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Trying to pick out a new pen tablet.

polycounter lvl 12
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KyleJensen polycounter lvl 12
I currently have a Wacom Graphire4 pen tablet and I'm looking into getting a new one.

My choices are the Intuos4 small, medium, or wireless.

I like portability, but I'm not sure if having larger tablet space would be better.

Any suggestions (preferably based on personal experience)?

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  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    All depends on your own preferences, do you like drawing/painting with small wrist movements or large sweeping ones? Also keep in mind the larger they are the more likely you'll want extra desk space to accommodate them, while with smaller ones you can work with them on your lap more easily.
  • bbob
    Also, depending on what you use it on, you might not need 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. For most texture work, 1024 is entirely adequate..
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    I got an Intuos 4 medium not too long ago and it's been absolutely fantastic. The buttons and especially the wheel are really great to have. The sensitivity is also really good and it's very responsive.

    As for portability, it's not very. It can fit into a backpack, sure, but it's not something you'd pull out on the bus while commuting, if that's what you mean.

    Oh, and don't go with wireless. It's just one more thing to worry about breaking and there's no way of knowing just what kind of lag you might run into. Besides, the cable that came with the Intuos I got is plenty long.
  • Wahlgren
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    Wahlgren polycounter lvl 17
    I'm with Swizzle on this one. I got the intuos 4 medium and it's a dream. I don't think the wireless is worth it either. I've had zero issues or annoyances with my cable. I never even notice it's there since you can move it around.

    The only downside with the intuos4 is that it eats pen-tips like mad.... but at least it feels better to "draw" on than the intuos3. Intuos3 is like dragging your pen on glass :)
  • jakelear
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    jakelear polycounter lvl 14
    I have to disagree with those suggesting not buying the wireless version.

    Swizzle/Wahlgren are right in that the cable doesn't limit you at all, there's really no point in upping to the wireless, an you have to charge it, etc.

    However...

    I received an intuos 4 (wired) as a gift and within 3 months of light use (I'm quite gentile when it comes to gadgets and tech) the tablet was no longer being recognized via USB. I switched the cord to the other USB port and it worked again. So I assumed my usb port must have been broken, it wasn't a big deal since there is another. So I used the other port and was more careful about unplugging and replugging the cord, and wrapping it, etc.

    Within another few months, this other port broke.

    Google showed I wasn't the only one with the problem, and that Wacom would fix the problem if your tablet is under warranty, but won't pay for the shipping.

    http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=178834
    http://community.wacom.com/forums/illustration/hardware-software/thread/326

    Having received the item as a gift, I had no receipt for my purchase, and despite the intuo4 only having been manufactured for about 7 months by the time mine broke, Wacom wouldn't honor the 1-year warranty without a receipt or invoice.

    Having no options, I had the electrical engineer at my work pop the thing open to see if he could solder the ports back on, but it wasn't a matter of a simple soldering job, as the copper on the board itself had broken off with the contacts, not just the solder holding the port on.

    So alas, I was left without a mobile tablet (I still love wacom and my cintiq) but I must recommend the wireless version, or warn you to treat the intuos 4 (and it's fragile usb ports) as if it were made entirely from egg shells.
  • KyleJensen
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    KyleJensen polycounter lvl 12
    I decided to go with the Intuos4 Medium (USB version). I figured the small version has much too small an active area compared to my current tablet and the Medium not only has an active area closer to mine, but the overall size would be comfortable on my lap or on a table.

    Thanks for all your help, guys. :)
  • swampbug
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    swampbug polycounter lvl 18
    Intuos 4 Medium with cord is what I got a few months ago. I love it. Fits the profile of my laptop nicely.
  • Michael Knubben
    I agree with everyone praising the Intuous 4 M (with cord). I've used both bigger and smaller sizes and find the Medium to be the sweet spot for the way I draw. Smaller ones are perfectly fine too if you're looking to save money or want something more mobile, but Medium is both fairly mobile as well as taking up a relatively modest amount of deskspace.

    I see you've already made your choice, but I thought I'd chime in for anyone else watching this thread, trying to make a decision.
    The only complaint I really have about my tablet is that Wacom's drivers are becoming increasingly unreliable, and I still have to reinstall them periodically under Win. Which wipes all of your settings, annoyingly enough.

    Jakelear: Thanks for the warning on the usb ports. I'm very careful with my tools anyway, but I'll be sure to take extra care around the ports.
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