I hated how I always introduce my reviews and I still haven’t figured out how to open this type of post. Anyway as usual this is a new purchase I had from Lazada. They’ve been doing a lot of promos recently. Those promos were also tied up to GCash, so I took advantage of it. I took advantage of purchasing a “want” item because it had a 50% off. This item is the Vanker Rechargeable Stylus Pen.
Before we go any further, let’s talk about What is a Stylus Pen?
The stylus pen is a tool or a device to make your touches on a device be more accurate. I’m sure everyone knows that(or almost everyone?). Just so you know, there’s a lot of stylus pens available in the market.
Here are the common types of Stylus I’ve seen so far:
- Conductive Rubber Stylus – This is the most common stylus we can buy in most stores that sell accessories for mobile phones. These were the rubber tips. They were inaccurate because of their wide tip. They are the cheapest too. The unbranded versions of it suck but it’s quite bearable for some brands like Adonit and Wacom.
- Capacitive Stylus – This is a conductive stylus too but it needs the power to be used. It usually has a metal tip and operates with batteries. This is the one we’re going to review today. This is also compatible with most capacitive touchscreen devices.
- Active Stylus – This is a power-operated stylus that usually requires pairing with the device you’re using to get a better experience. The most active stylus is more accurate because of pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. They are perfect for artists and professionals. Having that said, these were the most expensive too. They also work on limited devices only.
So by telling you the types of the stylus, I’m sure you understood that we’re reviewing the mid-range type of it.
Why did I purchase it by the way?
I believe that I’ve shared with you in the past that my son is really good at drawing. He has limited tools and I wanted him to develop his skills. So I decided to get him a capacitive stylus. The reason is, there are tons of apps that will allow him to explore different tools to draw using his tablet like Autodesk Sketchbook. In those apps, he can change the colors, the size of pens, and the types of nibs like brushes, pencils, and drawing pens.
I decided to get him the mid-ranged because he only has an old model of Alcatel android tablet. The most likely active stylus works only on iPads and special Android devices that have an active stylus included like the Samsung Note series. Also, I wanted to know if this is something he can really use to develop his skills. Basically, the decision of purchasing this is experimental.
How was the Vanker Stylus Pen?
Physical Attributes
- As you could see in the photos, this is about the same size as a pen. My mom even mistakenly grabbed it and attempted to write it on paper.
- The paint of the stylus looked like its gonna fade after some time. It’s so sparkly and looks like it was covered with glittery eye shadow.
- It is rechargeable with Micro-USB on top.
- It has a clip like a regular pen.
- Metal tip, which I guess can damage unprotected screens
- It has a led indicator: Blue for Full Charge/Turned On and Red for Charging
- and has a one-push power button.
Performance
- Not so cool with smaller devices like iPhone. I guess it was just me. But I have video uploads to show you the differences in its operation depending on the app I used.
- For my son’s tablet, it’s superfine(I guess). My son is able to draw objects on it, he’s pretty good at exploring the Autodesk Sketchbook. How I wish he saved his works but no, he didn’t.
- As soon as you turn it on, you can use it right away since it doesn’t need to be paired.
- I find it nice in annotating documents using Evernote.
- It doesn’t get low bat easily.
Affordability
- The price is just less than 800. I couldn’t name the exact price because it changes from time to time. Also, I had a discount on it.
- If we are to compare the price of Vanker to another brand like Adonit and Wacom. This item is way cheaper.
- Just so you know the price range of the brands I mentioned above has the same functionality priced at 2800 to 3500 PHP.
- This item was made and shipped from China and I guess that is why it’s really affordable but to be honest, it isn’t that disappointing.
Overall
My son really enjoyed it, I remember back then, we used to play and draw with Magic Slate only. I’m sure the batang 90’s would know what I am talking about. As for me, this stylus is not enjoyable to use. Maybe because I’m not artistic and I write rapidly(and this thing doesn’t cooperate with my shaky hands) but I think this is really nice for kids. If my son gets better with this startup tool for digital illustration, I’ll try my best to save up and get him better tools when he gets older. I’m hoping I could share his illustrations one day.
If you wanna buy the same item, I linked the Lazada affiliate link of mine to get a minimal commission on the purchase. Please take note that the review of this item itself is not paid or sponsored.
Update
I think this item is scarce and the price went up. Like really higher than the original price when I bought it. So I’m linking a better option for a stylus for any touch screen and it’s from Adonit—it’s more legit.
Adonit is advertising it for iOS users but it’s also usable for Android. The only thing it talks about iOS compatibility is the ability to connect the stylus via Bluetooth to use it as a camera shutter. I think for some Android phones that may work as well but if not—the stylus works really well!
