As you become comfortable with using your PalmPilot or Palm III, it’s time to think about accessories. Many people tell me that they would like to have a better stylus than the plastic one-piece stylus that came with their PalmPilot. PalmPilot Gear H.Q. offers a number of classy stylus/pen/pencil combination units from manufactures like Platinum. Although these are all marketed for the PalmPilot/Palm III, I see them as stylish pen/pencil sets that just happen to have a high quality stylus in them.
All 5 of the pens that I reviewed have the same stylus in them, so my review will focus on the design of the pens more than the stylus. Suffice to say that once I used the smooth black stylus, I wished that the one that came with my PalmPilot was that nice and smooth. It really made a difference. Also, all of the pens had the same medium to fine, ballpoint style ink cartridge. And all of the ones with a lead mechanical pencil had a similar .5mm lead pencil insert. The tube that holds the lead “feeder” is used to hold more lead, and all lead pencil models have an eraser at the opposite end.
The Platinum Double 3
This device is a stylus/pen/pencil. It was the lightest of the group that I reviewed, and it is the only one that comes in 6 different colors (black, green, blue, white, gray, and red). To get the different tips, you twist the front end of the pen clockwise or counter clockwise. The cap that covers the eraser is a bit difficult to remove, even though it pulled on and off, but it has a .275 inch diameter white eraser, which is larger than some of the other pens. The pen diameter is .5 inch. It will not fit in most standard case pen holders, but it still had a comfortable feel to it with regard to writing. The area that you grip the pen is covered in black rubber. Also, it didn’t rattle much when I shook it.
Price: $7.95
The ErgoMax Dual
This device is a stylus/pencil. It is made of polished stainless steel and has a smooth black rubber grip area. To get the different tips, you turn the pen so that the little graphical symbol of either the pencil or the stylus faces up, then click the end cap. A button on the side retracts the pencil or stylus. The cap that covers the eraser was easy to remove, and it has a .175 inch diameter pink eraser. The pen diameter is .4 inches. It will not fit in most standard case pen holders, but due to its smaller diameter, it felt more like a “normal” writing instrument. It tended to rattle a bit, and the shiny tip cap, end cap, and clip easily showed my finger prints (they weren’t polished). As a design engineer, I would keep wiping it off every time it got my prints on it. (But that’s just me…)
Price: $17.95
The Mach 3
This device is a stylus/pen with multiple colored ink cartridges. It is the only pen that I reviewed that was a “normal” pen size, (.350 inch diameter). That means it will fit in most standard case pen holders. To get the different tips, you turn the pen so that the graphical color symbol of the different colors, or the stylus faces up, then click the end cap. A button on the clip retracts the tips. It came with red, blue, and black ink cartridges. Chose any 2 colors and with the stylus you get 3 different tips. This pen rattled a lot and also had some shiny stainless steel areas that got finger printed easily.
Price: $19.95
The Platinum Exec Stainless Steel
This device is a stylus/pen/pencil. It was the heaviest of the group that I reviewed, but I sometimes like the feel of a heavier writing instrument. To get the different tips, you twist the front end of the pen clockwise or counter clockwise. The cap that covered the eraser was also difficult to remove, (it screwed on and off), and it had a .220 inch diameter white eraser. The pen diameter is .465 inches max, but it was .4 inches in the area where you grip it. It also will not fit in most standard case pen holders, but still had a comfortable feel to it with regard to writing. This was one of the more classy looking pens. (This pen was so shiny that it reminded me of Ultraman’s Beta capsule.)
Price: $29.95
The Platinum Double 3 Exec
This device is a stylus/pen/pencil. It seemed just as heavy as the Platinum Exec Stainless Steel pen, but it was much more stylish. This pen comes in 5 different colors (black, teal green, blue, white, red, and gun metal shown above). To get the different tips, you twist the front end of the pen clockwise or counter clockwise. The cap that covered the eraser was not as difficult to remove, (it screwed on and off, but had ridges for better grip), and it had a tiny .160 inch diameter white eraser. The pen diameter is .465 inches max, but it was .4 inches in the area where you grip it. Like the some of the others, it also will not fit in most standard case pen holders, but still had a comfortable feel to it with regard to writing. This was the classiest looking pen.
Price: $34.95
One final note:
All of the pens mentioned above would make a nice gift to someone who has a PalmPilot or Palm III, but the Mach 3, the Platinum Exec Stainless Steel, and the Platinum Double 3 Exec all came in very classy plastic boxes, (shown below).
Product Information
| Price: | $34.95 |
| Manufacturer: | PalmGear |
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Where can I find the Platinum Double 3 Exec – I have one now, used to have two, but someone stole one of them. Anyway, I do want to get another one or two.