I’m a big fan of digital notebooks (aka epaper or E Ink tablets) – I’ve used over a dozen of them over the past few years, and as a habitual list maker and note-taker, I find them extremely useful. My favorite electronic laptop — purely from a writing standpoint — is the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024 edition), and while I loved it when it launched, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is now my least favorite because the newer options simply do it better.
I’ve come to realize that a lot of this preference comes down to one surprising element: the stylus. Or rather, the little tip of the pen and what it feels like to begin the act (figuratively speaking) of putting pen to paper.
And that’s the clincher: pen preference is very personal: while some writers prefer a smooth, fluid experience, others may want an added friction or scratch. I’m firmly in the former camp and the best stylus that has given me this experience is the ViWoods C1 stylus.
Besides the Supernote stylus, the C1 is the only other ceramic tip stylus I’ve tried and the precision and control it offers is far superior to anything I’ve experienced with the various bundled styluses I’ve used previously.
Rather disappointingly, the C1 doesn’t come bundled with any of the ViWoods tablets – you have to buy it separately. While it’s not cheap (costing $99 / £89.99 / AU$140), I think it’s well worth the extra splurge if you’re looking for a writing experience that perfectly combines smoothness and friction.
Using EMR (electromagnetic resonance) technology to pair the pen with a tablet, the C1 also works with other competing epaper devices like Supernote and the now-discontinued reMarkable 2 (but not the new reMarkable Paper series), on some of Samsung’s S-series Galaxy Tabs, as well as dedicated drawing slates like XPPen.
EMR pens like the C1 also offer other benefits, including superior pressure sensitivity and precise positioning for precise line creation, as well as a faster response speed so there is no lag between pen placement and the marks actually appearing on screen.
Power in a pen
Have you ever noticed that your handwriting can change depending on the pen you use? This is because some pens feel more natural than others, which translates into more pleasant writing. Again, this largely depends on the nib of the pen and is exactly the same for digital writing. Although I rather like my writing, it is nicer – sharper – when I use the ViWoods C1.
For this, I credit the C1’s needle-like ceramic tip which is perfect and results in better control over the marks made on the screen. This control is increased because there is no input lag, meaning it’s like using pen on paper.
That’s thanks to a fast response time of 960 Hz (or 960 RPS), which is how often a tablet registers pen position and pressure. In the case of the C1, it sends data almost every millisecond! For context, a standard stylus typically has a response speed of 200-300 RPS.
This speed also makes me feel like I’m not exerting any pressure while writing: even the lightest touch makes the marks flow without generating fatigue in my hand, and this is an important consideration for me as I suffer from RSI in my fingers. In comparison, most other pens (including the Kindle Premium Pen that I love so much and ViWoods’ W2 Pen) feel like they “stick” to the screen and require extra effort to move.
Like I said, the C1 feels effortless.
The ceramic tip also makes the C1 much more durable than other standard styluses. It’s the only digital pen I’ve come across that doesn’t come with extra replacement tips — ViWoods says the included one should last “a lifetime,” so there are no ongoing costs here either. For comparison, using the reMarkable Marker Plus for six months significantly wore down the nib (see image at top of page), while I replaced the nib on the Kindle Premium Stylus after a year of near-daily use.
After hearing about a colleague’s experience with titanium replacement nibs damaging the tablet screen, I was worried the same thing would happen with a ceramic pen. After all, the C1 tip is also a piece of hard material. However, after six months of testing the ViWoods AiPaper and reMarkable 2, I haven’t seen any scratches.
Ergonomically, the ViWoods C1 is well designed, with just the right amount of weight and a non-slip handle. Like other EMR pens, it has a customizable shortcut button that can be configured to highlight, erase, or lasso text, whichever you use most. If I were pinching, I’d say the eraser on the top of the C1 is a bit noisy but, personally, I didn’t find it distracting and barely registered it when I was concentrating on the task at hand.
Warning: there is a caveat
As someone who regularly reviews e-ink devices, I have quite a large collection of epaper tablets and have tried the ViWoods C1 on seven of them, namely the Kindle Scribe 2024, two Kobo note takers, a reMarkable and 3 Boox tablets. Unfortunately, the C1 only worked on one of these devices (the reMarkable 2), although I’ve seen many reports online suggesting that it should at least be compatible with the Kindle Scribe.
Even if it worked for writing on other tablets, the full functionality of the pen might not be released due to software incompatibility between the tablet and the pen. For example, erasing with the stylus on the ViWoods AiPaper was much more efficient than when I performed the same task on the reMarkable 2. Smart Lasso also only worked on the ViWoods device and not the reMarkable. So it may be difficult to recommend purchasing a second stylus, even one as good as the C1.
Every brand that sells a large-screen epaper writing tablet comes with its own stylus, giving you all the features at no extra cost. Almost all of them have no noticeable lag (it’s only when you’re using something like the C1 that you realize there’s something faster) and they write pretty well, so not everyone will need an extra stylus. However, if you write or draw every day, finding the best stylus for your needs is definitely worth the extra cost if you’re willing to heed the caveats.
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