Review: Lynktec TruGlide Duo Stylus Pen

The Lynktec TruGlide Duo Stylus Pen has been redesigned. It’s elegant in design, built well, and features both a ballpoint pen and a microfiber stylus.

Lynktec TruGlide Duo Stylus Pen.

I collect styluses. It’s a hobby. And I’ve pretty much seen them all. But it’s been awhile since I reviewed one, and this new version deserves a mention. (Below is the review of the previous version.)

[TruGlide Duo Stylus: Microfiber, Megafabulous ]

One would think that designing a hybrid stylus product, one with a pen and also a stylus tip, would be easy, but I don’t think it is.

Should one include a cap? Should the pen be refillable? How should it come apart? How much should it weigh? Should there be a pocket clip? (If for no other reason than to keep it from rolling off the table.) How big should the tip be? How should it feel in balance and texture in the hand? For more on the technology and technical specs of the predecessor, and my own thoughts, see the review of the original Truglide Duo I linked to above.

Observations

This new TruGlide duo is about half the weight (12.9 grams) and about half the price (US$19.99) of the original. The length is about 135 mm (5.3 inches) and feels very right in the hand. The microfiber tip is the same 6 mm in diameter. The product doesn’t have a lot of heft, but I think I like that nowadays.

At just under 140 mm long, a bit handier than Apple Pencil 1.0

Here’s the official list of features.

• Premium fiber stylus and ballpoint pen combo


• Durable and smooth microfiber stylus


• Retractable ballpoint pen


• Additional pen cartridges sold separately

Unlike the Apple Pencil, of course, this stylus will work with any smartphone or tablet that requires a capacitive stylus. One’s motivation to keep it around is enhanced by the quality ballpoint pen built-in. It uses Cross Pen refills.

There are two models. Slate Gray comes with black ink and the Royal Blue model comes with blue ink. Of course, you can always change the ink color later via a refill.

The only gripe I had with this stylus was the lack of hints on how to take it apart. You hold the tip and twist the barrel clockwise to extend the ballpoint tip and twist counter-clockwise to take the stylus apart to do a refill. This isn’t obvious from looking at the pen out of the box. One might be tempted to brute force pull it apart if unfamiliar with the Cross pen protocols. A diagram on the package would be welcome. But that’s a nit.

Final Words

Every time I get one of these Lynktec styluses, I like it more than the last one. This one’s a keeper. There’s no cap to lose, and it’s the one you may wish to keep most handy thanks to its duo nature. Its size, design, surface texture, and balance are excellent. And the price is right.

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