Review: Handsome Ballpoint Pen With Squishy-Soft Stylus Tip
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2014
Touchscreen styluses are not all alike.  Besides color, there are subtle differences in sensitivity, length, barrel size, weight, and attachment clips or lanyards.  The latest stylus trend seems to be ballpoint-pen/stylus combinations, like this MOSHI STANZA DUO (2-in-1 DUAL STYLUS AND PEN).The ballpoint-pen/stylus barrel has a handsome brushed-silver finish.  With pen retracted, the combo is 5" long; at 0.77 ounce it seems a little heavy for long tablet sessions.  There is a pocket clip--twisting the barrel retracts the clip into the barrel and extends the ballpoint pen for writing (a noteworthy design feature!). The pen has a smooth-writing, medium-fine point that I like quite well.  The barrel pulls apart easily for  replacement of the ink cartridge.  The 1-1/4" barrel is comfortable to hold, either as a pen or as a stylus.Unfortunately, the stylus is not unusually sensitive, and it's squishy-soft.  Touch a tablet screen with anything but the lightest pressure, and the silicone nib totally collapses, allowing the hard end of the stylus to contact the screen.  Although the tablet screen is protected from scratches and/or breakage by the rubbery nib (at least while the nib is new), the feeling of metal stylus on touchscreen is quite unpleasant.  I associate this sort of collapsing nib with ultra-cheap styluses (e.g.,10 Pcs Stylus Set), rather than with advanced-design writing instruments.  The package includes an extra silicone stylus tip--to install it, you unscrew the stylus end, pull off the old nib, pull on the new nib, and screw the stylus end back on.A pen/stylus combination that I like much better, because of the solid stylus tips, is theamPen Hybrid 3-in-1 Stylus. For a stylus without a pen, I like theAmazonBasics Stylus for Touchscreen Devicesmuch better.  Because of the soft stylus tip that completely flattens with minimal pressure, I rate this MOSHI STANZA DUO at 2 stars ("I don't like it" on the official Amazon scale).