A pressure sensitive stylus with a precise point for your iPad? Could this be it?

I’ll keep this short but sweet. If you are a working artist, you will by now have salivated over various styluses for your iPad to finally be able to take your studio on the road. Or at the very least, do a little sketching while commuting. All of these styluses have claimed to be the be-all and end-all of input devices but. All of them have failed. Yes, all of them. I have tried pretty much every single one that’s available and given up in frustration. Sure, some people actually do use these things professionally. Personally, I’d rather draw with a moist brick than use them ever again.

So, is the Bamboo Stylus Fine Line the answer to your woes? Read on to find out.

To begin with, this thing is sleek and feels almost exactly like a Staedtler Pigment Liner in your hand. For the first time, a stylus that feels like a real pen. But who cares if it can’t perform on the tablet? The iPad registers your finger as input and is designed for that amount of space to be on the screen. All other styluses have had this problem to deal with and have either tried to compensate for – it or give up entirely – presenting you with a big rubber blob at the end of the stylus.

The Fine Line gives you a nice little tip, just under 2mm, resembling a normal pen. It syncs up via Bluetooth to give you pressure sensitivity. And it delivers, registering even the lightest touch. The point is precise. You press down and the line lands right under the tip. But now for the caveat: Only if the app supports it. And right now, only two apps take advantage of it. Yes. Two. Wacom’s own Bamboo app and a PDF app. Damned be Wacom, for they are touting this thing as a PDF markup pen when it can be so much more. There are hints of other apps coming soon, but they are all PDF and note taking apps.

What am I talking about? Well, the technology in the pen needs the app to be compatible for that precise point to work. Otherwise you’ll be presented with an offset of about – you guessed it – a finger tip.

The stylus works beautifully in Bamboo Paper. The Bamboo app is a stunted little app, and users of ProCreate will howl with rage, but it works for now. If you turn off gestures in the iOS settings you can even rest your hand on the tablet. The advantage of that precise point and pressure sensitivity is enough to make this a winner.

If, or rather when, ProCreate support arrives this will be a killer input device. Until then we will have to make do with Bamboo Paper, which works fine. For now.

It’s fairly expensive at just under 700SEK but if you need it, that’s just about what 20 Pigment Liners would set you back.

Webhallen

Should you buy it? Yes, you should. As long as you’re fine with painting in Bamboo Paper.