Since Wacom is far too expensive, I've been thinking about the Hyperpen 8000u. I've found only good reviews of it. The quality of the tablet itself is supposed to be superb, and the only downside I've found is that the pen has a battery which you must replace every 300 days (estimated by one reviewer). It also has those programmable shortcut button things at the top which the Graphire 3 does not have. So from the looks of it, it's $90 instead of $200 and I get buttons and I have to change a battery. Also, I'm pretty sure the Aiptek is higher resolution.

Any other suggestions on tablets? Those buttons aren't necessary but nice, and I don't care about software package. What I want most is the biggest for my money, while ensuring I still get enough pressure levels and is high enough resolution.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

[This message has been edited by Emon (edited March 03, 2004).]

I happen to have a Hyperpen 12000usb. Seems to work fine for me. Now if only we could get a response from the dern people who are suppose to send one for our webcomic artist...

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You mean from Aiptek or some other retailer? I read that tech support and the manuals are a bit lacking on Aiptek products, whereas according to my brother, Wacom has phenominal support. But hey, Aiptek's still pretty new, and that price tag is awful nice.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

I say go for the Aiptek. Ive dealt with their products before, they are a decent company. Even their low end stuff is pretty reliable.

Oh, yeah, theres Linux drivers for the 8000....

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The future is here, and all bets are off.

This is what I have:

http://www.aiptek.com/products/pctablets/12000u.htm

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Check out the following stories over at the Interactive Story Board:
The Never-ending Story Thread or visit the new webcomic version!
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Featured Story: The Darkside Chronicles

I *would* have a graphics tablet and therefore useful advice for this thread. Only apparently I have some form of voodoo curse which prevents me from getting graphics tablet-sized packages in the mail. Bah.

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"Well, it could be worse -- it could be windy!" -popular Canadian saying.

The Wacom ones are really the only ones worth getting. I know quite a few people with Aipteks, and they are less than satisfied.

Wacoms are not that expensive. You can get a Graphire 2 for like $70.

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"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."
-Robert Jastrow

Yeah, and it's a pathetic 4x6 inches. I know people that are satisfied with Aiptek, and all the reviews are good. Lots of graphic artists would probably get anal because they have to change a battery and go calling it crap. I mean, Wacom fanboys kind of. I only bring it up because every more casual user who has reviewed it hasn't had a problem with it.

Edit: I'm going to see if I can borrow a friend's Aiptek, then I'll know for sure. I want a Wacom, but I really do not have the money.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

[This message has been edited by Emon (edited March 04, 2004).]

I personally just can't imagine using such a tiny space. I mean, I have a 9x12, and that's little more than a sheet of paper. But I haven't tried much else, so I can't say if WACOM is better even if it is smaller.

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Check out the following stories over at the Interactive Story Board:
The Never-ending Story Thread or visit the new webcomic version!
The Vision Cycle series
Featured Story: The Darkside Chronicles

I have a Wacom, and although I love it, I would probably agree that it's a little too small.

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Have a good one,
Freelancer

Honestly, you don't NEED much more than 4x6. I've always figured big tablets to be a waste of money unless you are a professional.

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"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."
-Robert Jastrow

I have a 4x6. I'm always thinking "man, I wish this thing was bigger". But usually I just change it to portrait layout if I'm having problems with the dimension. After a couple weeks getting a really good feel for it, it won't bother you probably. <3 tablet

Wacom is expensive for good reason, for one, if they ever release a newer version of your product (presuming you bought the latest version at that time) you can send yours in for a replacement. Lifetime Warranty... Wacom also has unique association with many programs such as flash and photoshop that other tablets may not. I have a Wacom Intuos2, have no problems with it. Was worth every penny.

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"Ahhhh!! I'm Burnin'! I'm Burnin!!!" - Cleaner from Max Payne 2