I didn't know anything about buying tablets when I started digital art and I went through some really bad tablets at first.
My first tablet was a gift and it was tiny, my 2nd was Genius that I bought myself, it broke after 2 years (or less) and my 3rd was Genius as well and i remember it being bigger and it laster less than a year, I bought it for around $200+ and it was money I saved up too and I was so frustrated when it broke because I didn't know why and how, it just stopped working.
When I went to buy a new one I just thought that I wanted a cheap tablet because they're going to break anyway and I ended up buying a Wacom intous (small), it was for around $80 and it has lasted with me for around 6 years now. The only problem I have with it is that it's still working really well that I don't have a reason to upgrade to a newer tablet lol.
imo wacom is a bit like the apple of tablets - they are really, really good tablets, but also have the industry by the short and curlies a little, and there are a lot of other good tablets for lower prices. personally, i love me a huion
@stnmaren 's story abt her huion is important to take into consideration, but also one broken tablet out of many huion tablets that dont go wrong. also, i remember following that experience on her social media, and there was a complication with amazon packaging the tablet terribly that coulda been the issue. either way, samsung's phones blew up en masse last year, but they still make some brilliant phones, right?
getting a wacom is a garuntee of high quality, but theyre not the only high quality tablets out there.
I've had 3 tablets, all Wacom, over the last 8 years. None of them ever broke (I gave 2 away and they were still working perfectly.) The first one was a Graphire and came in a bundle with Manga Studio Debut 3, which was the real reason for my buying it. The second was a Bamboo, also in bundle with Manga Studio 4. The last one, that I've been using for 1,5 years now, is an Intuos Pro Large.
I've looked at other tablets and thought about buying them, but I'd started with Wacom and it's like "the devil you know" (it's not that I've had many issues over the years, just some drivers being nasty, the tablets were all great).
My reasons for first buying/staying with Wacom were the longevity, the quality, my good first experience with the Graphire, definetely the brand's domination of the market (I'd only ever really noticed Huion about three or two years ago) and the bundles.
Why do a lot of Artists recommend Wacom?
Well.
Considering I've been using the same tablet model since I was 13 and it still works like new...
I don't know.
edit: something to keep in mind though: you don't HAVE to pay big bucks when buying Wacom products. My bamboo splash tablet was $80 and I've been able to do so much with it.
Don't fall for the marketing tactics (spend 2000 dollars you don't have on a pen display tablet), lower your stakes and you'll be fine.
Being an industry leader isn't being a monopoly. Wacom doesn't control supply chains or own exclusive rights to all tablet tech. They were the first company I ever knew of making tablets for artists, and in time when electronics almost always relies on planned obsolescence, that Wacom products last for over a decade for many artists goes a long way to explain why there's such intense customer loyalty. That kind of word of mouth can't be bought.
Getting a cintiq sped my drawing speed up a lot, like i drew maybe 3-4 times faster with one than a bamboo. And that's just on initial purchase.
With time (however this includes speed practice and removal of traditional art from any of my art processes, going full digital) i would say the total speed increase is 6-9 times faster than what I was with the bamboo and traditional.
1 black and white page with 4-5 panels takes me approximately 1 hour to make. Same but with coloris 1.5-2 hours.
Without the combination of my cintiq and the intense speed practice I've done over the years, I could never make the amount of pages I do in a week, and I could probably not live off of my art the way I do.
yeah, I know it could be super confusing... I was also looking for a beginner level drawing tablet Monitor . In a nutshell, I think - Wacom Cintiq 16 has fewer features but better quality whereas the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro gives you a number of features but small things like uncalibrated screen Inferior surface texture may bug you...
I've tested out surface pro, iPad, wacom cintiq etc. But I always come back to my intous.
Wacom is highly recommended because it's got a reputable history of making products tailored to the creative industry. Just like if you're after a gaming keyboard, a certain company will pop into your mind.
You will find that they are almost compatible with any creative softwares out there, and the stylus doesn't need battery or charging. It's light and it's chunky which is better to hold in the long run. The surface of the tablet is matte which imitates paper (for people who are transitioning from traditional to digital, this is great a addition). For people who like gloss, there's also an option for that too.
The company also has constant driver updates for the older tablets too, so the users don't feel neglected. They really take care of their customers. The price may scare you from the beginning. But I've had my intous for 5 years now and it's still been great, and works better than my Surface Pro 4. The diver is still being updated, I still haven't purchased nibs for it.
I spent $500Aud which lasted for 5 years so far and I use it a lot. So yeah, I personally prefer wacom products just really because they know what they're doing.