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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Wednesday, 13 June 2007 |
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Thanks to Steelpad for the product sample.
The mouse pad is probably the most stagnant of all computer accessories. What's even more interesting is that you don't really need one, as most optical mice nowadays are adept enough to work on almost any surface. Yet for some reason almost everyone still uses some sort of pad whether for comfort, improved performance or something purely psychological. A few weeks ago Soft Trading (the makers of Steelpad and Icemat products) released the S&S which stands for Steel & SK, the latter being a very large gaming group which helped develop the S&S.
Our sample arrived from overseas and came in a very impressive box in the way of size. On the front it shows what the pad looks like: basically a big black rectangle with a slight cutout in the front and a printed logo. The package is very professional, as one would expect from a piece of plastic that retails for $40. One of the features listed is the "BIG size" and at 320mm x 270mm x 2mm I can't contest: it's over a foot long (the same length as the height of a 2 liter).
As luck would have it, you're not paying all that for just the pad. Steelpad also included a very handy padded cloth pouch to store the pad. There's also a front pocket that's deep enough to hold your mouse and cable; now that's classy, not to mention incredibly useful at LAN parties. Last but not least is a bag of 5 Padsurfers (aka Teflon coated mouse feet). These are perfect size for Microsoft mice. Each piece consists of a plastic/Teflon "foot", double sided tape, and an adhesive cover. Installing these is simple and has a noticeably positive affect on gliding performance. I tried them out on my IntelliMouse Optical and they work great.
Back:
Front:
As for the pad, there are two unique sides. The back side is shiny and sprayed with seemingly squishy rubber goo (for lack of a more scientific explanation) which does a great job of preventing the pad from slipping. While it is possible to move the S&S from the sides, once your hand is on the pad it won't budge. The front is micro textured plastic and that's about it. By having tiny gaps between the miniature bumps and the flat surface beneath, friction is greatly reduced allowing for quicker, smoother movements. And because there's no fancy artwork or anything that would upset an optical sensor, tracking is very accurate.
As you can see the S&S has a great deal more surface area than Vantec's Spectrum (right) and more room than a standard mouse pad (bottom). Basically this means your mouse never leaves the surface, eliminating the simple but incredibly annoying chore of lifting your mouse and placing it back on the pad. As with other plastic surfaces there's a slight bit of noise generated by the mouse gliding over the pad, but this is barely noticeable and nothing to be concerned over.
Performance is top notch. I can't say I've tested many gaming pads but I have had my share of surfaces and the S&S is a step above those. Though testing a pad is somewhat subjective (mine consisted of Doom 3, WarCraft 3, and general use), I can definitely say this is the best I've used to date. Whether it's worth the price is up to the user to decide; on the one hand $40 is a lot to dish out for something you don't really need, but on the flipside it won't become outdated in a few months, so the investment may very well be worth it.
Pros
- Large size
- Stays put
- Great tracking
- Smooth motion
- Overall great performance
- Includes Padsurfers and carrying pouch
Cons
- $40 may be a bit much for some
The Steelpad S&S is definitely a choice to consider when shopping for a mouse pad. It's big, stays put and provides great tracking. Serious gamers and general enthusiasts alike will be pleased with its performance. In the end it all comes down to price: are you willing to pay $40 for a pad, a fancy bag, and mouse feet that you may or may not use? If so, you can get yours here.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 June 2007 )
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