12"x9" Graphics Tablet on sale at Aldi Food stores

Robert Headley · Nov 2005

Aldi Food's Tablet

I have seen reviews for this on a couple of photo editing forums and it seemed to be decent, I mean.. You can't do too bad for $39.99

Its actually a rebranded Aiptek 12000U according to various sources on the web.

Illusions · Nov 2005

Pure...blatantly...that pad...sucks. For $39 I can see starting with it, but you won't want to keep it forever. Anything more, don't buy it. I own the Aiptek version, and I would not recommend this pad to anyone. First off, the pen has an eraser button on the end...a fake one, it can't do anything because its just a piece of plastic with no input electronics connected to it. Second, when the battery even starts to die a little, yes, thats right, the pen runs on batteries, when those batteries start to die, the sensing accuracy also dies, really rapidly and without warning. The mouse also runs on batteries. And dear god help you if you accidently leave the pen in the sensing area and forget about it...you'll be fighting with your regular mouse for a while before you figure it out. Also...drawing on a 12x9 surface with a crappy sensing pen is always a wonderful experience.

Please...unless you're dirt poor and cannot afford even the smallest Wacom tablet...do not buy this.

JKMakowka · Nov 2005

I agree with Illusions experience, as I also own a Aiptek. The biggest problem is definitly the battery inside the pen

I can't afford a wacom, but I can't really recommend buying anything else (at least anything with a battery inside the pen) either.

Mark Dygert · Nov 2005

For a starter tablet its not bad. But I would only buy it to see if you can get used to drawing digitally. After a while you will want to upgrade. I had a Aiptek, its what convinced me that spending the money on a wacom wasn't a waste. For that I am thankful, however I am glad to be rid of the iffy presure senitive pen, I ended up shutting off the presure and using it like a mouse (whats the point!). Oh and that battery, that damn thing would pop out of place and lose power if I set it down too hard or if it rolled off the desk. Also no "eraser" or second brush on the other end made it kind of limited.

But for a starter or trial tablet it's not 'bad'.

EDIT: Oops, I should read before posting, I agree with what Ill said.

hawken · Nov 2005

wacoms start at £25. just save a few more dollars.

KDR_11k · Nov 2005

I had the displeasure to use an earlier Medion tablet, the sensitivity sucked. You could either set it to "auto" which means it'll put the sensitivity somewhere around -10000 and take a minute of holding the pen on the tablet to start noticing that the pen touches the surface or "manual", which uses the same mechanism as auto but stores the final value. Until you reboot that is, then it'll switch back to auto.

Fortunately it wasn't my pad and I borrowed it only for a few skins before I got a Graphire for 40 Euros on eBay.

Sage · Nov 2005

Aipteks tablets are the biggest piece of crap ever created! If you want to learn the hard way, go ahead and waste your money, but if you are smart just buy a Wacom when you can afford it. Aipteks are so freaking useless that using a mouse is more fun, productive and painless. Graphires a nice starter tablets.

Alex

EarthQuake · Nov 2005

I have this and its seriously a POS, i went back to my 4x5 wacom intous 2 after just a short period of using this.

Downsizer · Nov 2005

*sniffle* Poop donated his aiptek 12000U to me... ahh memories. It did'nt work, so I tricked them into sending me a refurb, and I have yet to open the box again.... so... i dunno why im posting. I have no opinion about it.

Illusions · Nov 2005

The box is probably a more useful tool than the tablet inside it is...

at least you can keep crap in the box...

12"x9" Graphics Tablet on sale at Aldi Food stores

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