XTrac Zoom Mouse Pad

Company: XTrac
Product: Zoom Mouse Pad
Street Price: ~$15
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003
Reviewed By: Joey Chao

Introduction:

Mousing surfaces can be a big deal to the extreme gamer, especially in first person games where accuracy and precision is important. There are many types of mouse pads out there. Some are made of plastic, aluminum, and even glass. There are many different aspects that make a mouse pad good besides controlling the mouse. Durability, size, and maintenance are all factors that should be taken into consideration when buying a pad. We have even had issues with pads being to noisy from the sliding of the mouse across the surface. So as you can see, choosing a pad can be a tough choice with so many different types on the market. Today we have the opportunity to take a look at the XTrac Zoom. It is ultra thin, big, and very smooth.

Specifications:

Size – 8.5” X 11”
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.

The XTrac Zoom:

The XTrac Zoom is an interesting looking mouse pad. The first thing that one would notice is the hexagonal design. Within each hexagon, there a tiny dots place randomly which ensures great control. The hard plastic surface should be very durable and easy to clean. Over a few weeks of use, we never really had to clean the mouse pad, but it can easily be done with just house hold cleaners and a towel. As you can see from the second picture above, the mouse pad is thin and flexible. On their website, they claim that the pad is thinner than most credit cards and they were not lying. This is great for small desks where the keyboard and mouse pad will not fit. The keyboard can easily be placed on the edge of the pad without raising the keyboard causing a wobbling affect.

The pad is fairly large, giving plenty of room to move the mouse around. You will not find yourself going off the edge of this pad unless you have your sensitivity set very low. Compared to other mouse pads we have tried, the XTrac is about the same size as the Steelpad 4S and the Ratpadz GS. As we said earlier, it is rather large and may not fit on small desks along with the keyboard, but due to the super thin design, the keyboard can be placed on the pad without causing problems. A common feature on today's mouse pads are sticky feet that keep the pad in place. The XTrac Zoom features a rubber backing called the Sure Grip II. It works great and keeps the pad from sliding around at all, which can sometimes be a problem for the spastic gamer.