The Targus Stylus for the iDevices (or any tablet that has a capacitive surface) has a basic, no-frills design. The tube is a plain cylinder, there is a pocket clip, a hole for a lanyard (not supplied) and a non-replaceable tip. It comes in some bright colors and is long enough to be comfortable.
My wife bought this stylus on impulse. It was hanging on a rack at Staples, and it caught her eye because it was pink. She likes pink pens because the guys in the office won’t accidentally walk off with — and are loathe to be seen with — a pink pen. The same applies to a stylus.
Image Credit: Targus
This Targus brand is made in Taiwan and appears to to be designed to hang in office supply stores, pen shops, Best Buy, and so on. It offers a simple design, but this model is available in orange, pink, grey, blue and white. (There are some similar designs on the Targus website with different color options.)
The Packaging
The dimensions are 5-1/8 x 3/16-inch with a smooth transition to an 8 mm nib.
This definitely a no-frills stylus at a no-frills price. The clip is ballpoint pen quality, that is, cheap looking. Nor is it removable, as with the Wacom Bamboo. The nib is neither replaceable or retractable.
However, there are some things to like about this stylus. The surface has a slightly rougher texture than the Kuel H12, so it’s easier to grip. But it’s still smooth and feels good. The straight, perfect cylindrical design feels taught and technical in your hand compared to a stylus, like the H12, that’s curved outward like a fountain pen. It’s 5-1/8 long, and any stylus that’s over 5 inches is good — a must for me. I don’t like a short stylus, like the Rocketfish.
Targus (top), Kuel H12 (bottom)
The apparent curvature in the photo above is caused by iPhone lens distortion and distance.
Finally, like the Rocketfish, there’s a tiny hole in the cap where one can add a very tiny, almost thread-like lanyard if desired. Like the Rocketfish, no lanyard is included, and that may be one of those OEM options that another company may want to exploit.
So far, this is my wife’s favorite stylus, mostly because it’s pink, simple, and and easy to replace if lost or damaged.
Do I Recommend it?
So far, yes. I haven’t done any long-term testing, so I don’t know about it’s durability. However, it seems to have about the same construction as the other low end styluses I’ve looked at. For an everyday, inexpensive, no-frills stylus, it’ll work just fine. It would serve well as a backup stylus for the office or travel — nothing fancy. Best of all, for the women, it comes in “guy-allergic” pink.
Previously Reviewed
Bamboo Stylus Solo for iPad: Almost Perfect
Rocketfish Stylus for iPad: The Long and Short
Kuel H10 Stylus for iPad: Not so Cool as a Pen
6 Comments Leave Your Own
I’ve used one of these for the past six months and I really like it. Like John I like the length and the feel of it. Mine is lime green, and although I don’t have to worry about someone walking off with it, I do have to worry about finding it on my desk. The color solves that problem.
I’d have to see one in person, but honestly John, that looks like a very mildly branded version of the pens you can buy in bulk on Amazon for less than $1 each. Any chance you can verify that it is even marginally better?
Brad: That’s interesting. So here’s what I’ll do. On my next Amazon order, I’ll throw in one of those $1 styluses and report what I find.
Here is a 3-pack I bought recently. There are all sorts of packs on Amazon in prices from just over $1 to $30 that include some combination of these exact styluses with various barrel colors.
I purchased one of these for personal use and my father who is recovering from a stroke got one to more easily navigate his iPad. Within hours the tips of both styli(?!) lost its capacitative tip with NO IMMEDIATE way of putting it back. Granted my father has grasping and sensory issues so the top “rubbed” off with the pressure he used.
Anyone know of how to put the tip back on?
Mr. Schwarz: Sorry to hear that! Here are some suggestions:
1. As Brad suggested above, buy a three pack of styluses from Amazon for $1.xx each and see if they’re any more (or less) durable.
2. Get a Wacom Bamboo. It’s a little more expensive, but offers a replacement 3-pack of just the nibs for $5. The review is linked to above.
I doubt you can get a warranty replacement because the nibs are probably considered wear-and-tear items.
If you discover anything, let us know.
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