Steelpad 4s Mouse Pad

Company: Steelpad
Product: Steelpad 4s
Street Price: ~$45
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2003
Reviewed By: Joey Chao

The Steelpad 4s:

The mouse pad is fairly large. It is roughly about the same size as the Ratpadz GS. Being made out of an aluminum plate, the pad is very hard. Its is not easy to bend or break. In addition, the edges are very smooth so there is nothing sharp that might cut. The finish on the pad is not shiny but a dull polished look, very low profile. There aren't any pore on this pad like some of the other mouse pads. No little grooves or anything like that for dirt to get stuck in. Cleaning the pad should also be really easy just using a cloth and perhaps some household cleaner. Located at the bottom left corner of the pad is the Steelpad logo. The shape of the pad is not a square but more like a rounded rectangle.

The back side of the mouse pad has the same finish as the front. Most importantly, there are 8 rubber feet located on the back. They somewhat tacky and should really help to keep the pad from sliding around on the desk. The feet also are huge but strategically placed around the pad.

Also included with the Steelpad 4s is some Teflon tape, called the Steel PadSurfer. This tape will help to reduce the friction between the feet of the mouse and the mouse pad. Using it will help in getting that extra bit of accuracy for fine tuned mice. No instructions were included with the tape but it is self explanatory (there are instructions on their website however). First clean off the feet on the mouse making sure there is a good surface to adhere to. Then cut a few strips and place them directly on the feet until you have something like what is pictured below.