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Pencil by 53 vs Apple Pencil

B

B.A.T

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 16, 2009
869
779
Idaho
i plan to buy the new iPad and will use a stylus for note taking and basic stick figure drawing. I’m considering the Pencil by 53 because it is:
Flat
Half the cost of the Apple Pencil
Doesn’t charge by sticking into lightning port
Bigger and harder to lose

I’m curious if anybody has used both and what they think of the competition? Thanks.
 
I’ve used both.

The Apple Pencil is 10x better for pretty much all applications.

The 53 model has a chunky tip so it’s much more suited to arty stuff like painting than writing. I had the wooden model and it did feel good to hold.

The Apple Pencil is better for writing and drawing and anything where you’d use fine detail.


I should add I’m not an artist. I tried to draw but it looks more like a child did it.
 
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Reactions: aella, MikaLoop, nathanalf and 1 other person
I'm looking to get a pro & pencil. I bought the 53 Pencil and it's not much use.
It may be something to do with my old iPad (iPad 4), but it only works properly with the paper app. The palm cancellation is unreliable. I wanted to love it, but I've hardly used it since I bought it in 2014. Maybe it's been upgraded since then.
Good luck!
 
I had a 53 and absolutely hated it - it may be good for painters but for what I wanted it for (taking handwritten notes), it was hopeless. The Apple Pencil may be twice as expensive, but it is absolutely worth it in my view: the difference is night and day!
 
I can answer to both here:

I've had an Apple Pencil since they first came out--used it with my 9.7" Pro and now use it with my 10.5" Pro. I use it mostly for note taking, but also some sketching here and there. I'm still on my original tip from 2 years ago when I bought it--the spare it came with is still in the carrying case I keep the Pencil in and will probably never get used. I have dropped it a couple of times and it was not damaged or broken. A charge to 100% still lasts me a REALLY long time. It's just a joy to use--I really like it.

My son has an iPad Air 2 and is a pretty great artist. He loves messing around with cartooning and stuff like that. I got him a Pencil by 53 to use with his Air 2--he uses it with Paper by 53 and some other apps. Or I should say he USED to use it. The nibs on the end of the Pencil by 53 are really mushy, and he's already worn out both of the ones it came with A 2 pack of replacement nibs is ridiculously expensive for what they are and what they're made out of. Just not very durable at all, and if he didn't have a tempered glass protector on his Air 2, he would have probably put some decent scratches in his screen. Once you wear through one of the tips, a pretty sharp metal rod starts poking through.

I just really don't like the Pencil by 53 at all--it would be a lot better if the main failure point were more durable.
 
Not sure if they sell them to individuals but Logitech just came out with an Apple Pencil (or crayon or something like that). I believe it functions similarly to the Apple Pencil but is only $50
 
mk313 said:
Not sure if they sell them to individuals but Logitech just came out with an Apple Pencil (or crayon or something like that). I believe it functions similarly to the Apple Pencil but is only $50
Click to expand...
They don't sell these to individuals. School accounts only.
 
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