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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Wednesday, 13 June 2007 |
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Page 2 of 3
Next is the Ripper, the XL's younger brother. It's not quite as large at 11" (height) x 17" (width) x 1/8" (thickness). So, 3" shorter and 3/4" narrower. These dimensions give it a somewhat awkward elongated shape. I could see it being useful in mid-sensitivity mouse environments using dual monitors (where horizontal space far outweighs the vertical) and some gaming, but that's about it. The other difference is the use of their hexagonal pattern with random blobs inside. While this doesn't hurt tracking, I for one didn't notice any difference between this design and the Ripper XL's plain black surface. Looks neat though.
Both the Ripper and Ripper XL are cloth and very comfortable on the hands. Actually they're not entirely made of cloth. The top layer is cloth (or cloth-like) and the bottom layer is the Sure Grip rubber. In-between is a layer of foam cushion. All three layers are extremely well bonded so don't worry about them peeling apart. Another benefit of this construction is that these pads can be folded, rolled, and bunched up into unnatural shapes without ever losing their original form upon release. This makes them very versatile and easily transportable.
The Hammer is probably the most unique of all the pads because it's the only one available in blue. Although it has the same height (11") and length (17") as the Ripper, it's "credit card thin". This is achieved by using only two layers, the top plastic and the bottom Sure Grip II rubber. The latter has very tiny grooves and does an exceptional job at sticking to surfaces. It's not quite as good as the thicker Sure Grip, but more than sufficient. Because it's so thin, you can hide unused portions of the pad. Xtrac calls this morphing; I call it sliding the extra surface under your keyboard. This makes the pad very difficult to move involuntarily and has no keyboard wobble effect due to its thickness (or rather lack thereof).
Performance is identical to any of the other pads. Being a plastic surface there's noticeably less drag and it requires less force to move your pointer from one edge of the screen to the other. On the other hand, it's not as comfortable as the cloth variant. It's also not meant to be rolled or bent (attempting either is a chore in itself), as this could lead to permanent creases. In the end, it's all about personal preference.
Moving on to more typical sizes, the Zoom is basically a smaller version of the Hammer. It goes back to the black/white theme and has the largest hexagonal print of all the pads (this is a purely aesthetic decision). The front is plastic; the back is the Sure Grip II polypropylene membrane. Dimensions are ideal: 8.5" (height) x 11" (width) . Those still using sheets of paper or manila folders will appreciate its size: larger than a normal mouse pad, but not large enough to look or feel out of place. Performance is identical to the rest.
If you like the added grip of the rubber Sure Grip backing found on the cloth mats but still want a plastic surface and don't mind the extra thickness (3/32" in this case), the Pro HS will do. It has the same dimensions as the Zoom at 8.5" (height) x 11" (width), but the hexagonal print is a lot smaller. The foam cushion in-between the layers does make it a bit softer, though not much. This is also the only pad that has a plastic top coupled with foam cushion and a Sure Grip bottom.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 June 2007 )
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