Stronger Pen Nibs for a Wacom Intuos

I’ve used the pen that came with the Wacom Intuos for about a week and it’s already starting to wear out. Are there any stronger nibs other than the default ones? And while I’m here, are there any ways to smooth out the tablet’s surface? I’m thinking one of those binder sleeves, but I’m not too sure if they’d actually work.

I once heard about someone using Spaghetti as cheap tips with a little help of a rasp or fine sandpaper to smooth out the top…

Don’t laugh… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: since it is just a bit of cylindric formed piece of “material” you justs have to find the correct diameter…

But i’m not suggesting to smooth the surface with olive oil… ← now this is a joke :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

:thinking: …or maybe not :question:

You must have a very heavy hand, the standard black nibs should last a fair while before they wear down and need to be replaced.

Maybe try adjusting the pressure sensitivity so you don’t have to press so hard to make a darker line.

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When I noticed the nib wearing out, this was one of the first things I did. Whether or not this will have an effect will take a while to test. I was wondering if there’s anything else I could do, should this not work.

I saw this as a solution while taking a look through Google. Though, there are concerns about the spaghetti snapping and staying stuck in there. Given how easily I can wear down plastic, I don’t think spaghetti will last much longer. I’ll use it as a last ditch effort, since I didn’t buy warranty.

Well, I don’t have the lightest of touch and in the years I’ve been using my Wacom tablet I’ve only used up 1 nib so far.

The nib is designed to wear down, as it’s softer then the base tablet and it’s way easier to replace the nib then the whole tablet, but the harder you press the faster it will wear away.

If you have a stand for it get a new nib from there. It took me the longest to notice that they gave me more than 5 extra nibs. One even had (has) a spring on it to give that hand drawn feel. (Marketing)

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I am aware of the extra nibs they hid in the pen. They only gave me 3 though, and with how fast I’m going through them, they’ll probably last a month or 2. Guess I’m just spoiled from my last pen surviving 2 years without any replacing needed.

I didn’t buy a stand. Considering the Intuos already had one built in, I didn’t see it fit to buy one. Not like I use it anyhow.

I used to have a Wacom tablet and the pen nibs would wear out very quick. I used all the nibs that came with the tablet and buying replacements would be absurdly expensive where I live, so I searched on yt and found this video:

I tried it and it worked perfectly, and I only ever had to make one nib because they last forever in comparison to the official ones.

Just make sure to use a wire with a round shape and with the exact thickness (0.065"). The only tricky part is making sure the nib is perfectly straight or else the click gets stuck, but once you get it it feels the same as a normal nib. I also recommend sanding the tip to make it smoother.

Funny thing is that I have an Huion tablet now and the nibs never wear out, I’ve been using the same one for well over a year and it has barely any deformation. The Wacom nibs are bad on purpose.

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This seems to mainly be a problem with newer Wacom pen nibs.

I have a Cintiq 22HD that I’d purchased in 2011; its included pen is only on its second nib (each lasting for over a decade of use).

But my Wacom 3D pen that I’d purchased in January of this year (to use with a 2017 Wacom Intuos Pro tablet) is already on its fourth nib…! o_O

I own an Intuos Pro M and use the “brotect” sleeves, they’re pretty much necessary otherwise the tablet’s surface will wear out over time (years, but still…). No scratches with that. The nibs I use are either the standard black plastic ones or the grey felt ones, which have more friction to them and wear out quickly. Keep in mind the effect won’t be the same with the protective film applied -every nib will feel smoother, since there is no grain whatsoever on the film itself.

That’s good to know. You’re probably right, but it might also be this way in order to not wear out the surface, and wear out the nibs instead.

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That’s a good point I haven’t thought about before, but even so the cost of buying replacement nibs would’ve not been worth for me with how fast they wore out.

And those were the standard rigid black plastic ? perhaps you paint a bit more than I do… because mine hardly age at all. But the felt ones feel amazing you should try them. Very shortlived but so pleasant.
Nice gallery by the way. Ready for silksong ?

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Yes they were the standard plastic ones, maybe I was using them a lot at the time, I don’t remember. I would like to try the felt nibs but sadly they are a bit expensive for me.

Also thank you! yes I’m more than ready for silksong :grin:

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I’ve had the same experience with you. I’ve used and bought them for like 2 years, and each nib lasted barely a month. I thought I have a hard hand, and increased the tablet’s sensitivity, but honestly, it didn’t help much with the nibs and rather destroyed my experience of using the tablet itself because right now it felt too sensitive I couldn’t make a thin line as easily as I used to.

The thing is, the standard black pen nibs are the ones which come by default in a Wacom pen. So I thought it was the only thing available out there. But later I figured they’re not the only options. I came across this option by accident, because the black standard ones were out of stock, so they gave me the flex nibs. They look a little different than the standard, though it’s colored black as well, but it has white spot at the tip.

Here’s how they look.

They’re also a bit more expensive, at least from the store I was buying them from. They’re like double the price. But it’s worth every extra penny. For me, when used in like intense and constant drawing or 3D sculpting, they will last 1.5 years. And if used casually, they will last like forever I guess. I haven’t changed my Wacom pen’s nib for the last 2 years.

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Holy shit, they have a lot of nibs. Guess I’ll just take a look through different options as a buy replacements. These nibs will need to be replaced either way, so might as well use them while I have them before getting new ones.

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