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What kind of affordable drawing tablet works for you?


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I used to get amazing bamboo fun tablets. They were really all I needed. Currently, I have an Intuos (I'm not sure of the model) and it's terrible. I'm trying to get into the professional field and this tablet is just so faulty that I think it would make working really inefficient with time and effort. When I can afford something new, I'd love to try something else, whether it's Wacom or XP-Pen, etc.

 

So, on that note: what drawing tablets work for you? What, in your experience, has the least amount of lag, least amount of heavy wires, good quality lines, and doesn't blotch or skip for an affordable tablet?

Edited by Lucky Cat
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The intuos is the industry standard  professional model. I kind of have a hard time believing you preferred any of the bamboo modes over intuos - Unless maybe your computer can't handle the intuos driver? I got several bamboo  tabs and even a few off brands before I finally forked out and upgraded to the intuos and it is head and tails better than any other drawing tablet I've ever had. The pen is more responsive - I don't even have to touch the surface for general control it's so sensitive prior to custom adjustments; after those, it shifts line thicknesses based on pressure even better than a pencil/pen/marker could. They quick key programming is bomb af. Everything is fluid, the nib set that comes with it is like having any paintbrush you could ever need right on hand.

 

Only step up from there is the cintiq and unless they've had a severe model shift the least expensive one is 5k. 

 

 

Edited by Dragon

 

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@Dragon You can have a hard time believing it all you want. This Intuos tablet is total shit. It lags and skips and when it does, it leaves blobs. It's a massive waste of time. I've had this tablet for a few years now, but it's always sucked. I'm pretty sure it's a driver thing and not a hardware/lemon type deal. But after few years, a few driver updates, uninstalling and reinstalling, et cetera: it's always been crap.

 

Although, to clarify: these particular model of Intuos are the "new" bamboo fun models, basically. The ones you're thinking of are likely now called "Intuos Pro." Never tried an Intuos Pro (I could get a screen tablet for the price of one of those at XP-Pen xD).

 

I have tried Wacom's Cintiq - the cheaper $1k-$2k one but it had so many wires and it lagged (I don't know why I keep getting lag issues with Wacom lately) that I ended up returning it and getting this current tablet I have now. For $90, I'd say this tablet is definitely more "worth it" than the Cintiq one I tried (it just wasn't right for me, personally? Aside from the wires and lag, it really didn't have issues. It worked really nicely.) because of the price, but yeah. 

 

Thanks for the comment!

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I personally used Bamboo tablets for the longest time, before I stopped doing digital art.  What I'm really enjoying now is my new laptop, a Lenovo Flex that can be folded back entirely into tablet mode, and comes with a stylus to draw directly on the screen. I got it for $1k at Costco. 

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Yeah! It's pressure sensitive, too. It might not be as sensitive as you would like for your own personal artwork (aka "I think this might not be the most best option for a dedicated digital artist"), but if you're in the market for a new laptop..... 

 

https://www.costco.com/Lenovo-Flex-5-Series-2-in-1-Touchscreen-Laptop---Intel-Core-i7---2GB-Graphics---1080p---Active-Stylus.product.100402546.html

 

This Huion tablet seems to be a hot choice on Amazon as well, but I've never heard of the brand myself. Still... 740 reviews is nothing to sneeze at.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TB0TTAC/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b15HJT_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=0W040TZMSDJDTSZ3V5T7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=ad73d04e-7446-55e9-a57b-dec8ac1040f8&pf_rd_i=16034531

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I actually just got a new PC (my other one snapped in half somehow, so it was completely reimbursed with a new one. : | I love warranties), so based on that alone it's not for me. Buuuut! It is something to keep in mind for the future. Thanks for the links!

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I just gave up my years-old Bamboo Fun a few months ago, haha! Loved that tablet, but it was so old it stopped communicating properly with my laptop. ;o; However, I bought a brand new Wacom Intuos and while it has some issues (I use it on an older Gateway), it does really well! Only thing I have trouble with sometimes is I have to restart this old derpy laptop to get pen pressure if I haven't used it in a while, and sometimes lineart gives me trouble if SAI's pen settings reset (which they seem to do every now and again aaand I'm not entirely sure why xD).

 

I think there's a new Intuos out there now - I bought mine in 2017. I believe it was around $300 when I bought it, but this specific model is about $200 now. ^^ Haven't looked at the new one, I'm afraid to because I'll probably want it LOL!!

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THE BAMBOOS REALLY WERE SO GOOD. XD No wonder they stopped producing them. I KID xD My first bamboo lasted forever.

 

Based on the price, you got the Intuos Pro.~ Which---I would hope is way better than mine! xD As much as I want to try an Intuos pro, I just can't afford it right now. Glad you're liking your new tablet thus far despite its faults. :3 Though, if you're working on an old gateway, some issues might be from that. xD I remember SAI resetting on me as well back when I tried it and I honestly couldn't tell you why... /does a quick google/ I saw this from a 2016 dA thread with the same issue and this was one solution a person gave )not sure if it worked, though):

 

Here is what you do:


1. After you make changes to brushes in SAI keep it opened.
2. Go to [wherever you store main folder]\Easy Paint Tool SAI\toolnrm
All brushes are listed there.
3. 00-42 (files' names) are their positions - switching numbers around by renaming will switch brushes' positions (insede SAI on that brush grid)
4. If you then go to properties of either of files and remove the tick from 'read only' you can change its settings in notepad
5. Apply the same changes as in SAI (you can use default files for reference)
6. Now you can close SAI and it should stay.

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Kay, so, I started with a Genius MousePen because it was cheap, and then upgraded to a Bamboo Fun, and then got an Intuos (the new low-end line, Intuos Draw I think, idk, it was like $90 at the time). Unfortunately it was a super small one and I can't feasibly draw on something that small, so I tried to find an affordable replacement, and I found it in a less mainstream brand called Huion.

 

I have the Huion H610 Pro, and I have never had a single issue with it. Pen pressure always works, it loves Photoshop, it doesn't work as well with SAI but that's just SAI's problem not the tablet's. It actually has more pressure sensitivity levels than an Intuos, even some of the thousand dollar high-end Intuos models, for a fraction of the price, I only paid $80 for it. Actually, the pen itself is sturdier than the Wacom pens, the Bamboo one I had fell off my desk and hit the floor in just the right way to break the pen pressure controller in the inside of the pen, and it didn't even hit the floor hard (it fell a very short way down), but I've dropped the Huion pen a few times and it was fine. It actually comes with a protective pen cap, too, to protect the pen nib from breaking. The only drawback is several models have battery-powered pens, meaning you do have to charge it occasionally (so it comes with two cables), but you can use it while it's charging, and the H610's battery lasts about 6 months or so for me.

 

So if you're having a lot of trouble personally with the Wacoms, try a Huion. Several of its models are decent sized and well featured for a stEAL of a price, good for just checking one out, as if it doesn't work for you, you're not out a lot of money. And then they have fancier options with displays and stuff if you decide you like them, but tbh, my H610 is pretty much all I need for what I do, and if it helps understand the wide range of "what I do," I make video games. Haha.

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@arceus Thanks for the suggestion! I think I've heard of Huion! It's $10 cheaper than Wacom's cheapest intuos (I think cheapest?) and it has better sensitivity. : | Talk about competitive.

 

Actually, the pen itself is sturdier than the Wacom pens, the Bamboo one I had fell off my desk and hit the floor in just the right way to break the pen pressure controller in the inside of the pe

n, and it didn't even hit the floor hard

I never never considered this, but I wonder if my "blotch" issue is due to a damaged pen. It doesn't look, feel, or sound broken, but I drop everything, all the time. I would never have guessed the issue might be the pen, but it seems plausible now that I think of it.

 

Nevertheless, I think I'm definitely ready to try an alternative to Wacom. I'll give Huion a look. :3

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I decided to try XP-Pen's Deco 01. I found it on Amazon for $60. : | About the size of a sketchbook, holy-hello sensitivity, excellent reviews across the board (not a single bad review), and the cheapest alternative thus far. -Holy music- We'll see if it's actually any good, though. XD If this tablet is no bueno, I'll give Huion a shot!

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I used to have a Bamboo too and really loved it! The tip however would get used quite fast, but I guess it was just me always pressing too hard anyway.

I had gotten an Intuos as a belated parent+granparents christmas gift I have yet to use, so I'm starting to get nervous from what you are telling here about their weak quality :D

 

As it was said above, touchscreens on some computers with a stylus is very efficient, granted you have one thin enough it doesn't hide where you're moving the tools at, but yeah, it cannot beat the 60$ one you found, price-wise!

Good luck with that! The lurkers are interested in the results! :P

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@D-S If my issue is a driver issue and not a pen issue, I'm hoping they resolved it for the newest models. (I downloaded my driver recently, so the drivers depending on model may or may not be the same.) My intuos is like... the "entry" version of Intuos as well. It's cheaper than Intuos Pro, it's really small (the active area is a little bigger than post card size), and it's about 2-3 years old so our models are likely not the same. Your Intuos might be fine. They might have worked out the kinks my Intuos has. Just in case though (should do this for anything you get): test it out and see how it works for you. :) If you have any sort of issues, perhaps you can ask the fam if you can return/exchange it. Hopefully that won't be necessary! Grats on the new tablet, too. :)

 

I think my new tablet should be coming in by April 13th. Amazon is usually really fast/good with shipping so maybe less! I'll update with the results then. xD Hopefully  this $60 alt. is a steal. xD

Edited by Lucky Cat
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I can't wait to see your review!

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