Wacom Texture Sheet Medium - Standard

Exactly what the title says. It's been the better part of a year since I upgraded to this new tablet and replacement texture sheet, so this is more of a long-term review.Before writing this review, I went ahead and compared the surfaces of my old Intuos 4 & 5 with the current Intuos Pro with the smooth sheet thrown on it. As far as "tooth" goes, there is no real discernable difference between the unworn texture in the corners of my old Intuos 4 & 5 and the Intuos Pro smooth sheet. This includes nib wear on the current Pro Pen 2. Nib wear on the smooth sheet has turned out to be basically identical to the Intuos 4 & 5. Which is surprising, considering the Pro Pen 2 uses a nib roughly half the diameter of the old Grip Pen, for some reason. Usually thinner material = quicker wear, so I'm not really sure how that's turned out to be the same as well.One thing I've noticed is that the current Intuos Pro sheets have a bit more of a "rubbery" quality in terms of drag feel. Almost like a layer of hard rubber compound rather than a sheet of hard plastic. It's a subtle difference in feel, but it's there.I've heard that Wacom ditched the slicker, hard plastic material of previous generations for a harder-wearing rubber-based compound on the sheets for their current iterations of the Intuos Pro. If that's true, then it would certainly explain the subtle difference in feel. But this is unconfirmed rumor, so take it for what you will.But if that is indeed the case, it would certainly explain a lot. This new material they're using for the texture sheets has proven extremely resilient. After 6-8 months of almost daily use, my smooth texture sheet looks like the older Intuos4/5 after a month-ish of semi-intensive use. The smooth texture sheet just has a bit of subtle scuffing near the center after all of this. Also, I'm still using my original nib, which hasn't worn noticeably since the initial session with the default medium sheet. So I don't see myself needing to buy replacements for either in a very long time.Basically, Wacom has struck an interesting balance with the materials used for the smooth sheet and the narrower nibs: drastically increased durability, enough drag to not feel like you're slicking around on glass, but not enough texture/grip to wear your narrower nibs prematurely. (Assuming you're using the smooth surface)I just wish Wacom would start treating these smooth sheets as their included defaults instead of the medium textured ones, considering this is by far the only real gripe I've heard anyone bringing up against the current Intuos Pro line at all.

I love the smooth texture sheet so much!!! In comparison to my standard sheet that came with the intuos pro, my pen glides so much easier and have a better drawing experience! I absolutely love it! Though it is an extra step to take after you buy your drawing pad, it is so worth it to extend the life of your nibs! INVEST IN THIS!For installation, there was instructions that come with it (visual pictures) but I just looked up Youtube videos to help. Switching out texture sheets wasn't hard and was super fast and easy! The kit comes with 2 tabs to grab the sheet out (in case you mess up)

Having owned my Intuos Pro Medium for nearly five years, the surface had gotten very smoothed out and worn, even though it still functioned fine. Removing the old surface was tricky because the adhesive latch didn't have enough pull, so I had to dig my fingernails underneath the corner in order to pull it off. An important thing to note is you'll want to clean out the crevices of dirt and crumbs thoroughly before putting the new sheet on, which itself was pretty straightforward. And it very much is just like having a whole new tablet; very nice! Highly recommended if your Intuos Pro's surface has worn down (and do note that this is for the current models (PTH-660 model number NOT the 651).

saved me buying a new tablet, sticks well and replaceable.

This product seems to work well, and that's the important point to know. This is a very similar texture to the 'original' Wacom textures that you are probably used to. After using Wacom Intuos products in the past, the latest Wacom Paper comes with a rougher texture than anyone would want. It truly is a nib-eating-monster! That being said, this smooth texture sheet is precisely what you need to carry on as normal.Although the sheet itself is 5-star material, the instructions leave a LOT to be desired. There are no words included, just nebulous pictures that do not adequately explain the process. I had to look up videos, and even then there were few to clarify what needs be done.In short-- you are actually taking out the old Wacom texture. See that crease around your entire Wacom pad? That's your hint-- it's the boundary of the actual material that you are pulling up and replacing. Although I tried to use the stickers to pull it up as instructed, that just did not work. I used a sharp knife- an Xacto blade in fact- to pull up the furthest edge of the old pad. Once you get a little bit of that up, it will come off without much problem.From there you should position the replacement pad over the left side (the buttons), pull off its protective sticker, and gently place it properly on the Wacom tablet.I am really, really surprised that they don't have a video or any wording to explain this at all. Any sane person would be hesitant to potentially ruin their Wacom tablet, so it's not surprising that unclear directions would be an added stress.There are no comparable off-brands of this product, and I frankly feel that it is absolutely necessary to use the Wacom Paper at all. With that in mind, purchase this immediately and install. The price is a shame, the directions are nonexistent, but the product is solid.