Never used the Aipek,but know two people who did..they switched to Wacom,and are much happier. As far as the size, that's a matter of personal taste...... If you are drawing/painting original from start work,you may find a larger size feels more like a sketch pad,and prefer that. However if you are working on or adding to existing work(like painting hair/clothes)the smaller tablet may feel more comfortable to you...less hand movement.I used a friends 9x12 Wacom to try out....loved it.But when it came time to buy,I could only afford the 4x5...but I found out I like that size better. When I want to trace something larger..not a problem..just scan it,reduce it,and print out a size to fit the tablet. SWAMP