Do you belive the marketing bla bla? Whenever the marketing writes something it allways sounds great. Thats their job…
I have a wacom intous a5, for about 4 or 5 years now. Its still working perfect!
And you can belive me i tested it hard 
Coffee, Cigarettes, Alcahol, Ice-Tea…
You better wait and work for some more cash(or take a credit from your parents) and go buy the real thing, for life-time!
Wacom is the only way to go (at least for me)
i have one of those hyperpen 1200s and must say it’s actually quite good! pressure sensitivity is not bad and it’s HUGE! that’s why i preferred it over a wacom a6 or a5.
the only issues i have with the aiptek are that the pen feels a bit ‘wobbly’ (compared to a wacom), 'cause its tip gets pushed back into the pen when you paint, and the drivers are annoying, because redefining the working area is difficult and unprecise and it’s impossible to constrain the tablet to ONE of my 2 monitors … other than that it’s a good piece of hardware, and cheap.
if you don’t need/want a big tablet, i’d rather get a graphire A5, they simply feel better and are a tad more responsive and precise.
thankx guys
ok i found the INTUOS2 9X12 for $369.65.
but it says “THIS IS THE ACADEMIC PRICED VERSION OF WACOM’S NEWEST USB 9 X12
ACTIVE AREA PROFESSIONAL PEN TABLET WITH NEW SOPHISTICATED”
what does ACADEMIC PRICED mean?!
I bought a Wacom Intuos2 9x12. Its huge and works great! The feel of the pen and the 4D wireless mouse is awesome. Save your pennies you’ll be glad you did. Wacom all the way!
Don’t disappoint yourself. Don’t settle for less. Invest in a Wacom. You’ll be glad you did
How about $150 for a brand-new Wacom Graphire 6x8 tablet??Go here…
You won’t have the angle control of the Intuos or the 1024 levels of sensitivity, but 512 isn’t bad, and about 1/2 the price of the Intuos model the same size…
academic priced means you will have to prove you either are a student or work for a school to get the special price.
I suggest, if its possible to try out whatever tablets you have in mind and pick what suits your workflow best. Starting with a lower end one is not the end of the world either…it takes a few minutes :rolleyes: to get used to using a pen and or the pen tablet but once ya do you won’t go back to a mouse.
we all gotta start somewhere…get what suits you best for what you can afford and save for your next best up model.
I have the AIPTEK 1200U. it big, thats the only advantage. I got a wacom graphire from a friend, the old model, and for zbrush I really prefer the wacom over the aiptek.
the wacom I got it the smallest there is, but it’s still better then the aiptek 
money wasted
Wacom intuos 2 is the daddy, like some of the other guys said, if you can’t afford it now then save your pennies, you can get reconditioned ones from there site at very reasonable prices 
I got a refurbished Wacom once from a store featured at:
http://www.pricewatch.com
It worked great (still does) and I gave it to a friend when I upgraded to a new, bigger Wacom.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> I have a wacom intous a5, for about 4 or 5 years now. Its still working perfect!
And you can belive me i tested it hard
Coffee, Cigarettes, Alcahol, Ice-Tea… <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yaaaaah, that´s it 
It must be “artist-proof-only” system 
I use a Wacom Intuos 6x8. I love the 6x8 because it fits neatly under my keyboard and whenever I need it I just slide the sucker out and have easy reach of my keyboard too.
When I worked at Dreamworks back in the ‘90s I had a 12x18 Wacom. What a freakin’ monster!
I had trouble reaching my keyboard for Photoshop commands! My advice is to keep in mind you will need to access your keyboard while using the pad.
A 12x9 might be nice, but I’d try it first before I bought it, if possible.
Dickie
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> I have a wacom intous a5, for about 4 or 5 years now. Its still working perfect!
And you can belive me i tested it hard
Coffee, Cigarettes, Alcahol, Ice-Tea…
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Mee too
Bye
Leo
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I use a Wacom Intuos 6x8. I love the 6x8 because it fits neatly under my keyboard and whenever I need it I just slide the sucker out and have easy reach of my keyboard too.
When I worked at Dreamworks back in the ‘90s I had a 12x18 Wacom. What a freakin’ monster!
I had trouble reaching my keyboard for Photoshop commands! My advice is to keep in mind you will need to access your keyboard while using the pad.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I also use the 6x8 Intous. I personally do not like the larger tablets. What size tablet you get depends on a few factors. Dickie brought up the fact of having to use the tablet with a keyboard. This is very important to remember.
Another factor is the way you draw or paint. I have never personally been the one to use large strokes when sketching or drawing. I tend to draw rather small. Therefore, the smaller tablets work fine for me. If I drew with large strokes than the smaller tablets might feel restrictive.
I would keep these things in mind when purchasing a tablet.
The bigger the better,I’ve used the A5 but found it to small, I use the oversize A4 (12 x 12) & found it perfect but I draw & sketch quite large, so I guess you should take your drawing style into consideration before purchase 
dont accept less than a wacom
Well I gotta get my 2cents worth in here too!
I waited 3 years for my tablet and finally got myself a Wakom Intuos2 6x8. And I am sooooooo glad I waited and got the real thing. I absolutely love it! I find it a perfect size even for larger strokes when needed. The precision is amazing to say the least, and my cat chewed my pen and it still works like new. So it can stand a little misuse without breaking down.
I would wait if I were you for sure…
NO Aiptek!
I bought that exact same tablet you have discribed…GARBAGE. I wanted to upgrade from my tiny 4X5 Wacom and thought I had found a deal. Suffice it to say I tried in Photoshop and was stunned by the difference in quality. I took right back to the store that same hour.
I recently purchased my 6X8 Wacom Intuos from www.Studica.com. Worth every penny.
You may want to see the Tablet thread in the other forum.
I’ve posted several comments about the Aiptek and Wacom tablets (I have both).
Good luck.