Architect Stylus builds something great

See how the Architect compares to other styluses: Check out our in-depth iOS stylus charts.

Aluminum-machined styluses are all the rage these days, it seems, with Arctic Accessories’s $23 Architect Stylus the latest in a long line of impeccably-designed devices. But while the Architect may take its cues from Adonit’s line of capped pens and the sleek figure of Wacom’s Bamboo, the Architect winds up being in a class all its own.

The 4.8-inch stylus stands out in peculiar ways: It opts for a 7-mm rubber nib, rather than the 8-mm or 6-mm versions currently in favor, and that nib is recessed into the pen, rather than jutting outward. The body of the stylus also eschews a bulky clip, instead providing a lanyard ring. The balance of the lightweight Architect is very similar to that of the Wacom Bamboo—in fact, the two styluses could be fraternal twins, alike in end result, if not in image.

Really, the Architect falls short only in one regard: ergonomics. While the stylus is comfortable enough to hold at first, during my testing, I found my hand cramping slightly after extended periods of use. I’m not sure whether it had to do with what I was doing with the stylus—detailed linework—or whether the recessed nib encouraged me to hold it closer to the screen than my usual drawing position, but the Architect wasn’t quite the right fit for me. I, however, am not everyone, and I encourage others to give the Architect a look. If nothing else, it keeps the ever-growing number of rubber-nib styluses looking interesting.

[Serenity Caldwell is a Macworld staff editor.]