So, it seems like the iPad stylus getting all the attention and adoration is the Pogo Sketch Stylus. Having just spent a week using it, I can honestly say it's a piece of crap. The tip is overly soft and flops back and forth while you write. It also requires that you press entirely too hard before the iPad senses it. I now take all my meeting notes on my iPad, and the Pogo Sketch was too thin which, combined with the amount of pressure required, makes longer note-taking sessions actually a bit painful.
So, at my co-worker's suggestion, I ordered the BoxWave stylus. It's a thousand times better. The tip is more firm and rounded, so it doesn't move while using it. It feels more like a real pen, instead of a bad paintbrush. I suppose it costs a few bucks more, but it's worth it. Going from the Pogo Sketch to the BoxWave was like going from a Toyota Yaris to an Audi R8.
Actually, that's insulting to the Toyota... BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus (Jet Black)
I was debating between the less expensive pogo sketch and this Boxwave stylus. I made the right choice. A co-worker of mine purchased the pogo sketch and we tested both pens on our notebook applications on the iPad. The Boxwave pen was easily registered by multiple different notebook programs on the iPad at a normal writing angle. The pogo sketch required an odd (almost perpendicular) angle to be picked up consistently. It is more expensive (at least when I purchased) but the Boxwave stylus is my clear choice since it is the more practical stylus for anyone who wants to use the stylus to write on the iPad on a regular basis.
I used the pogo stylus for two months before I lost it. Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I decided to check out the boxwave. Paired with penultimate, the best sketchbook and note taking app on the iPad, I no longer use pen and paper. It's that good. The tip on boxwave is far more responsive and the body of the pen feels substantial. Apple should adopt this as an official accessory for the iPad.
I had bought the Pogo Stylus and within a day the clip broke off. A couple of weeks later I ordered this Boxwave stylus from Amazon and it turned out to be significantly better and actually usable without fatiguing my hand. The key differences are:
1. The Pogo tip is soft like a sponge so it moves back and forth (often I thought the tip would fall off) and it requires too much pressure on the iPad. The Boxwave tip is a firmer and smoother material and is rounded; it does not require as much pressure for the iPad to consistently recognize it. The tip also does not move around when writing. Great for drawing and handwriting recognition.
2. The Pogo stylus is too thin so it is very difficult to use for extended periods especially with the extra pressure it requires; the hand get fatigued quickly. I stopped using the Pogo after the first couple of days. The Boxwave is the right thickness and weight so on the iPad it feels like using a pencil or a pen.
3. The plastic clip on the Pogo broke off the first day. The Boxwave has a stronger metal clip.
4. The Boxwave stylus has a removable, short lanyard that attaches the pen to the headphone jack of the iPad so you don't lose it. (but you do have to pull it out to use because the lanyard is not long enough). The Pogo stylus has no lanyard.
The Boxwave stylus is definitely worth the extra money and it comes in four different colors.
My first impression of taking this out of the case is that I was going to drop it. It seemed too light for a writing implement, not heavy enough to stay in my hand. I thought this was just the nature of the beast but my husband picked up a Targus Stylus and -- even though it has the same tip -- the barrel is heavier and textured and easier to hold.
The tip is excellent, though, and it works very well. It's the soft, rubbery kind of tip and I didn't feel like it was harming the screen of my iPad at all. I would have liked it had it only weighed a little more.
This stylus is 4 1/4" long from the tip that touches the iPad screen to the end, not including the part to which the included holder comes attached (the string part that can be inserted into the iPad audio out jack). A Mont Blanc ballpoint pen I own is 5 1/2" long (when the ballpoint tip is retracted).
I have large hands, so although I would prefer a larger capacitive iPad stylus because it would be easier for me to comfortably hold, I do appreciate that the tip of the stylus allows me more (though less than ideal) accuracy when handwriting, drawing, and painting on the iPad (using apps such as Penultimate and Sketchbook Pro) than I can get with my fairly broad fingertips.
I removed the string thing as soon as I got the stylus, as it felt funny to use the stylus with that thing hanging off it, and I don't really see where I would need to have the stylus physically attached to the iPad (plus I'm a tad reticent about putting anything in the audio out jack other than audio plugs). The string thing, in case you're interested, is about 2" long.
This is the first capacitive iPad stylus I've owned and while I expected a stubby tip (unlike the tips on styluses for electronics with non-capacitive screens such as Nintendo DS and Wacom pen tablets), I didn't know how stubby it would be. It's a heck of a lot smaller (less stubby) than the tips of my pinkies. The stylus tip is just a little larger in diameter than the unused eraser on a generic pencil (an Eberhard Faber American 2 HB). And the stylus tip is apparently hollow and is a dome-like shape. Pressing it with a fingertip is kind of like touching the rubber end of a very small medicine dropper; it has that kind of give. (After writing this review I had to see if the rubber bulb of a medicine dropper would work on an iPad screen. The screen didn't respond at all.)
If and when my BoxWave stylus wears out (or I lose it, or more likely in my case, I step on it and crush it - klutz that I am, I dropped it in the toilet since writing this, it survived after being rinsed, then towel dried and dried with a hair drier), I will investigate other brands before buying a replacement, in hopes that I could find a longer (more standard pen size) capacitive stylus. Like most of accessories for the iPad on the market, this accessory is overpriced, but I'm nevertheless glad I purchased it because it does enable me to do things on my iPad that I could not otherwise do (when using apps such as the ones I mention above). I should add that I do not as of yet have a screen protector on my iPad, so I cannot comment on how this stylus works on an iPad that has a screen protector. In addition to making it easier for me to use handwriting, drawing, and painting apps on the iPad, it also makes it easier for me to tap precise locations when necessary, such as when using the Safari browser.'
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