Monoprice Vs Wacom

   Unfortunately, during my travels this summer, my Wacom intus4 got completely mauled. So with a new year I decided to invest in a new tablet. Now usually when I am doing work I use my Wacom Cintiq in my home office but from time to time I need a good tablet to throw into my purse to either take out to a coffee shop or go to a workshop.

   As much as I love Wacom, I do NOT love their prices. So earlier last year I started doing research on competitors and the one name that kept coming up was Monoprice. So I ordered my very own! I went with the 10x6.5 inches drawing tablet with 8 hotkeys (see link) which is generally comparable to my old wacom. Here are my thoughts so far:

   Right off the bat, the price is extremely affordable! I spent $60 which covered the tablet, pen, extra nibs, software, pen holder, and AAA battery, next day shipping and tax!!! Much better then my old wacom which I think I paid close to $300 for.

   This particular model has a resolution of 4000 LPI, pen pressure sensitivity of 1024, 8 hot keys, 16 function keys, and has a work surface of 10inx6.5in with total dimensions at 14.2inx10.2inx0.4in. Its a good size working area and is still small enough to throw into my purse/messanger bag. This is a huge plus for me. It also comes with a 30 day return policy, just incase its not everything you hope and dream of.

   I have also done a bit of drawing with it to text out its quality. So far, everything is great. It doesn't feel like its dragging, lagging, or jittering in any way. The surface however is a bit more textured then the wacom which will eventually wear down the pen nib. But you get 3 extra so no big deal. Plus they are super cheap.

   Now to the pen. This tablet comes with the pen, pen holder, extra nibs and a AAA battery. This is my only gripe about the Monoprice so far. The pen requires a battery to function and has no way to turn off. So everytime you are done using it you need to remove the battery or it will drain. But if thats the only downside to a $50 tablet then I can live with it.

   All in all, I am very please with it. And if it only lasts a year then I still saved a ton of money and can afford another $60 to replace it. 

   For any hobbiests or professionals looking for a cheap tablet I would highly recommend giving this one a shot. And if you don't like it, your out $50-$60 and have a spare tablet :)

   I will be sure to update this review once I have had it a bit.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10841&cs_id=1084102&p_id=6814&seq=1&format=2