I previously tried to use an entry-level Wacom pen tablet years ago and never enjoyed it. I'm sure most of that was on my lack of experience, but some of it can be chalked up to the small drawing area and the fact I never enjoyed how Illustrator handled brushes. In the end, if was always better to just use a mouse.
The rise in free (or inexpensive) painting apps lately inspired me to get another pen tablet and try again. Wacom's products were too expensive for something I might not enjoy, but research led me to the Inspiroy 2. For a much cheaper price I got a larger drawing area and a solid tablet with (a) more buttons and (b) a scroll wheel.
The value is terrific, but how does it perform? Terrific! I was able to buy extra nibs for $10 that are made of felt, so they give more friction on the tablet (I don't remember my Wacom pen allowing that). The pressure sensitivity seems to work just fine though I have little to compare it too, and overall my experience has been well worth my purchase. If you are looking for a beginner tablet, absolutely start here and bump up to something elite as your talent grows. I also feel that drawing apps have come a long way. Adobe Fresco's brush engine, for example, is far better than anything Illustrator has and the vector brushes in Fresco are fantastic.
My only complaints come from a few quirks with the Huion app that is used to specify the actions for each button. I'm left-handed so I work with this turned upside down. The Huion app lets you turn it 90 or 180 degrees to accommodate your needs. That all works fine. What could be better, though, is that when you tell the app you are working with it turned 180 degrees, picture of the tablet in the app doesn't also turn 180 degrees. So, I have to specify the functions of each button while trying to figure where it will be once the tablet is spun around. That's a simple change they can make in software — and I hope they do. I also found that a change to the button functions is not immediately represented when using UWP apps, like Adobe Fresco. Sometimes, I have to restart the Huion app or unplug and re-plug in the tablet.
Those are small issues overall and do not kill the experience.
Report