I don't remember a time when I didn't have a Wacom tablet.  I use Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Blender and Poser both professionally at work and for all manner of sick, twisted, perverted and just plain messed-up stuff at home.  A couple of years ago I added a 3D mouse from 3Dconnexion to my toolbox.  A tablet takes some getting used to and I won't comment on whether or not it's faster but it's sure a hell of a lot more comfortable if you spend the best part of your day on a computer pushing pixels around the screens.