With two new, both very capable styli, from Wacom, professional artists are asking, which one is better for me?

I won’t go into details since I already have a review out there with just that (and an upcoming review in MacWorld with more information). What I will give you here is to-the-point buying advice.

The Creative Stylus is touted as a pro device, the Fineline isn’t. But with specs so similar it might be down to pressure sensitivity and which device has more levels is there a straight answer?

I think yes, the Creative Stylus is more expensive but has 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity (as opposed to 1024) and the price difference is so slight it doesn’t really matter if you’re a pro. If you live in the Wacom eco system you are more than accustomed to paying premium prices for premium products. Wacom has entry level tablets, and it has professional level tablets. Same with styli now, even if the difference isn’t that big. You might not even notice the extra levels of input. So why go for the more expensive stylus?

The feel of the Creative Stylus is just a little better. It feels more like drawing on an Intuous tablet, less like a toy. And that is not a criticism of the Bamboo stylus. It’s well built and delivers quality so good you have to wonder if Wacom released it just to have a cheaper device? But then again, it doesn’t have the same range of pressure input so for a seasoned pro like yourself, knowing that you’re not using a product that’s “half as good”, might just be the thing.

For some people, like me, having a stylus that looks and feels exactly like the one I use on my Cintiq tablets makes me question less and less why the iPad isn’t my go to device for sketching. Once apps like Procreate are updated the iPad/Creative Stylus will be a very capable combination. Maybe even to the point of making the Cintiq Companion obsolete? It will certainly be cheaper (but not by much). Hey, who knows, with a bigger iPad on the horizon I might actually start using my iPad professionally.