Your favorite stylus - here's mine

[slothead]

I check this thread regularly and I Google for stylii regularly, and I have yet to find a stylus that has a sharp point that enables visibility good enough to draw very finely located lines (not "fine" lines, finely LOCATED lines) for precise positioning and good graphical representation. [Sorry for the run-on sentence.] Although no one has mentioned it, I have come to the conclusion that there must be something critical about the width of the point. (and personally I can't deal with the funky little target-on-clear-plastic design...)

 

[zorah]

I would say that it simply has to do with the capacitive screen as to why the points aren't finer. I wonder, for the more expensive Tablet PCs that have capacitive screens (full size notebooks), what kind of stylus they use? More like what they call a pen/digitizer? But I get the sense they have a narrow tip though, so something makes it different.

 

[71wrd]

I thought that because of the conductive nature of the contact required for a capacitive screen that there was a minimum diameter of contact required. I'm sure I've read that resistive screens are more accurate, but I must admit I think I've got used to the stylus and manage fairly accurate line drawing now.

 

[addiosamigo]

my 2 cents (as you americans say). I purchased a boxwave stylus from amazon, nice looking, feels just like a pen, great I thought.

Tried it out in brushes, hated it. now I don't know if this is just brushes (or just me) but trying to do a succession of quick lines results in the page zooming out, which is really annoying!

The Dagi looks like it could be a winner, so may order one, the aiming point seems to be a good idea, how responsive is this??

the Stylus are us looks promising too (I can't order both ) and I'm put off because it looks like my old pogo!

someone help me decide please...

I want to be able to take notes like I was using pem and paper (didn't get that experience with the boxwave) and draw,i'm not van gogh, (god a elementary kid could probably draw better than me) but again I want it to feel like i'm drawing

cheers!

 

[pluto6]

my 2 cents (as you americans say). I purchased a boxwave stylus from amazon, nice looking, feels just like a pen, great I thought.

Tried it out in brushes, hated it. now I don't know if this is just brushes (or just me) but trying to do a succession of quick lines results in the page zooming out, which is really annoying!

The Dagi looks like it could be a winner, so may order one, the aiming point seems to be a good idea, how responsive is this??

the Stylus are us looks promising too (I can't order both ) and I'm put off because it looks like my old pogo!

someone help me decide please...

I want to be able to take notes like I was using pem and paper (didn't get that experience with the boxwave) and draw,i'm not van gogh, (god a elementary kid could probably draw better than me) but again I want it to feel like i'm drawing

cheers!

The stylus r us are NOTHING like the pogo... take a look at close up pictures in the "targus vs Stylus R Us" thread in this forum. I have not used the Pogo, but have several Stylus R Us, and the tips appear to be very heavy duty, and even if you are using them completely wrong (with heavy pressing - also making them not work as well due to dead spots), I doubt you could wear it out. And, Jack, who owns Stylus R Us, is one of the best people I have EVER dealt with WRT customer service. I believe that he has a 30 day money back guarantee... Check out his web site beststylus.com. I am a skeptic, and I can't say enough good things about Jack, or his products. My comparison stylus was a boxwave, and while I like the boxwave, and feel it to be a quality product, it is just not in the same league... Good luck with your decisions!

 

[addiosamigo]

my 2 cents (as you americans say). I purchased a boxwave stylus from amazon, nice looking, feels just like a pen, great I thought.

Tried it out in brushes, hated it. now I don't know if this is just brushes (or just me) but trying to do a succession of quick lines results in the page zooming out, which is really annoying!

The Dagi looks like it could be a winner, so may order one, the aiming point seems to be a good idea, how responsive is this??

the Stylus are us looks promising too (I can't order both ) and I'm put off because it looks like my old pogo!

someone help me decide please...

I want to be able to take notes like I was using pem and paper (didn't get that experience with the boxwave) and draw,i'm not van gogh, (god a elementary kid could probably draw better than me) but again I want it to feel like i'm drawing

cheers!

The stylus r us are NOTHING like the pogo... take a look at close up pictures in the "targus vs Stylus R Us" thread in this forum. I have not used the Pogo, but have several Stylus R Us, and the tips appear to be very heavy duty, and even if you are using them completely wrong (with heavy pressing - also making them not work as well due to dead spots), I doubt you could wear it out. And, Jack, who owns Stylus R Us, is one of the best people I have EVER dealt with WRT customer service. I believe that he has a 30 day money back guarantee... Check out his web site beststylus.com. I am a skeptic, and I can't say enough good things about Jack, or his products. My comparison stylus was a boxwave, and while I like the boxwave, and feel it to be a quality product, it is just not in the same league... Good luck with your decisions!

ah man! now I got to buy both! whats the stylus r us like for drawing/painting?? oh and which is a good one? I don't wanna look like Harry Potter!

any views on the Dagi anybody??

 

[jtrosky]

I really don't use my stylus much, but I have tried a few including the Pogo Sketch and my "The Genesis Coupe" stylus from Stylus R' Us is by far the best I've used. It's also the nicest looking!!!

Really, if you are looking for a stylus, do yourself a favor and get one from Stylus R' Us - regardless of which model you get, they all use the same tip, which is what makes them work so well....

And no - I don't have ANYTHING to do with this company - just a satisfied customer.

 

[Mossi]

I have many different types of stylii (??!!?) and I've decided I don't particularly like the Dagi or any other angled tip. I never seem to have it at the correct angle and it takes several stabs at the target to get it right. It's true that sometimes the rubber tip comes off, the foam-tipped ones flatten out and I wear my nails too long to comfortably use my finger. All in all, I find the boxwave the best. It works at any angle and I love the little connector cord.

 

[jmantze]

my 2 cents (as you americans say). I purchased a boxwave stylus from amazon, nice looking, feels just like a pen, great I thought.

Tried it out in brushes, hated it. now I don't know if this is just brushes (or just me) but trying to do a succession of quick lines results in the page zooming out, which is really annoying!

The Dagi looks like it could be a winner, so may order one, the aiming point seems to be a good idea, how responsive is this??

the Stylus are us looks promising too (I can't order both ) and I'm put off because it looks like my old pogo!

someone help me decide please...

I want to be able to take notes like I was using pem and paper (didn't get that experience with the boxwave) and draw,i'm not van gogh, (god a elementary kid could probably draw better than me) but again I want it to feel like i'm drawing

cheers!

About your problem using the Boxwave stylus in Brushes and it zooming out… I don't have that app but I have noticed with other paint/drawing apps that if some part of my hand lightly brushes the screen while I'm drawing this will sometimes trigger an unwanted command. So maybe do some tests with Brushes holding the Boxwave stylus so that only it can touch the screen. Just a suggestion, hope that helps.

About the Dagi stylus, it's as responsive as any other stylists because it has the same electrical characteristics that make these styluses (or your finger) trigger a command on the screen. The trick with the Dagi is that you have to hold it at just the right angle... this angle places the clear plastic contact pad fairly flat on the screen or angled just slightly so that the tip of the pad contacts the glass while you're drawing. Sometimes I'll be tapping on an icon trying to get things to happen and I'll realize that things aren't working because the stylus is not at that ideal angle. The little aiming spot in the center of the clear plastic tip appears to be just a paint or ink spot that just helps you to get it aligned and it is not an electrical component. I have read online that the iPad screen requires a minimal surface area of the stylus (or finger) of about 5mm.… I believe that is the figure that I have read. So this means that the entire clear plastic tip disk on the Dagi is actually triggering events on the screen.

when I saw the comments about the styluses offered by Stylus-R-Us I was initially interested when I first went to their site, but then after reading a series of comments/reviews and receiving a rather odd email reply from them I doubt that I will order anything from that company.

I wrote to Stylus-R-Us to get some info on one of their styluses which was not on their website - length of the stylus and info on the type of material used in the tip - and I received the following reply…

"I have to laugh at your usage of the word...â€foam or solid rubber.†All of the PoGo’s and alike have created a trauma in all of you – in thinking all styluses are alike – right? No John...I invented our tip and it is a VERY special material that has nothing to do with conductive foam or robber and is NOTHING like any other stylus made. You are going to flip totally out when you try it the first time."

In a follow-up email they did tell me the length of the stylus but there was no specific information about the tip material… but this was commented on on some other postings that I found online. Other people commented that they had bought or seen one of these styluses and the tip appeared to be made of some type of felt material, which may work okay!

IMO this type of reply is not indicative of a professional operation, and I feel that their styluses are overpriced because a lot of them look like they just bought a bunch of fountain/ballpoint pen bodies and stuffed their secret tip material inside to make up a rather expensive stylus.

Has anyone bought a stylus from Stylus-R-Us and what is the tip made of?

 

[pluto6]

@jmantze -
I have a couple of the stylus r us, and I can't tell you what the tip is made of. But, look at the thread Targus vs Roger iWand, and in the first post are some macro pictures of the tips of the Targus, and the stylus r us.

It is some type of material, but is very thick, does not look or feel like felt. Also, it seems like it will be very durable in "refreshing" (if you tamp down the fibers, you get some dead spots, as it needs the fibers to lightly touch the screen -sometimes counterintuitive if something is not catching.

Jack is an extremely enthusiatic owner. My dealings with him have been prompt, friendly, and enthusiastic. He readily admits his stylus will not fulfill everyone's expectation, but he offers a 30 day money back guarantee. He only asks that you try and learn to use the stylus properly. It requires a very light touch, and most people are used to tapping, with some force. On his stylus, this tamps down the fibers, and actually makes the stylus work worse. With a light touch, it works flawlessly. I feel it to be very accurate (for instance, I can touch the page numbers to change pages on forums like this one, without resizing the screen). I also find the light touch to be much less fatuiging, and much quicker than the Boxwave (which I think is a very good stylus).


I never asked about the material, as I figure it is proprietary. Just like I would not ask Pogo what their material is, or boxwave etc... We all sort of draw our conclusions that it is foam, or rubber, or plastic, or whatever, but none of us really know. He is applying for patent, so I fully understand why he would not want to disclose what he is using.

I think that you will find people like me - that love his styli, and think they work better than others, but I am sure you will find others that won't have been happy.

I am sort of frustrated that any of us have to worry about what sort of stylus we have to use in the first place. With the resistive screens of old ie the palm pilots -all you needed what something hard and wouldn't scratch the screen... so any old piece of plastic was pretty much alike -the only difference was what they looked like, or how big or small they were..

Good luck in your search.

 

[jmantze]

Thanks pluto6 for clarifying those issues about the Stylus-R-Us product line. I found the close up photo of the SRU stylus and it clearly does not look like felt - it's some kind of man-made fibrous material which Jack could of described in some mannor to satisfy my curiosity. I still don't like the idea of a stylus tip that may needs some kind of maintenance if I'm just pressing down a little to hard on it... sorry, this stylus isn't going on my shopping list.

 

[Heaviside]

Thanks pluto6 for clarifying those issues about the Stylus-R-Us product line. I found the close up photo of the SRU stylus and it clearly does not look like felt - it's some kind of man-made fibrous material which Jack could of described in some mannor to satisfy my curiosity. I still don't like the idea of a stylus tip that may needs some kind of maintenance if I'm just pressing down a little to hard on it... sorry, this stylus isn't going on my shopping list.

Thought I would toss in my 2 milli-cents!

If you have a look at the Stylus R Us thread in this forum, you will see that I am positive on the Roger iWand, but am a critical tester.

I don't think you should discount the product because of the tenor of the reply. Jack is clearly an extrovert---and, to be sure, something of a salesman! ( my guess is that he will 'fess up' to that label!). That is my reaction to the response you quoted. I (perhaps like you?) am something of an introvert---and thus have to make allowances for other personality types!

I, too, have ordered a Dagi. Judging from your comments, I suspect that I will not be happy with it---in which case, the Roger iWand will be my stylus of choice!

 

[jtrosky]

I just had to post the experience I just had with Jack, the owner at Stylus R' Us... I had purchased a stylus months ago, and while it worked great, I found I really had no use for one. So I put it away and ended up giving it to Dad for Christmas (which we just celebrated this weekend for many reasons). Unfortunately, there was a small issue with the stylus - so I emailed Jack explaining this situation and I must say, that while his products are simply fantastic, his customer support is even better! All products have issues from time to time, but it's how those issues are handled by the company that truly defines the company. In this case, it was handled better than I could have ever dreamed!!

And like I said, the stylus' are quite simply, the best available. My Dad was (trying) to use a Pogo Sketch and had basically given up on it because of how it constantly "skips" and requires a great deal of pressure to use. He was simply amazed at how well the Stylus R' Us stylus worked with virtually no effort whatsoever.

ANd now they have the "telescoping" stylus that grow to be super long if/when needed - they are REALLY awesome!! CHeck them out - if you don't, you are really missing out, trust me!

 

[zorah]

Thanks pluto6 for clarifying those issues about the Stylus-R-Us product line. I found the close up photo of the SRU stylus and it clearly does not look like felt - it's some kind of man-made fibrous material which Jack could of described in some mannor to satisfy my curiosity. I still don't like the idea of a stylus tip that may needs some kind of maintenance if I'm just pressing down a little to hard on it... sorry, this stylus isn't going on my shopping list.

I own the Targus, Pogo and now a Roger iWand. The material of the Roger is not like the Pogo. Looks similar, but it's clearly different. Even though it is recommended to fluff before you use, just for kicks, I didn't, and it worked right out of the box. I did a light run over on the velcro after, just for the heck of it. It was nothing. Mind you, I'm used to two months of the Targus, (which I've been just fine with) and the switch to the Roger was nothing, like a duck to water for me. I'm not an easy sell either. I used the Pogo a number of times, and it's awful. The Targus is decent, and people seem happy with it, and yes, I like it too, but the Roger trumps it for me, and I'm very fussy. I didn't know what I would think not having to press hard, but all I can say is, I just did it; think feather. Effortless. I like having less pressure on my expensive device anyway.

 

[CraigHohnberger]

I've had the Stylus-R-Us "Camry" for about 2 weeks now and I absolutely LOVE it! You barely touch the screen and it works great... I use it with the NotesPlus app for taking notes and am actually making good headway in my transistion to going paperless.

Just returned from 2 conferences back-to-back and it worked flawlessly, taking 80+ pages of notes with it. The other people around with iPads who were still using their fingers or trying to use a rubber-tipped stylus were getting more and more frustrated and more and more jealous by the day. One guy was using a Pulse electronic pen which captures notes on a drive that can be downloaded and he gave my iPad and the Stylus-R-Us a whirl and he's a raving fan now and buying the combo too.

I went through several other brands like Pogo and Griffin with the hard rubber tips and they didn't work very well at all and didn't last either. This is by far the best product on the market and for the extra $15 compared to other products is well well worth it, especially considering I am using it on a machine that cost $500 and it is legitimately allowing me to stop buying and using paper.

The matting down of the fibers really isn't an issue... the stylus comes with a small piece of velcro I stuck to the inside of my iPad case and I probably only roll the stylus over it a few times a week for only a second or two and the fibers are totally refreshed. Way less time and energy than trying to get other stylii to wrk at all consistently.

btw - the NotesPlus app is fantastic, allowing you to audio record meetings that syncs right to where you were taking notes, email notes as a pdf to clients or employees and even upload quickly to google docs. But, it was cumbersome at best until I got the Stylus-R-Us - the combination makes it very powerful.

I also am not affiliated with the company at all. Actually, my guess is the owner, Jack, has a relatively small team. He is very involved and personally answered all questions I had very quickly. His enthusiasm and responsiveness are are tremendous, but the sheer quality of the product sells itself once you try it.