Art Tablets

[H u nn Y]

So I was wondering: a few questions come to mind. First of all: what's the best brand to look for when purchasing an art tablet. Which would you guys suggest for me? Also, where can I buy a cheap one? Because even looking at the one they have at Walmart, that's already 200+ and I'm going to assume that they can't be any cheaper than at least 100$ to get a decent quality art tablet. I'd like to get my own, but right now I can't afford anything too expensive. But it would be nice to know what to look for so that when the time comes I can just buy it without having to stall. Also, if anybody possibly has an extra tablet that I could borrow for a while, that would be super awesome!! (thought I highly doubt that. but if possible, that would be awesome) I miss artsing and want to do some more art again. ;A;

[Selkit]

I would suggest buying a tablet from Tiger Direct instead of Wallyworld or any robbery-barn-- er, retail store. My Intuos was $349 from Tiger Direct, $600 on retail. A Wacom Bamboo from Tiger Direct should run you about $90 for the smaller model. Do *NOT* buy one of the cheap generic-brand tablets, no matter how tempting it may be; Most of them are utter crap. Kanvus is the only one worth a damn, and even then, they're flimsy and the drivers are laughably dodgy.

El Edito!

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1187979&CatId=140

Bamboo CTL470. Bit small, but unfortunately, for $100 your choices are "Chinese knockoff rubbish" or "Small but decent". I actually wouldn't mind having one of these little guys or an Intuos S as a travel tablet.

[Temrin]

Also be warned, if you DO buy a bamboo, they are cheap for a reason. The bamboo forums on Wacom are much larger then most of the other tablets due to the fact that bamboo's have a lot of issues with drivers and often enough have problems triggering sensitivity. You can probably find any solutions for problems on those forums though. So at least, that's helpful. (I've known enough people who have bought bamboo tablets and they just sit around and collect dust because they can't get them to work.)

I'd suggest, in the future if you CAN afford an Intuos from wacom, do it. They are more reliable as far as rating and reviews go, and i've used Intuos 2 and 3 and theyve worked wonders. (4th version is so sexy. XD )

I don't have any extra's lying around since the one i'm using right now is actually borrowed, long term, from a friend.

[zenia]

You can also look on eBay for a used older Wacom model. I got a Wacom Graphire1 (3x5 working area) on there *thinks* 10 or 11 years ago. It was $100 then (really cheap at the time) but you can find 'em cheaper now. This thing is gold.

[Temrin]

Yeah the old graphires are really tough. They definitely last a long while. -even while held together by tape it can still work! XD-

[Selkit]

Actually... you know? I'll ask Loial about something. He has an Intuos 1S around here somewhere that he'd probably loan you if you poked him nicely.

[Neox]

I've been using a Bamboo 4x5 for the last 4 years and have never had a problem with it.  It was like $79 brand new at London Drugs or something around there.  Yeah, it's pretty much a starter-grade tablet, but eh... I get by. =P  It's nice and compact, I can take it anywhere and it doesn't take up my whole desktop (I'm a utility freak... everything needs to be efficient and accessible).  The drivers have always been a breeze on my Windows 7 pc and laptop.

I had a Graphire 4 which I gave to a friend and I can testify that it was built to last.  It's still doing its thing, last I asked the person I gave it to.

[H u nn Y]

Waahh~ lots to think about, haha! :D But awesome to see so many responses! I'll be using it with my new laptop, since the Paint program is so much better than the one I have on my PC.

Actually... you know? I'll ask Loial about something. He has an Intuos 1S around here somewhere that he'd probably loan you if you poked him nicely.

I haven't seen Loial in a while, but if he could, that would be awwwesome~  :-3 I'll try n poke'm out when I see him next time. XD