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| Xtrac Mouse Pads |
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| Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov | |
| Wednesday, 13 June 2007 | |
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XtracPads is a relative newcomer to the market (started in March 2002). Recently we crossed paths with their Eels, Mad Dotz, Mouse Grips, and D Gel accessories. Today we'll be taking a look at their bread and butter, the mouse pad lineup.
From a technological standpoint, there are several points that distinguish these pads. First is the top sheet. This is either cloth or plastic with a printed hexagonal pattern (except the Ripper XL, which doesn't use a pattern). The underside uses either Sure Grip or Sure Grip II backing. Sure Grip is used on the 1/8" thick pads and is basically a zigzag pattern of rubber rectangles. Sure Grip II is used on the credit card thin pads and while it doesn't use any sort of pattern (due to thickness constraints), it still does a fine job of not slipping. Granted, it's not as good as the thicker Sure Grip backing, but the difference is negligible and you do have other options.
The XL is the newest of the pads, released this past August. It's also the only one to use a solid black surface instead of the random hexagonal quasi-pattern used on every other pad, though there is a thin strip from top to bottom near the right edge using this design (most likely for brand identity). Speaking of which, on the bottom right corner of each pad is the logo, model name, and website URL of the company so you never forget where it came from. Being a cloth pad, the Ripper XL does have a higher drag coefficient, but it's also a lot nicer on the wrist/palm. After sitting in front of a computer for the majority of every day, small things like an uncomfortable tracking surface become major annoyances. In general, plastic surfaces account for less friction and work a lot better with teflon products, but they're not as comfortable and may fade/wear out faster than their cloth counterparts. As far as tracking is concerned, I've yet to notice a difference between these two types. That said, the Ripper XL is a great pad. The Sure Grip backing keeps it stationary, tracking is exceptional (of course with today's optical and now laser technology, almost any surface will suffice), and its size means your mouse will never slip off the edge. Did I mention it was very comfortable? Especially after using the hard plastic Steelpad S&S. Still, the XL is really large and necessary in only a handful of situations (its surface area is equivalent to that of approximately 4 standard mouse pads). |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 15 June 2007 ) |
