With its smaller nib and telescoping body, the Kuel H10--available in black, white, red, yellow, or pink--is fantastic for navigation, writing, and drawing; unfortunately, the thinner nib may wear down faster than the nibs on other styluses.

As one of the pricier offerings on the market, some may accuse Wacom's ( Macworld rated 4.5 out of 5 mice ; $30) of attempting to rest on the laurels of its brand recognition--the company's pressure-sensitive Intuos and Cintiq tablets have long been favored by the digital illustration community. But that's simply not so.

While the Bamboo resembles many of the other rubber-nib tools here, once you pick it up, it's obvious how much care and craftsmanship the company has put into this stylus. The pen is perfectly balanced--and I do mean perfectly--in your hand, with just the right amount of weight distributed along the metal-framed body. And unlike with other well-balanced styluses I've tried, the folks at Wacom have managed to give the Bamboo the necessary heft while keeping it as slim as a ballpoint pen.

Drawing with this stylus is lovely, as, like the Kuel H10, it employs a smaller (6mm) silicone-rubber tip. But writing takes the prize here, without a doubt. I was able to jot down notes at several angles without ever needing to rest my hand on the iPad's bezel to be comfortable.