Wacom PTK640 Black Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet with Pen & Mouse (Factory Refurbished) - Newest Model

Let me start by telling you to save yourself a few dollars and buy a refurbished unit, if it's available. I've been in Information Technology a long time, and these units are usually ones that went to customers for evaluations or were used in a trade show. They then go back to the factory to be spruced up, quality checked and repackaged. They are, essentially, new units. There was no way to distinguish the difference between the one I received and a new one other than it said "Refurbished" on the box. I've purchased everything from PCs, Macs, iPads, Cuisinart coffee makers and now a Wacom as a refurbished unit and have never once experienced a problem.In the spirit of full disclosure, I had one minor issue when going to register the product on the Wacom site and download the software bundle that is part of the package. My CD did not have a key number that was required to enter into the web form, but an e-mail to Wacom Tech Support brought a prompt reply asking for a copy of the sales receipt, at which time they provided me with the required info. Their service was timely and accurate and the software downloaded without issue.I had never used a tablet before deciding to try the Wacom Bamboo. I am a reasonably good Photoshop user and had been tempted for some time to experiment with one and purchased a Wacom Bamboo Craft when I saw it as an Amazon Deal. I quickly got facile with the unit and started to realize all of the things it could do in Photoshop that were enormous time savers. As one small example, holding down the Alt and CTRL keys (Mac) and dragging the pen to the right or left would change the brush size. Up and down changes the softness. Pen pressure allows you to zoom in without being in Zoom mode. I could go on, but I quickly got sold on a tablet as I started to use it daily in my work.That made me wonder what the difference was between the Intuos4 and the Bamboo (other than size) and I started to do some research. Let me tell you, now that I have my new Intuos4, there is really no comparison. The sensitivity of the Intuos is much better than the Bamboo, as is the configuration ability of the tablet. I won't bore you with a lengthy dissertation, but if I was impressed with the way my work flow was positively affected by the Bamboo, I was completely blown away with how much time I could save using an Intuos4. I've programmed the buttons for the type of work I do and I bet I've cut an hour out of my day of mouse clicks and keystrokes.Doing selections in Photoshop is much easier with a tablet, and this tablet is better than the Bamboo. Not only is the sensitivity better, but the increased size of the Intuos medium makes it much easier to use over the smaller surface area of the Bamboo Craft. I find I leave my left hand on the keyboard to jump between Photoshop functions and use my right hand to manipulate the tablet.The unit includes a mouse that I really like. It doesn't use batteries (not sure how they do that) and is made to be used on top of the tablet surface. On those rare occasions that a mouse is more functional than a pen, e.g., word processing or financial software, I quickly grab it and have the best of both worlds.The only thing I liked more about the Bamboo Craft than the Intuos is the touch feature. The Bamboo emulates the Apple Trackpad, so instead of using a mouse when it was needed, I could use the pad like a trackpad. I genuinely liked that and wish the option existed for the Intuos as well.If you're trying to decide whether you should spend the extra money on the Intuos, or go with one of the Bamboo models, I'd say it depends on your work. The Bamboo is perfectly functional, but simply not as refined or the pen as sensitive as the Intuos. If you've never used a tablet, going with a Bamboo is a good idea to test the waters and then, hopefully, you can sell it on Ebay or use it as a backup when you upgrade to a "4." The Bamboo is also available on Amazon as a refurb unit ([...]) for $75, so you're not spending a fortune on seeing if a tablet is for you.On the other hand, if you spend a lot of time in Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel, etc., you will never go back to a mouse after you've used a tablet. The Intuos4 is designed for this type of use, and now that I tested it, I can't imagine why it took me so long to make the leap.For me, this was money well spent, and as I said at the beginning of the review, you should feel free to save the money and buy a refurbished unit.

The name Intuos, I can only imagine, is meant to invoke the sense of intuitiveness, which is exactly what this pen tablet exemplifies. One of the things I love seeing is people's reactions to using it. Traditional media friends of mine will look at it, face contorted, mouth slightly agape as the swallow the desire to scream in horror. This isn't paper and this isn't a pencil. It's a little pad with lights and buttons!? Once they actually try to sketch something, their expression begins to change. Even more so once they try to intuitively flip the pen around to erase.The pad surface actually does a wonderful job of mimicking the grain-like texture of paper. The drawing surface is separate from the body, so you don't wind up running off the edge and onto the tablet's program features. While this might seem obvious, most cheaper tablets do not do this (like my previous Genius tablet). After 5 months of steady use, I haven't noticed any significant wear, but if you were to lower the sensitivity and press hard all the time, I would assume you would damage the surface and wear away the texturing. The pressure sensitivity was spot-on for me, but can be adjusted if you wish. Again, I would try to abstain from grinding on the drawing surface. It helps if your are familiar with watercolor and can be good with using a light hand.There are eight side buttons and a center button with a radial wheel. The top four are system functions and that will launch your browser, email client, control media functions, and a HUD wheel that issues commands like cut, paste, etc. The center button toggles the modes for the wheel, which you operate with your finger, in a similar fashion to an iPod. The functions for the wheel are: scroll/zoom, cycle layers, brush size, and canvas rotation. The bottom four buttons are shortcuts for shift, ctrl, alt, and a pan/scroll function.The orientation of the side-buttons can be altered to accommodate left-handed users and buttons can be rebound with a set list of pre-defined functions, such as forward or backwards, etc and just about anything else you could want, including a series of keystrokes. You can also alter how much of the screen the tablet has control over, in case you don't want it wandering out of your canvas area. To help with this, it gives you a preview of your actual desktop, so you don't have to shoot in the dark and then readjust. There really is so much that can be changed around and tailored in the tablet's properties that it is rather overwhelming to explain. The overall layout is very well done and there usually isn't much reason to take your hands off of the tablet and use your keyboard when drawing. So much seems so well tailored by default and if it needs to be changed around, you have immense control to build your perfect work environment. Most of the functions work rather universally, as well. For example, the pan button works in Firefox, as does the scroll/zoom wheel. While I wouldn't really recommend browsing the web with a tablet, even the Intuos4, it's interesting that it's fairly effortless to do.The pen comes with a well to rest in that opens up to reveal a nest of different nubs to switch out. Switching out the nubs is incredibly easy to do. The pen itself features tilting and an erase function on the back end (just like a pencil eraser). It also has a light-switch styled button near the foregrip that allows you to easily operate the two buttons. The pen is a bit bulky, and for some with smaller hands it might be kind of clumsy. It requires no batteries and no charging. Just pick it up and go. Just like the tablet itself, the pen can be greatly modified and tailored via properties.Packaging is similar to Apple: creative, pretty, well designed. In addition to the briefcase-like carrying case that the product is packaged in, there is a cloth sheath to protect the tablet and a driver disc. I downloaded the latest drivers from the Wacom website instead, where you can also register to digitally download a suite of various brushes, plug-ins as well as a license for two of the following three programs: Adobe Photoshop® Elements 8, Autodesk's SketchBook Express, and Corel Painter Sketch Pad. I opted for Sketchpad, since I already have Adobe Design Suite, and I was rather impressed by Sketchpad. It's made me want to check out Painter X, which I guess is the main goal behind these free bundles. Still, it's a nice perk for what is already a great product.Seeing this for a deal on Amazon Warehouse as refurbished, I instantly sprung at the chance to upgrade from my no-frills cheap Genius tablet to this. The difference has been night and day. The Genius was like drawing with crayons. The Intuos is like having a fully stocked artist's toolbox. While the Intuos4 still wound up costing a bit, it was a great bargain and it has performed marvelously for the past 5 months. For a newcomer, I would say to try out a tablet hands-on first. While the Intuos4 has changed a lot of my friends' minds around on the idea of digital illustration, tablets certainly aren't for everyone. I would recommend trying it hands-on first, and then deciding. If you have a cheaper tablet and are thinking about upgrading, The Intuos4 has been an absolute dream for me. I do not regret my decision in the slightest. Thanks Amazon! And, of course, thanks Wacom!

When I saw that I could save $100 buying the newest model graphic tablet the Intuos 4 Refurbished I jumped on it, the delivery and condition of the product flawless, the set up not so much. Apparently the original DVD including the drivers for the tablet and free software was seriously scratched. After loading the Driver only the mouse would work, that was a simple fix, I downloaded the latest driver from the WACOM website and everything worked perfectly. Except the free software, the key code had been used locking me out.So I went back to WACOM's website wrote a note via the web to the support department about my problem, I was contacted the first business day by e-mail with another key code that worked. WACOM stood behind their product, I never contacted the e-store that sold it to me. All is well that ends well, a minor glitch in the software department, but the tablet, mouse and pen work perfect and I saved some money.Paul

I absolutely adore my new tablet. Everything came as promised (no missing pieces), and the surface is scratch free. I couldn't even tell it wasn't brand spanking new. Even the complimentary software was usable (something I wasn't looking forward to was contacting Wacom to get the software bonuses), no problems getting it from the Wacom website.The only thing I've noticed (that doesn't affect performance at all) is the little Wacom symbol on the bottom doesn't light up (I think it's supposed to).This is easily the best purchase I have made to date, and I am beyond happy. If you're looking for a new tablet, or just getting your first (this was my first) you won't be disappointed with this one. It's taken some getting used to, but after a few hours it feels natural.Shipping was super fast too!