I think I have had my Wacom Drawing Tablet for at least ten years and it finally bit the dust. I am planning to get a new tablet and I was wondering if anyone could offer me any advice. When I bought my Wacom originally, it was THE brand of tablet to get. Are there are others to consider or is Wacom still the best? Thanks for the help, Jay

Wacom is still the best there is. Wacom is the only tablet producer that has cordless, battery-free pens available. I'm currently using Wacom Graphire 3 Studio XL tablet and I've never had any problems with it. Cordless, battery-free USB2 tablets are the way to go nowadays and I don't think Wacom has any real competition.

Love my Graphire...never had any problems with it :)

Speaking as a professional who uses a $400 Intuos at work and an $89 Graphire I at home (and the same applications on both), you can't tell the difference. Buy a Graphire; it even comes with a wireless mouse. Like I said to my dentist who uses it at work, Apple and PC vendors should have made a deal with Wacom and just bundled the things with their machines.

Attached Link: http://www.extremereviews.net/data.php?recordID=126&page=1&type=review

Duane, you don't notice any difference between the Intuos and a Graphire? I thought there would be a noticable improvement between the 1024 levels of an Intuos and the 512 of the Graphire. I have an ancient ArtZ 6x9 and was thinking about replacing it with a smaller Intuos (maybe even the new Intuos 3), but I keep hearing conflicting opinions. Thanks, take care. SnowS

I work with an Intuos, very responsive and the pen is very comfortable in your hand, I use the 4"x5" one and I actually like the smaller size better than the 6x9 I have at home. Wacom is the standard supported by all the graphic apps. Unless money is a great issue go with Wacom.

Well i just bought a Nisis for 71 and its huge LOL, just a bit bigger than A4 i think (drawing area it has another 2" border) and i'm very pleased with it...BUT...i've only ever used a very very old tiny Wacom and a Violta and this is about the same feel but with more space, i would think compared to a large wacom it would be pretty poor, but then again its a fraction of the price and the mouse works as a mouse should in apps the wacom never did, the mouse isn't as accurate as a good optical though so i don't use it.....Steve

my hubby has a Wacom Intuos2 9x12 and loves it...I just bought an Aiptek 9x12 and really like it too...it doesn't have a battery free pen like the Wacom, but it handles nicely...and, if you want to try it out, you wont be out too much at $90 US...I bought it from a company in the UK called Serif, and they have great customer service...go to this page and click on the link on the left side of the page for info to call them and place the order, that's what I did...being that it's out of the USA I would rather speak to a real person...I got it through the mail in 5 days!! shipping was only $3...hehe...I got the link for this item here actually about 3 weeks ago...someone else recommended them....good luck with your search for a new tablet, they're hard to be without when you're used to having one!!! :D http://www.serif.com/store/partners/hyperpen12000_usb.asp

Thats the one i got, different badge same tablet ;o)....Steve

Thanks everyone for the help. I am leaning towards a 6 x 8 Wacom Graphire. I am concerned about the size, though. I spent a bundle on my old tablet. It was 12 x 13. I can't afford to spend that much now. (I am back in school.) I noticed soon after getting my old tablet that it didn't really need to be that big. I rarely would make a stroke on the tablet that was 12 inches long, but if I get the 6 x 8 Graphire that seems a little small. What do you guys think? Thanks for the help! Jay

The only problem with wacom tablets is they are subject to RF interference. I'd had a wacom for years, then I moved. When I installed my tablet at my new location, it wigged out. I thought it had been damaged in shipping so I bought a new graphire. It did the same thing. I went to the wacom help section and found out that in certain instances, they have problems with radio waves. It was then I noticed there is a radio station antenna about 3 blocks from me. Any way, I replaced my wacom with an Aiptek and haven't had any more problems. Just an FYI SMT

I had the same issue when I went from a 6x8 to a 4x5, but I really like the 4x5 Intuos2. It would depend on how you work I guess. I highly recommend a wacom. I tried a few different tablets before I got the wacom and would never change. One thing you might want to look at is sometimes wacom has sales on refurbished tablets that you can save some money or check on ebay. Sometimes you can get an older model much cheaper than a newer one. Like Intuos2's have come down since Intuos3's are out.

Message edited on: 10/14/2004 01:29

SnowSultan, you're right about the levels of sensitivity, but the difference in precision is negligible to the user experience, even when retouching in Photoshop. I'm sure there are some people who would disagree, but I've yet to come across someone actually posting an opinion to that effect. The chief advantage that Intuos offers me is a larger size (for tracing) and the rarely-used function keys at the top of the pad. I favor the Graphire because it's intentionally designed to fit the footprint of the mouse pad it replaces. An Intuos assumes more about how dedicated the user is to building a workspace around it, which is fine at work and not at home. Remember, both devices now use the same driver/control panel (in both OSes) and feature the same precision controls, application-specific customization, etc.

Thank you, that's very interesting that you don't notice much sensitivity difference between the two. You can only learn things like that from people who have actually used both. :) Guess I'll hang on to my big ArtZ for now; if it ain't broke... ;) Take care. SnowS

If you're happy with the ArtZ, stick with it. Do understand, though, that as far as Wacom is concerned, the ArtZ has reached its product end-of-life support cycle and eventually you will have to replace it. For one thing, if the pen dies, you'll find the Graphire/Intuos pens are incompatible with the ArtZ tablets. And this is coming from someone who spent two years working a draftsman's cross-hairs puck on an ancient table-size digitizer (and successfully avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome), so I know whereof I speak on the ergonomics v. precision issue.

I got $600 to spend on a graphics tablet...any advice ?

Buy the Graphire and mail me the other $500, unless you have pro needs that could justify an Intuos.