The capless Wacom Cross pen is the best available at any price. Go with that. This Capped version is both

a) slow to use (have to take off the cap)

b) not as durable (the Cap actually broke apart, both the sleeve from the silver lining, and the clip itself)

Please see the capless version and my review for some tips on how to get the most out of the Cross pen.

Of the capped ones, the pen I carried in my pocket had a loose clip after perhaps a week, and had broken off after maybe a month.

The other pen in my pocket which I carry regularly, a Parker fountain pen purchased in 1977, has never had such a problem. I do not abuse either my pens or my computer gear.

For the next year and a half, I carried the pen loose and capless in my jacket pocket without any problems.

The second capped pen remained unused for 18 months in an old laptop case which I use as a spare-parts bag.

When I retrieved it, the eraser end of the pen fell away spilling the interior electrical parts on the floor.

It had never been used, never moved, never touched except to unpack it and place it into the bag.

The third capped pen, when I tried to use it would not write. Instead it would draw temporary rectangles onto the screen.

I have had no similar problems with the Cross capless pens, nor any other tablet pen.

1. You have to carry it around seperately, since there is no built in storage slot for it on your laptop.

2. Heft is nice for a few minutes, but if you’re writing notes for an entire class it gets annoying.

The glue they use must be rated for temperatures no warmed than say… 75 deg. f.

Stay Far Away.

For a company that has such a silly, lewd-suggestive name, they probably manufactured the best of graphics tablets. I say “probably” only that “Wacom Intuos3″ is my first trip into the world of interactive pen writing. Quite frankly, no one should spend over 200 dollars on a product that may or may not be useable, but the ergonomics and design of this Wacom tablet proves that it’s worth the price.

I would’ve recommended the 6×8 tablet because of the expanded platform for more open-ended writing or drawing, but I’m sure no low-class worker or college student dependent on student loans would fork over 100 dollars on already expensive product line just for extra dimensional inches, and neither would I. Besides, the 4×5 tablet looks big enough already.

Speaking of looks, no matter which size tablet you get, you’ll notice how good it looks. “Intuos3″ has this simple yet sleek design that’s almost similar to the iPod, only in grey, and the bottom part of the tablet makes it comfortable to place on my wrist. It’s also durable, but it does makes this squeaky sound whenever I press the tablet; it’s annoying, but only for a while. Function-wise, for the 4×5 tablet I have, there are keys place on the left side of the table which works as mouse buttons and a scroller. I read that these button placements are a problem for people who are left-handed, but personally, I don’t find them convenient.

[UPDATE 8/26: While I was using Macromedia Flash, I tried the tablet keys along with my pen, just out of habit. I realized that these keys are actually helpful when I cliced certain buttons to perform tasks. I especially fond the scroller, since it scrolls a zoomed page without the hassel of manually adjusting the screen; it makes things easier to draw on the tablet. Now I understood how the left-handed people feel about the 4x5 tablet, and I do recommended the 6x8 tablet for those people. It's too bad they are expensive.]

I don’t know if it’s the ultimate instrument of power or the best accessory included, but the grip pen is wonderful. Battery-free, pressure-and-tilt sensitive, and comfortable to hold, it works and acts like a pen (or a pencil since it erases as well). The only complication with the pen is that it acts TOO well like the real thing. The pentip works like a clicker, and when it touches the tablet, it interacts; it took me quite some time to get use to way the pen works, only to realize the pen should never be used as a mouse. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword, or any other pen for that matter.

“Intuos3″ also includes a five-button mouse with a fingerwheel, which practically needs no description. Like the buttons on the tablet, the mouse doesn’t need to be used, especially when there are more quality mouses availible, but until I can purchase one, this mouse has the necessities to get the job done. Much like the pen, the mouse only works when you use it on a tablet platform, but hey, at least it doesn’t need batteries. Performance-wise, it works, but I agree that at times, the mouse doesn’t seem to respond when I try clicking at the buttons, or moving the arrow for that matter (could a problem with the computer of the tablet itself).

Thanks to the Wacom software CD, it installs a properties program so I could adjust the pressure setting on the pen, replace the settings of the mouse buttons, whatever makes the tools work for me. It’s the fact that “Wacom Intuos3″ has this abundance of customization, along with its handy-dandy supplies (the pen most of all), makes this product worth searching. “Intuos3″ is a professional tool, which by no means is it user friendly, but once you understand the tools, it has its benefits. If you’re the kind of person who like the hands-on approach, whether you are a serious graphic designer or a 17-year-old Flash animator who spends five months making a three-minute piece of junk, don’t hesitate to invest.

This is Del Keyes, saying “The product is great, but my penmanship stinks.”