This post was last updated: May 24, 2019
Table of Contents
Preface
This post is just a place for me to write down the problems I have noticed regarding the tablets and companies I have dealt with.
This post is not meant to insult any companies and is made of my honest critique regarding their products, sites, conduct, etc. I will make a note about anything I have noticed that is “unsatisfactory” about a tablet company here.
Any representatives of tablet companies who see this post should contact me through the Contact page if there are issues which I have listed that have already been fixed. I will go confirm whether the issue has really been fixed and mark it as “Solved” if it has.
Wacom
Wacom Intuos 2018 – Include more replacement pen nibs. (May 19, 2018)
I have always found it odd that the Wacom Intuos only comes with a total of 4 nibs despite how Wacom tablets have such a huge reputation for eating through pen nibs with their rough paper-like textures.
This is an especially big problem with the newest Wacom Intuos 2018 where the texture does not wear out as quickly as previous models, meaning that you will keep burning through pen nibs for much longer. If you draw a lot, this means that you will go through the 4 included nibs in just 2 months (based on how fast the nib was wearing for me).
If anything, I believe Wacom should include at least 8 replacement nibs with the Wacom Intuos. Buying 5 Wacom replacement nibs costs 5 USD, and I think those 5 extra nibs should be included as you are already paying a fairly high price with the 80-200 USD price tag of the Wacom Intuos.
As a side note: If you contact Wacom support and complain to them about pen nib wear being ridiculous, they may offer to send you some extra nibs. Perhaps you can try that if you do find the nib wear to be really fast.
Wacom Intuos 2018 – Disclose that the bundled Clip Studio Paint Pro license is a 2-year limited license on your site. (May 19, 2018)
The information that the included CSP Pro license is 2-year is given on Amazon, but not directly on the Wacom Intuos product page. There is no reason why the information should be withheld about the CSP Pro license being a 2-year limited license.
I have heard that the same information was withheld for the first 6 months with the Wacom Intuos Comic which also offers a 2-year CSP Pro license, so it is quite clearly a marketing strategy, but it is a strategy quite unbecoming of such a respectable company like Wacom.
Wacom tablets – Include tablet release date as info on the specification sheet. (May 19, 2018)
This is not just a Wacom issue, so I will write it as a suggestion under each company, but the specification sheet of each tablet should include the day which the tablet was originally released.
Obviously, if you think of it from a marketing perspective, this is not a particularly smart move because it gives buyers a way to compare the relative ages of tablets and will in turn make it harder for a company to clear out their older products.
However, I believe that making the release date public is actually something that would benefit companies rather than hurt them.
This is because most complaints about companies come from buyers purchasing an old tablet and having a bad experience with that because older tablets are commonly made to a lower standard than newer tablets (this is often the case with Wacom alternatives because they have made great improvements to their tablets over the last 2 years). This means that the fault for the customers dissatisfaction lies mostly with the company, and not the buyer.
However, if the release date is given in the specifications sheet, then the fault lies mostly in the buyer for choosing the older product as that information was given officially. (Of course, some fault still lies with the company for offering the old product, but they do need to get rid of their excess stock somehow so you can’t really blame them for that.)
Huion
(Solved!) Huion drivers – Make it so that the drivers do not prompt for permissions every time you turn on the computer. (May 19, 2018)
(Aug. 26, 2018) Update: They have released a newer Huion driver version 14.7.4 which uses the old method of avoiding the UAC prompt by including a “admin privileges” button in the drivers.
(Jul. 01, 2018) Update: I have found a workaround to this problem myself and I talk about it here: Huion Drivers – How to make it stop prompting you for permissions every time you log in on Windows 10!
However, this is not an official fix by Huion and so this problem will not be marked as solved.
(Jun. 29, 2018) Update: Huion has announced the release of their newest driver which supposedly will “automatically run as admin”. Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/huion/huion-v14-driver-has-arrived/2138243043061810/
I tested the new driver and it does not get rid of the prompt asking for permissions every time you log in so this problem is not solved.
The latest April 28, 2018 drivers bring up the “Do you wish to give this app permission…” every time your computer starts up.
This did not happen with any of the previous version of Huion drivers and I believe it was better that way, especially since the drivers worked completely fine even without giving it those permissions.
It’s not a particularly big deal, but it is quite annoying considering that literally no other tablet drivers outside of Huion require you to give the drivers permission every time you turn on the computer.
For anyone who got a Huion tablet after April 28, 2018, I suggest using the previous January 12, 2018 driver as there is literally no difference between those two drivers except for a “Game Acceleration” checkbox which makes no noticeable difference.
You can get previous January 12, 2018 version Huion drivers if you look at their driver download page here: https://www.huion.com/download/driver/
Huion tablets – Include tablet release date as info on the specification sheet. (May 19, 2018)
This is not just a Huion issue, so I will write it as a suggestion under each company, but the specification sheet of each tablet should include the day which the tablet was originally released.
Obviously, if you think of it from a marketing perspective, this is not a particularly smart move because it gives buyers a way to compare the relative ages of tablets and will in turn make it harder for a company to clear out their older products.
However, I believe that making the release date public is actually something that would benefit companies rather than hurt them.
This is because most complaints about companies come from buyers purchasing an old tablet and having a bad experience with that because older tablets are commonly made to a lower standard than newer tablets (this is often the case with Wacom alternatives). This means that the fault for the customers dissatisfaction lies mostly with the company, and not the buyer.
However, if the release date is given in the specifications sheet, then the fault lies mostly in the buyer for choosing the older product as that information was given officially. (Of course, some fault still lies with the company for offering the old product, but they do need to get rid of their excess stock somehow so you can’t really blame them for that.)
(Solved!) Huion drivers – Include “Release Notes” with driver updates. (May 19, 2018)
(Feb. 07, 2020) Update: They have a page (Huion – Driver Update Log) which lists a few of the changes made with each driver update. It appears they started doing this since Sep. 6, 2019, but I hadn’t noticed.
(Jul. 01, 2019) Update: They included release notes for one driver update (version 14.8.25.611), then didn’t include any in the next one (version 14.8.26.621).
This is an issue with all Wacom alternatives, not just Huion. This is not an issue with Wacom as they properly include Release Notes alongside their driver updates to show what they have changed.
All tablet companies should be including Release Notes with their driver updates which list what changes have been made to the driver from the last version. This is so users can choose whether they want to go to the trouble of reinstalling their drivers for the newest update or not, or if they want to stick with their currently working drivers.
(Solved!) Huion drivers – Add a “Update Drivers” function into the drivers. (May 26, 2018)
(Sep. 04, 2018) Update: The update function now properly connects and downloads the new driver and allows you to install it from within the drivers.
(Aug. 26, 2018) Update: Huion driver version 14.7.4 has been released, so I tried updating through the version 14.5.0 update feature. However, when I click “Download”, I only get a “The server is busy, please try again later.” message. I am unable to confirm if this feature works or not.
(Jun. 29, 2018) Update: Huion’s newest driver now has a feature which allows you to check for updates from within the driver itself rather than having to visit the website.
I cannot test whether it sends you to the website to get the update, or automatically updates the driver. If it sends you to the website, it’s a step in the right direction, but still not the best it could be.
I will be able to update this once they release a new version of the 14.5.# series of drivers.
This is not an issue, it is just a quality of life update that would be nice to have. It applies to all Wacom alternatives at present. Currently, Wacom is the only tablet company with drivers that can be updated from within the driver itself.
It would be a very nice feature to have if Wacom alternative drivers could be updated from within the drivers themselves, rather than requiring you to download the update from the website, then uninstall your current drivers, and then install the new drivers.
A one click “Update Drivers” feature included in the drivers would be very much appreciated.
XP-Pen
(Solved!) XP-Pen drivers – Create download links for previous version drivers. (May 19, 2018)
(May 24, 2019) Update: XP-Pen appears to be starting to include previous version driver download links on their downloads page now. Hopefully, they keep doing so from now on as well!
On the XP-Pen driver download page, there should be links to previous version drivers as well as the current drivers.
I bring this up because the newest May 17, 2018 driver completely fails to map my work area properly with my XP-Pen Deco 03 on my 3 monitor setup rendering the tablet completely useless for me, whereas the previous May 2, 2018 driver works flawlessly and I have absolutely no problems with that one.
This means that if the newest drivers do not work for other users, they will all have to go through the extra hassle of contacting customer support to get a download link for the previous driver version if it is a problem caused by stupid changes they’ve made to the drivers.
Edit: There is a new May 25, 2018 driver which was released to solve the problem with mapping but I have not tested it yet. However, download links for previous version drivers should still be provided on the driver download page.
I only had the previous driver version because I save all the drivers I’ve previously downloaded to a USB stick, just in case the newer drivers perform worse than the previous ones, but new users will clearly not have that option as they only have access to the newest drivers being offered on the site.
(Solved!) XP-Pen Deco 01 and Deco 03 – Do not claim that they are “resistant to scratches” because the texture wears off right away. (May 19, 2018)
(Jun. 29, 2018) Update: XP-Pen no longer claim the tablets to be “resistant to scratches” on the product pages of the Deco 01 and Deco 03.
Claiming that the tablets are “resistant to scratches” on their product pages is misleading. These tablets both start wearing out their textures from the very first day of drawing on them.
Perhaps you meant that they are resistant to literal “scratches” and “gouges”, but buyers think that “resistant to scratches” means that the texture is resistant to wearing off, not that the tablet itself is hard to scratch.
I believe the claim that the tablets are “resistant to scratches” should be removed from the product page.
XP-Pen tablets – Include tablet release date as info on the specification sheet. (May 19, 2018)
This is not just a XP-Pen issue, so I will write it as a suggestion under each company, but the specification sheet of each tablet should include the day which the tablet was originally released.
Obviously, if you think of it from a marketing perspective, this is not a particularly smart move because it gives buyers a way to compare the relative ages of tablets and will in turn make it harder for a company to clear out their older products.
However, I believe that making the release date public is actually something that would benefit companies rather than hurt them.
This is because most complaints about companies come from buyers purchasing an old tablet and having a bad experience with that because older tablets are commonly made to a lower standard than newer tablets (this is often the case with Wacom alternatives). This means that the fault for the customers dissatisfaction lies mostly with the company, and not the buyer.
However, if the release date is given in the specifications sheet, then the fault lies mostly in the buyer for choosing the older product as that information was given officially. (Of course, some fault still lies with the company for offering the old product, but they do need to get rid of their excess stock somehow so you can’t really blame them for that.)
XP-Pen drivers – Include “Release Notes” with driver updates. (May 19, 2018)
This is an issue with all Wacom alternatives, not just XP-Pen. This is not an issue with Wacom as they properly include Release Notes alongside their driver updates to show what they have changed.
All tablet companies should be including Release Notes with their driver updates which list what changes have been made to the driver from the last version. This is so users can choose whether they want to go to the trouble of reinstalling their drivers for the newest update or not, or if they want to stick with their currently working drivers.
XP-Pen drivers – Add a “Update Drivers” function into the drivers. (May 26, 2018)
This is not an issue, it is just a quality of life update that would be nice to have. It applies to all Wacom alternatives at present. Currently, Wacom is the only tablet company with drivers that can be updated from within the driver itself.
It would be a very nice feature to have if Wacom alternative drivers could be updated from within the drivers themselves, rather than requiring you to download the update from the website, then uninstall your current drivers, and then install the new drivers.
A one click “Update Drivers” feature included in the drivers would be very much appreciated.
Parblo
(Solved!) Parblo drivers – Coast 16 drivers need improvements on their stability and reliability. (May 19, 2018)
(Mar. 02, 2018) Update: They released a new driver at one point which was quite an improvement as far as I could see, but they quickly removed the download link for it and reverted to their old Dec. 07, 2017 driver. It’s more stable than the old old version which this post was originally about, but I liked the format of the new drivers more.
Unfortunately, it seems like Parblo has made no improvements or changes to their drivers since then as they are still on the Dec. 07, 2017 driver, but at least they are stable enough to use, so I will mark this as solved.
(Jul. 11, 2018) Update: There was quite a long delay, but I will finally be able to test the Parblo Coast16. I will mark this suggestion/issue as solved after I review the tablet and make sure that there are no other big problems.
(May 21, 2018) Update: Their newest drivers are seemingly more stable and haven’t thoroughly messed with my computer yet. I will mark this suggestion/issue as solved if they work as they should once I receive my up-to-date Coast 16 from them (it is taking a while for them to get back to me about it so I’m not sure when).
I believe that the Parblo hardware (looks and design) of their tablets is fairly good. However, those are absolutely useless if the drivers do not work well and properly, which is why I believe Parblo needs to work on their drivers.
The Parblo Coast 13 and 16 drivers for Windows do not work properly on both my Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 computers, causing right clicks at the end of each of my strokes which prevents me from drawing at all because right click is eye dropper in CSP. This is clearly Windows Ink behaviour, but I have disabled all Windows Ink actions on my computer and the problem is likely the fact that the Parblo drivers do not have a “Disable Windows Ink” checkbox unlike every other tablet company I have drawn with.
There was also a problem when uninstalling the Parblo Coast 13 and 16 drivers from my computer, where it completely resets my computer resolution upon restart, and then restarting again returns my proper resolution, however, it resets my colour profile assignments which I have to manually reassign to my monitors again.
So again, the tablets themselves look quite nice, but the drivers need a LOT of work to make Parblo products a worthwhile choice. Right now, the risk of running into problems with the drivers is much too high until Parblo improves them. I wouldn’t even mind if they asked Huion for their older Huion drivers to use because the Parblo drivers they use right now are just so… bad.
Parblo tablets – Coast 13 quality control was lacking. (May 19, 2018)
I ordered a Parblo Coast 13 and I received it with a non-working vertical area on the screen.
Someone consulted me about their Parblo Coast 13 and whether theirs was defective. It also had a non-working area on the screen, except theirs was horizontal. They returned it and bought another one and again, it had a non-working vertical area on the screen.
Seeing this many screen defects causes me to be very hesitant to suggest the Parblo Coast 13 because of how bad the quality control seems to me.
Please try to work on your quality control and improve it.
Parblo drivers – Create download links for previous version drivers. (May 19, 2018)
(Aug. 21, 2018) Update: They changed the format of their downloads page again and only offer one download link. I will mark this as solved if they release a new driver update and keep the old one available.
(Jun. 08, 2018) Update: They now have the download link for the previous version on their driver download page. Thank you very much for doing that, Parblo!
The Parblo drivers download page should have download links for not just the current drivers, but also the previous drivers.
Again, offering different versions of drivers is important as that will give users previous driver versions to fall back onto in case the company accidentally messes up the drivers with their newest update.
Parblo tablets – Include tablet release date as info on the specification sheet. (May 19, 2018)
This is not just a Parblo issue, so I will write it as a suggestion under each company, but the specification sheet of each tablet should include the day which the tablet was originally released.
Obviously, if you think of it from a marketing perspective, this is not a particularly smart move because it gives buyers a way to compare the relative ages of tablets and will in turn make it harder for a company to clear out their older products.
However, I believe that making the release date public is actually something that would benefit companies rather than hurt them.
This is because most complaints about companies come from buyers purchasing an old tablet and having a bad experience with that because older tablets are commonly made to a lower standard than newer tablets (this is often the case with Wacom alternatives). This means that the fault for the customers dissatisfaction lies mostly with the company, and not the buyer.
However, if the release date is given in the specifications sheet, then the fault lies mostly in the buyer for choosing the older product as that information was given officially. (Of course, some fault still lies with the company for offering the old product, but they do need to get rid of their excess stock somehow so you can’t really blame them for that.)
Parblo drivers – Include “Release Notes” with driver updates. (May 19, 2018)
This is an issue with all Wacom alternatives, not just Parblo. This is not an issue with Wacom as they properly include Release Notes alongside their driver updates to show what they have changed.
All tablet companies should be including Release Notes with their driver updates which list what changes have been made to the driver from the last version. This is so users can choose whether they want to go to the trouble of reinstalling their drivers for the newest update or not, or if they want to stick with their currently working drivers.
Parblo drivers – Add a “Update Drivers” function into the drivers. (May 26, 2018)
This is not an issue, it is just a quality of life update that would be nice to have. It applies to all Wacom alternatives at present. Currently, Wacom is the only tablet company with drivers that can be updated from within the driver itself.
It would be a very nice feature to have if Wacom alternative drivers could be updated from within the drivers themselves, rather than requiring you to download the update from the website, then uninstall your current drivers, and then install the new drivers.
A one click “Update Drivers” feature included in the drivers would be very much appreciated.
Artisul
Artisul tablets – Improve D13 build quality. (May 19, 2018)
(Aug. 21, 2018) Update: I saw a D13 S and D13 SX version on the Artisul Store, but I have heard absolutely no news about them. It would be great if they changed how the glass panel was glued to the tablet in those models, but I do not intend to get my or anyone’s hopes up.
I previously owned an Artisul D13 and the glass panel on the front felt like it would pop off if I flexed the tablet at all. As if to prove it, the glass panel was protruding in the top left corner, and there was dust getting under the glass on both sides of the screen.
I was able to get it sent in for “repair” under the 1-year warranty and it came back with slightly less dust under the screen, just slightly.
But in all seriousness, I doubt the Artisul D13 has been changed in any way since I tried it so I am quite sure the build quality is still just as questionable. I really hope that questionable build quality does not apply to the Artisul D16 and D22, but unfortunately I do not know because I have not tried them.
Long story short, improve the build quality of the Artisul D13.
Artisul tablets – Include tablet release date as info on the specification sheet. (May 19, 2018)
This is not just a Artisul issue, so I will write it as a suggestion under each company, but the specification sheet of each tablet should include the day which the tablet was originally released.
Obviously, if you think of it from a marketing perspective, this is not a particularly smart move because it gives buyers a way to compare the relative ages of tablets and will in turn make it harder for a company to clear out their older products.
However, I believe that making the release date public is actually something that would benefit companies rather than hurt them.
This is because most complaints about companies come from buyers purchasing an old tablet and having a bad experience with that because older tablets are commonly made to a lower standard than newer tablets (this is often the case with Wacom alternatives). This means that the fault for the customers dissatisfaction lies mostly with the company, and not the buyer.
However, if the release date is given in the specifications sheet, then the fault lies mostly in the buyer for choosing the older product as that information was given officially. (Of course, some fault still lies with the company for offering the old product, but they do need to get rid of their excess stock somehow so you can’t really blame them for that.)
Artisul drivers – Include “Release Notes” with driver updates. (May 19, 2018)
This is an issue with all Wacom alternatives, not just Artisul. This is not an issue with Wacom as they properly include Release Notes alongside their driver updates to show what they have changed.
All tablet companies should be including Release Notes with their driver updates which list what changes have been made to the driver from the last version. This is so users can choose whether they want to go to the trouble of reinstalling their drivers for the newest update or not, or if they want to stick with their currently working drivers.
Artisul drivers – Add a “Update Drivers” function into the drivers. (May 26, 2018)
This is not an issue, it is just a quality of life update that would be nice to have. It applies to all Wacom alternatives at present. Currently, Wacom is the only tablet company with drivers that can be updated from within the driver itself.
It would be a very nice feature to have if Wacom alternative drivers could be updated from within the drivers themselves, rather than requiring you to download the update from the website, then uninstall your current drivers, and then install the new drivers.
A one click “Update Drivers” feature included in the drivers would be very much appreciated.
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