Best PC drawing pad...??

I cant find the thread I thought was here about a specific brand that has really good pen pads. I can spend about 250 bucks so what was that brand you guys?

The most popular brand is Wacom.

I just went through buying one myself, so I think I can help here. I'll give a quick summary.

Wacom is pretty much industry standard at this point. There are a few other lesser known brands (much cheaper too) but the general opinion is they're not as good. Wacom seems to offer the most pressure sensetivity (1024 intuos), where as others usually offer 512 as the highest. Wacom is battery free and has cordless pens, where as other brands may not offer those features. There's a few other advantages too, like quality and compatability etc.

When you like a brand it comes down to model. Wacom has 2, graphire and intuos (latter being "professional" model, though I dont believe that makes a difference). Im not going to describe them, you can decide what you like.

When you like a model, it comes down to size. There's 4x5, 6x8, 9x12 and up. Size is good for long painting like strokes. It comes at a price though, because your entire screen is mapped to the pad, so to scroll across the screen you have to move your entire arm quite a ways. Small is better for smaller movements, but that comes at a price as you'll have to zoom in more.

I bought a 6x8, it seems to be a standard size and a good comprise between big/small. I got the graphire 3. I didn't need the features of the intuos (tilt sensitiviy / more pressure levels) so I couldn't pay double the price. As to my experience, the graphire is fantasic. It's excellent for retouching, and does a good job drawing/painting. I got one online for $159 new.

yea thats the brand I remember now. thanks man, where did ya get it? ebay?

Tigerdirect.com Shipping was slow this time (3rd time ive used them) but I couldnt beat the price. It $50-60 more if I bought it in a store.

ok cool, I got outbid on one from ebay yesterday anyway.