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TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
The Bamboo is the only stylus I own or have ever used. It seems like I have to press fairly hard to get it to "write" in apps like Notability, SketchBookX, or GoodNotes, especially compared to how lightly I can write with my finger.

Is the tip noticeably distorted before you see "ink"? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, do you think just the weight of the stylus would be enough to write?

Thanks for any input.

Regards,
Tom
 

Lorenf

macrumors newbie
Jan 16, 2013
2
0
I have no problem with it. I have two: Wacom Bamboo and Wacom Bamboo Stylus duo. Regards.
 

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,056
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
The Bamboo is the only stylus I own or have ever used. It seems like I have to press fairly hard to get it to "write" in apps like Notability, SketchBookX, or GoodNotes, especially compared to how lightly I can write with my finger.

Is the tip noticeably distorted before you see "ink"? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, do you think just the weight of the stylus would be enough to write?

Thanks for any input.

Regards,
Tom

Wacom sells firm and soft tips, you should try them and see if it makes a difference.
 

GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,124
2,428
I recently got a Maglus. Heavier, and with a sturdier rubber tip. As a result, it's a better writing tool IMHO.
The Bamboo is still my favorite for drawing/sketching though.
 

TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
Thanks for the responses. I'm not so concerned about how much the tip is deforming; just using that as a measure of how hard I'm pressing. I guess the problem is that one person's "pressing really hard" is another's "seems fine".

I may try another one when I return this one to Best Buy, just in case I got a defective one.

For anyone that just happens to have an ohmmeter nearby, I do not get a resistance reading when probing the stylus tip (???).

Regards,
Tom
 

Luis2004

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2012
615
1
I recently got a Maglus. Heavier, and with a sturdier rubber tip. As a result, it's a better writing tool IMHO.
The Bamboo is still my favorite for drawing/sketching though.

I'm using a Boxwave mesh stylus right now, but not liking it for handwriting. There's no tactile feel since it's too smooth on the screen.

Where can I buy the Maglus? Just from Applydea's website?

Also, is the tip smaller or bigger than the Bamboo?

I'm thinking of going with a Bamboo since it's sold locally at Staples.
 

GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,124
2,428
I'm using a Boxwave mesh stylus right now, but not liking it for handwriting. There's no tactile feel since it's too smooth on the screen.

Where can I buy the Maglus? Just from Applydea's website?

Also, is the tip smaller or bigger than the Bamboo?

I'm thinking of going with a Bamboo since it's sold locally at Staples.

I ordered my stylus on the Applydea website, I think it's the only way. Took about 3 days to ship to Belgium (as advertised).
The tip (7mm) is a bit thicker than the Bamboo (6mm). That and the shaft shape took some getting used to, but in the end I prefer it over the Bamboo for handwriting notes. And yes, given it's weight, the Maglus needs less pressure to write.
 
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GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,124
2,428
If I remember correctly, I read on a review of the Hand stylus that 4mm was the minimum size the iPad would respond to. The Hand stylus tip being exactly that in diameter, means you have to push it harder than a larger tip.
At the same time, it means that larger tips need less pressure (Bamboo 6mm, Maglus 7mm).
 

TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
Thanks again for all the responses. I made a video that might give an idea of how much I'm having to press. If you have a Bamboo stylus with normal tip, you can probably tell how much I'm pressing by how much the tip is deforming. Note that the whole time I "writing" in GoodNotes.

Does that look reasonable?

Thanks,
Tom
 

Luis2004

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2012
615
1
Thanks again for all the responses. I made a video that might give an idea of how much I'm having to press. If you have a Bamboo stylus with normal tip, you can probably tell how much I'm pressing by how much the tip is deforming. Note that the whole time I "writing" in GoodNotes.

Does that look reasonable?

Thanks,
Tom

That looks terrible! I was about to purchase a Bamboo stylus tomorrow for some note taking I need to do this weekend, and that is definitely giving me pause.

It looks like garbage.

No offense, of course.
 

TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
That looks terrible! I was about to purchase a Bamboo stylus tomorrow for some note taking I need to do this weekend, and that is definitely giving me pause.
Well, don't rule it out just yet. I'm really leaning towards the possibility that I just got a bad one based on a couple videos I just saw. The problem is I don't have any other stylii to compare it to. In your case, I can't imagine that it would be that much different than your current stylus.

Regards,
Tom
 

Cptnodegard

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2013
393
34
I've had more styli than I can remember, including two Bamboos, V1 and V2 Maglus, a couple of Architect styli, an Emote, some Griffin junk, Jot (the big NOT), Alupen, etc. I can tell you right away from the video that it's NOT normal. However, these nibs do get worn out. You can buy a 3-pack of replacement nibs for the Bamboo and it should fix your problem, otherwise your iPad is messed up.

On a sidenote, my daily driver is the Maglus V2. Larger nib, but still more accurate IMHO.
 

GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,124
2,428
Thanks again for all the responses. I made a video that might give an idea of how much I'm having to press. If you have a Bamboo stylus with normal tip, you can probably tell how much I'm pressing by how much the tip is deforming. Note that the whole time I "writing" in GoodNotes.

Does that look reasonable?

Thanks,
Tom

Not reasonable at all, and not my experience either. The response should me much better.
I hope you'll sort it out, please keep us posted if possible.
 

TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
Not reasonable at all, and not my experience either. The response should me much better.
I hope you'll sort it out, please keep us posted if possible.

Thanks to all for the feedback -- I really didn't think this could be normal, but I had no good way of knowing. I'll be returning it to Best Buy in the next couple of days, and will bring my Mini with to test other models. I'll also test on the display iPads to see if that makes a difference.

Regards,
Tom
 

Luis2004

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2012
615
1
Just got the Bamboo stylus, and spent a good amount of time handwriting in Noteshelf with it.

Your experience is definitely not normal, you may have a defective unit.

However, I don't see a noticeable difference between this and the Boxwave Evertouch I also use. At $30, I don't think it's worth it. I think I'm returning it and ordering a Maglus.
 

Munkypoo7

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2011
449
71
Hanover, MD
Just got the Bamboo stylus, and spent a good amount of time handwriting in Noteshelf with it.

Your experience is definitely not normal, you may have a defective unit.

However, I don't see a noticeable difference between this and the Boxwave Evertouch I also use. At $30, I don't think it's worth it. I think I'm returning it and ordering a Maglus.

The Maglus is on a 5-6day shipping delay. Just ordered mine two days ago and got an email saying they're backed up and supplies are extremely limited due to the holiday season.

Just letting you know is all...I can't wait for mine to arrive :D
 

Luis2004

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2012
615
1
The Maglus is on a 5-6day shipping delay. Just ordered mine two days ago and got an email saying they're backed up and supplies are extremely limited due to the holiday season.

Just letting you know is all...I can't wait for mine to arrive :D

Yep, got the same email. It's okay, I will make do with the bamboo til then.
 

TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
For the sake of closure:

Two days ago I purchased a Targus stylus at Target (the $14.99 model), and it fully meets my expectations. I'd say that confirms that the Bamboo I had must have been defective, as I thought. It also confirms that my cheap screen protector is not an issue, FWIW.

Thanks to all for your input! I haven't done any sketching since my charcoal pencils as a kid (oh, it shows?).

IMG_0303.JPG


Regards,
Tom
p.s. the sketch after this one came out kinda blurry :rolleyes:
 

GerritV

macrumors 68020
May 11, 2012
2,124
2,428
Too bad about the defective Bamboo, but glad to hear you're happy with the Targus.
BTW, what app did you use for the drawing?
 

TJ61

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
811
3
Too bad about the defective Bamboo, but glad to hear you're happy with the Targus.
BTW, what app did you use for the drawing?

I used the free SketchBookX. I looked at ProCreate (probably based on your comments in another thread?), but $4.99 seems a little steep for my ability level. :D

RenoG said:
Cool sketch bro...

Thanks!

Regards,
Tom
 

rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
For the sake of closure:

Two days ago I purchased a Targus stylus at Target (the $14.99 model), and it fully meets my expectations. I'd say that confirms that the Bamboo I had must have been defective, as I thought. It also confirms that my cheap screen protector is not an issue, FWIW.

Thanks to all for your input! I haven't done any sketching since my charcoal pencils as a kid (oh, it shows?).

Image

Regards,
Tom
p.s. the sketch after this one came out kinda blurry :rolleyes:

Nice job. I have excellent handwriting with my Bamboo but suck horribly at any shapes.
 

THX10538

macrumors newbie
Sep 19, 2010
13
0
I use GoodNotes everyday, so I am very demanding on my stylus. First I got a iFaraday Artist with the firm tip, but the firmness of the tip actually required progressively harder presses, to the point that it was nearly useless. I've sent it back to Rustle to get it replaced with the regular (not firm) tip to see if that works better. While I'm waiting, I bought a BoxWave Evertouch and it is pretty fantastic, I use it every day, has a nice weight to it, and sticks to the magnets on the side of my mini. However, the fibermesh is progressively wearing out, especially because I use the stylus constantly. I've recently ordered a Studio Neat cosmonaut, which should be coming in today. I finally went with the Cosmonaut because of it's robust nature and the overwhelming number of positive reviews on amazon. I know it's not the most popular here, but I'm eager to try it. I know that I prefer the smooth-ness of the conductive fiber tips, but they really just put the fabric on top of the rubber, so I'm considering trying to find some of the conductive fiber and cover the Cosmonaut's tip to make it smoother in writing.

I've never tried the Bamboo, so I guess this is an irrelevant post :rolleyes:
 
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