Finally got myself a tablet - the cheapest Bamboo Pen model.  It's brilliant except for one thing, the surface is 'rough' and the pen sounds like its scratching over it even with light pressure.  Apparently this is by design but I do not like the feel at all - it's nothing like using a real pen/pencil on paper and is just seriously odd.  After a day of use I can already see the pen nib is a little rougher than the spares the tablet comes with and I figure it will begin to 'shape' within a few weeks use.  I have used tablets before (old Intuos over a decade ago and even Genius models) but I had never experienced the newer Wacom models.  A quick search online and you can see a lot of people having problems with nibs wearing out on the new non-smooth surfaces... some pros even complaining that their Intuos models wear out pen nibs in days/weeks.. So... I tried a few things and the best solution I found is the iPad Mini screen protectors... you know, the clear covers for your ipad... the mini version fits as if it were made for the Bamboo Pen Tablet.. No trimming required - it fits exactly over the active area and nestles in the groves on 2 sides of the tablet.  You could probably cut a full size iPad screen protector to fit on each edge perfectly if you really wanted to but I cannot feel the edges on the mini size.    

Best of all the pen glides smoothly without anymore scratching and there is ZERO degrading of the pens functionality/sensitivity or pressure features.  So the nib is protected, the tablet is protected from scratches and I do not quite understand why Wacom made the surfaces the way they have... I can understand trying to replicate the resistance that traditional pen on paper would have but this approach makes no sense..

Yay for iPad screen protectors...