We have so many choices when it comes to choosing a mousepad, how do you know which one is right for you? Well, obviously the first thing to do is check out the reviews for them and see what others think, then from there you can narrow it down to the features you want the most in your mousing surface. So, without further ado, today for review I have the SteelPad S&S Mousing Surface up on the review block and in the couple weeks I’ve spent with it, I love it. It’s very thin, durable, and my mouse just glides over it making for quick reaction times all around…
SteelPad S&S Mousing Surface
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: SteelSeries / SteelPad
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
SteelSeries S&S Mousing Surface
SteelSeries S&S is a gaming surface researched and developed in cooperation with SK Gaming, one of the biggest front figures in eSport. The textured hard plastic surface offers allows the user to perform minimal and extremely precise movements. The surface is made of a special responsive plastic compound and the back side features small soft rubber elements offering non-slippery steadiness.
SteelSeries S&S highlights:
– The most popular hard plastic gaming mousepad in the world
– Includes protective nylon sleeve
– New improved surface released in spring 2007
– Compatible with optical, laser and ball mice
– 320mm*270mm (12,6 x 10,6in) – thickness 2mm (0,08in)
Specifications for SteelSeries S&S:
– Material: Textured hard plastic
– Surface treatment: Coating
– Dimensions: 320mm*270mm (12,6 x 10,6in) – thickness 2mm (0,08in)
– Size: Medium
– Glide: Smooth
– Compatibility: Optical, laser, ball
Note: Also available in a ‘solo’ edition without sleeve.
Buy SteelSeries S&S directly from SteelSeries
(EUR: 33.50 USD: 39.95 DKK: 249.00 + shipping)
Buy SteelSeries S&S solo directly from SteelSeries
(EUR: 29.90 USD: 29.95 DKK: 199.00 + shipping)
A Better Look at Things
:
The SteelSeries S&S comes packaged in a sort of box, it’s more of a thin cardboard clip cover than an actual box.
Of course the back of the package has the specs and features listed in several languages, and includes quotes from gaming teams about the pad as well.
I was surprised when I opened the package actually, I didn’t expect it to come with a cover, the S&S is available as a ‘solo’ version as well, without the slipcover or carry bag. The bag is very nice actually, it has the SteelPad logo in the bottom left corner and features dual zippers, with the back even includes a small zippered pocket for anything you might need to carry along with it like some extra SteelPad Padsurfers.
Unzipping the carrying case I found that SteelPad also included a set of those Padsurfers as well, along with some promotional literature about there other products.
The SteelPad S&S is all black, and a bit larger than standard sized mousepads out there, I personally like larger mousing surfaces, so this fits right in with me… It is a semi-rigid plastic pad with a lightly textured surface.
In the bottom left corner is the S&S logo, I zoomed in on it and tried to get the light just right to show the texture of the pad, and you can also see just how thin it is, it’s about as thick as a few sheets of paper.
Flipping it over we find a rather funky pattern on the back, looking closer we find that it’s actually a non-slip material that resembles sprayed on rubber. It does a very good job of keeping the S&S in place wherever you put it, it adheres to every surface, glass, cloth, wood etc, so no matter your gaming surface the S&S will stay put.
Installation, Testing and Comparison
Here’s a picture of a mouse on the pad to give you an idea of the size of it, the mouse in the picture is the A4Tech X-750F Laser Gaming Mouse (review HERE), a standard sized gaming mouse…
My main mouse I use for everything is the Logitech G5 Rev2 (review HERE) and the first thing I had to do when I started using the S&S was lower the resolution to slow things down a bit. The G5 just glides across the surface of the S&S, and for better control I needed to drop the resolution. Using an adjustable mouse with the S&S is very nice because you can tailor it to your needs for whatever you are doing.
The S&S offers light resistance, which is very nice for more control and accuracy in gaming and general everyday uses. I personally like pads with a bit of texture to them, it really does add a bit more control, especially in gaming, and everything else.
The S&S is so thin that after a while you don’t even notice it being there, unlike thicker pads where you pretty much can always feel the edges with your wrist. I did notice that even though it’s so thin I never once fell off the pad, I kinda thought I would actually, being that I couldn’t feel the boundaries as with thicker pads.
I used the G5, other laser and optical mice as well with the S&S, every one of them worked perfectly on the S&S, it even seemed like I had better control and tracking while using it.
Before this my pad of choice was the IceMat 2nd Edition (review HERE), but now I’ve just fallen in love with this pad it is just excellent.
I used the S&S for the last three weeks and it’s excellent for everything I do, from gaming to just general usage. The tracking is excellent, and the surface is very nice to mouse on. I found that my mice just glide across it, even without the addition of the SteelPad Padsurfers on them.
Some plastic pads tend to pick up dirt and oils from your hands and need cleaned often, but the S&S doesn’t seem to really have that problem, I haven’t had to clean it in the three weeks I’ve used it, and considering I use it for 10-16 hours per day, that’s pretty good.
Being a reviewer it is quite a perk, or maybe a problem getting various mousepads for review, it’s nice to be able to run comparisons with them but getting quality pads for review can be quite a task for choosing the one that is the best of the best. Sitting at my computer for 10-16 hours per day I find that I get quite a bit of use out of any pad that I get for review, and it can be hard to actually say which one is the best, but then it can be fairly easy as well because I get so much use out of them.
At the present time the S&S is my pad of choice for my main setup, of course I have two other test systems that need pads as well and the best of the best get passed down for further use. Of course though my wife has her own computer and my kids have their own as well, so they get some nice quality mousepads to use, not that my wife and kids know what a good pad is….
There was a time where I preferred cloth mousing surfaces over hard, but I guess I just never really got the chance to own or review a high quality hard surface pad. Yes I have reviewed many pads in my time, but none have really matched up to the quality I’ve seen lately in hard surface pads, especially from SteelSeries, like the IceMat 2nd Edition and now with the S&S. Even the SteelPad QCK Heavy (review HERE), which is actually a cloth pad, just seems like a better quality pad compared to other cloth surfaces I have reviewed…
Summary:
The SteelPad S&S Mousing Surface is a great choice for gamers and non-gamers alike, it offers excellent tracking, easy gliding and a thin profile that won’t stress your wrist after long periods of use. As I mentioned in the intro it can be very hard to find the pad that is right for you, it just all depends on what you are looking for really, some people prefer cloth pads, while other prefer hard surface, for me though the S&S is it for now….
DragonSteelMods gives the SteelPad S&S Mousing Surface a 5 out of 5 score and our Editor’s Choice Award as well.
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Pros:
-Excellent mousing surface
-Great tracking for all mice
-Quality carrying case
-Thin for less stress on wrists
Cons:
-None
I would like to thank SteelSeries for the chance to review the S&S Mousing Surface and for their continued support of DSM.