Joy Factory styluses are solid, but not exceptional

Accessory maker The Joy Factory has joined the stylus fray with two aluminum-body nib offerings, the $30 Monet and the $30 DaVinci. Though similarly priced, the styluses have very different characteristics, starting with length: The Monet is nearly 7 inches long (6.75, to be exact) and resembles an elongated Q-tip, while the DaVinci is short (a little more than 4.5 inches long) and squat.

See our roundup of all the styluses we’ve reviewed.

Though both styluses are named after painters of repute, the Monet bests the DaVinci when it comes to digital painting, in part due to former’s lengthy handle construction. Additionally, the Monet’s 8mm rubber tip is nearly a quarter-inch long on its own, with every bit of that surface capacitative and usable. As such, the Monet’s angle of use is much greater than that of a traditional nib stylus. The Monet may not live up to the standards set by the Nomad Brush, but The Joy Factory’s painting stylus is still a fairly capable option for those preferring a rubber tip to those with capacitative brushes.

Linework, unfortunately, is not as fluid with the Monet. The nib is both larger and squishier than the best styluses for drawing, detracting from its precision. Writing is a bit better, though the design and length of the stylus’s barrel made it difficult for me to do so for any lengthy period of time. Your mileage may vary.

The DaVinci, in contrast, works well as an all-around tool: It’s not particularly outstanding for drawing, painting, writing, or onscreen navigation, but it serves each purpose adequately and without much fuss. As it’s much shorter than the Monet, the DaVinci’s balance is not quite as fine-tuned, but I found that I could get a good writing stance when balancing the end of the stylus between my thumb and index finger.

Each of the two models is available in a variety of colors: pink, green, or charcoal for the Monet; silver, purple, or charcoal for the DaVinci.