Yup, those old ones of the first and second generation were better in most ways than the new breed for sure. Simpler, no touch functionality getting in the way, no driver panel that wants to surf the web and all that. I think the most recent pens are better than the earliest ones though. Not by much to be fair but leagues…
My best Wacom was an old light gray colored one. First in intuos line probably. It was closer to medium size and had small margins around working area , no buttons , nothing redundant , watertight plus a thick everlasting cable. Perfectly fitting a table surface with keyboard on the left . Lasted more then decade. Couple…