Why You Can Trust CNET Pogo Sketch Pro review: Pogo Sketch Pro
Most styluses on the market are of the rubber-tipped variety, and they're all pretty much of a muchness. With its ergonomic design and interchangeable tips, the Pogo Sketch Pro truly stands out.
We've tried a number of rubber-tipped styluses now. Of all of them, the Pogo Sketch Pro distinguishes itself from the crowd.
Pogo Sketch Pro
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The first thing you'll notice about the Sketch Pro is its long, tapered barrel. Designed with iPad artists in mind, it sits in the hand more like a paintbrush than a pen, and inspires smooth, sweeping movements across the screen (although it's equally capable of fine movement). It's also marginally heavier than other styluses, the effect of which is an implement that feels solid and elegant to manipulate.
Although the tip is wide, the stylus does allow a fine degree of precision. The trick is to not think about it too much: let your hand move naturally, and the rest will follow. You probably won't be able to do small handwriting, but if you're just scribbling down a few notes, that doesn't really matter: the great thing about a virtual notebook is that it doesn't use up physical pages.
If you look a little more closely, you'll notice the rounded rubber tip is punched with holes. This allows for less friction drag on the screen, and the result is a very smooth and very comfortable flow. Coupled with the pliability of the rubber tip, which means writing feels more elastic and natural than something like the Adonit Jot Pro (which, to be fair, has a slightly different purpose), the Pogo Sketch Pro feels like nothing so much as an extension of your hand.
The Pogo Sketch Pro comes packaged with a spare brush tip. The rubber tip can be unscrewed and replaced, but the brush tip required more pressure and wasn't as accurate. We preferred the responsive smoothness of the rubber tip, but your mileage may vary; certainly, user reviews speak very highly of the brush tip for painting and drawing.
One thing we did find a little unfortunate is that the Sketch Pro lost effectiveness after some heavy-duty stylus-work, requiring a little more pressure. The good news is that replacement tips are available — AU$9.95 for a pack of two — but, be aware that it will not withstand, say, a Fruit Ninja session unscathed.
Although the Sketch Pro does have these limitations, it's the most comfortable stylus experience we've had to date — and the replaceable tips make it a must-have in our tablet accessories arsenal.
The Pogo Sketch Pro was kindly supplied by Pogo Sketch Australia.