Introduction - why a pen tablet?
If you are into graphic design, photography, or any sort of digital art soon, besides the obvious tools, like a computer and the software, chances are that you’ll need a drawing tablet. I use them for many years and looking back I can’t understand how I made my editing with only a mouse. it’s like trying to write a letter and instead of a pen, you’re using a stick. You can write it sure, but I bet it will take 10 times more and the level of accuracy will be minimum.
Among the brands dedicated to this niche, there’s one that always caught my eye due to the styling, specs, and budget-friendly price. Yes, we’re talking about Huion. The Shenzhen Huion Animation Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2011 and if you look at their catalog there are plenty of solutions for your needs. So they know what are doing.
The Unboxing I pay a lot of attention to the details. No matter the cost or the item, personally Personally, I don't like to receive a simple cardboard box, without conveying that there is something special inside. The attention that a brand puts on this reveals how much interest they have in detail and in the first contact. And Huion passed it with flying colors!
The solid and well-paced card box comes with an exterior one to preserve it. And when you get it out you feel special because all seems in place to create a nice experience. The colors, the resistance of the pads are really good.
The Inspiroy Keydial KD200 inspires confidence since the materials are good and the weight reveals a sturdy construction that seems to be built to last. In the interior there’s all you need: the tablet, USB cable for connection/charging the device, a solid battery-free pen, the holder with 10 nibs (plus the clip to grab them), a BT receiver, and even an artist glove!
The Specs and Design
The first wireless pen tablet of the brand creates a new approach to the market, not only for being cordless but especially because it has a huge trick on the sleeve. The presence of a keyboard is a huge benefit, even more than you could think at a first glance.
The surface working area has an anti-fingerprint matter surface cover, with a texture that emulates the sensation of drawing on paper, due to the right amount of friction. The pen has a fine grip that helps those long times that you spend doing your things.
At the first, I thought the build would be only acceptable since we are dealing with a product that isn’t as expensive as the other competitor. I admit I was wrong. It seats firmly on your desk thanks to the rubber feet and feels really sturdy, inviting you to you use it asap.
I’ve always used shortcuts and built a muscle memory to work around the infinite combinations of keys while using Photoshop, to speed my workflow. Here we have an opportunity to get rid of the computer keyboard and use this left section of the KD200. No matter how large your table is, there’s always welcome less space invading and your gestures don’t have to be so wider. And if you add to it the wireless capabilities there’s for sure a less cluttered workspace.
Usage Experience
To start using you just need to download the right driver for your setup, feel how the pen moves around the tablet, and after personalizing it the way you want. If you’re used to this sort of device the process won’t take long.
If it’s the first time I guess that will last proportionally as your interest in using it. I say that because people generally don’t like the first using times since you have to coordinate your gesture/eyes movements. Many times peop
le just quit because don’t have the will to do it. But when you get it, oh boy you’ll never be again to the mouse or pad.
In my case, I’ve personalized the 5 keys as you see in the image
Here's how I personalized my most used commands in Photoshop.
After using the KD200 for a couple of days I stopped trying to reach by my iMac’s keyboard in search of the keys. The only thing that you need to be aware is that the ALT and COMMAND have the order swapped from the original Apple layout, so you’ll tend to press the keys wrongly for a while. Again, when you nail it the experience will be totally smooth and intuitive.
Within the options available we found it very friendly-use the dial wheel since it can be used to zoom in/out the canvas or the brush. You just need to press the changing key to navigate to all the options within that menu.
I really liked how the pen slides on the surface area. It has the perfect friction and responsiveness that we need while using it. Also, the flood and graduation of the lines is quite consistent. I didn’t experience wrist fatigue due to its ergonomics of it. The pen is sufficiently light yet not too much to help to have a nice experience. The rubber grip is soft and not sticky at all, being able to tilt 60 degrees. Inside the pen holder, you’ll find ten nibs. Note that you can place the pen vertically on it or also horizontal having all the stability.
Final Thoughts
If we compare the KD200 with the Wacom Intuos M (BT version) with a similar price (around 160 euros) this is by far a better product. Even being, let’s say, 50 euros more expensive I would choose the Huion instead. Why? Only the dial and the keys create an entire difference for themselves. The user experience and much quicker workflow will be beneficiated from it. Perhaps the materials are a little even better on the Intuos, though sincerely it doesn’t change anything while using it.
Using the KD200 for my editing pro work was a joy due to its specs and how it helped me speed my usual workflow.
So in our option, based on all that’s have been said the Huion Inspiroy Keydial KD200 deserves a solid 4.65/5.
If you're interested in buying the Huion KD200 here's a direct link for the Amazon store where you can purchase it directly: https://amzn.to/36OG5wG