A Ratpadz Review (Pictures Included)

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BusyBeaverHP

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
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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.

ratpadz.jpg


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.

busybeaverhp.png
 
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Very coo! Thanks for the effort, it has been a good while since I saw a Ratpadz review. :)
 
MTS2_Qahne_1126303_02.jpg


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I had a Ratpadz GS for about 4 or 5 years, it wore out to the point the mouse had friction sliding... was a great pad though, can be used on a couch for example... where as a mat style pad sucks on a couch.

Was great before it wore out, which took roughly 3.5 years.
 
I bought my Ratpadz XT after reading the review over at Techgage.com back in 06. The only issue I've had is that I keep bending it but it still arches back up, I only recently started doing it so it will take time to shape it flat. I love that mouse pad and will never use another for my gaming needs, unless of course I buy another one. (c;
 
Bought one from FrozenCpu about 5 years ago.

Still use it. Minimal wear from alot of use and still has a slickness to it.

Essentially indestructible. Didn't you guys shoot some stuff one time with a 50 calibre?
Wonder how this Ratzpad would hold up?
 
My main complaint is the pad is so thick it makes it uncomfortable to use, and I have to use it upside down because of the weird curve it has on the one side.
 
i am still rocking the orignal ratzpad never really got round to getting the gs what is the differance between the two btw?. i remeber when they first released the they said it would last for eons. 12 years later ( i think its 12 years) its still on my desk. for the first five years of its on live it took serious abuse as i used to game alot more and every night was all nighter. oh and its also a very handy wepon i have admitadly thrown this at me lil bro in a fit of rage a few times. hardly any marks

wish to hell they would make a bigger one. thats the only draw back. 3 pcs and one laptop on my desk not enought real estate for 4 mice
 
I can't remember when I got mine, I know it's been more than 5 years.

For the shits and giggles of it all, i read an article on the new razor mouse pad, decided to give it a try, did a few runs on it, and came to the conclusion it sucked ass.

My ratpadz just had the flow for a mouse, and it STUCK to my table, unlike the razor.

So still sporting the ratpadz... And so far nothing comes close to it imo. :D
 
Borgschulze said:
I had a Ratpadz GS for about 4 or 5 years, it wore out to the point the mouse had friction sliding... was a great pad though, can be used on a couch for example... where as a mat style pad sucks on a couch.

Was great before it wore out, which took roughly 3.5 years.
Click to expand...

We don't sell those any more. Just the XT now days.
 
Great look, BusyBeaverHP! I do have to mimic the rectangle request; it'd be great (due to how I sit, the curve sometimes allows me to lean my arm the wrong way, and after a prolonged time of not noticing, it can be a little irritating).

I first used a Ratpadz XT in 2006, and I haven't looked back. I now use one for my second PC, and my brother and mother (yes, my mother) also use one. Easily the best, well-built mousepad I've ever used.
 
For me, I just clean the rubber pads which seems to fix the sliding issue. If there is dust on either surface it will slide. Hope Kyle makes a bigger one, I'd buy it
 
Can't get used to the thickness of the XT. I've had one for several years but it gets almost no use because I find the hard surface uncomfortable (I tend to rest my wrist on the pad).
 
I have a legacy edition (original model) Ratpadz that i gave to my dad, he uses it daily. only problem is it constantly needs to be bent back into shape as it has a severe tendency to warp.
 
I have used Ratpadz exclusively now for 5? 6? years. At least. I have been through the original (which wore from heavy use) to the GS model (which I didn't like so much) to my now XT. I travel with it everywhere I go and I would never use anything else.

All I have to say is.. Thank... You! I read [H] every day, but never post. I had to log in just to say that.
 
Grimspoon said:
I have a legacy edition (original model) Ratpadz that i gave to my dad, he uses it daily. only problem is it constantly needs to be bent back into shape as it has a severe tendency to warp.
Click to expand...

This. I have the old school original one too and that thing wants to bend.

Also agree with the people saying it's too thick. Didn't used to bother me but now that I am older the 1/3"+ raised gap kills my wrist. Tried going commando (no mouse pad at all), but laser tracking on my POS black desk wasn't great. I gave up and I have been using a $3 Fry's cloth one now. I like that it is super thin so I barely notice it, but it gets filthy quick. I have to wash it every now and then.

If Kyle can come up with a "new" Ratpadz that is super mega thin I might consider another one. (I bought some sheet thin plastic cutting boards at Bed Bath Beyond for the kitchen. About as thick as a piece of construction paper and one side has a non-skid coating so it won't slide around. Something like THAT maybe? I thought about trying one as a mousepad but they are too big and it has a giant chicken graphic on it... so no.)
 
Oh, and wouldn't Pledge (or any furniture wax/oil for that reason) gum/smudge up the optics on mice?
 
I take the Ratpadz to an open area, spray a small amount of furniture polish on its surface, and scrub it around with a small towel. There shouldn't be any visible sign of that stuff on the mousepad surface when done right.

So far, it hasn't interfere with the predictability of my mouse movement in practice. Given proper usage, I think the furniture polish is about likely to smudge up the optics of my mouse as the sweat and oil from my hand.
 
I bought one without knowing that it was founder of [H]. What sold me on the pad was the one year satisfaction guarantee, I've yet to see that from my regular brands.

I'm tired of my cloth pads wearing out so fast, getting expensive at this point. My XT hasn't shipped yet, hope it gets here within this week!
 
Honestly not quite sure how old my Ratpadz is (old enough that I've forgotten when I bought it).
At least 10 years old (and yeah, I've been dealing with the bowing issue the entire time) though.
Still has most of the old silver Ratpadz.com logo on it.
It's probably due for replacement though. As I've worn a fairly flat area in the middle which is just starting to accumulate detritus (hand oil, etc) to the point that no amount of washing actually "cleans" it anymore.

This is my ancient Ratpadz AFTER being cleaned.
(Click for full-res (3200x1800) image)


Still, cleaning and bowing issues aside, it's been insanely durable.
 
Chas said:
Honestly not quite sure how old my Ratpadz is (old enough that I've forgotten when I bought it).
At least 10 years old (and yeah, I've been dealing with the bowing issue the entire time) though.
Still has most of the old silver Ratpadz.com logo on it.
It's probably due for replacement though. As I've worn a fairly flat area in the middle which is just starting to accumulate detritus (hand oil, etc) to the point that no amount of washing actually "cleans" it anymore.
Click to expand...

What about your mouse feet? Have they required frequent replacement or not at all?
 
Mine just came in today and boy it's tiny compared to today's gaming pads' standards.

I love it though. Had very good experience in my CEVO match today.

It's still not fully flat though, just can't seem to get it right. I also used Pledge multi-surface cleaner because I read it reduces friction even more, but I can't tell a difference and it's not as smooth as I saw in a YT video (post-Pledge). Don't care though, it's smooth enough and any less might need more work on my part to hold the mouse in place.

Would love to see this is G240/440 dimensions though, that's a good balance between sizes.
 
I've been using a RatPad since they were released. I've owned 3.

I bought the original, which warped out of shape a bit, and I wore down over about 10 years of use. I bought an XT, whcih lasted 3-4 years then had some ware spots... I bought the latest ratpad at least 6-8 years ago, and it's still going really strong... Mainly, you gotta keep good friction feet on the mouse and my G700 has had like 4 sets already in the last 4 years... Thanks for the polish, i'm going to have to try that!! I know putting the ratpad in the oven makes them flat again...

I wish kyle would update the ratpad to be bigger, and square for gamers and what not. I feel it needs an update... Ratpadz 2!?
 
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