You are thinking along the right lines, stick to Wacom. If you can fork out for an Intuos then go for it, if not then go with one of the cheaper Wacom lines. I don't think there are any other manufacturers to consider for a pro level tablet.
My cat spilt a full glass of water over the button section of my A4 Intuos 3. It was swimming in it. I mean when you tilted it water poured out. I openened it up, dried what I could get to and left it open to dry overnight. The next day it was working like new.
You get what you pay for!