Graphics Tablet Update

XenceLabs Graphics Tablet Package

Last fall I was having issues with Lightroom Classic running very slowly.  After a detailed investigation, I came to the conclusion that my old Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Graphics Tablet was the cause.  It was so old that the newest drivers didn't seem to work with it.  For whatever reason, that was slowing LR when I edited my image files.  So I decided to replace it.  

After some research, instead of purchasing another Wacom tablet, which I had used for more than a decade, I bought the XenceLabs Medium Drawing Tablet.  You can find an Amazon link to it here.  That is what is pictured at the top of this post.  It did solve my LR slowness problem.  But…

In XenceLab's favor, the tablet comes with two styluses, one regular size and a thinner one for smaller hands.  It also came with what they call "Quick Keys," (pictured above) which is a nice addition.  The XenceLabs kit is also about $70 US less expensive than the Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Tablet.  That was attractive to me when I purchased it as well.  A better value, I thought.

At first I liked the new tablet and wrote about it in a September 6th blog post of last year.  You can read that post here.  The tablet and accessories are well made and of high quality materials.  No problem with that.  However, since then the tablet and I have just not gotten along very well.

I've found that I have struggled with several aspects of the tablet and associated stylus.  I'm kind of thinking it has to do with how it interfaces with LR Classic.  For example, I have been unable to adjust the stylus' pressure so that tapping it twice on the tablet works as a left mouse button 'double-click.'  It just doesn’t work as I think it should.  I’ve tapped and tapped and tapped and it only works sometimes.

Second,  if you are a Lightroom user, you know that if you double-click on a slider name, the slider will return to its default position.  Can’t do it with this tablet and stylus.  In lieu of double-tapping the stylus on the tablet, I’ve had to move my hand and bend my finger up on the stylus to click the center button (of 3) anytime I wanted to initiate that function.  I never had to do that with the Wacom tablet.  Additionally, when wanting to move a LR slider to make adjustments, it takes a lot of pressure just for LR to react as it should.  I found I had to hit one exact location on the slider otherwise it wouldn't move it.  There are other issues as well but I don't need to highlight any more.

UPDATE:  I had forgotten about a third aspect of the tablet that I had forgotten to include in the initial blog post and that is the issue of scrolling.  The XenceLabs tablet just didn't scroll correctly.  I would use the stylus to pull down the small tab at the edge of my computer screen and the content would not scroll down until I released the tab.  Then it would scroll down.  This was aggravating since you never could tell how far down you were scrolling.  In other words, it just didn't continuously scroll down when pulling down the tab.

I've tried adjusting the stylus and tablet in a number of ways to no avail.  l just can't seem to get it to work well for me. It may work for you but I'm not happy with it and I've grown weary of the inconvenience it causes when editing my images as well as other general computer interface functions.  I'm not saying the XenceLabs Graphics Tablet is bad or poorly engineered or has poor programming, I'm saying it didn't work for me.  YMMV.

So, last week I bought a new Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Tablet, the current version of what I had used for many years.  It seems to work very well.  In fact, perfectly!  No slowing down of LR as my old tablet did.  Double tapping the stylus works just like double-click using a left mouse button.  It works like a charm.  Easy peasy.  I’m happy once again.

I'm going to recycle the XenceLabs tablet by giving it to one of my granddaughters who likes to draw and create art.  My son, her father, is very well versed in all things computer, software development and AI, so I'm confident that he'll get it working for her as best it can.  I look forward to her creating some art using the tablet (or hearing it doesn’t work well for her either).

When I wrote the September 6, 2024 post, I mentioned that if there was any update, I would pass it along.  Consider this post the update.

DISCLAIMER: Just to be clear, I don't have any relationship with Wacom or XenceLabs or any other manufacturer.  There are no sponsors, click-through links or affiliate links.  I pay for my gear at the same prices you pay.  I get nothing free, nothing sent to me to test and no discounts you don't get.  I try to pass on information that may be beneficial to you so you can enjoy your photography as much as I have enjoyed it over the past 53 years.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

All content on this blog is © 2013-2025 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.