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Want to draw on your iPad? Here's your stylus

The Brvsh (yep, that's how it's spelled) has a good weight and feel, but because it actually has bristles, using it feels a little awkward at first.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
The paintbrush-like Brvsh stylus offers iPad users a well-crafted implement for drawing, sketching, and other artistic endeavors.
The paintbrush-like Brvsh stylus offers iPad users a well-crafted implement for drawing, sketching, and other artistic endeavors. Beta Ro Omega

Lots of people buy iPads under the mistaken assumption that they can scribble notes on them, much like they would on a legal pad.

However, because the tablet employs a capacative touch screen, you can't just grab your old plastic PalmPilot stylus and start writing. You need a special pen, one with a conductive tip that mimics your fingertip.

Many moons ago I wrote about the Pogo Sketch and Pogo Stylus, both of which work well enough but feel thin and lightweight. If you're looking for something a little more substantial, a little more business-class, check out the Brvsh Tablet Stylus.

Available in either a chrome or gunmetal finish, the Brvsh has the solid heft and feel of an executive's pen. It features a clicking tip-retraction button up top, a pocket clip on the side, and a triangular barrel that keeps it from rolling (and makes for a more comfortable grip, IMHO).

Unlike the Pogo products, which have rounded, bristly tips, the Brvsh employs, well, a brush. In fact, using this stylus feels like using a paintbrush--which, I must admit, seems a little weird at first. You don't get the same solid, tactile feedback that comes from putting a pen to paper (or even a plastic stylus to PalmPilot screen).

Instead, the Brvsh feels mushy, and therefore doesn't work terribly well for taking notes. However, it's an ideal choice for creating art. I tried it with a handful of iPad painting apps and found it very comfortable and natural. (It did, however, make me long for a pressure-sensitive screen, which the iPad lacks.) I'm not saying you can't take notes with the Brvsh, only that it seems better-suited to drawing, painting, and the like.

The Brvsh sells for $26.95, plus about $4.50 for shipping. That's about twice the price of a Pogo Stylus, but probably worth it if you're in the market for an art-friendly, heavy-duty pen for your iPad.

Bonus item: Remember Tales2Go, the excellent app that streams kids' audiobooks to your iPhone? A one-year subscription normally costs $24.99, but for the next couple days you can score one for just $12. That's a buck a month! Too good to pass up. Note: the deal is for new subscribers only.