I have been using an Intuos (original) for almost 3 years with no complaints and many satisfying results. That "only" has 128 levels of pressure, and you can actually tell when you get into using it - since Intuos2 has 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, I only wish they had been around before! If all else fails, try to get a 2nd hand Intuos - if you're not a VERY serious artist, Intuos 1 should do the job. After all, those who do upgrade will be selling on their old kit...! Hope my opinion helps, Skewer