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SteelSeries 5L Conclusion
Submitted by admin on Sun, 06/10/2007 - 07:22.
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Performance
To give the SteelPad 5L a comprehensive evaluation, I ran it through a battery of testing to assess the tracking consistency, the amount of friction and the overall comfort level while using the mouse pad. The 5L is made for gaming and that is precisely how I tested it - by playing a sampling of the popular FPS games on the market today, which included Quake 4, F.E.A.R and RTCW: Enemy Territory.
Tracking using the 5L was as precise as I've seen with any other mouse pad Using 800, 1600 and 2000 DPI settings of the MX518 on the smooth plastic surface, the mouse input was extremely responsive (especially at high sensitivity) and my flick-shots felt comfortable and natural. The 5L maintains the same consistency level across the entire mousing surface, and this translated into predictable movement and aiming in all games that were used for testing. From the first moment I set my Logitech MX518 down on it, the tracking results have been as smooth as silk.
The biggest challenge I faced while using the 5L during gaming sessions was the subtle, but nonetheless very much apparent, difference in surface friction between it and a regular cloth mouse pad. The hard plastic coating on the surface of the 5L makes it feel faster than a cloth pad. Even after reducing the sensitivity of the mouse and playing additional games, the glide of the mouse across the mouse pad felt much more like a hard pad than a soft, cloth pad. The tactile feel of the mouse movement was just never quite the same as it was when using a cloth pad.
Throughout the hours of testing, the comfort factor of the 5L was one of the biggest areas of improvement I found over a typical hard surfaced pad. Resting your wrist on a hard surface for hours at a time will fatigue even the most hardcore gamer, but the springy rubber base of the 5L made the long sessions of gaming completely comfortable. After the long sessions my wrist never felt sore due to a hard pressure point that typically results from resting it on a hard surface, which is a huge plus point in my book.
I use an older wooden desk with a slightly fading veneer coating, and the rubber backing of the 5L was very capable of keeping it firmly adhered to my desk. At no time during the extending gaming sessions did the mouse pad slip from the spot where I had originally placed it.
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| SteelPad 5L with fUnc 1030 | SteelPad 5L with SteelPad QcK |
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SteelPad 5L Mouse Pad From the first moment I set my Logitech MX518 gaming mouse on top of the SteelPad 5L, I have been torn between admiring it for the ingenuity of combining cloth and hard mouse surfaces, and longing to go back to a true cloth mouse pad. In the end, the surface friction and resistance between my mouse and the 5L was just too different for me to abandon my cloth pad altogether. If you are a plastic or steel pad fan, I recommend that you give the SteelPad 5L a trial run to see how it feels compared to the hard surface you are used to using. You may like the softer feel that goes along with the fast response. If you are a soft, cloth pad fan I can't recommend the 5L as it just does not capture the essence of what makes a cloth mouse pad what it is. With a retail price higher than most other gaming mouse pads on the market, there is no reason to spend additional money for the 5L. Pros: Super smooth and consistent surface, soft and comfortable, rubber base keeps it from slipping, innovative design. Cons: Pricey, does not have the same feel as true cloth, not easily portable. Rating: 3 out of 5 |
