Do you have a favorite ereader brand?

Sirtel · 08-19-2023, 01:17 AM

Basically what it says on the tin.

As for myself, I was a Kindle user for many years (2011-2018 I used only Kindles). Sonys were too expensive for me then and Kobos had no physical buttons until late 2018; so it was Kindles. I was never much invested in the Kindle ecosystem, though. I did buy ebooks from Amazon, but also from many other stores, and I was a heavy Calibre user since my early ereading days. I never used Whispersync much, even when I had several Kindles. I preferred to sideload my books from Calibre.

In 2019 I tried a Nook and a Kobo. The Nook was a nice device, but I never grew used to the software - too slow and too few customization options for my liking. At first I was not wildly enthusiastic about the Kobo either, but I warmed to it more and more over the next couple of years; in 2022 I sold my last Kindle, the Oasis 3. From then on Kobo has been my favorite brand. I like how much you can customize your Kobos and how they integrate with Calibre. Of course Kobo has its faults - their devices tend to be buggier than Kindles, for example (not that it's necessarily always the case; my first Kobo, the Libra H2O, had no bugs, but my later Kobos have occasionally had some. Nothing too bothersome, though).

I may try another brand again in the future; I don't consider myself quite married to Kobo yet. So who knows, I may find another favorite someday.

ZodWallop · 08-19-2023, 01:24 AM

I like Kobo because it most closely fits my style of sideloading books via Calibre and letting me control collections and series from there.

Nook hardware is almsot always impressive to me. And their software worked enough for me. Since they've removed hyphenation though, I like it less.

Last is Kindle. It has great features, but they are not features I would use. I find the UI clunky, though I admit it may be because Kindle is the brand I tried last.

Aleron Ives · 08-19-2023, 03:30 AM

I did research before buying my first e-reader, and I picked Kobo due to the openness of the platform. The level of customisation in Nickel is good enough for me, especially with mods like NickelMenu, and I can remove DRM to ensure I actually own all the books I buy. I don't see any need to try other brands at this point, but I certainly will if Kobo becomes less open in the future.

JSWolf · 08-19-2023, 04:36 AM

I've used Sony, Amazon, B&N, and Kobo. My preference is Kobo.

Quoth · 08-19-2023, 05:54 AM

I've used maybe
6 models of Kindle (some only for a short while). I bought a DXG cheap when Amazon remaindered them and worst gadget I ever bought new. But I'd given the Paperwhite to wife

3 x Sony (PRS-T1 was worst, PRS-350 still good, T2 with small grandchild) and shame Sony long gone.
An iRiver Story Cover
reMarkable (the two models run same FW and earlier one better to write on and has buttons).
Nook Simple Touch
3 x Binatone LCD
6x models of Kobo and I still have four. My Original H2O was my first decent eReader.

Many of these ^^^ bought second-hand.

Kobo is best.
I'd rate Nia as OK value for a small one, Libra 2 for mid range and 8″ Sage as best all round eReader and better for notes than an Elipsa (which I only use to check PDFs for POD).

Apache · 08-19-2023, 06:05 AM

I used Sony and Nooks, but now I use my Surface Pro. I like being able to carry Calibre with me and have all my book info at hand. My wife thinks it's too heavy, but it feels just like the hard covers I used to carry.
Apache

meeera · 08-19-2023, 09:21 AM

I've had devices that could read ebooks going back to a Newton. Kobo's my favourite brand now.

Tarana · 08-19-2023, 09:55 AM

Tried Kobo, Nook and Kindle and have stuck with Kindle. Organization is the biggest limitation of Kindle, but I've worked it out tolerably. My NookGlo3 is great for reading at night.

rcentros · 08-19-2023, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarana

Tried Kobo, Nook and Kindle and have stuck with Kindle. Organization is the biggest limitation of Kindle, but I've worked it out tolerably. My NookGlo3 is great for reading at night.

I think the Nook Glowlight 3 has the best warm light screen.

I think the build quality is best on Kindles.

I like the Kobos and the pre-Kobo Tolinos were nice.

If the Sony PRS-T3 had a front light it would probably be my favorite.

So, I've tried Kindles, Kobos, Sonys, Tolinos, Nooks, a couple others (like the EZReader) and PocketBooks. My favorites are the PocketBooks. Mostly because of the features, like built-in ADE and the buttons.

(I've still got too many eReaders.)

Quoth · 08-19-2023, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

I've had devices that could read ebooks going back to a Newton. Kobo's my favourite brand now.

Possibly the first portable device with an ARM. Jobs was crazy to kill it, but the handwriting was over hyped.

SleepyCatgirl · 08-19-2023, 11:25 AM

Honestly, it depends what I want.
So, battery life, then Kobo very much so.
Device that does a lot? Onyx.
Reading on the go + calling/SMS? Hisense.

issybird · 08-19-2023, 11:39 AM

Kobo, for the following reasons by priority:

7.8"/8"
More of my "serious" library is available for direct download
Ability to customize margins so the text takes up the whole screen
Ability to manage collections efficiently

...but really, anything that's out there today would be entirely satisfactory.

JSWolf · 08-19-2023, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

I think the Nook Glowlight 3 has the best warm light screen.

I think the build quality is best on Kindles.

I like the Kobos and the pre-Kobo Tolinos were nice.

If the Sony PRS-T3 had a front light it would probably be my favorite.

So, I've tried Kindles, Kobos, Sonys, Tolinos, Nooks, a couple others (like the EZReader) and PocketBooks. My favorites are the PocketBooks. Mostly because of the features, like built-in ADE and the buttons.

(I've still got too many eReaders.)

The Kindles are not the best build quality. There are lots of well built Readers. Sony, Kobo, Amazon, B&N, Pocketbook, Onyx, and others. But not Bookeen . Bookeen tended to have the screen break at random.

JSWolf · 08-19-2023, 11:43 AM

If I didn't buy a Kobo Aura H2O, I would have tried a Pocketbook Reader back then.

theducks · 08-19-2023, 01:56 PM

I have had 3 brands of readers (e-ink).
Each got better performance than the one before.
Astak (2) EPUB
Kindle (1) AZW3 / Mobi
Kobo (2) EPUB

Kindle will not likely be on my list because of all the steps to make it exclusive

I use a tablet for PDF

View Poll Results: Do you have a favorite ereader brand?
I have only ever used one brand and am not interested in any others	19	13.10%
I have only ever used one brand, but will probably try others in the future	15	10.34%
I have tried several brands and prefer one of them	62	42.76%
I have tried several brands and have more than one favorite	29	20.00%
I have tried several brands and my favorites change constantly	6	4.14%
I use several brands and have no favorite among them	10	6.90%
I don't use eink, never been interested	0	0%
I don't use eink, tried it and didn't like it	3	2.07%
I don't use eink, but will probably try it someday	1	0.69%
I prefer paper books over ebooks	0	0%
Voters: 145. You may not vote on this poll

08-19-2023, 01:17 AM	#1
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,154 Karma: 224760044 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Do you have a favorite ereader brand? Basically what it says on the tin. As for myself, I was a Kindle user for many years (2011-2018 I used only Kindles). Sonys were too expensive for me then and Kobos had no physical buttons until late 2018; so it was Kindles. I was never much invested in the Kindle ecosystem, though. I did buy ebooks from Amazon, but also from many other stores, and I was a heavy Calibre user since my early ereading days. I never used Whispersync much, even when I had several Kindles. I preferred to sideload my books from Calibre. In 2019 I tried a Nook and a Kobo. The Nook was a nice device, but I never grew used to the software - too slow and too few customization options for my liking. At first I was not wildly enthusiastic about the Kobo either, but I warmed to it more and more over the next couple of years; in 2022 I sold my last Kindle, the Oasis 3. From then on Kobo has been my favorite brand. I like how much you can customize your Kobos and how they integrate with Calibre. Of course Kobo has its faults - their devices tend to be buggier than Kindles, for example (not that it's necessarily always the case; my first Kobo, the Libra H2O, had no bugs, but my later Kobos have occasionally had some. Nothing too bothersome, though). I may try another brand again in the future; I don't consider myself quite married to Kobo yet. So who knows, I may find another favorite someday.

08-19-2023, 11:39 AM	#12
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,234 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	Kobo, for the following reasons by priority: 7.8"/8" More of my "serious" library is available for direct download Ability to customize margins so the text takes up the whole screen Ability to manage collections efficiently ...but really, anything that's out there today would be entirely satisfactory.

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08-19-2023, 01:24 AM	#2
ZodWallop Gentleman and scholar Posts: 10,994 Karma: 108312789 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Space City, Texas Device: Clara HD; Nook ST w/Glowlight, (2015) Glowlight Plus, Paperwhite 3	I like Kobo because it most closely fits my style of sideloading books via Calibre and letting me control collections and series from there. Nook hardware is almsot always impressive to me. And their software worked enough for me. Since they've removed hyphenation though, I like it less. Last is Kindle. It has great features, but they are not features I would use. I find the UI clunky, though I admit it may be because Kindle is the brand I tried last.

08-19-2023, 03:30 AM	#3
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,026 Karma: 11500112 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	I did research before buying my first e-reader, and I picked Kobo due to the openness of the platform. The level of customisation in Nickel is good enough for me, especially with mods like NickelMenu, and I can remove DRM to ensure I actually own all the books I buy. I don't see any need to try other brands at this point, but I certainly will if Kobo becomes less open in the future.

08-19-2023, 04:36 AM	#4
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,037 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I've used Sony, Amazon, B&N, and Kobo. My preference is Kobo.

08-19-2023, 05:54 AM	#5
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 11,171 Karma: 85874891 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	I've used maybe 6 models of Kindle (some only for a short while). I bought a DXG cheap when Amazon remaindered them and worst gadget I ever bought new. But I'd given the Paperwhite to wife 3 x Sony (PRS-T1 was worst, PRS-350 still good, T2 with small grandchild) and shame Sony long gone. An iRiver Story Cover reMarkable (the two models run same FW and earlier one better to write on and has buttons). Nook Simple Touch 3 x Binatone LCD 6x models of Kobo and I still have four. My Original H2O was my first decent eReader. Many of these ^^^ bought second-hand. Kobo is best. I'd rate Nia as OK value for a small one, Libra 2 for mid range and 8″ Sage as best all round eReader and better for notes than an Elipsa (which I only use to check PDFs for POD).

08-19-2023, 06:05 AM	#6
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,140 Karma: 90000000 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	I used Sony and Nooks, but now I use my Surface Pro. I like being able to carry Calibre with me and have all my book info at hand. My wife thinks it's too heavy, but it feels just like the hard covers I used to carry. Apache

08-19-2023, 09:21 AM	#7
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,659 Karma: 66420972 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I've had devices that could read ebooks going back to a Newton. Kobo's my favourite brand now.

08-19-2023, 09:55 AM	#8
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,982 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Tried Kobo, Nook and Kindle and have stuck with Kindle. Organization is the biggest limitation of Kindle, but I've worked it out tolerably. My NookGlo3 is great for reading at night.

08-19-2023, 11:25 AM	#11
SleepyCatgirl Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 2157438 Join Date: Jun 2021 Device: Hisense A9, Onyx Tab Ultra(Broken), Kobo Clara HD	Honestly, it depends what I want. So, battery life, then Kobo very much so. Device that does a lot? Onyx. Reading on the go + calling/SMS? Hisense.

08-19-2023, 11:43 AM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,037 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	If I didn't buy a Kobo Aura H2O, I would have tried a Pocketbook Reader back then.

08-19-2023, 01:56 PM	#15
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,818 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	I have had 3 brands of readers (e-ink). Each got better performance than the one before. Astak (2) EPUB Kindle (1) AZW3 / Mobi Kobo (2) EPUB Kindle will not likely be on my list because of all the steps to make it exclusive I use a tablet for PDF

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