I just read a post by Rikayu about tablet vs mouse.

I have been dabbling with the idea of getting a tablet, but don't know what to look for. I'd like a good one, that doesn't have a reputation of freezing or messing up my system or anything, but I'm on a strict budget. Can't go higher than $100 -125. Preferably in the lower cost. I thought about getting something like the WACOM. I'm not looking to do great work, but just to reignite my interest in drawing.

Any tablet users out there who can tell me:

What brand/ type of tablet you have.
How long you've had the tablet.
What kind of art you primarily use it for.
Sensitivity/ control.
Cost when you got the tablet.
Necessary programs.
Rating out of 5. Why?

I know it's a lot to ask, but I like to get as much info as possible when making purchases over $50.

What brand/ type of tablet you have: Bamboo - Pen
How long you've had the tablet: 6 months
What kind of art you primarily use it for: Line Art, Coloring. Use it with Photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp, Flash.
Cost when you got the tablet: $89.99 or $99.99. Not sure
Necessary programs: None
Rating out of 5. Why? : 4 out of 5. I think for the price, it's a very nice tablet. It's big enough, at least for what I do, and I have yet to have any time of problem with it. I used it in plenty of different programs, and it works just fine.

Hope this helps~
:3

That's the one I was thinking about. How's the sensitivity on the pad?

It's great. I don't have to press too hard, but its not hyper sensitive either. Its literally as if I was drawing on paper, same kind of pressure. I have yet to struggle with it.

Dunno if I'll be much help because when I buy new equipment, I make an investment in it. P:

What brand/ type of tablet you have: Wacom Intuos 2 (but it's a gigantic model, something like 11" x 16")
How long you've had the tablet: Nearly 5 years, and it still works like a dream. <3
What kind of art you primarily use it for: /everything./ I do lines, sketches, flats, cel-shading, digital painting, vectoring, anything I can think to do with it.
Sensitivity/ control: Ooh, that's a toughie. I've forgotten how many layers of sensitivity this thing has... but it's a lot. I've been told that the pressure sensitivity is comparable to the new gigantic cintiq models, by a cintiq user.
Cost when you got the tablet: It cost me $404 on e-bay, and it was a used model. P:
Necessary programs: Something to draw with! I mostly use Photoshop CS and other Adobe programs, but I also use Open Canvas 1.1 occasionally... depends on my mood.
Rating out of 5. Why?: Ooh, I think I'll have to go with a 4.5. I love this thing all to bits; it has lasted me SO well and SO long and really helped me get out there and make some digital art. My only problems with it are that it is so ridiculously huge that it's difficult to carry it around, but that's canceled out by how smooth and beautiful I can get my lines. The other issue is that it goes with pen mode only, as far as I can tell, and won't do the mouse mode, where you can pick the pen up and set it back down and the cursor won't jump to a new corresponding spot on the screen. I like it the way it is, but I've had several other people who have used it complain.

So, whoops. This turned out to be a gigantic rantagraph. Hope it's helpful in some way? xD

Thanks Maddie! Thanks Jupe! you both have nice artwork.
You've been helpful.

I'd still like more responders to my question. Maybe I should up my price limit. $150- 200?

If anyone else reads this, I'd appreciate input!

What brand/ type of tablet you have. DigiPro (I think, it's the only name I can find on the box lol.)

How long you've had the tablet. A couple of months probably, not very good at keeping track of time.

What kind of art you primarily use it for. Does crappy drawing count as a kind? lol Usually I use it to color in sketches, though I do use it when putting in text on like banners and such, cause I'm too lazy to switch back to mouse.

Sensitivity/ control. Depends on the program, usually it is perfect, just a slight amount of pressure. On Corel Painter x2 or 2x, something like that, I had to push down a lot harder with some of the brushes, but with Manga studio 4.0 it works like a dream.

Cost when you got the tablet. I'm pretty sure I paid around 30-40 for it, definitely no more than that though. But it is only a 4'x3' screen, works great for the small amount of drawing I do, but might need bigger if you are a real artist, which I most certainly am not hehe.

Necessary programs. None that I am aware of, I installed and got this thing running myself so it is idiot proof .

Rating out of 5. Why? I'd say 4 outta 5, only because the button on the pen gets in my way a bit.

A bit of advice, if you're like me an need to stick to a low budget, go for smaller sized screens. You can still get a really good brand, without paying an arm and a leg for them. And in case you need the info, this one is Windows Vista capable, and usable on Mac.

What brand/ type of tablet you have:
Genius MousePen 8 x 6-Inch Graphic Tablet

How long you've had the tablet:
Just over a month.

What kind of art you primarily use it for:
Lineart, mostly. I like colouring with it as well.

Sensitivity/ control:
Pretty good, I think. I can't remember what I've set the sensitivity to, but I like it. ^^

Cost when you got the tablet:
About $50.

Necessary programs:
None that I can think of...

Rating out of 5. Why?
When I first got it, I would have given it a 5 because it was soooooo easy to draw with. Then it started to die on me as I was using it; just a few times to begin with, but now it's happening more often. I think I might have to send it back. T_T

I think, if you want a tablet that lasts long and works beautifully, you might have to get one that's at least $70 dollars. I hear WACOMs are the best of the best of tablets.

What brand/ type of tablet you have.
A small Bamboo Pen & Touch Tablet

How long you've had the tablet.
Almost five months but I've owned a Wacom tablet before. It still works actually and I like them both very much.

What kind of art you primarily use it for.
Digital line art, sketching, and coloring.

Sensitivity/ control.
Seems pretty good from what I've experienced. I don't have to press hard for it to work and it does not seem overly sensitive. However, the pressure sensitivity can be changed manually if need be.

Cost when you got the tablet.
$99.99

Necessary programs.
The tablet came with instillation software and a copy of photoshop elements, but did not require any particular sofware to be preexisting on my computer. You will of course need some kind of art or photo editing software though. I use the GIMP and another program called Art Rage.


Rating out of 5. Why?
For my purposes, I give it a 4 1/2 stars. I think it's an excellent tablet for the average hobbyist.

Hope this helps!

What brand/ type of tablet you have
I have the Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet (it's a 4x6)

How long you've had the tablet.
I have had the tablet for about 6 months now

What kind of art you primarily use it for.
I use it to colour the lineart of others because I am not artistic. I use it a lot too when I make my banners. It really helps speed up the process

Sensitivity/ control.
Fantastic! It's like i'm using a pen on paper and it goes where I want it to go. As i said, it speeds up the process. It takes some getting used to though

Cost when you got the tablet.
I bought it when it was on sale for $80, and then I had a further discount I received from my professional membership card so I ended up paying $65-70 for it

Necessary programs.
You can use them on anything. I use it with photoshop. I have also used it with Power Point and Microsoft Word at work in terms of highlight things and revising things for others. The version I bought actually came with a copy of Photoshop Elements, which makes it a great price as that program is usually $100 on its own. I think it also came with Corel Paint and another software program as well.

Rating out of 5. Why?
5 - I love it!

Honey-Bee wrote:
Rating out of 5. Why?
When I first got it, I would have given it a 5 because it was soooooo easy to draw with. Then it started to die on me as I was using it; just a few times to begin with, but now it's happening more often. I think I might have to send it back. T_T

I think, if you want a tablet that lasts long and works beautifully, you might have to get one that's at least $70 dollars. I hear WACOMs are the best of the best of tablets.

Just had to chime in on this one too.

I've purchased at least two different tablets of this particular brand and I've run into the exact same problem! I would caution anyone against purchasing a Genius tablet! They tend to work well for a few months and then they seem to start shorting out or something. The problem I had was that the computer would sometimes not recognize the tablet and therefore it would not work, even after reinstalling the software. With each tablet it only did this a few times at first and then the problem became increasingly more frequent until it no longer worked at all. For me, it was better to just pony up the extra dough and get the Wacom tablet.

From what I'm seeing so far, we pretty much all have a wacom bamboo pen tablet, lol, and we adore it!

From all the ones I owned, it is by far the best one, and the only that hasnt given up on me lol.

What brand/ type of tablet you have.
I have 2, one is an older Graphire 2, the other one is a Bamboo (not Bamboo fun). They are both the smallest models, one is like a 3x5 and the other a 4x6 or so. Small is good.
How long you've had the tablet.
My graphire I have had for at least 7 years, it still works perfectly. My bamboo I have had for about a year and a half.
What kind of art you primarily use it for.
Digital coloring in photoshop, some painting in Corel Painter, and I use them a lot in illustrator for vectors. I also use it for heavy photo editing in photoshop.
Sensitivity/ control.
Excellent, though you do have to calibrate the tablet to make it work for you (easy setting change). The other nice feature is that the Bamboo really feels like pencil on paper, just like regular sketching.
Cost when you got the tablet.
My original Graphire was $100 on eBay at the time. The Bamboo was a gift, but I believe it cost about $90 at the time.
Necessary programs.
Depends on what you want to do, I recommend going through trials of different programs you like. I can't live without photoshop myself. You never need install disks for the tablets themselves, Wacom always has the drivers on their website.
Rating out of 5. Why?
5/5 I loved my graphire, and it still works to this day. There are some small improvements between these models that make the Bamboo so much better. The cord on the Bamboo is removable, which is great for storage and transport. I have also used a few tablet PCs and I still prefer the Wacom tablet. With the tablet you can still use your keyboard shortcuts and type when you want too, this is more difficult on a tablet PC. I also personally prefer the smaller tablets (4x6) because I draw on small areas to begin with, plus they are extremely portable. I honestly did not have any reason to replace my Graphire, and I use it when I travel still, it works just as it did when I first opened the box. The durability of the Wacom tablets has me very impressed, years of use and no reason to replace? I can't say that for many other things I own.

I would like to thank EVERYONE who added their input, advice and experiences with tablets. I was basically set on a Bamboo as they were not super expensive and had great reviews anyway, but I think everyone who answered cemented my decision.

Thanks again Dokugians for your help.

I wanted to throw in more thanks and suggest this be made a sticky or a thread that is similar put as a sticky. I was coming on the forums to ask about tablets and found this. It helped me put some ideas together in a more permanent format than just asking on the chats...

Perhaps a reviews of tablets thread?

Just a suggestion. Thanks again for the reviews that are here. They're helping me formulate the sort of tablet I want to invest in.

What ever you do, do not get a Nook. The charger breaks very easily and insurance does not cover it. I've never heard of Bamboo-Pen, I'll have to try it sometime.

What brand/ type of tablet you have.
Wacom Intuos Pen and Touch - Medium. It comes with the standard 1024 levels and 2540 LPI and an active area of 8.5 inches by 5.3 inches so it's larger than the Pen and Touch Small and the Intuos Pro - Small. Same size as the Intuos Pro Medium.

How long you've had the tablet.
About 2 hours. Love it.

What kind of art you primarily use it for.
Digital Inking and Digital Painting. I do most of my work freehand via pencil on paper. I'll scan it and re-ink it which I was doing for years beforehand with a mouse and scanner and Photoshop.

Sensitivity/ control.
Amazing. This thing is just phenomenal and it's not even the professional edition. I'm very impressed. There is a bit of a lag though when you use the pen to scroll across the screen. It lags by about two to three seconds before painting the line or curve or whatever.

I think the pressure-sensitivity is best used only for painting or shading and highlighting. It's crap for outlining, especially if you want a decent black line.

It's best to switch between them dependent on what you're doing.

Cost when you got the tablet.
Slightly over $300 as I bought it off the floor in a retail store. It was $349 elsewhere for the same product which I would have had to order in instead of buying it straight out. I could have alternatively bought the Intuos Pro Medium for $479, but I don't think the added bundled software and or the extra nibs was worth the additional $170. Not for what I was going to use it for.

I'll break this one first than get that one in a couple years. XD.

Necessary programs.
Comes with bundled software ArtRage 3.5 and Sketchbook Express. Decent programs, but I'll be using GIMP for most of my stuff. It's more like photoshop and has more features which I'm more familiar with. I'll likely use the bundled software to paint stuff after I've inked it in GIMP.

Rating out of 5. Why?
I'd say 4/5 even after using it for a couple hours.

Pros -
It's a good home tablet with a big enough active area to compensate for the cost. I like the responsiveness too. It's nice.

Cons -
The wear and tear on the nibs is terrible. An additional cost which I will resolve by using alternate nib materials once I find some.

The screen is good for responsiveness but the rough papery feel of it is like sand.

Solution - Screen Protector. It'll make the surface like glass and it's much easier to keep it clean and scratch free. It'll save on your nibs too.

The Bundled Software is passingly OK, but I still prefer GIMP.

The registration to download the bundled software is a pain in the keister. You can register the tablet with Wacom but you're left scratching your head for an hour trying to figure it out.

Clue - Look inside your box that the tablet came in. Search for a small card that's bundled up with the installation booklet and the CD. The URL web address for the online registration of your Wacom tablet is on that card.

Searching for it on Google does not help. I tried. You won't find any useful web addresses.

I think this is based around the region globally where you are situated. The confusion over this simple step abounds in various online communities. I looked.

Very amusing.

~ Pyre