I have about 60 notes in my inbox right now asking this question. I've answered it so many times for other people before, I really don't really know why I haven't done a Q&A entry about it. For those of you who have messaged me recently, don't worry, you're not annoying me -- same goes for the rest of you who haven't received an answer from me yet. Here's that answer for all of you right here right now.

• WHICH WACOM TABLET SHOULD I BUY?

Not to sound snarky, but I thought that little article I wrote about Wacom Tablets would've alleviated some of the confusion new digital artists were having, and answer their burning questions. Unfortunately it has seemed to only caused more questions!

Many of you have asked me which model Wacom you should get versus another. An intuos medium vs large, an intuos vs a cintiq, a cintiq vs a tablet PC, etc. To answer this as truthfully as I can --- I can't honestly tell you which one is better. This is because none of these tablets are truly better than the other. It really, seriously, comes down to nothing but personal preference. One artist can feel right at home on an Intuos3 4x5" but never get the comfortable hang of an intuos4 large. It's one of those things that just becomes second nature over time. If you get one, whichever one, and use it, practice on it, OFTEN, you WILL love it. If you end up not, and you were dedicated and open minded to it, then I would honestly be surprised.

I can't tell you what will be better for you. I only know what's good for me. That said, there ARE things I know that.... can help you make a better informed decision about what's best for you. Here's a quick comparison about what features *make* each model Wacom:


BAMBOO SERIES
Differentiating features: Low, low cost. Smaller, lightweight size. Touch & Pen input available. Limited customization.
You'd probably be interested in this one if: You're just starting out in digital art and you don't know if it's something you'll really get into. And/or you don't have a lot of money. You have a small laptop and you bring it lots of places. You just want a little take n' toss tablet that gets the job done while you travel.

INTUOS SMALL / MEDIUM
Differentiating features: Better speed and accuracy than comparable Bamboo sizes. Greater customization / ergonomics. Medium size is industry standard graphic tablet suitable for laptops and desktop systems alike, small to large screens.
You'd probably be interested in this one if: You draw with your wrist and not your arm. You have a good idea that you're going to get serious about doing art digitally / you already know you are. You need something to do a lot of work with on small to medium sized laptops, or 19"~23" desktop monitors. You own your own copy of Photoshop and use it a lot. You plan on doing a lot of traditional (ink / scanning etc) / digital mix work. You'll likely be doing most of your work with the tablet in your lap.

INTUOS LARGE
Differentiating features: Everything that's good about the Intuos Medium, just a hell of a lot larger for more gestural accommodation. Pricey.
You'd probably be interested in this one if: You draw more with your arm than your wrist. You sit at a desk while working and use larger sized (20~30 inch) screens. You have a dedicated workstation to do work at, you don't plan on bringing it around with you (often.) You have a multi-monitor setup.

CINTIQ 12WX
Differentiating features: 12-inch LCD screen built-in to the tablet itself. Exact 1:1 feedback of pen strokes. Currently uses older Intuos3-based digitizer technology (not necessarily a bad thing.) Requires power to operate. Hardly portable. Expensive.
You'd probably be interested in this one if: You know that a regular Bamboo / Intuos style graphic tablet just doesn't work for you at all. You have a more traditional background in art and want to keep it that way for a transition to digital. You draw with your wrist more than your arm. You plan on doing a LOT of work digitally and want a more efficient experience. You have a dedicated workstation, but would like to occasionally draw with the tablet on your lap. You have the extra cash and can totally afford it.

CINTIQ 21UX
Differentiating features: 21-inch IPS LCD screen built-in to the tablet itself. Insane number of expresskeys for shortcuts and modifiers. Best ergonomics on any Wacom tablet. Built on Intuos4 based digitizer tech. Requires power to operate. Heavy as hell. Not portable. Super expensive. Extremely low availability for purchase (expect 1 month wait times.)
You'd probably be interested in this one if: You live in Photoshop/Painter and do work professionally at a dedicated workstation. You have a traditional background in art and want an experience that's as close as you can get to a large canvas. You use your arm more than your wrist to draw. You want a usable multi-monitor setup along with an interactive pen display. You have the extra cash and can totally afford it. You just REALLY want one because it's the freakin' 21UX.

TABLET PC COMPUTERS
Differentiating features: Wacom tablet built into the screen of your laptop! Highly portable draw-on-screen solution. Tablet functionality is not detachable from computer (broken computer = broken tablet.) Low-class pen accuracy, speed and sensitivity compared to all other wacom tablets. Drawing experience is at the mercy of the quality of the hardware strapped to the tablet. Spotty driver / application support. Usually expensive compared to non-tablet laptop variants.
You'd probably be interested in this one if: You need a new laptop, maybe even a new tablet, and want some cool Cintiq-like functionality on-the-cheap. You want a highly portable, lightweight laptop with a unique and intriguing feature set. You like stylus input for navigating your OS. You're more concerned about having a convenient method to do some nice digital sketching than a means to create full complete artworks / paintings. You're fine with the fact that when your laptop becomes obsolete, so does your tablet.


There. That's the basics covered. This isn't a do-all end-all list. It's just a small guideline to give you an idea of which direction you might want to take. Okay, so got it?

• NOW MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND CHOOSE SOMETHING!!!