Digital + Analog: Lunatik Touch Pen

Earlier this year, or perhaps it was late last year (the precise timing escapes me) I backed my first Kickstarter project, the Lunatik Touch Pen by MNML. The pen is a hybrid of a traditional click style pen and a touch screen stylus and although this was certainly not the most unique concept, it was a marriage of digital and analog that I had felt was long overdue. It’s not that I had never seen a dual tipped pen before, they are common enough, but this was a project that promised to transform the idea of writing on your iPad. This wasn’t yet another offering from a faceless tech accessory company that produces generic, low quality products, this was a highly thought out tool that was created by a group of designers who were basically creating the pen of their dreams. It was different because it had a soul, and I wanted in! So, I pledged my money for a collection of three pens, two polymer and one alloy dubbed the MNML Collection. I waited patiently, reading backer-only updates on the status of the pens as the target ship date slipped from April to July, bringing with it tweaks to the product until I finally came home from work one day to find a brown box on my dining room table that was begging for me to release the magic inside.

Of course, I exaggerate, but I was ecstatic when I finally opened the box to reveal three individually packaged pens that were so simple and elegant it took me a few minutes to decide which one to open first. Alloy first, from it’s premium packaging, felt heavy and sturdy and just the right size in my hand, unlike my countless other iPad styli that are smaller than your average pen and thinner. White polymer next and then black, these two light as a feather and so easy in your hand. I immediately pulled out my iPad to test them out. The writing was smooth, effortless and natural on the Pennultimate App I used first. Then to Paper by 53 to try a combination of drawing and writing, here too the tool felt so natural and it was actually quite freeing to feel so comfortable drawing as the size of the pen kept my hand from contacting the screen without causing my hand to contort.

But as with everything, the pen is not without some flaws. Although it is very natural to write and draw, the pen does not do very well with navigating through web pages or selecting apps. For some reason it’s as though these sorts of taps don’t register well without a firm and controlled gesture. It’s clear the pen was created more as a writing and drawing tool than for general navigation and I am okay with that.

Overall, my favorite pen is the polymer because of the near weightlessness of the thing, but if you are used to using a heavier pen, the alloy will suit you just fine. The analog portion of the pen writes well, like a normal rollerball, nothing special, but I am glad to be able to use standard refills when this one runs out!