The “Traditional” Competitors
Boxwave Styra ($22.95)
Boxwave makes several alternative forms of the traditional stylus: the dual-pen/stylus Styra, the more standard Stylus, and the Mini Stylus. We chose the Styra, which has a pen on one end and stylus on the other, because it seemed like the natural choice for physicians. Other companies offer near-equivalent styluses, such as the Griffin Stylus.
It performed on par with the several other rubber-domed styluses and was a “standard” width of your typical Bic pen. A huge perk is the availability of the pen (which is actually one of the better-performing, smooth pens that I’ve used), which comes in handy for physicians. One downside that emerged over time is that the chemical coating of the rubber tip gradually wears down, and gradually starts to provide more resistance and drag, worsening the writing experience.
The other downside is that the pen cap is removable, but there is no place to store the cap during use. On most pens, the cap can be placed on the other end, but this cap does not fit on top of the rubber-tip stylus.
Of note, there are many near-equivalent styluses, with similar pros/cons. Griffin recently started also selling a Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer combo, which might come in handy for physicians. I would expect its performance to be on par with the Boxwave Styra.
Pros:
- Simple, Pen-Like Design
- Offers Pen and Stylus at Once
Cons:
- Pen Cap is easy to lose
