requiring rejuvenation via a small piece of velcro that the mfr includes for the purpose. But to avoid having to rejuvenate too often requires such a light touch that it hampers my free writing style. That said, if you naturally have a light touch, the Stylus-R-Us wands will probably be good for you.
For me, I have found the following ranking: Best is iFaraday, followed by either the Alupen or the Targus (virtually a tie with the nod going to the more expensive Alupen because it has a larger diameter and is heavier, though both are too short), and finally the iWand.
Here is a picture of the iFaraday styli in the "Artist's Pack":
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The copper colored one has a larger barrel, which I like, though even a bit larger would be nice, and a fairly conventional rounded tip. The gold one has a somewhat flattened tip. Both of these wands have pretty soft tips. The gray one has a tip that is even more flattened and harder than the other two. It is my favorite. All glide across the screen easily and you don't have to be gentle with them. (I will find out eventually how they wear, but I don't see any degeneration of performance because of use.) Each of these three wands is about six inches long---just right for handwriting in my opinion.
Now for some negatives: on the softer tipped versions, you occasionally get a click when you compress the tip and the metal barrel contacts the glass screen. (Probably wouldn't happen if you hold it more vertically or have a softer touch.) I have found the barrel finishes to be a bit to slick and the barrels somewhat too small for "grippability."
I have communicated my feedback to the mfr, and he has kindly offered to make up a model for me that will seek to remedy these defects. I look forward to trying it out when it arrives and will post my reactions when it does.
I have had no previous contact with iFaraday and have no connections with the mfr other than the aforementioned contact, so have no personal stake in this other than to make others aware of my findings in the hope that they will do the same with their experiences. I think specific reactions are always the best, as a simple "I like it" or "I hate it" doesn't tell me what my reactions will be.
Of course, as usual, your mileage might be different from mine!
Thanks for reading.
Oh, by the way---my homemade stylus worked fine for a while, but gradually ran out of gas as the point foam compressed, just like the iWand!
I immediately will note that I am assessing a stylus for its comfort and useability in handwriting applications. I do a lot of mathematical work with hand notes, and prefer the Notetaker HD far and away for this work. I hold a stylus between my index finger and thumb, with my pointer finger lying along the top of the barrel. Thus, I need a stylus that will work from a somewhat slanted position. This has been a bit critical for most of the styli I have tested.
Most are too short, the Roger iWand and the iFaraday being exceptions. I found the iWand to really be too long, though I think shorter lengths are available.
The iWand has a tip that tends to compress and thus "run out of gas," requiring rejuvenation via a small piece of velcro that the mfr includes for the purpose. But to avoid having to rejuvenate too often requires such a light touch that it hampers my free writing style. That said, if you naturally have a light touch, the Stylus-R-Us wands will probably be good for you.
For me, I have found the following ranking: Best is iFaraday, followed by either the Alupen or the Targus (virtually a tie with the nod going to the more expensive Alupen because it has a larger diameter and is heavier, though both are too short), and finally the iWand.
Here is a picture of the iFaraday styli in the "Artist's Pack":
The copper colored one has a larger barrel, which I like, though even a bit larger would be nice, and a fairly conventional rounded tip. The gold one has a somewhat flattened tip. Both of these wands have pretty soft tips. The gray one has a tip that is even more flattened and harder than the other two. It is my favorite. All glide across the screen easily and you don't have to be gentle with them. (I will find out eventually how they wear, but I don't see any degeneration of performance because of use.) Each of these three wands is about six inches long---just right for handwriting in my opinion.
Now for some negatives: on the softer tipped versions, you occasionally get a click when you compress the tip and the metal barrel contacts the glass screen. (Probably wouldn't happen if you hold it more vertically or have a softer touch.) I have found the barrel finishes to be a bit to slick and the barrels somewhat too small for "grippability."
I have communicated my feedback to the mfr, and he has kindly offered to make up a model for me that will seek to remedy these defects. I look forward to trying it out when it arrives and will post my reactions when it does.
I have had no previous contact with iFaraday and have no connections with the mfr other than the aforementioned contact, so have no personal stake in this other than to make others aware of my findings in the hope that they will do the same with their experiences. I think specific reactions are always the best, as a simple "I like it" or "I hate it" doesn't tell me what my reactions will be.
Of course, as usual, your mileage might be different from mine!
Thanks for reading.
Oh, by the way---my homemade stylus worked fine for a while, but gradually ran out of gas as the point foam compressed, just like the iWand!
