Reviews by The Church of Apple

Tag: Hammerhead

  • Hammerhead Ballpoint Pen Stylus

    The Hammerhead Ballpoint Stylus isn’t the BEST stylus that I have reviewed but it is cheaper than other styli I have reviewed. It is the best cheap stylus I have reviewed. Let’s see if price will make up for lost features. The stylus is available for $14.99 direct from Hammerhead. The stylus features a stylus tip at one end for touch screen devices or a pen for writing the old-fashioned way. Let’s find out if this stylus is for you.

    Form

    While many styli have a reputation for being made out of cheap plastic, this stylus breaks that rule. This stylus is made out of a smooth chrome material. It isn’t a great Apple design look, but it doesn’t have to be to look nice and it certainly looks nice. The stylus is light-weight, a lot lighter than the Wacom Bamboo stylus a little while ago. There are four colors to choose from with the stylus and they are as follows: dark red, silver, dark blue and black, all of which look really nice with silver lining added to them. The top of the stylus has a silver chrome color as well as the shirt clip and the thing that holds both the pen and the stylus tip in and it adds to the overall design of the stylus. Even the brand name on the stylus looks cool! Personally, I have not found any cosmetic problems from this stylus.

    Function

    There are a lot of things that I like about this stylus. First, the stylus is thin and light and won’t break anything if it falls but yet if it falls it won’t get scratched either. The stylus is doubled as a pen, which I have found to be very useful. The stylus tip itself is very responsive on the iPad and the iPad picks it up every time it touched the screen. One thing that I really like about this stylus that I have not found on another stylus yet is an attachment that goes into the headphone jack so it attaches to your iPad and you won’t be able to lose it. So if you want to attach it to your shirt, you can through the clip or you can attach it to your iPad into the headphone jack. Another thing, you can replace the ink in the stylus should you need to. There is one problem with the stylus, however. The stylus tip does not come out. I learned that the hard way. I took it out, thinking you can it put right back in. It went back in but only after an hour of forcing it back in. This is not the best thing to do since should the tip need to be replaced, you can’t replace it and you have to buy another $15 stylus. To me, that is not what I would want do. However, should that ever happen to me where I need to replace it, I would buy another one because the stylus is brilliantly done at a relatively low cost.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Great form factor, light, durable, great colors
    -Very responsive on the iPad etc.
    -Pen clip to attach to your shirt or a headphone jack clip to attach to your device
    -A stylus and a pen
    -Pen ink replaceable
    -Low cost for what you get

    Cons

    -Stylus tip not replaceable (don’t find that out the hard way)
    -Styli are not for everybody

    This stylus definitely ranks among the top of low-cost styli. Despite it’s sole flaw of not being able to replace the tip, everything else about this stylus would make you want to replace it if and when the stylus tip is worn out. This happens to all styli, eventually this stylus will become worn out but don’t worry about it too much, you’ll get a lot of use out of it before that happens. It is to note as well that styli are not for everyone, as I talked about in my last stylus review. I believe that styli are only for people who would use them such as teachers, artists, note takers among others. Of course, that flaw applies to every stylus so if you want a stylus that is stylish, functional and cheap in price only, then this stylus is for you. With that I give this stylus a five star rating. Great job Hammerhead for delivering a great stylus.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Hammerhead Capo iPad Case

    The Hammerhead Capo Case is a case for the iPad 2,3 and 4. The case is available for $39.99 direct from Hammerhead. Personally, this is the case I use everyday. Allow me to explain why.

    Form

    The case does not excel in the form section of this review. The case is available in 5 two-toned colors. All cases feature black trim. The available colors are as follows: White, orange, blue, red and black. The black case is all black with no color, including the trimming. The case is a one-fold that flips around the back and the clip attached goes into one of the holes on the back to form a very functional case. The case is also comfortable on the hands. In terms of colors, I think the two-toned color scheme is nice. It gives the case a uniqueness, unlike many uni-colored cases on the market. The case provides a lot of protection for your iPad but it still is light and thin. However, there are a few issues cosmetically with it also. The case sent to me (this may not apply to all cases) was not completed, in my opinion. The white part on the case was not pressed in all the way, forming raised parts where the white part was not pressed in all the way. After a short time of using this case, I was already getting loose string hanging on the case, something that happened to my last case a year or more after I received it. Also, while I appreciate the black part of the case, I do not appreciate the fact that it is painstakingly clear that it is metal. The bi-fold on the case that folds back is metal (it’s the black bar that goes across about 1/3 the case). It’s not the bar itself that bothers me, but it’s the fact that you can see the metal of it (little bolts that hold it together, the line that separates the two pieces). To me, it is a little tacky. Despite these tacky issues the case still does what it is meant to do, protect.

    Function

    This case does what it is meant to do, protect. Despite it’s light and thin profile, this case provides the most protection I have seen out of any case this form factor. The case is made out of polyurethane material which always does a great job in protection. The case is a hard-shell case that will protect against falls. The case holds onto the iPad extremely well, probably one of the best grasps I have see on an iPad case thus far. The case also protects the ports better than any case I have reviewed thus far. There is only an opening to put the ports into and thats it, and even the case that surrounds the port is raised. It is very port protective. The case also has the best stand out of the cases I have reviewed so far. The case has a stand with five different options. Three, tall landscape stand options (more choices than most cases, allowing you to choose your perfect viewing angle), one for typing (which has been placed at the perfect angle), and one for a upright portrait stand. The case of course has the standard auto lock/unlock feature that would be a bad thing not to have. There is one thing that I like and dislike about the case. The case has a clasp that holds it closed. While the clasp ensures that the case will not accidentally open, there are some people who won’t be able to open the case. The clasp is the reason why people who have arthritis in their hands will not be able to use the case. It is a great case, but it’s a great case for people who can open it. For me and anyone else without weak hands, it’s great but I would not recommend it for a person with weak hands only because of the difficulty of opening the case. Despite this flaw, the case is still probably one of the best I have reviewed thus far.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Very durable
    -Thin and light
    -Best stand on a case I have reviewed
    -Clasp keeps case closed
    -Colored nicely
    -Comfortable to the hands to hold

    Cons

    -Case would be difficult to open for anyone with weak hands, especially senior citizens
    -Some tacky aesthetics

    The reason people buy a case is not for it to be the nicest case ever, but to be durable, light, thin and functional. This case passes all those and more. It delivers on it’s protective abilities and stand. The case I mentioned earlier was the case that I have been using for a long time and it is the case that was replaced by this one. I use this case on a daily basis; it is my primary case. Considering the pros and the cons, this case receives a 4 and a half star rating from me. Great job Hammerhead!

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe