Hi Tom, thanks for the comments. Your post, quite rightly, points out that whenever buying any piece of equipment it pays to do your research and buy what best suits your needs and budget.
I've been using the Huion a bit now and while it doesn't have all the features of a Wacom it's certainly good enough for a novice like me, and so much better than a mouse! As a slightly better than entry level tablet I find it's performance more than adequate and would highly recommend it for a newbie or non-professional.

BTW: the latest drivers support the Cmd key on a Mac for the hot keys