Ratpadz Gaming Mousing Surface (07/22/00)

Review

by Xeric'34

In my opinion one of the most overlooked items on a gaming machine is the mouse pad. Everyone knows that you need a good mouse and most people who are serious about gaming spend lots of money on them. However, a mouse will not work as well as it’s meant to if it’s not on a good mouse pad. A few of the most popular mouse pads are: 3M’s Precision pad, Ratpadz, and the Everglide. The Ratpadz surface is made with a special Ultraslick™ polymer. This pretty much means a plastic-like material that can be washed and wont wear out.

I have been using 3M mouse pads for almost a year now. They are very precise and I have not had any real problems with them, except that they wear out very quickly. Far too quickly in fact. The average hardcore gamer will go though a 3M mouse pad about every 2-3 months. This was getting quite expensive. I needed a reliable mouse pad that would not wear out. At a local LAN I went to I noticed that many of the skilled gamers were using Ratpadz. These pads were very different than the M3’s. Instead of being thin and made of cheap rubber, the Ratpadz seemed indestructible.

When considering a mouse pad there are a few things to keep in mind. First you want a pad that will not wear out on you, and you also want one that has a good grip. Grip is how well the mouse ball "sticks" to the mousepad. A cheap 1 dollar mouse pad you buy may have no grip at all. The Ratpadz have plastic grooves on the surface that allow for incredible grip! The mouse pad also allows the user to move the mouse over the pad very smoothly. It was much smoother compared to my 3M mouse pad. This made it much easy for me to do map editing(one of my hobby’s). I found that I could tap my mouse effortlessly, and it would slide along my pad right to the end. This impressed me a lot!

The Ratpadz surface is very similar to the Everglide mousepad. The main difference is the size! The Everglide is much smaller and I found my mouse would fall off it in an intense game of Quake3. With the Ratted I have never come close to having my mouse fall off the mouse pad. The Ratpadz is 9.5 inches tall and 11.5 inches wide!

The final thing you should consider when buying a mouse pad is the price. The Ratpadz is worth a lot more than the usual mouse pad you will find at your local computer store. Some people feel a mouse pad is not worth this price and will be turned away from Ratpadz, however I feel they are worth the extra money. They will last much longer than the average pad and have way better grip. People like me who find themselves buying 4-5 3M mouse pads a year just to keep a pad with good grip will be relieved to know there is another mouse pad on the market that can compete with the 3M.

Overall I am very happy with my new Ratpadz and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good mouse pad and is willing to pay for it. Get one, love it. :)

- Xeric