xTrac
Ripper and Micro Mouse Pads Review
Provided by: http://www.xtracpads.com/
and written by Kupe Master
I’d like to thank xTrac mouse pads for sending these mouse pads in for review.
We received two mouse pads from xTrac via USPS Priority Mail, the Ripper and Micro. They came in an envelope with bubble padding which was perfectly sufficient. The Ripper mouse pad is geared towards gamers and has a huge surface area. The Micro mouse pad is geared towards mobile users or people who have strict space requirements forcing them to use a smaller mouse pad. The specs of the each mouse pad are as follows:
xTrac Ripper (MSRP $13.95)
Specifications
Size – 11” X 17”
Thickness - 1/8".
Surface – Smooth cloth - extremely flexible
Pattern – Large Hexagons with random dot configuration to ensure
precise control
Backing – Sure Grip™ rubber
Durability – Extremely durable if properly taken care of.
xTrac Micro (MSRP $9.95)
Specifications
Size – 7” X 8.75”
Thickness - Credit card thin.
Surface – Hard plastic, slightly textured to provide light feedback
Pattern – Hexagonal with random dot configuration to ensure precise
control (patent pending)
Backing – Sure Grip II™ ultra thin rubber compound
Durability – Extremely durable if properly taken care of.
First Impressions:
The xTrac Ripper is a flexible cloth mouse pad which has an extremely large surface area, as seen by the dimensions in the specifications. Gamers really shouldn’t ever need more space with this mouse pad, it’s just SO large! The back of the Ripper is rubber that grips very well to a desk surface.
xTrac let me know that they are giving a free set of Eels when a Ripper
is purchased. Eels, come in strips are applied to the feet of the mouse.
A review of the Eels can be seen on our website: Review
29. The Eels make a substantial difference when using the mouse
pad and the results of the review were based with the Eels on the feet
of the mouse.
The xTrac Micro in contrast, is small, thin, not very flexible, and has a rougher surface made out of plastic. I find that this pad’s ideal use is to keep in a laptop case when a physical mouse is needed. The slightly rough texture is nice, as it gives a little bit of extra control, but in turn gives back more noise when there is mouse movement than the ripper. The back of the Micro doesn’t have the same amount of grip as the Ripper does, and can possibly shift when using the mouse.
An interesting thing about the design of the mouse pads is that xTrac claims that their hexagon pattern with black and white filling will make it easier for the optical sensor to track. This meaning, there shouldn’t be any random cursor jumps and that mouse operation should be smooth. I tested the mouse pads using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and I will describe what I experienced in the next paragraph.
The mouse that is to be tested on the pads is the Logitech MX300. This mouse is an excellent compact mouse with a high resolution optical sensor.
Testing Results:
The hexagon pattern used on both mouse pads proved to work very well when playing the FPS and using Photoshop. Both mouse pads were equally accurate and experienced no jumps. The differences in the mouse pads are not based on how accurate they were, but on the feel of them.
xTrac Ripper
The feel of the Ripper was smooth and slightly resistant. At first, the little resistance was not pleasing, but I later realized it helped with accuracy when playing games and didn’t mind it at all. The smoothness is what really makes the resistance work. Having an unsmooth surface with resistance would not be desirable. All in all, the mouse pad performs as advertised and is an awesome choice for gamers looking to have a large sized mouse pad for only $13.95. Compare that price to a SteelPad!
9.5/10
+
Price
+ Extremely Accurate! No Cursor Jumping.
+ Rubber Backing has Excellent Grip
+ Large Surface Area; Gamers will Never Run Out of Space.
+ Smooth and Slightly Resistance Adds More Control
xTrac
Micro
Given that mouse pad is perfectly accurate and it’s convenient
size for laptop, there were a few things I disliked about it. The backing
does not grip the surface of a desk as well as I would have liked. It
can shift or slide if making a hard movement. Since the top of the surface
is plastic with a light roughness, the mouse glided across it nicely.
The Micro’s surface is slicker than the Ripper, but it does create
a little bit more noise too. Overall, this mouse pad functions as a
laptop mouse pad and is extremely thin so it can be put into a laptop
case or even a folder with ease. This mouse pad costs $9.95 and has
a nice surface which performs well and is easy to maintain.
8.5/10
+
Extremely Accurate! No Cursor Jumping.
+ Surface Allows Mouse to Glide
+ Thin, Portable, Easy to Maintain
- Backing Does Not Have a Very Good Grip to Desk Surface
