Steelseries Mousepad Roundup Featuring 5L, SX und S&S
Category : Mausepads
Published by Marc Büchel on 11.09.10
Steelseries is well known for it's high quality gaming peripherals. In this small roundup we test three very different mousepads of which the first ist made of cloth, the second is made of aluminium and the third consists of plastics.
On the following pages we will show you
the strengths and weaknesses of these three mousepads.
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Steelseries 5L
Delivery |
Specifications |
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- Weight: 680 g
- Height: 30 cm
- Width: 40 cm
- Depth: 1.5 cm
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Gliding characteristics / Precision
| This mousepad has been tested in combination with a Steelseries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse. If you move your mouse over the 5L you hear almost nothing just some very silent gliding noise. For a cloth pad the mouse it has very good gliding characteristics which can be compared with metal pads almost. Also a pluspoint is that high resolution lasers don't generate an anliasing effect when tracking the surface. This also means that this pad is suitable for ball, optical and laser mice. Furthermore it doesn't matter if you're a low- or high-sense player and it takes you little time to get used to the 5L. |
Confort
| As a result of the pad being quite high you feel that it cuts your wrist which can become painful druing extensive usage. The feeling you get when you move over the pad with the heel of your hand is comfortable. That fact that the 5L has been coated with a layer made of plastic makes you sweat quite quickly especially if you tend to have sweaty hands. This mousepad is quite big and therefore low-sense players might enjoy it. |
Stability / Durability
| Providing a cloth mousepad with a plastic layer makes it much more durable. It's also absolutely no problem to clean it with a damp cloth. On the pads underside you'll find rubber elements which make it stick to the table. You'd need quite a bit of force to move it if you don't lift it up. Furthermore it doesn't matter if you place the pad on a rough or smooth surface it always sticks it very well. |
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Steelseries SX
Delivery |
Specifications |
- Mousepad
- Manual
- Sticker
- Glide pads
- Cleaning cloth
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- Weight: 650 g
- Height: 27 cm
- Width: 32 cm
- Depth: 0.2 cm
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Gliding characteristics / Präzision
This mousepad has been tested in combination with a Steelseries Ikari Laser Gaming mouse. If you move the mouse over this aluminium pad it makes a fair amout of noise. This is quite logical because of the alumium and the small rubber layer on the underside which doesn't absorb a lot of noise. Generally spoken the gliding characteristics are good but it depends on the gliders fitted to the mouse. In this case it is a good idea to use the ones Steelseries provides with the delivery. Very good is that the SX can be used with all kind of mice. It doesn't matter if it is a ball-, optical- or laser mouse.
This pad we'd recommend to high-sense player because of it not being that big actually. Getting used to the SX took us about two to three hours and afterwards we were able to move the mouse pointer with expected precision. |
Confort
| Because of this pad only being 0.2 centimeters thick you don't feel it cutting into your wrist. Especially if you tend to have sweaty hands the SX really is comfortable because of the fact that aluminum is a very good heat-conductor. The SX can also be cleaned very easily. Just take a damp cloth an wipe over the pad and the job's done. |
Stability / Durability
| You won't find mousepads with a higher life expectancy than metal based mousepads. The underside consists of a thin rubber layer. Unfortunately the SX doesn't stick to the surface it's placed on as well as you might expect and we'd recommend you to buy this pad if you place it on a table with a very smooth surface. |
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Steelseries S&S
Delivery |
Specifications |
- Mousepad
- Manual
- Sticker
- Glide pads
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- Weight: 370 g
- Height: 27.3 cm
- Width: 33.2 cm
- Depth: 1.5 cm
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Gliding characteristics / Präzision
This mousepad has been tested with a Steelseries Ikari Laser Gaming mouse. If you move the mouse over the S&S you only hear a silent noise. The best thing about this pad are its gliding characteristics. They really are excellent. It also doesn't matter if you have a ball-, an optical- and a laser mouse. Because of the S&S' size we recommend it for high-sense player but also low-sense players might get happy with this surface if they don't mind the size.
Getting used to the S&S took us about one hour. Afterwards all the movements are absolutely precise. |
Confort
| Because of the mouse pad being very thin you don't feel it cutting into your wrist. If you move the mouse over the pad you slightly feel it's surface which might be a bit irritating in the beginning. If you tend to have sweaty hands the plastic surface might not be that comfortable but we don't think that this is a point against the S&S. |
Stability / Durability
| The S&S being made of plastic makes it very durable. On the underside you find small rubber elements. This is the weakest point of this very good mousepad. You really need to put it onto a smooth table otherwise you can move easily without lifting it up. |
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Conclusion
Steelseries 5L
Steelseries' 5L left an overall good impression. For a cloth mousepad the gliding characteristics are very good and it being soft makes it really comfortable. The pads underside comes with a thick layer of rubber which makes it stick to every table like glue. Unfortunately the pads thickness is also a point against it. The reason is that it doens't take a lot of time until you feel a cutting into the wrist.
If you're looking for an overall very good cloth mousepad then the 5L really is the right choice.
Steelseries SX
Also Steelseries' SX left a good impression. The homogenous gliding characteristics are good but some gamers might expect even better gliding of the mouse. Also a bit disturbing is the noise which is being created when you lift your mouse up and put it down again. Probably it would have been better if the SX' underside was a bit thicker. On the other hand you wont feel anyhting cutting into your wrist which is comfortable. Also for people with sweaty hands aluminium is a good choice because of it being a very good heat-conductor.
The SX is quite a good mousepad but we would have expected better gliding characteristics. Never the less if your looking for an aluminium gaming surface the SX isn't a bad choice at all.
Steelseries S&S
The best thing about the S&S is its gliding characteristics. The mouse glides absolutely perfect over the surface. Also the noise the pad creates when you lift your mouse up and put it down again is very low. For the S&S you should have a table with a smooth surface otherwise the pad might skid over it.
If you're looking for a plastic mouse pad which has excellent gliding characteristics then the S&S might be the perfect choice.
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