Huion PW517 vs PW550, PW550S and the felt nibs

PW517, PW550 and felt nibs provided by Huion

The Huion PW550 and PW550S are released in early 2023 and are included with the Huion Kamvas Studio 16 (review) and Kamvas Studio 24.

Shown above are the Huion PW517 and PW550 which are USD 50 each. Huion PW550S, the slim version, is USD 60.

Huion PW517 was released a few years ago and uses Huion PenTech 3.0. PW550 and PW550S use PenTech 3.0+. All three pens support tilt and 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Pen displays and pen tablets supported by these pens are

• Inspiroy 2/Giano/Keydial
• Inspiroy Dial 2
• Kamvas 22 series
• Kamvas 24 series
• Kamvas Pro 13 (2.5K)/Pro 16 (2.5K)
• Kamvas Pro 16 (4K) series
• Kamvas Pro 24 (4K)
• Kamvas Studio 16
• Kamvas Studio 24

From what I can see, the drawing performance is similar for all three pens. So the differences comes down to the physical design.

Huion PW517 is slightly longer and has a rubber grip that attracts dust easily.

Huion PW550 is probably meant to replace PW517 and comes with a rubber grip with new material that does not attract dust as easily.

Huion PW550S has a matte textured plastic grip and diameter is 9.5mm.

All three pens have firm pen nibs with minimal to no movement.

The felt nibs PN05F are for PW517 pen and the thinner PN06F are for the new PW550 and PW550S.

Interestingly, when I tested the plastic vs felt nibs on my Huion Kamvas Studio 16 with its matte surface, the tactile drawing experience is very similar expect the plastic nib has a more audible tapping sound.

Be sure not to buy the wrong felt nib models because the diameter is different and hence not interchangeable. I've no idea whether these can work with pens from other companies but it's most unlikely.

All these accessories are avaible from Huion online store and below are the direct product links:

• PW517 pen
• PW550 pen
• PW550S pen
• PN05F felt nib (for PW517)
• PN06F felt nib (for PW550 and PW550S)