Plaidophile

So about a year ago I bought a bunch of different Wacom stylus nibs: some more of the standard acrylic ones, some of the spring-loaded "stroke" ones, and some of the compressed felt ones. By now I've actually used all three kinds regularly, so I'd might as well share some thoughts.

When I first bought these nibs I tried all three types for a little bit, and then decided to spend a while using each kind exclusively so I could get a pretty good feel for it.

First of all, the acrylic ones are of course the standard, so if you've ever used a Wacom tablet that's what you're most likely familiar with. They feel like a smooth-glide ink pen, and offer a firm feel. It feels like drawing with ink or a very hard pencil. They're an okay standard tip, although pressure control doesn't feel very precise. Also they tend to wear down fairly quickly, and I need to replace such a tip every few months even though I only use it for a few hours a week, and when it wears down it drastically affects the feel of the stylus. Someone who actually does this crap professionally will want a big supply of these tips.

Next up is the spring-loaded tips. These are made in three parts: the shaft and tip are made of a hard, smooth plastic, and they are joined together with a spring, with a very clever little locking pin assembly. I have no idea how they're actually manufactured but it's certainly something I'd like to see on How It's Made or the like. These nibs are extremely durable, and because of the spring-loaded tip they have a very soft feel. I can't really describe it in terms of real art tools (mostly because I don't use real art tools so I don't know how they feel) but I feel like I have very good pressure control, and the resulting lines are very brush-like. I used a single one of these for about 6 months before I realized that I hadn't really given the felt ones a fair shot just yet (and, incidentally, the nib I tested is hardly worn down at all).

Finally comes the compressed felt ones. They feel just like a felt-tip marker on paper. Pressure control is about the same as the acrylic ones, but there's definitely a lot more grip against the tablet surface. These ones wear down very quickly, but unlike the acrylic ones, they seem to wear down evenly (probably because the grippiness causes it to rotate within the shaft, whereas the acrylic ones simply stay in the same position relative to the pen). I used the felt one for a few weeks before coming to my decision. Probably the nicest thing I can say about this nib is that since it's made of a soft, porous material, it is a lot easier to remove from the pen than the other two kinds.

Of the three I think I definitely prefer the spring-loaded stroke nibs the most since they have the best feel and the most natural-feeling pressure control, but of course they also cost the most ($10 for a 5-pack, as opposed to $5 for a 5-pack for the acrylic and felt ones). Of course, because of the harder material which also operates under lower pressure they also last a hell of a lot longer, so it more than balances out.

So, back to the spring-loaded one. Holy cow does it feel nice after a few weeks of felt.