As promised...

My obligatory post regarding styluses! I know, they're not apps, and I told myself I wouldn't get into accessories... but seeing as how I use a stylus on a daily basis in conjunction with apps, I decided it's okay.

I've personally owned and tried 4 different brands, so those are what I'll review here.

The first stylus I ever bought was the Pogo Sketch by Ten One Design. It has a foam-type nib that works with high capacitive touch screens, a metal pocket clip and comes in 4 metallic colors: pink, orange, green, and silver.



If you want something that you can take with you, this one will do the job. Other than that, this is not the one I would give my highest recommendation. I had it for a few months, and the nib wore down, which made me feel like the metal base was going to scratch my glass screen. It's also quite narrow - much skinnier than a normal No. 2 pencil - and made my hand cramp when I needed to take notes for a long period of time. Does it write? Yes. But not my favorite stylus. This one will set you back $14.95.

I give it a 2 on the tasty meter.





The second stylus I bought was the AluPen by Just Mobile. After having my hand cramp so much from the Pogo, I was anxious to get my hands on this chunky stylus.



The AluPen is reminiscent of those big crayons or pencils we had as children while learning to write. It is made of lightweight aluminum, has a rubber nib, and comes in six colors: red, gold, blue, green, black, and silver.

I found that the rubber nib works much better than foam, but this pen was quite skittish for me. It didn't always track with me while I wrote, leaving my lower-case a's looking like u's. It also doesn't have any kind of clip or lanyard, so I had to carry it around in my pocket or purse. A little annoying if I didn't have pockets or a purse. It worked much better, and felt better in my hands, so I used this one until my rubber nib cracked.

The AluPen will cost you $24.95, though I've seen some knock-offs for much cheaper. (I don't know if they work the same, however.)

If I could give it 3.5 forks, I would, but 4 will have to do...





My favorite stylus for writing is the third one I purchased, Stylus made by Griffin.



To me, it has the best of all worlds; the rubber nib, the pocket clip, and comes in great colors (or just plain black, if you prefer). It performs beautifully without being skittish, and is about the same width as a pencil so my hand doesn't cramp when I write. Plus, come on, the colors are so pretty! This stylus costs $19.99.

5 forks!





And finally, my 4th stylus, which was not made for writing, but for painting. It is the Nomad Brush.



The handle is made of walnut and carbon, and the bristles a mixture of natural and synthetic fibers. It reacts beautifully and feels so natural in my hand. I can't even think about using a writing stylus to do my digital paintings with, and in fact, the paintings I made in the previous post were all done with the Nomad Brush. I have to admit, I wasn't a believer when I saw the videos before this brush was released, but after buying and using it, I'm in love. If you're a digital artist (or want to be) and you're using an iPad, this stylus is a must. It'll cost you $24.00 and is well worth the price. Do yourself a favor and watch the videos on their website.

I think this rating is obvious:





Whelp, that's all I have! I hope I've helped you on your search for the perfect stylus.




Bon appetit!