BusyBeaverHP
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2009
- Messages
- 432
Reviewer Background: Starcraft 2 gamer, consummate [H]ardware enthusiast, uses Razer Orochi mouse at time of writing. I've been playing Starcraft 2 on the same generic cloth mousepad for two years, bad things like dirt and sweat start to accumulate on it. The cloth mousepad itself is still in good physical shape (non-worn, non-deformed), but the amount of friction encountered when performing small, fast movement (like drone splitting and other micro maneuvers) started to become noticeable and isn't improving. It's time to buy a new mousepad.
A new mousepad: Searching around for suggestions, I found threads on [H]ardForum that pointed to Kyle Bennett's own production, the Ratpadz. For $20, it's worth a spin. I also bought the $40 SteelSeries Glass I-2 for comparison as well.
Packaging and Delivery: The Ratpadz was promptly delivered within the week of order. It came in an envelope with no protection. After opening the package and feeling the solid build of the Ratpadz, I'm sure it didn't need any.
Initial Impression: Noticeably thick, with its black, uniform, solid plastic build with no fancy design save for a MADE IN USA etching in the back, the Ratpadz comes across as a workman's tool rather than a piece of art. There are nine bottom rubber feet that does a fine job of preventing mousepad migration. The round beveled edges prevents any scruffing or snags on the user's hands. The pebbled surface is quite pronounced and made me question the smoothness of the mouse interaction. Another notable aspect: the surface of the mousepad intitially has a concave warp, presumably due to handling of delivery, so I convexed it by bending it against the side of my chair.
Performance: Three weeks of usage. My mouse, the Razer Orochi, was able to glide just fine on the Ratpadz. The pebbled surface raised no issue when it comes to consistent, reliable movement. On the cloth mousepad, my Orochi's DPI was set to 2750, I had to adjust down to 2500 on the Ratpadz to account for the improved sensitivity due to improved frictionlessness, which allows for smaller movement with less effort (a good thing). I like to rest my wrist on the mousepad itself, coming from a cloth mousepad. The hard surface of the Ratpadz didn't have a negative impact on my resting wrist. See picture below.
Optimization: As seen in the picture, my keyboard drawer is cramped, so space is important and the Ratpadz is just small enough to fit; any larger and it would've been an issue. Given that I like to rest my wrist on the mousepad itself, the concave side of the mousepad was useless and I would've preferred the mousepad shape rectangular. In any case, the Ratpadz is set in an "K" position, which probably stands for Kyle.
Further Optimization: I did some research and found that many users have been spraying furniture polish on their Ratpadz to further reduce friction. I tried this myself to and it did improve the smoothness of mouse movement. I had to further adjust the DPI down to 2250 to account for even less friction. At this point, the combination of low initial surface friction combined with a thin microlayer of furniture polish gives this Ratpadz an air-hockey like feel. If you want to get the most out of the Ratpadz, I highly recommend spraying furniture polish on it.
Durability: Thick and solid, the Ratpadz is a virtually indestructible neanderthal hunk of plastic, 'nuff said.
Ratpadz vs SteelSeries I-2: Aesthetically speaking, the Steelseries I-2 is a beautiful mousepad, Rectangular with chamfered corner, with black frosted glass and a minimalistic SteelSeries logo on it. That's the only positive thing the SteelSeries I-2 has over the Ratpadz. When using the Ratpadz, I can barely feel any friction underfoot. When using the I-2, the Orochi's teflon mousefeet grinding under the frosted glass is quite noticeable, and puts into question the long-term wear from continuing to use it. It obviously has more friction than the Ratpadz. As far as cost goes, the I-2 is $40 versus $20 for the Ratpadz. With better performance at half the cost, this isn't even a contest. Ratpadz with a KO.
Conclusion: I had some initial doubts about the Ratpadz, but was put to rest upon actually using it. It is a durable piece of utilitarian hardware that does its job well, and is currently my mousepad of choice when it comes to gaming.
+ Cheap ($20 US Shipped)
+ Made in good old USA
+ Solid, Durable
+ Low Friction, Good Glide
+ Low Maintenance
- No Rectangular Edition
Suggestion: Make a rectangular edition of this Ratpadz and I'll be the first to buy it.
A new mousepad: Searching around for suggestions, I found threads on [H]ardForum that pointed to Kyle Bennett's own production, the Ratpadz. For $20, it's worth a spin. I also bought the $40 SteelSeries Glass I-2 for comparison as well.
Packaging and Delivery: The Ratpadz was promptly delivered within the week of order. It came in an envelope with no protection. After opening the package and feeling the solid build of the Ratpadz, I'm sure it didn't need any.
Initial Impression: Noticeably thick, with its black, uniform, solid plastic build with no fancy design save for a MADE IN USA etching in the back, the Ratpadz comes across as a workman's tool rather than a piece of art. There are nine bottom rubber feet that does a fine job of preventing mousepad migration. The round beveled edges prevents any scruffing or snags on the user's hands. The pebbled surface is quite pronounced and made me question the smoothness of the mouse interaction. Another notable aspect: the surface of the mousepad intitially has a concave warp, presumably due to handling of delivery, so I convexed it by bending it against the side of my chair.
Performance: Three weeks of usage. My mouse, the Razer Orochi, was able to glide just fine on the Ratpadz. The pebbled surface raised no issue when it comes to consistent, reliable movement. On the cloth mousepad, my Orochi's DPI was set to 2750, I had to adjust down to 2500 on the Ratpadz to account for the improved sensitivity due to improved frictionlessness, which allows for smaller movement with less effort (a good thing). I like to rest my wrist on the mousepad itself, coming from a cloth mousepad. The hard surface of the Ratpadz didn't have a negative impact on my resting wrist. See picture below.
Optimization: As seen in the picture, my keyboard drawer is cramped, so space is important and the Ratpadz is just small enough to fit; any larger and it would've been an issue. Given that I like to rest my wrist on the mousepad itself, the concave side of the mousepad was useless and I would've preferred the mousepad shape rectangular. In any case, the Ratpadz is set in an "K" position, which probably stands for Kyle.
Further Optimization: I did some research and found that many users have been spraying furniture polish on their Ratpadz to further reduce friction. I tried this myself to and it did improve the smoothness of mouse movement. I had to further adjust the DPI down to 2250 to account for even less friction. At this point, the combination of low initial surface friction combined with a thin microlayer of furniture polish gives this Ratpadz an air-hockey like feel. If you want to get the most out of the Ratpadz, I highly recommend spraying furniture polish on it.
Durability: Thick and solid, the Ratpadz is a virtually indestructible neanderthal hunk of plastic, 'nuff said.
Ratpadz vs SteelSeries I-2: Aesthetically speaking, the Steelseries I-2 is a beautiful mousepad, Rectangular with chamfered corner, with black frosted glass and a minimalistic SteelSeries logo on it. That's the only positive thing the SteelSeries I-2 has over the Ratpadz. When using the Ratpadz, I can barely feel any friction underfoot. When using the I-2, the Orochi's teflon mousefeet grinding under the frosted glass is quite noticeable, and puts into question the long-term wear from continuing to use it. It obviously has more friction than the Ratpadz. As far as cost goes, the I-2 is $40 versus $20 for the Ratpadz. With better performance at half the cost, this isn't even a contest. Ratpadz with a KO.
Conclusion: I had some initial doubts about the Ratpadz, but was put to rest upon actually using it. It is a durable piece of utilitarian hardware that does its job well, and is currently my mousepad of choice when it comes to gaming.
+ Cheap ($20 US Shipped)
+ Made in good old USA
+ Solid, Durable
+ Low Friction, Good Glide
+ Low Maintenance
- No Rectangular Edition
Suggestion: Make a rectangular edition of this Ratpadz and I'll be the first to buy it.
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