I've been using Wacom tablets for almost ten years now to the date. I picked one up on a whim during the holiday season and have become hooked ever since. For these past few years, I've never considered changing the stylus that came with every tablet I've used. The stock stylus always felt great to me. Recently, I decided to give the Wacom classic pen stylus a try.
I was at B&H last week with a gift card ready to spend. Unsure of what to buy, I went through isle by isle and my eyes naturally set itself on the Wacom products and accessories. I realized that I had never really tried any of the accessories and found the classic pen in front of me. I typically work on the Intuos line of tablets so it appeared the pen was compatible to my Intuos 4 and 5.
Looking at the design, it suddenly hit me. Coming from a drawing background, the standard stylus grip is far too wide and not representative of the typical width and weight of a pencil. This classic pen looked more in line with what I've always been used to. Going over to digital, I always felt a slight disconnect with the transition and this may have been the reason why.
I bought the pen and tried it right away. It immediately felt natural to me and I switched over. Keep in mind, it took a little while to get used to it as you are so accustomed to your old habits. After a few days of use, I went back to the stock stylus to realize that it felt like drawing with a marker rather than a pencil. It still had the comfort and ease of use that you would expect, but the classic pen felt more natural now. The other benefit is that it was noticeably lighter, and I almost felt like I had nothing in my hands while working. I could feel the pace quicken with my work as well.
I wondered why I never decided to give this a shot before. I am glad I did.
You can find more information about the stylus here On B&H's page.
Here's a couple of comparison pictures between the original stylus vs the classic pen:
Is this a stylus you should consider?
Plainly, if anything you have read above connects with you, it may be worth a try. However, do know that the grip is thin, very much like a pencil. It is also lighter. If you use your tablet often, this will become immediately apparent. A visual analogy is to take a pencil or mechanical pencil with a rounded grip and place it in your hands as though you are about to use it as your stylus. The heft and width of the stylus is representative of what you would expect. If it feels favorable, it may be worth trying out.
If none of this matters to you and/or you are just getting used to a tablet, then this may not be worth getting.
Damnit, now I gotta go and buy one, lol... so slim and curvy
Need a gift card though... =P
Nice holiday advert
Total advert paid to FS by B&H and Wacom for the holidays.
Unfortunately it's not the case, I actually did buy this on a whim and felt compelled to write it because I loved it so much! None of these three even know I was going to write this. I know there wasn't much information on this stylus out there and hope it helps someone. Happy holidays and sorry it came across that way!
Hehe, guess you're right …
nice
I think I would hate that stylus. The pen that came with my Cintiq is perfect for me. I have big hands and larger pens have always felt more comfortable after extended use. That said, I think the curve of the stock pen could be better but not to the degree that the thinner pen gives. I wish there was an easy way to test them out.
I can see that, larger hands may not be suited for the reasons mentioned. Good point!
For me it's much better to have a big peen = better ergonomic
lol..... the pen alone cost more then the new intous pen small i bought last week.
Its a shame that the pen tools cost so much. I'd have bought all the tools if they were a reasonable price but as they're so expensive I'm sticking with my standard pen
I had just ordered the old stylus. I just modified the order to get the new stylus instead. Thank you!
The new pens are way more ergonomic that the old ones.... in three months you'll be having hand cramps...but to each there own
I just wish Wacom would ship more flex nibs and less of the crappy hard plastic nibs with each pen. Having decent global distributors of parts / accessories would also be nice. Sure I can order replacement Flex nibs - but the shipping on them is 9 times the item cost.
Okay... if you're an illustrator, but isn't this a blog about photography?
Except spending more is no reasoning, the thicker the better ( to a certain level off course), if is thinner you force your fingers more holding it, as an example Samsung did for the note 1 first model with a thinner pen and for the next versions they realised that a thicker one has much better grip and it is easier to use.
Suggestion: discuss which tips to use :)
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As someone who has repetitive stress injury and carpal tunnel, I'd rather stick with the stock pen. One of the reasons that I switched to the Wacom over the traditional mouse as a designer and photographer was to help with RSI and CT. The thicker stock pen is much more comfortable for someone with those issues. In fact, I know people who actually add padding to their pens to make them even thicker for comfort.
That said, if you feel like the thinner pen is more comfortable in your hand, by all means go for it. But for me, I'll just stick to the stock one.
My stock pen is the classic pen even tho it's not black. Got the first version of Intuos and I'm still using the first nib on the pen. Had it for around 13 years now and use it regularly, really good quality.
Would be nice to have some touch on it tho so maybe I upgrade to a newer one later on.
@solsticeretouch:disqus : Would you recommend the Pro Pen instead of the Classic Pen ? any clue on the difference between those ? (appreciate quick reply, they have a 20% discount today on the pro pen thus my question :D)
cheers
Olivier
Thanks! That's exactly why I continue to use an old Wacom graphire3, and the new Wacom Intuos Pro Large that my company ordered for me sits in a drawer in my desk. I find the giant, rubber padded pen too fat to work with. The old graphire pen looks like the classic. Can you tell me what kind of Wacom you are using with the Classic pen.
Ergonomically speaking, you are much better off with a wider grip. A narrow grip like this classic pen is more likely to create tension stresses. Although it may feel good momentarily, in the long term you are more likely to get injured. If you're a hobbyist then you most likely don't have to worry about rsi, but if you're a professional and use the wacom daily then using something like this classic pen is a really bad choice. If a curved gripping surface is what you are looking for, a good compromise would be an aftermarket ergo grip for the wacom pens. An example of this is the plus ergo grip ( http://www.plusergogrip.com ) I have one of these and I think it's great. The grip is super wide and it has a curved surface for a variety of holding positions.