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Intro:
XTrac has made professional mousepads for quite some time now. Their latest pad, the XTrac Hybrid, offers increased surface area and precision. Since the market is already saturated with professional mousepads, quality and price are the two most important factors that need to stand out in a product.
Box:
The Hybrid comes in a black box. This reminded me of the QcK+ tragedy. Thankfully, this pad is smaller than the former.
The Parts:
In the box comes the pad, some new teflon feet for your mouse, instructions, and a Xtrac sticker. The latter two items are useless in my book, but for the first time ever, I installed the teflon stickies to my mouse and they do make the mouse glide easier.
The Pad:
It seems that everything gets bigger today. This pad reminds me of a normal cloth mousepad on steroids. The material itself is cloth with rubberized back to provide the stick. The top of the pad is smooth and the mouse glides very easily. Unfortunately, there is more friction with this pad than the S&S (which I prefer to use). The pad also is raised against the surface of the desk more so then I like. A pad that is higher than the surface will lead to more stress on your wrist.
I understand that the pad could be cut, but since I do not like to destroy a nice looking pad, I decided against it. Nevertheless, the pad is just a tad bit too wide for use on a desk with minimal surface area. How far does your hand go off from your body anyway? Would you really use the entire surface area? I know I wouldn't. There is something on this pad that does stick out in my head against other pads, the logo. The logo is on the lower right side of the pad! The right side is a minimal use side which is where all logos should be. I applaud XTrac for considering the use of mice such of the MX700 and above. On many logos, the mouse sometimes gets a bit finicky.
The pad faired well, in use. As compared to other high performance pads, the coefficient of friction is higher on this one. A slicker surface would be a better alternative in my opinion. The harder type pads usually offer similar static coefficients of friction, but the dynamic is where it's at.
Conclusion:
You can pick up this pad for $25. If you decide to cut the pad in half and make two pads, it is quite a bargain for a high performance pad. If you need a single pad, consider other alternatives if you prefer less friction than a cloth pad.
I'd like to thank XTrac for making this review possible.
Intro:
XTrac has made professional mousepads for quite some time now. Their latest pad, the XTrac Hybrid, offers increased surface area and precision. Since the market is already saturated with professional mousepads, quality and price are the two most important factors that need to stand out in a product.
Box:
The Hybrid comes in a black box. This reminded me of the QcK+ tragedy. Thankfully, this pad is smaller than the former.
The Parts:
In the box comes the pad, some new teflon feet for your mouse, instructions, and a Xtrac sticker. The latter two items are useless in my book, but for the first time ever, I installed the teflon stickies to my mouse and they do make the mouse glide easier.
The Pad:
It seems that everything gets bigger today. This pad reminds me of a normal cloth mousepad on steroids. The material itself is cloth with rubberized back to provide the stick. The top of the pad is smooth and the mouse glides very easily. Unfortunately, there is more friction with this pad than the S&S (which I prefer to use). The pad also is raised against the surface of the desk more so then I like. A pad that is higher than the surface will lead to more stress on your wrist.
I understand that the pad could be cut, but since I do not like to destroy a nice looking pad, I decided against it. Nevertheless, the pad is just a tad bit too wide for use on a desk with minimal surface area. How far does your hand go off from your body anyway? Would you really use the entire surface area? I know I wouldn't. There is something on this pad that does stick out in my head against other pads, the logo. The logo is on the lower right side of the pad! The right side is a minimal use side which is where all logos should be. I applaud XTrac for considering the use of mice such of the MX700 and above. On many logos, the mouse sometimes gets a bit finicky.
The pad faired well, in use. As compared to other high performance pads, the coefficient of friction is higher on this one. A slicker surface would be a better alternative in my opinion. The harder type pads usually offer similar static coefficients of friction, but the dynamic is where it's at.
Conclusion:
You can pick up this pad for $25. If you decide to cut the pad in half and make two pads, it is quite a bargain for a high performance pad. If you need a single pad, consider other alternatives if you prefer less friction than a cloth pad.
I'd like to thank XTrac for making this review possible.