Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus vs.

At some point, you will lose or break the pen that came with your tablet and to keep yourself from freaking out, you'll want to have a backup. Thankfully, because it seems that all tablets have standardized on the Wacom Bamboo Feel technology, there are plenty of replacement alternatives available. The standard by which all styluses are measured is the one that Wacom makes itself: the Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus. Considering that this one comes from the Mothership itself, how does the Bamboo Feel Stylus stack up against the other pens out there?

First off: the Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus is similar but not exactly the same as the ones used on the Cintiq. The Feel license technology has about half of the pressure levels of the pens used with the Cintiq and apparently they do not have tilt detection (I haven't seen the feature advertised anywhere, possibly if a manufacturer decided to add the feature to their pens the Feel API would support it) but it does have eraser functionality and you can make the pen any shape or size you like (which is why there is so much variety out there). -- Please note that eraser functionality is only available if the company that makes/sells the pen provides it.

The Toshiba TruePen has what LOOKS like a pen cap, but doesn't.
The Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus actually has a cap.
So you don't get any electronic ink on your shirt.

The Samsung Galaxy Note ships with that thin, flattened creature that we've all grown to know so well. The best feature of that pen is that it doesn't feel hollow and it stores - very conveniently - into the body of the tablet. Personally, I don't find the pen especially exciting to use and it's probably best left to emergencies or just generally farting around on the tablet.

The stylus that ships with the Galaxy Note at the top, compared
to the Toshiba TruPen stylus (bottom).

There is an official replacement pen for the Galaxy Note available, and it's quite an improvement on the stock unit. The Galaxy Note Genuine Wacom Touch Pen Stylus is larger and easier to hold and it sports an actual eraser. It's still a little bit on the slender side, but some people may be fine with that.

It ain't sexy, but it works.

The pen that ships with the Toshiba Excite Write is very similar to the Samsung replacement pen. Called the "TruPen" stylus, the Toshiba's chunky barrel has a subtle organic curvature that fits the hand well. The plastic exterior is similar to some Intuos pens and although it's smooth, it's grippy and can be easily rotated to locate the function button in or out of the palm. The TruPen comes with the soft felt nib, which gives a great approximation of felt tip marker on smooth paper. The only faults I could level against it are that it's a bit on the slippery side, and it feels a little light due to its construction, so fans of heavy pens take note.

I'd say it's a little sexier, and it feels good in the hand, too.

Although it doesn't use Wacom-based technology (it uses N-trig), the SONY VAIO Active Pen is worth comparing to as it has a cylindrical barrel and a slightly pebbled finish, and feels about the same as the rest although it does not have an eraser. It has a nice heft to it, but it - like the Samsung replacement - is on the skinny side and may not be comfortable over extended use. Also, I don't know if it will do this on all tablets, but I found that the nib of the Active Pen causes a painful squeaking noise when drawn quickly in large arcs on the VAIO tablets. Whether that was the cause of the nib, the way the nib is clamped down, the screen itself, or D) all of the above it marred an otherwise decent experience.

...and it totally doubles as a sci-fi weapon prop.

Lastly, we have the Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus itself. It comes in two models (three, if you count "white finish" as a model): the Carbon stylus, which has a carbon fiber barrel; and the regular Feel Stylus, which comes in white or black. These pens are made better than the rest, that is for certain. The design, attention to detail, and the materials make the pen a Lamborghini to the others' Toyota. The barrel is perfectly cylindrical on these pens and on the non-carbon model, the finish is extremely matte. So matte, that it almost dries your hand out as you're drawing. People who get overly-excited while drawing scantily-clad warrior princesses will appreciate this feature. The Bamboo Feel also sports a handy cap, as dropping any one of these pens on its nib could cause the whole shebang to stop working. The nib it ships with is a nylon one, and although it works great and will last a long time, I feel that the felt nibs are the way to go if you want any kind of appreciable "tooth".Oddly, the Wacom Feel Stylus does not include an eraser feature. The lack of this feature is puzzling, because all of the tablets that license the technology presumably support it!

At the end of the day, ALL of these pens sell for $39. Although you *might* be able to find one in a bargain bin somewhere (Marshall's, Target, whatever), you will in all likelihood have to spring for one at full price. Of the options available, if you want a light pen that has all of the functions and isn't a simple cylinder, then the Toshiba TruePen is a good one to go for and I find myself constantly returning to it. If you want a sexy, high-tech stylus that looks every bit as good as that manga robot you're drawing, go for the Bamboo Feel.