I have been the owner of just about every video game system that has ever been introduced. It all started when I was a little girl and my mom and dad (who were/are divorced) went in together and got me one of those old consoles that were black with the woodgrain trim (I'm not sure if that was a Coleco thing or what) for Christmas one year (I think I was about 7). The only game I could play on it was pong, and the screen was green and white. Fast forward about 30 years, and I've since owned just about every game system out there from Nintendo, Sony, Sega and Microsoft. What game systems I don't have (many of which I still own), my boyfriend has. We have quite a few boxes of old systems, games and accessories in our house. I've been absolutely thrilled with the Nintendo DS, and when I first saw the DS Lite, I didn't think I needed it. But I found myself with the extra money and the desire to own one in the white shade. It's sleek, gorgeous and I'm so happy I bought it. I've been happily collecting accessories for it. My latest purchase is a set of styli, the Bensussen DS Lite Stylus 2-Pack.


What Are These?

The Bensussen DS Lite Stylus 2-Pack is a set of two retractable "pens" that, instead of ink, have a plastic "stylus" tip. So when you push the top of the pen to make the stylus tip show, what you see is a plastic stylus tip just like the regular tip of a Nintendo DS Lite stylus. The stylus tip is short but sufficient at just under 1/4".

My set of styli is black and white. One "pen" is white with black lettering and the other is black with white lettering. I don't know if this set comes in other colors, because I have seen just the black and white pens packaged like this both in stores and online. I have seen other colors (a pink and purple set and a red and blue set) packaged with screen protectors, but not packaged as just a set of two styli.

The pens measure just under 5.5" long when retracted and about the same when not retracted (the stylus is out when it's not retracted, but the top of the pen is pushed in - so the length stays the same when retracted and not retracted).

These styli have a clip so that you can clip it wherever you'd like. The clip can be removed if you pull it fairly hard. The lower part of the pen where they are gripped is somewhat squared and is made of rubber. Three sides have ridges in the rubber so that they can be gripped better.

Just like with an ink pen, the bottom of the pen can be removed. Inside, though, is not a regular stylus like the one that comes with a Nintendo DS Lite. It's more like a cheap pen refill (long and thin) but with a stylus tip. It has a gold spring that allows it to retract (again, just like a pen).


My Experience:

These stylus pens remind me of Bic Wide Body Pens. They're fat and look a lot like those pens. These pens are comfortable to hold and I like them far, FAR better than the skinny, short stylus that comes with the Nintendo DS Lite. They are very easy to grip and I have not yet dropped it. I've dropped more than my share of tiny Nintendo DS and DS Lite styli because of the short, skinny shape.

I think these pens are pretty good quality. The long, skinny stylus thing inside seems cheap, but all I really need is that stylus tip, and that seems sturdy and of good quality plastic, so that's all that really matters. I like that these say Nintendo DS on them - that gives them an "official" look in a sea of generic-looking, cheap Nintendo DS Lite products.

I play relaxing games such as Planet Puzzle League, Zookeeper, Tetris DS and Bust A Move DS on my lunch hour quite often, and I use my Nintendo DS (non-Lite) sometimes when the battery is dead on my DS Lite. I have encountered no problems using the Bensussen DS Lite Stylus 2-Pack on my regular Nintendo DS. I don't know why some of these products are labeled as DS Lite products when they work well with the original DS.

I haven't had any type of precision problems while using this stylus set. These styli perform as well as the original DS styli. These are just better for grip, comfort and even style. My friends at work want to use these pens when they borrow my DS Lite for a few minutes during our lunch hour.

It's important to note that these might be too big for small children to hold onto. I think they're OK for bigger kids, though. I don't have kids, so I'm not sure. It would probably be best to check these out in the store instead of ordering online if you think that your child might not be able to hold or grip these pens due to their larger size.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this set. I will definitely get a couple of sets to have as backups in case I lose my set or somehow they wear out. I guess $9.99 is a bit expensive when you consider that the Bic Wide Body Pens are far cheaper!, but I know that we are paying for the Nintendo name. I still don't think it's that expensive for something that works so well and adds comfort and style to the Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DS non-Lite experience.


Price and Purchasing Information:

I could have sworn that I paid just $4.99 for my 2-pack of styli at my local Circuit City brick and mortar store. But CircuitCity.com has it listed at $9.99. So I might have found mine on sale at the store, or I might be mistaken on the price. Online, you can buy these at CircuitCity.com for $9.99. I've seen them at other brick and mortar stores such as Target and Best Buy.

Recommended: Yes