Tablet Options

[milleniummuppet]

Does anyone know anything about the aiptek tablets?
There is one particularly large one, 12 x 9, and I was wondering if anyone had any personal experience with them.
Resolution is about 3000lpi and the model is, hyperpen 12000U.

[Davey]

Don't have personal experience of that one in particular but seen a few reviews and they look decent-ish for the price (been looking into getting one and that was one of brands looked at). The build quality isn't as good as the likes of wacom (obviously as they are under half the price) from what I read, and they are only recommended for light use. Also the pen is bigger and heavier due to battery (NiMH 850mA an over rechargable should drop the weight and last long enough) compared to some others.

Also depending on your OS you might have problems, they are not so great performing under linux but fine in windows. Functions and performance goes a bit awry from what I hear, problem is between the tablet and x from what I read on few modelling sites so that means all desktop environs so no real way around, and presume affects none linux OSs that have desktop that runs on top of x11 such as bsd. Unsure where this leaves Mac OS X as I don't know much about darwin/mach etc and how different it is compared to BSD so can't hazard a guess. It seems minor though and for the few who do have trouble it's managable. I use Linux and Windows so not big issue personally but issues seem minor enough to ignore for me, might be different for you though.

I personally don't like very big tablets, I find they strain the wrist more and you cannot complete movements in single action as fluid. Good side is have bigger workspace and can do detailed stuff on high res big tabs without zooming in. The portable ones are too small though. My apologies if you already taken that into account. Hope this helps. If you get one I'd be interested in how you find it.

[milleniummuppet]

Thanks
yea I looked at the wacom ones, but yea the price is kind of bigger, do you know wether it was a aaa or aa?
because that was one of my main concerns, aside from the reliability issue.
also, I like the fact that the wacom tablets have an eraser function on the filpside of the pen, not that it would make me steer to that but I dont think any of the other brands do that.
Im running xp pro, so thats not a problem really.

[Colin Southern]

I've personally not used any tablet, but many reviews that I've read suggest that they take a bit of getting used to, but after that something like "you can take my tablet when you prise it from my cold, dead fingers"!

Cheers,

Colin - pbase.com/cjsouthern

[Davey]

most the aiptek ones I looked at are aaa, and NiMH have good drain and are very light. Of course being rechargable helps. I use 850mAh NiMH aaa and they last in higher drain stuff, longer than good alkalines anyway, and only 2 times the price of disposable alkalines but much lower weight. The increased size is still an issue compared to batteryless "pens" but I don't think the size is much bigger to be significant factor in forking out more for a wacom. The more significant drawback is less features and lower build quality, and longevity is low compared to more expensive ones.

[milleniummuppet]

Ok , do you know exactly which features?

[Davey]

Depends on what models you comparing to so cannot give specific answer sorry. Things like how many buttons on the tablet, what you can reprogramme and how, how easy to make on the fly adjustments, how many pressure levels etc change, obviously more expensive units tend to have more features.

Some of the other similar priced aiptek score bit higher in reviews, I think the 14000 model has 1024 levels and 4000 lpi which is higher than the 12000 for similar price. Again the big crit of these is cheap feel compared to wacom but you get what you pay for.

[milleniummuppet]

Just got one of those Apitek 14000U's, and I can tell you now it was no mistake.

The pen build is a little tiny bit rickety, but it is very comfortable to use.
I have absolutely no complaints about the build quality of the tablet, it is very solid, and the macro keys work great, as do the control wheels.

It <b>IS</b> big so you will need a big desk to use it on.
Personally I like its size, as it seems to be easier to get smoother lines.
Resolution is great: as massive 4000lpi which is greater than a lot of tablets.
Report rate is equally great: 200rps or whatever the term is.
Also the levels of pressure sensitivity : 1024 is very good when compared to wacom tablets at 512, this adds a very natural feel to the overall expireince.

After I have used the tablet for a greater length of time I will update this 'report'

[dendrophile]

After I have used the tablet for a greater length of time I will update this 'report'

I am starting to research graphic tablets, and think the Aiptek 14000U looks good value for money. Do you have any more feedback to share? I have Adobe PS CS4, and can't find anyone on the interwebnet who has reported on how these products work together.

Graham

[Geoff F]

I had a Tevion 12 x 8 ins which was basic but very cheap and did all that I needed. But it 'went to silicon heaven' after about 2 years.

After using different sizes, I would advise getting one of the bigger units. I found an A5 size difficult and suffered from 'shaky hand syndrome' but don't have any problems with the larger sizes.

Currently using a secondhand Wacom 12 x 12 ins which is ideal. Bought it from a friend, who previously used it in his business, for £55 which was the average selling price on that auction site.

[milleniummuppet]

"I am starting to research graphic tablets, and think the Aiptek 14000U looks good value for money. Do you have any more feedback to share? I have Adobe PS CS4, and can't find anyone on the interwebnet who has reported on how these products work together.

Graham"

Hi Graham,

Yes, this tablet is VERY good value for money, and it definitely works with both photoshop CS3 and CS4.
It really depends on what you want, what you want to do with it, how long you want it to last, and how much you are prepared to pay.
Like I said before, I found it to be surprisingly well built, and I have had no 'complaints' with it as of yet.
Just remember it is LARGE and to begin with your arm gets a little tired.

I have used some wacom 6x9's, and I still far prefer my own tablet.

The other factor here is LIFESPAN. There are some people on the net who will tell you that a wacom tablet will last '6 times as long', and while that may be true - its still 6 times the price.
Ive only had mine for a few months, but there has been no degration in quality or anything like that, and I have used it quite alot, but I cant garentee you that it will last for ever.
Something good about this one is that it DOES come with spare tips - something that can wear out reasonably quickly depending on its use.

[Ogaga4Luv007]

I neva had idea about photo but i think iw learn from peepz out here,