First things first: Xencelabs reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try and review this pen tablet. They gave me the tablet for free. But the opinion expressed in this article is nothing but my own.
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Tools are helpers. A necessity. But nothing I want to play around with much. The less I need to think about gear while being creative, the better. But as a photographer who photographs the outdoors I understand how important it is to assemble tools such as camera, lenses, tripod, clothes etc. that work smoothly and simply get their job done. We all know how frustrating it is when that is not the case. So here’s appreciation for when all works well. The same applies to the gear I use at home for editing my images and also while training my students.
For years I have used a Wacom tablet (Intuos Pro M) to edit my images with. Using a graphic tablet or pen tablet is an enormous help to work ‘naturally’ and be creative while editing my images. For me it is a faster, more precise and more natural way of using editing software like Lightroom, Photoshop, Dxo or Luminar. My Wacom tablet has served me as a reliable tool and honestly I was not looking to upgrade or change.
When Xencelabs reached out to me a few weeks ago, I used google to look for the company first, because I hadn’t heard of it, yet. They asked if I wanted to test and review their pen tablet. I was about to not give it much thought and politely decline (as I usually do when it comes to inquiries for testing gear), but their kind communication and self confidence in “being better than Wacom” got me interested.
If you are familiar with me and my work, you already know that I am not a gear tester. I hardly ever agree to do these kind of things. But I certainly appreciate attention to detail. And I do appreciate a good haptic feel. My desk, for example, is made out of wood. I love the natural feel of it while working there for hours. (Hey Xencelabs, how about a wooden framing of the tablet or some wood in the pens?) If something provides an extra bit of quality, consider me interested.
While unboxing the package of the medium bundle they sent me, I instantly noticed Xencelabs attention to detail. Even the small cable ties (cables are for charging the devices that otherwise smoothly run wireless via bluetooth) have some nice quality fabric. The tablet sleeve that comes with the bundle to fit tablet, quick keys, pen case, cables and more even has some velvet material inside to protect the tablet. I do not remember my Wacom coming with anything else but the tablet and pen and having that attention to detail. Quite honestly, I did not miss that with my Wacom back then, but I certainly notice and appreciate the extra care Xencelabs is taking here. Everything feels just nice and of very good quality. It is these little differences that make you change your mind from ‘this is good’ to ‘this is great!’.
I certainly do not recommend editing or working on a computer without any ambient light source. But I have to admit the lights of the tablet marking the drawing zone look cool. As do the quick keys.
Frankly, I was a bit sad at first, because I did not get the white version I had asked for (it just would have nicely accompanied my apple gear), but well, functions and quality are the same no matter black or white color.
Setting up and installing software to have the pen tablet running went fast on my iMac. I usually do not pay much attention to installing software, until something doesn’t go as planned. Here I noticed that the Xencelabs software shines with its intuitive usability. I remember I never cared for extra functions and express keys on my Wacom. Mainly due to the fact, that the software was not, I would say, really inviting. Not bad, but not having me want to play around with it, either. Inside the Xencelabs software though I really got guided through the setup process and was lead to try some of the quick keys. I still have only touched the top of the iceberg here, I believe, but I am already happy with the one button I set up for instantly creating visible stamped layers inside Photoshop. A cool time saver. And when you work professionally, you get to appreciate saving time even more.
Speaking of express or quick keys; those keys on my Wacom tablet, the ones I did not use, are built into the tablet. It is a good idea on the one hand, because you do not need an extra device. But that also makes the tablet a bit larger than the Xencelabs medium tablet. With the latter the express keys are called quick keys and come with a small extra device, kind of like a remote (size of a thin smartphone). As I have pointed out, I am actually starting to use quick keys now. But I can definitely imagine some people having the quick keys end up in a drawer at some point. Either way, I do enjoy the fact that the Xencelabs tablet is a bit smaller and taking up less space on my desktop than my Intuos Pro M. This while still providing the same space for drawing.
Using the tablet works flawlessly. Anything else would have made me put the tablet away, as performance is key in the end. What I really like is the flattened bottom of the tablet where my hand rests. It feels nice and comfortable. Holding and working the pencil also feels fine. The pencil itself is pretty much an exact duplicate of the Wacom pen. It has 3 buttons (up for customization) compared to 2 buttons of the Intuos Pro. Other than that it feels as good as the one I have gotten used to over the years. I also tried the thin pen inside the Xencelabs package. And I like it, too. It feels good and is lighter than the other pen. I read that Wacom has the same smaller model, too, by the way.
I have used the Xencelabs pen tablet for more than a week now. I have edited several images with it (using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop and several plug ins). Pen and tablet have worked flawlessly each and every time.
My old Wacom pencil inside its holder. I now store my Xencelabs pen in it.
So many pros. Are there any cons? Well, as much as I like the packaging, bag and pencil case of the Xencelabs medium bundle, there is one thing I like more from my old Wacom: the round little pen holder. It is just such an easy way to have your pencil nearby and still keep your desktop in order. Xencelabs has you storing the pen inside a nicely designed case. But it just takes an extra second to grab the case, open it up and pull the pen out, instead of the simple grab of the pen out of the Wacom holder. Now that I own both systems, there’s a simple solution: I will just place my Xencelabs pen inside that Wacom holder. Fits perfectly.
So Xencelabs, if you like to work on your otherwise great design, introducing some wood to the otherwise plastic material would be great, as would be having a nicely designed, simple pen holder for your desk. Could be a wooden little, elegant cube or such.
But summing things up: Xencelabs has really surprised me here with its great gear. If you are looking for a new pen tablet, or want to get into using one for the first time, I do recommend the Xencelabs pen tablet. It is a great solution for anyone wanting to work with graphic tablets.
Wacom might be what everyone suggests when it comes to pen tablets. Just because most people say so and that company has been running the market for years. And you sure will not go wrong with it. But my Wacom has taken the backseat now. My new number one pen tablet is the medium from Xencelabs. It just delivers that extra bit of quality and has won me over.
The tablet sleeve is well made and fits the entire equipment nicely. Probably works with gently protecting an iPad, too.