X-Trac Pro HS Optical Mouse Pad Review
Let me begin by thanking Christopher Kahl from PCXmods for making this review possible. Please check out PCXmods for more great products at great prices.
In our last mouse pad review, we took the Steelpad out for a test and were very impressed. Today we will look at the X-Trac Pro HS mouse pad from PCXmods.
About PCXmods
Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, Pcxmods was started in March of 2002 by a group of PC gamers. We wanted to impact the modding community with new and exciting products like our caffeinated soap and laser cut fan grills. After we had attended several local LAN parties we were talking with other PC gamers about what kind of mouse pads they were using. We saw pads that looked like dinner plates and others that remotely resembled fruit roll-ups. Apparently, most of these people seemed unsatisfied with what they were using. That’s when we decided to make a better optical mouse pad. The first pad created we called the X-Trac Standard. It was similar in size to most of the pads we were used to seeing. The main difference was the hexagonal print on the surface and the finely woven cloth material. We tried several different designs, but none seemed to make our mice track as well as the hex and random dot configuration seen today. <patent pending>
As time passed, people began to ask for a larger mousing surface. That’s when the X-Trac Pro was born. It measures 8.5” X 11” and the gamers that tried this pad thought it was awesome. Actually, we were happy with it too, but we knew we could to go further. Our most recent pad is the X-Trac Pro HS or hard surface. This pad, we feel, is one of the best optical mouse pads available today. It is approximately 50% smoother than the X-Trac Pro cloth pads and the print has a 1200dpi resolution as compared to 300dpi with the X-Trac Pro and standard.
No matter if you are a hard-core computer gamer or a casual user, we have an optical mouse pad to fit your needs.
First Impressions
When I received the X-Trac Pro HS, it came enclosed in a regular bubble-wrapped envelope. No surprises, just a regular envelope. However contacting Christopher, he assured me that customer pads come in a box.
Here is the X-Trac Pro HS. As you can see, the first thing you might notice is the honeycomb look. It looks rather unique and attractive I'd say. If you feel the mouse pad with your finger, you will realize that they have a kind of a textured feel. This is for the tracking abilities of the X-Trac Pro HS. PCXmods chose to go with the honeycomb-like pattern for a reason. It's a patent pending design that went through 3 months of extensive pattern testing to ensure the best surface available for gliding the mouse with ease. They also noted me that they used everything from squares to triangles to random dots and the hexes that you see are the best for whatever reason. They also used several different optical mice and one ball mouse to test all the patterns. During testing they even had one Apple optical mouse in there (on a Mac of course) and had very similar results.
The bottom of the pad is made out of rubber so the pad will not slip and slide during use.
Very extensive and very long testing went into producing this product. Let's test it out to see if all that hard work paid off!
Testing thoughts
During using the X-Trac Pro HS, I was and still am very impressed. The tracking abilities are excellent and on par with the Steelpad we recently reviewed a while back. Playing UT 2003 proved that this mouse pad is a gamers pad. This phrase will sum it up. "Silky Smooth Tracking". The tracking was excellent and excelled perfectly. The mouse pad excelled in all programs I threw at it. 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Word, etc. Both the Crystal Optical Mouse and Logitech Optical Mouse were tested and glided with ease. No hiccups, no skips.
One last side note. The X-Trac Pro HS when gliding with the mouse was very quiet. It is quieter than the Steelpad without needing any skates. Although I felt the Steelpad was not that bad with the skates on, the X-Trac Pro HS is much better at noise even without skates! I wonder how it would be if I put some mouse skates on? (hint, hint)
Just to show you the excellent tracking rate, I found this cool tracking program on google called Mouse Rate Checker. It can be downloaded here.
Conclusion
If you LAN, you need this pad. If you want a mouse pad that gives you the ability to work better, this has got be on your list. The X-Trac Pro HS is definitely a winner. Professional 3D users, gamers and regular PC owners can be certain that they are not getting a wimpy product.
Rejoice! Gamers this pad is for you! This is a perfect pad for gaming on optical mouse's, hence the pad says optical mouse pad. The only downfall I could see is if you choose to fold the pad, you will get the bend mark like if you were to fold paper. One small corner of the pad was bent during transit. Other than that ...Excellent product! It edges out the Steelpad and I'm happy to say I'm using it right now! Easily recommended.
I give the X-Trac Pro HS a...
9.5/10!
Pros & Cons
+
Super slick gliding!
+ Excellent tracking
+ Attractive
+ Extensive testing went into this
+ $12.99 U.S. isn't bad at all!
+ QUIET!
- Bent edge during transit
- Don’t try to bend it
Thanks again to Christopher from PCXmods for giving up his time to send this out to be evaluated.
BTW ...PCXmods will gladly ship to Canada. You just need to give them an email requesting so. The same holds for international orders. Just email them and they will work out a plan to serve you better. And one more thing. The service quality I have with PCXmods is excellent. The service people emailing to you are very informative and very nice. Now that's what I call true Customer service! Now go over here and buy one! If you choose to buy one, tell them Modsynergy.com sent ye!
