| Introduction
When one thinks about customizing, building or
upgrading a PC, not much thought is given to one of the most
important yet, most under appreciated item; the mouse pad. With
out a proper mouse pad, or mousing surface, tracking can be
a pain in the neck. The mouse jumping from here to there, now
no one wants that. With the invent of optical mice, this has
changed a little, as there is no ball to get dirty, and hinder
the use of the mouse. Still a proper mousing surface is still
needed for your mouse to work effectively.
As you may recall, sometime back, I did a review
on the IceMat, mousing surface (Click Here).
Well the another company has developed what they call a SteelPad
4s. Unlike the IceMat which is made of glass, the SteelPad is
made of; not steel as the name suggests, but aluminum. Although
it is a tough as steel, so maybe that's where it got its name.
Wild Reviews was given the opportunity to evaluate
the SteelPad 4s, and here is what we got:
1 - SteelPad 4s "Mouse Pad"
1 - Strip Padsurfer
1 - Padsurfer Instruction Guide
Features
- 3.5mm Aluminum Plate
- Treated to ensure both comfortability and traction
- Hardended to ensure durability under all conditions
- Fiber Polished
Now let's talk about these features. 3.5mm is
extremely thin and that includes the rubber feet on the bottom.
The image below shows the SteelPad 4s sitting directly next
to a regular size pen, and I estimate it take about 3 of the
SteelPad's to be equal to the height of the pen.
The SteelPad 4s sitting next to a writing pen.
One would think that because the SteelPad is
so light and thin, it would be easily damaged, I made to find
out that this was not so. Now this may be unorthodox, but I
tried my utmost best to see if I would be able to bend or twist
the SteelPad. I tried and I tried, but I could not even get
it to warp, a great plus! It is DEFINATELY durable, and not
to mention portable.
On the underside of the SteelPad, are 8 clear
rubber feet. These ensure that the pad will not slide when in
place or use, so the pad can only be moved when lifted.
Single rubber foot on the underside of the SteelPad 4s.
The image above shows the location of all 8 rubber feet
highlighted with green.
As noted above the SteelPad 4s comes with a
strip of "Padsurfer", which is just another name for
teflon tape. A small strip of Padsurfer is applied to the feet
of the mouse which reduces much of the friction between the
mouse and the SteelPad; or any mousing surface. They also help
to improve the accuracy of mouse tracking.
To apply the Padsurfer, measure and cut a piece
of the tape a bit larger than the size of the feet of the mouse.
Next remove the backing from the tape, and adhere it to the
mouse. Ensure to seal the edges with your finger nail, to avoid
having the tape rise up and peel off.
(Note: Enough Padsurfer tape is included to apply it to roughly
three (3) mice.)
 
Now I thought that the optical
mouse I use (obviously not the one pictured above), tracked
excellently, but I was wrong. When I broke the SteelPad out
of its packaging and put the mouse on it, I can not begin to
describe how the mousing felt after that. Words can NOT describe
it. This was after using the optical mouse on a regular mouse
pad. The mouse seemed to know exactly where it was going before
I stared to move it.
SteelPad states that the SteelPad
4s does NOT work with Logitech Optical mice other than the MX
Series.
Conclusion
Who wouldn't want an accessory that seems to make your mouse
know where it is going before you start to move it? Well that
is, in my opinion how well this pad works with mice. With the
application of the included Padsurfer tape, the mouse seems
to just glide over the SteelPad.
Another great note about the SteelPad Company,
they have now implemented a new Express delivery service via
DHL, that will deliver your SteelPad worldwide within 2 - 5
working days.
As you can tell by my comments I am very much
impressed with this mouse pad. It's light weight, extremely
thin, very strong, and with all of this, it is as portable as
a few leafs of paper. The accuracy that it provides may be even
more impressive than its physical characteristics.
With all this said and done, I am proud to give
the SteelPad 4s a Wild 10 Rating, and the WildReviews.com Seal
of Approval!
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