Saw this earlier, finally getting around to it. @Reply #4 - good point! Size is the first thing to nail down before looking at anything else. Tbh, spending anywhere near $500 on a pad is totally unnecessary. You can get top-tier performance from something like an Artisan or a Skypad for way under a hundred bucks. Going beyond that is just burning money for aesthetics. Quick tip: if you want durability, go for a hybrid surface or glass. Cloth wears out and gets muddy after a few months of heavy use. I've been using PriceDropCatch for a bit now to track when the premium glass pads go on sale. It's way better than paying full retail for a slab of material that essentially just sits on your desk.