Wacom Intuos4 small tablet review

While the Bamboo and Bamboo Fun tablet models by Wacom are meant for office tasks that don't necessarily include illustration, the Intuos 4 and Cintiq line are meant for drawing and illustration.

The Intuos 4 models come in three sizes: small, medium and large. They weight less than its predecessors and are thinner too, so it's easy to carry them in a case. 

But if you're on a really tight budget and feel desperate to put your digital drawing capabilities to test, to see if you can keep up with the so-called 'new' era, you'd go for the small version.

Even for the $199 price on Amazon, you get an impressive 2048 levels of sensitivity, yet a good number of users would say that the price jump is unjustifiable when compared to the Intuos3 and Intuos2 versions. And there's the issue of the infamous shortcut buttons that sacrificed functionality for fanciness, being too small and too near each other.

Still, its design and surface is not as rough as previous versions and looks to enhance ergonomy. The ambidextrous capability is always a plus. The touch ring is one of the best features, it takes its time to get used to it but once you do, it feels comfortable as ever.

However, these Wacom models had one particular default issue with the USB port manufacturing and pen that came defective, that even forced the fabricant to replace the tablet per customer complaints and requests. That's why you can get a refurbished model as low as $139, but often without some of the accessories.

Beware also of the pen nibs. While the Intuos 4 models come with their pen holder, the nibs wear out too fast for frequent use. If you work 6-8 hours daily with your device, you'll know what I'm talking about. You'd have to spend an extra dollar or two for new pen nibs from time to time.

So now you see that it's not all bright, shiny and rosy when buying an expensive tablet if you're a beginner or struggling artist for the sake of it :-)

Still, if you have fallen in love with this model of Wacom tablet and feel like you can afford it, the refurbished PTK440 models have turned out wayyy better at a better price.