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ApplelaCarte

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 16, 2012
4
0
Hey guys,

I'm getting the Ipad 4 soon and I was wondering, what is the best stylus for notes? Thanks.
 

robdam1001

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2008
998
2
That post describes various styluses for drawing and what not. I just want everyone's opinion on what the best is for writing. Many say its the Bamboo, Maglus, or even Jot Pro. I want something reliable and fast.

I don't draw at all...only write.
 

Misc Energy

macrumors newbie
Jan 14, 2013
9
0
Just know you get what you pay for. So I really wouldn't buy the $1 ones you see. Two quality stylus are Wacom Bamboo ($28) and amPen ($9). I never tried these for long term use so I don't know much about the durability. although lots of reviews say they are both good.

http://supremeskins.com/top-3-ipad-styluses/

They are both well built, lightweight, and smooth when writing. Wacom pretty much specializes in digital pens which is the reason for the high price. Just know an iPad is an expensive device, I wouldn't want to rub a cheap stick on mine hah.
 

Solomani

macrumors 601
Sep 25, 2012
4,785
10,477
Slapfish, North Carolina
Does anyone with iPad+Stylus experience know if having an iPad screen protector (one of those clear screen protectors) would interfere with the stylus at all? Would it decrease the writing precision of the stylus?
 

Luis2004

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2012
615
1
I wouldn't get the Jot Pro. A lot of the reviews on Amazon are complaining about it scratching up the screen.
 

GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,127
2,434
Very happy with my Bamboo.
Recently got a Maglus. It's a little heavier, but that's exactly why I like it even more for writing (needs less pressure).
Bamboo is still my favorite when drawing.

One issue that became clear to me when comparing the two: the Bamboo tip being quite soft, sometimes causes the metal shaft above it to touch the glass surface - at least if you tilt and press it just enough so the rubber gives in a little. The Maglus tip is sturdier, no problem there.
 

macandmercedes

macrumors member
Jan 10, 2013
34
0
New York
Very happy with my Bamboo.
Recently got a Maglus. It's a little heavier, but that's exactly why I like it even more for writing (needs less pressure).
Bamboo is still my favorite when drawing.

One issue that became clear to me when comparing the two: the Bamboo tip being quite soft, sometimes causes the metal shaft above it to touch the glass surface - at least if you tilt and press it just enough so the rubber gives in a little. The Maglus tip is sturdier, no problem there.

Thanks for sharing. I'm going to check out the Maglus myself ;)
 

BHP41

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2010
834
2
United States of America
I've tried many including the bamboo. I recently picked up a Nook stylus from Barnes & Noble. The round one with a pen on the other end. It's working very well, very light touch to register and is the size of an actual pen so feels natural in your hand. Only issue I foresee is the end wearing out and it's not replaceable.
 

kandavu

macrumors member
May 10, 2012
60
5
I looked at the Nomad Compose, liked the conductive bristles approach for drawing & painting. At $35.00, I wasn't in a hurry to get one... quite just yet.
Having viewed a few YouTube make your own stylus clips, I discovered the existence of conductive thread & that you could buy some at etsy.com ($8.00 for a small spool). I took a 3 foot length of thread, folded it in to a small loop, pinched one end and fed it into a technical drawing pencil. And voila! A working stylus that is truly multi-purpose. The threads also sweep any schmootz off the iPad surface. I've been using them for months and my display has not been scratched.
 

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Cptnodegard

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2013
393
34
I have (had) a ton, including a couple of bamboos, magluses, arctic accessories styli (architect and emote), alupen, jot, and more. I use them exclusively for writing as both a student and a teacher.

My daily driver is the Maglus V2. Great accuracy, feel, weight, etc, and if you have a Smart Cover, the magnetic functionality is great.

Other than that, I'm personally curious about the Pogo Connect, which I haven't used myself. It's a Bluetooth equipped stylus that interacts with compatible apps to provide pen pressure (pretty useless for writing) and palm rejection (very useful for writing).

I'd personally grab a Maglus as a placeholder while seeing both how app development and reviews treat the Pogo Connect, as the Maglus is hard to go wrong with either way. Lots of great styli out there, the Maglus just pulls a bit ahead on pretty much all the points in my book.
 

planetprice

macrumors newbie
Feb 4, 2013
1
0
I'm all for the TruGlide stylus sold by Lynktec! It's a fantastic product. Really like that it has a microfiber tip, instead of the usual rubber or foam tips.
 

jeffafro

macrumors newbie
Jul 6, 2013
1
0
Best stylus ever

I just got my new Jukestyle stylus in the mail and I love it. I have tried a few styluses and I think it is better than all these in my opinion. Check it out at http://www.jukestyle.com
 
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GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,127
2,434
Over the past 2 months my Maglus has become close to useless.
The tip needs a lot more pressure to register at all, and the rubber flaps that cover the shaft magnets have started to move up and down, causing the glue underneath to cover the whole shaft. Also, they get caught by other stuff on my desk (like sheets of paper).
I could try to fix things, even get rid of the flaps and even install the replacement tip. But then there's the odd shape still, I haven't got used to.

My Bamboo is still a much better stylus all round, but I already noted the risk of the metal shaft touching the screen.

So yesterday I ordered the Lynktec Truglide Pro. Really looking forward to it, hoping it can replace all others.
 

Ledgem

macrumors 68020
Jan 18, 2008
2,034
924
Hawaii, USA
I've tried three stylus types so far, with and without a screen protector (from an Otterbox Defender case, iPad Mini):

A generic rubber-tip stylus: the most sensitive, hands down. If you're in a "mission critical" setting and you're worried about your primary stylus failing on you, keep one of these as a backup. It provides the most resistance, whether on the plain iPad screen or on a screen protector. I worry every day that mine will rupture due to heavy use, but it's holding up so far.

A generic (eBay) mesh-tip stylus: excellent on a bare iPad screen, it glides much more easily than the rubber-tip stylus and the tip appears sturdier (although it still bends in just as easily). I need to use a bit more pressure when writing with it, but the apparent durability makes up for it. However, it doesn't work well with a screen protector.

An Adonit Jot Pro (dampening tip version): this gets a failing rating from me so far. Fresh out of the box the stylus wasn't registering on the screen regularly, with or without a screen protector. I contacted Adonit, who sent me three replacement tips at no extra charge (still waiting on them). In the mean time I tried the "thermal paste" fix and was rewarded with a day and a half of reliable writing usage, but then the stylus went back to registering irregularly on the screen even with cleaning and re-application of thermal paste. When it worked it was a delight to use, handling well and sliding across the screen (even with screen protector) very easily. Thanks to the tip type I also felt that I had greater accuracy and could write smaller (and thus, faster). But reliability is critical; I can't afford to have the pen stop registering with so many strokes (not to mention that it's an incredibly frustrating sensation, to write a stroke and have nothing appear). I wish I could say that this is a one-in-a-million defect but there are literally hundreds of complaints about this issue online. I will be thrilled if the replacement tips fix the issue, but the product was new and is one of the more expensive styluses on the market: this experience has been pretty disappointing.

Update: tips arrived, didn't fix the issue. Adonit support gets full marks from me as they are sending out a replacement part and will continue to work with me if that fails as well. I just hope the product can match their customer service.
 
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arashb

macrumors 6502
May 3, 2009
256
0
I was you a few months ago. Here's what I've concluded with from experience.

Bamboo + screen protector = sucks
Bamboo - screen protector = okay, nothing I'd pay more than $5 for
Jot - screen protector = beautiful writing, but tiny micro scratches :[
Jot + power support USA = perfect everything

Currently I use the Adonit Jot Touch 4, I love it. I can write just as fast as I normally would. Sure I spent $120 on the Jot + screen protector but I actually take notes in class and don't fall asleep now. Last quarter I used it for about an hour a day of pure writing in one of my classes. And currently in the summer I take notes for 2 hours a day, twice a week, never falling behind.

I tried the bamboo during class when I had a screen protector on and it needed a lot of pressure to write with, my hand got tired too quick to be able to continue taking notes. Without the screen protector it definitely needed less pressure but it wasn't very satisfying to write with.

I'm sure the non-bluetooth jots are great for writing but I really wanted actual palm rejection.



Oh and so far I haven't had to apply any "thermal paste fix" on my Jot and I've had it since release day. No skipping or anything yet, hopefully it was a design flaw that they've fixed with these.
 
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GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,127
2,434
Today, sooner than expected, I received my Lynktec TruGlide Pro.
I plan on giving it a thorough test in the coming days at the office.
Maybe I'll write a review afterwards.
First impression = very positive :)
 
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