Review on BoxWave EverTouch Capacitive Stylus for iPad 4 & 3 - Ultra-Responsive FiberMesh Tip for Smooth Glide & Increased Accuracy (Jet Black) by James Stevenson

I'll try to make this review as objective as possible, although I was really looking forward to this stylus and was disappointed. However, I will be as fair as possible and highlight some of the positive aspects. First, just a quick summary of how I use my stylus: I'm a medical student and annotate my notes with my stylus. This means I do a lot of highlighting, but also a lot of handwritten side notes, so I need good reaction and a good pen to keep up with the fast pace of my lectures. I have used other brands of smooth pens and my most recent and longest running pen was the Griffen pen. Pros: This stylus is long, mimicking the length of a standard pen. This is a huge plus if you're a male or want a more comfortable, natural writing instrument - the tip is VERY hard. That means you always know when and (for the most part) where your pen is on the screen. Because the tip is so hard, it writes extremely smoothly, similar to a very good rollerball pen. .- Dispatched on time and received a day earlier than planned. Cons: - Although the length is good, this pen is VERY light and feels empty and of poor quality. I personally like the heavier pen and don't feel like I can crush it in my hand. My Griffen stylus is a good inch shorter but feels much stronger. Reading about this pen I thought the hardness would be great for responsiveness and would allow for a more accurate pen. Not correct. Since the pen is very hard, you have to use unnatural force when writing. This can be an issue if you're using some sort of Bluetooth keyboard stand or thinner iPad stand, since you're forced to use your other hand to support the iPad when you're typing with the stylus. The surface is so smooth it actually REDUCES responsiveness. There were many times where I wanted to scroll down my notes and use the stylus, but the stylus just glided across the surface and the iPad didn't recognize it. This obviously poses a problem when writing as well. While my writing was slightly faster overall and felt smoother and "nicer", the harshness and smoothness meant I ended up being messier and constantly "fixing" my letters. had to. In other words, I wrote a word, but I had to repeat the letter twice because half of the letter wasn't recognized because the stylus wasn't making enough contact with the screen. Conclusion: I was VERY excited to get this new stylus and ready for a nice upgrade, but I was very disappointed with the performance. The product itself isn't bad, but it's definitely not what I was hoping/expecting. If you're just looking for a stylus to surf the web or play Draw with Friends then this is a good choice (although cheaper styluses will get the job done for a lot less money). But if you're looking for a pen-like stylus and need it to take quick, accurate written notes, this is definitely not for you. Thing is, I didn't want to spend money on a Wacom Bamboo stylus because I don't think a stylus should be that expensive, but now I think Bamboo is the way to go. I will request a refund as soon as I submit this review I will order a Wacom Bamboo Stylus. Again not a bad company or seller but this wasn't the product I was hoping for. UPDATE: After some disappointment with this stylus I ordered a Wacom Bamboo and after using both I honestly changed my mind about Boxwave. ; It's a legitimate competitor to Bamboo and I'd say it's actually better. Pretty much everything about Boxwave is better, except the tip is still larger than Bamboo's (which has the added benefit of being interchangeable but too soft and flexible for my liking). If Boxwave released a new stylus with a pen diameter equal to (or smaller than) Bamboo, not only would I buy it, but I would definitely say that Bamboo is finally dethroned. For now it comes down to whether you want a smaller pen for more precise writing, although Boxwave is arguably just as accurate. If it used to be rated 3 stars, it now has 5 stars in my book.