Targus Stylus: Inexpensive, No-frills & Colorful

The Targus Stylus for the iDevices (or any tablet that has a capacitive surface) has a basic, no-frills design. The tube is a plain cylinder, there is a pocket clip, a hole for a lanyard (not supplied) and a non-replaceable tip. It comes in some bright colors and is long enough to be comfortable.

My wife bought this stylus on impulse. It was hanging on a rack at Staples, and it caught her eye because it was pink. She likes pink pens because the guys in the office won’t accidentally walk off with — and are loathe to be seen with — a pink pen. The same applies to a stylus.

Targus StylusImage Credit:  Targus

This Targus brand is made in Taiwan and appears to to be designed to hang in office supply stores, pen shops, Best Buy, and so on. It offers a simple design, but this model is available in orange, pink, grey, blue and white. (There are some similar designs on the Targus website with different color options.)

Targus Stylus

The Packaging

The dimensions are 5-1/8 x 3/16-inch with a smooth transition to an 8 mm nib.

This definitely a no-frills stylus at a no-frills price. The clip is ballpoint pen quality, that is, cheap looking. Nor is it removable, as with the Wacom Bamboo. The nib is neither replaceable or retractable.

However, there are some things to like about this stylus. The surface has a slightly rougher texture than the Kuel H12, so it’s easier to grip. But it’s still smooth and feels good. The straight, perfect cylindrical design feels taught and technical in your hand compared to a stylus, like the H12, that’s curved outward like a fountain pen. It’s 5-1/8 long, and any stylus that’s over 5 inches is good — a must for me. I don’t like a short stylus, like the Rocketfish.

Targus Stylus

Targus (top), Kuel H12 (bottom)

The apparent curvature in the photo above is caused by iPhone lens distortion and distance.

Finally, like the Rocketfish, there’s a tiny hole in the cap where one can add a very tiny, almost thread-like lanyard if desired. Like the Rocketfish, no lanyard is included, and that may be one of those OEM options that another company may want to exploit.

So far, this is my wife’s favorite stylus, mostly because it’s pink, simple, and and easy to replace if lost or damaged.

Do I Recommend it?

So far, yes. I haven’t done any long-term testing, so I don’t know about it’s durability. However, it seems to have about the same construction as the other low end styluses I’ve looked at. For an everyday, inexpensive, no-frills stylus, it’ll work just fine. It would serve well as a backup stylus for the office or travel — nothing fancy. Best of all, for the women, it comes in “guy-allergic” pink.

Previously Reviewed

Bamboo Stylus Solo for iPad: Almost Perfect

Rocketfish Stylus for iPad: The Long and Short

Kuel H10 Stylus for iPad: Not so Cool as a Pen

Kuel H12 Stylus for iPad: Almost Perfect

For The Multitasker: Griffin’s Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer

Product: Targus Stylus for new iPad

Company: Targus

List Price: US$14.95

Rating:

Pros:

Inexpensive, no frills. Good feel. Hole for lanyard (not supplied).

Cons:

Cheap looking clip, nib is not replaceable or retractable.