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Plain Mouse Pad
The standard mouse pad
Plain Mouse Pad: This is actually an old VA Linux mouse pad that has been lying around for a while. This pad is comparable to any simple mouse pad that has a plastic top (as opposed to a cloth top.) There's nothing too special about it.
3M Precise Mousing Surface
3M Precise Mousing Surface: This pad has a gel wrist rest (something all the others lack) as well as a plastic-based surface. The plastic has very small dimples in it which you can feel as you run your finger or fingernail over it.
The Test
Each of these mouse pads was tested for over an hour both with a ball mouse and an optical mouse. This is where the review process seems to get extremely vague - how does one review a mouse pad? Unlike most computer peripherals, this accessory can't be "benchmarked." The only solution that I can come up with is how I felt the mouse in response to the pad, while trying to be objective.
Optical Mouse Ranking:
1. X-trac
2. RatPadz
3. Plain Mouse Pad
4. 3M Precise Mousing Surface
Ball Mouse Ranking
1. 3M Precise Mousing Surface
2. RatPadz
3. X-trac
4. Plain Mouse Pad
Final Words
To be honest, the X-trac and RatPadz seem very close in their accuracy in regards to optical mice. On one hand the RatPadz has a slick plastic surface that allows for a quick turn-arround in a First Person Shooter, while the small amount of resistance on the X-trac allows for the perfect headshot in Counter-Strike or Battlefield 1942. The X-trac also is cheaper than the RatPadz, but it truly isn't a very marginal difference (X-trac Pro: 7.99, RatPad: 13.00.) I would recommend either surface to a gamer - the difference is if you prefer a little bit of resistance (which I personally do,) or the type of surface you prefer to mouse on.
I found that the 3M Mousing Surface was horrendous for optical mice. I strongly recommend against using this pad in conjunction with an optical mouse. On the other hand, the small dimples worked perfectly on the ball mouse, making it an ideal solution for ball mice.
The standard mouse pad is - standard. It works fine, but if you're using a CAD program, photoshop, or playing games that require precise and quick mousing, you had better put a few bucks into your pad and get a RatPadz or a X-Trac.
Agree? Disagree? Discuss it in our forums
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