If you have an iPad, a stylus is a useful and inexpensive accessory. It makes it easier to highlight documents, sign your name and draw, and even with normal apps that are controlled by tapping, it sometimes feels more precise to use a stylus. (You can also use a stylus with an iPhone, but I consider that useful only in rare circumstances, such as when trying to use an iPhone with gloves on in cold weather.) Last year I reviewed the BoxWave Capacitive Stylus and the Ten One Design Pogo Sketch Stylus. They are both great producs, but I preferred the tip on the BoxWave device. For the last few weeks, I have been trying out review units of two other styluses, the Boxwave Capacitive Styra Pen and the Kensington Virtuoso Touch Screen Stylus and Pen. Both of these are great products that I like better than the two styluses that I reviewed last year.
These products offer two advantages over the styluses that I reviewed last year. First, you can remove the cap on both devices to reveal a pen. There have been times in the past when I have had a stylus in my shirt pocket and needed a pen (or someone asked me for one) and it was annoying to not have one. If you are carrying around the Virtuoso or the Styra, you have a pen for when you need it. Although the Virtuoso is slightly longer than the Styra with the caps attached, with the caps removed they are exactly the same size. Note that unlike some pens, you cannot attach the cap to the back of the pen (over the capacitive tip) when you are writing.
In terms of writing quality, the pens are identical. Both use a standard Parker refill so it should be cheap and easy to replace the ink cartridge when one runs dry.
The second advantage of the Virtuoso and the Styra over the styluses that I reviewed last year is the length. The standard BoxWave stylus and the Pogo Sketch Stylus are quite small, not that much longer than a golf pencil. They are just long enough to feel fine in your hand when in use, but now that I have tried the Virutoso and the Styra, I find that the longer length really feels much better in my hand. Even if you never use the pen function, I would still recommend either of these for the additional length. The Kensington Virtuoso is slightly longer than the BoxWave Styra, but frankly I found either length sufficient. To show the lengths, here are (from top to bottom) a Sanford Uniball pen, a Mont Blanc pen, the Kensington Virtuoso, the BoxWave Styra and the BoxWave Capacative Stylus that I reviewed last year:
One other advantage of the Virtuoso and the Styra is that they do not contain that metal loop at the top for attaching a string; I found the string useless and the loop at the top of the normal BoxWave stylus just got in the way. The BoxWave Styra and the Kensington Virtuoso have a smooth top which is much better.
Comparing the Virtuoso to the Styra is difficult because both are great. The rubber stylus tips on these two products feel identical. The Virtuoso is slightly longer, but as I said above, in my testing that hasn't proved to be any real advantage. Having said that, the slightly longer clip on the Virtuoso made it slightly easier to use than the clip on the Styra.
Another difference is the finish. The Virtuoso has a matte finish whereas the Styra has a shiny gloss finish (like my Mont Blanc pen). I suppose the matte finish gives you a slightly better grip, but it is not a huge difference. You can get the Styra in black or white, but the Virtuoso only comes in black.
There is a slight difference in price. The list price of the BoxWave Styra ($32.95) is higher than the Kensington Virtuoso ($24.95) but if you buy from Amazon, the Styra is $22.95 and the Virtuoso is $19.95, not much of a difference.
If I had to choose, I might give the slight edge to the Kensington Virtuoso because I slightly (but only slightly) prefer the matte finish, the longer length, and the somewhat cheaper price, but all of these differences are very minor and I frankly am happy using either stylus. Now that I have both of them, I just reach for whichever one is closer to me.
If you own an iPad or an iPad 2, I recommend that you get either the Kensington Virtuoso or the BoxWave Capacitive Styra. Both are well-made, useful products. They are more expensive than the $15 BoxWave and $8 Pogo Sketch styluses that I reviewed last year, so if you are not sure how much you really will use a stylus you might want to get one of those because they are less expensive. But having used them all, I think that most people would be much happier with the Virtuoso or the Styra.
One final note: is it possible that there is an even better iPad stylus out there, either on the market now or coming soon? I find it hard to imagine improving very much on the Virtuoso or the Styra, but that is why I am a lawyer and not an inventor. Earlier this week, two inventors in New York unveiled an idea called the Cosmonaut, essentially a stylus that is the size of a marker instead of a pen. If you click here, you can see their Kickstarter page on which they explain their invention, arguing that an iPad is more like a white board and thus something that feels like a marker works better. If and when their idea becomes a shipping product, I'll be curious to find out if they are right. One concern that I have is that the Cosmonaut looks far too big to put into my shirt pocket, whereas the thin Virtuoso and Styra with their clips do that job quite well.
Click here to get the Kensington Virtuoso on Amazon ($19.95).
Click here to get the BoxWave Capactivie Styra on Amazon ($22.95).
