SteelSeries SX Gaming Mouse Pad (Black)
by SteelSeries
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SteelSeriesFormat: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: 63019
Product features:
- Extremely smooth mousepad
- Lifelong durablity thanks to coated aluminum
- Compatible with gaming grade optical and laser
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SteelSeries SX Gaming Mouse Pad (Black)
Customer Review: Very smooth
Summary: 5 Stars
Packaging:
The pad is covered by a plastic clamshell, which comes inside a very stylish cardboard sleeve that bares just enough of the clamshell to show you the pad itself.
Either Amazon packaging, storage or delivery is a problem because the pad did not lie completely flat on the table. I am talking about a 2 mm offset on the upper right corner. With careful manipulation, you can get it flat again, but I am surprised that even with the nice packaging from SteelSeries, the metal pad is still susceptible to slight bends.
Included in the package you will receive a set of Glide MS mouse feet, a steel series catalogue, a pamphlet about SteelSeries Security and an oily cloth to help keep your pad clean and smooth. The mouse feet are a nice addition if you want to go the extra mile to get the maximum smooth glide.
Size:
The SX is not a large mouse pad, but it is bigger than any of the freebies you get from trade shows or bundled with games like WoW. I would say it's basically your average size now, i.e., approximately 12"x10".
Product Finish:
If you look close enough, you can see the anodized fiber polished finish. You will notice right away that the finish easily accumulates dust, dirt, fingerprints and the like especially moisture created marks such as sweat. These, however, can be cleaned up very easily with the supplied oily cloth or any water based cleaner if you don't really want to add more glide (I used the Monster cleaner for screens with their supplied blue cloth).
Scratches aren't a prominent problem, but the SteelSeries SX is quite vulnerable to permanent surface marks if you are going to travel with it (not a problem for me, but likely an issue for gamers).
The underside of the SX, and in many regards one of the most crucial parts of any mouse pad, is your basic rubber pad that can be found on the bottom of most cloth mouse pads. Since the aluminum construction of the SX is completely rigid, it stands to reason that any frictional force inherited by the mouse pad from the mouse would be transferred directly to this rubber subsurface with a greater magnitude than that of cloth pads. Cloth pads can be skewed horizontally from top to bottom, meaning some of the frictional force is transferred into that motion, making it easier for the underside to grip the desk, table, or what have you. This whole concept here is rendered irrelevant, however, because there is so little friction on the SX. I did notice that the grip was better over flat smooth surfaces (e.g., glass, aluminum) than it was over faux wooden finish because of the irregularity of the surface. In general, due to the little friction, the grip to the desk is very firm and it won't be compromised unless you are actually trying to push the pad off the desk.
Performance:
I have used this pad with the Logitech MX Revolution and Ikari Laser mice over a period of about a month and I cannot find any faults with it. From web browsing to graphics work to games this is the best mouse pad I have ever had the pleasure of using. The surface is "really, really smooth" as stated in the specifications.
Note: The Ikari Laser mouse was set to Low: 800 CPI and High: 1600 CPI. Any CPI setting higher than 1600 was too erratic for me for precise and slow movements.
It does take some getting used to if you are switching from nothing or a very bad pad. I tended to overcompensate a lot at first seeing as I'm used to a little more resistance in my mouse pad. However, I noticed that when you put pressure on the mouse you get more resistance thanks to the texture of the pad. This is very useful for those of you who like detailed graphics work or sniping in a game. After a few minutes however I quickly got used to it.
Durability:
Not once did I think about the quality of the surface degrading, nor did I encounter any defects in the surface. This is an inherent advantage of using a comparably strong material like aluminum instead of the plastic that is found on virtually all hard pads. Defects in stronger materials are far less frequent, and the chance of them becoming deformed is also greatly reduced. I would also attribute the flatness of the SX to the uniformly distributed rubber backing, which does not allow bowing of any sort, except for the initial problem I mentioned above.
If you use mice with Teflon feet/skates, you will be happy to know that the wear on the skates after normal everyday use is very low.
Comfort:
This mat is quite easy on the wrist. All the edges on the SX are filed down and are grate free, which means that you won't hurt your wrist on minor imperfections in the mat.
Since the mat is made of aluminum it feels quite cold. On of the problems that I've experienced with this mat is that after using it for a while, a little moisture builds up where you keep your hand most of the time. This is due to the fact that the aluminum dissipates the heat that you generate and therefore the temperature difference between you and the mat is so high that the water in the air condensates on the cold side. This isn't a major problem in my case because my room temperature is warm and the mat is easy to clean. But if you like your room cool this could evolve into a serious issue because the bigger the temperature difference is, the more condensation will form.
Note: The is mostly an issue for people who like to rest their hand or pinky finger on the mat (a.k.a. claw grip). If you move your hand around with the mouse, this may not be a problem for you.
Something else I noted is that the surface is noisier that cloth or plastic surfaces due to the harder surface. In fact, it becomes quite loud to use when there is a little bit of dirt or dust on it. Of course it easy to clean so this isn't a real problem, but still something you should consider if you are looking for a quiet surface. This is not it.
Price:
At the time of this review, the full price for this mouse pad is USD 59.99, but you can get it for anything between $40.00 and $50.00. If you use your computer a lot and you have already invested more than $50.00 in the mouse, then the price of this mat is reasonable and offers great value.
If you still think the price is too high, then you should look into the SteelSeries S&S, which, to me, is the next best mouse pad.
Description of SteelSeries SX Gaming Mouse Pad (Black)
SteelSeries SX offers a truly unique and smooth gliding experience. The surface is amazingly responsive and precise thanks to fiber polished aluminum and anodized oxide coating. The surface is quiet to use thanks to a rubber base which absorbs noise and vibrations and is optimized for both optical and laser mice technologies. During development and testing, the professional Counter-Strike players in Team NoA described SteelSeries SX as "the purest form of glide in the world".Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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