7P notes: Wacom Intuos Pro (PTH-x60)
Overview
The Wacom Intuos Pro (PTH-x60) series of tablets are still the best pen tablets ever made even in 2024.
I have used both the large and medium sizes extensively and the small size a little bit.
All three are highly recommended. I recommend the Medium size (PTH-660) size for most users. This reflects my standard guidance that medium-sized tablets are the best choice for the vast majority.
PTH-860
2017
Intuos Pro Large (2017)
PTH-660
2017
Intuos Pro Medium (2017)
PTH-460
2019
Intuos Pro Small (2019)
The Pen - Wacom Pro Pen 2
These tablets come with the Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E) which is a HUGE part of why the drawing experience is so good.
Pressure range - This pen has an incredible pressure range. It's IAF is <1gf which is industry leading. And its maximum pressure is about 800gf which is incredibly high. Again this is industry leading. More here: pen pressure.
The pen is otherwise typical
Nice to hold
two buttons
Has an eraser
Cost - Take care of your Pro Pen 2. A replacement typically costs $90 US.
Drawing experience
Pressure handling - excellent
Pointer lag - These tablets have very little pointer lag. You can see that demonstrated in this video: https://youtu.be/CRwzPJPA_5A.
Cables and connectivity
Included cables - These tablets come with a USB C cable.
Using 3rd party USB-C cables - You can use this cable or any USB C cable that supports data. In fact, I never use the USB C cables that Wacom provides for these tablets.
Wireless - All three tablets support Bluetooth connectivity for wireless operation.
Touch
In my opinion the touch support is not great. The touch pad on any laptop you use will be far better and more responsive. Also the touch support has poor palm rejection. Disabling touch is the first thing I do with an tablet that supports it.
Touch on Windows vs Mac - Touch works much better on Window systems than on Macs. This is not Wacom's fault, it is due to how well Windows supports touch compared to MacOS.
Surface texture
The Intuos Pro series has a slightly more textured surface than many other tablets.
Over an extended period of time (months?), you'll notice that the texture erodes a bit. The texture never goes completely away but it has a more typical amount of texture for a tablet. And the surface can end up looking a little "smooth" or "polished" in those areas. If you move the tip of your pen across the surface of the tablet you will even hear the difference as you move into these eroded areas. Below is an example of the texture erosion in Wacom Intuos Large (PTH-860).
Texture sheets
The Intuos Pro MEDIUM and LARGE models have a surface that is replaceable with a Texture Sheet.
Wacom has three kinds of texture sheets: Standard, Smooth, and Rough. These texture sheets are often sold out and the smooth one is EXTREMELY rare. Besides giving you the texture feeling you want, they are useful if you've scratched up the surface of your tablet and want to make it feel like new.
Nib wear
A result of surface texture texture is that - depending how you draw - you can wear down a nib very fast. If you are doing a lot of shading with many back and forth strokes you might even notice significant wear within a week or even a day.
In any case, I advise everyone to always pay attention to their nibs and replace them if they are getting very worn.
Diagonal wobble
Rating: VERY GOOD. Low amounts of wobble.
Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860)
Using a large tablet feels quite a bit different from using a medium tablet. It's important to understand this. So if you're interested in this tablet please watch the video below. In that video, I go into great detail about the practical issues of using a large tablet. And the video specifically covers the Wacom Intuos Pro large (PTH 860).
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