The Ultimate Mouse Pad!

[Manyak]

So I just got this awesome mouse pad...keyboard pad...mat..whatever. The Xtrac Ripper XXL. Its basically a mouse pad that's 36" long that you can place your keyboard on as well. And let me tell you....I don't care how light of a keyboard you're using, it will not budge on this thing.




Now.....any of you guys know where to get a wrist rest that's 36" long as well?

[ozar]

That looks nice, but probably too big for me.

I use a standard Belkin 8"x9" mouse pad that works pretty well.  :lol:

No idea about the big wrist wrest.

[o2dazone]

Now.....any of you guys know where to get a wrist rest that's 36" long as well?

*Weiner joke here*

Where did you purchase it? Is it thick like a normal mousepad is? I've been looking for something similar to break up some of the barren space on my desk

[Manyak]

*Weiner joke here*

Where did you purchase it? Is it thick like a normal mousepad is? I've been looking for something similar to break up some of the barren space on my desk

:lol:

Yup its just an oversized mousepad. I'd say about 2-3mm thick, with the usual rubbery/spongy bottom and the cloth top. And its pretty good quality cloth, very smooth.

Bought it from amazon.com. Link.

[FKSSR]

I saw those when I was looking for gaming pads.  However, I don't really have use for one so big.  Glad you like yours, though.

[Manyak]

But this is a gaming pad! They've got a couple of models with the same surface but a smaller footprint as well.

I've tried a couple of pads already - the Razer double sided one, the steelseries qck, the icemat, and these, and so far this I like these the best. I haven't tried yours yet though

[Manyak]

I would use the mat as a huge keyboard drawer liner.

 I just like hard plastic for gaming, not rubber mats, that's all.  Nothing special about the XRay pad, cheap and disposable because I tend to wear out my mousepads.

Clean desk by the way, mine is a fire hazard.

- Ripster

Yeah I can't stand the plastic pads. They always end up really rough, really fast.

Well its easy to keep a desk clean when you've got more space than you can use, lol. Its a U shaped desk, and that main part you're seeing, by itself is 71" x 48".

My last desk was about 48" wide and only 20" deep. Then because of a small hutch in the back only about 11" of the space was actually usable. So there was always so much junk on it there wasn't even enough room for a full mouse pad!

[Hak Foo]

I just use the surface of my desk.  Since optical sensors came out, mouse chow is much less fatal (the primary annoyance is when the optical sensor gets a cat hair across it)

[bhtooefr]

I actually use my RiscPC as its own mouse pad. If this mouse gets gunked up beyond repair, I'll just get a PS2MouseMini, and then get an optical wheel mouse. Problem solved, with scrolling, too.

The IIGS's mouse doesn't get a mouse pad.

[Manyak]

I just use the surface of my desk.  Since optical sensors came out, mouse chow is much less fatal (the primary annoyance is when the optical sensor gets a cat hair across it)

The problem with that is that the mouse feet get worn out and it no longer glides as smoothly no matter what surface you put it on.

[Rajagra]

I just use the surface of my desk.

The problem with that is that the mouse feet get worn out and it no longer glides as smoothly no matter what surface you put it on.

It depends on the desk. I used my desk for years without problems. It has some kind of laminate finish with a very fine texture. It gives smooth movement yet optical mice see it well.

Another choice for a huge mousemat is a cutting mat. You can't roll them up though. :ohwell:

I use an IceMat myself. (I had to put it aside for ages until Logitech released updated firmware for my mouse to make it work on IceMats. What is the world coming to when you have to update mouse firmware? :shocked: ) I think glass mats are one type you don't want to be too big.

[Busty]

Manyak, what kind of keyboard is the small grey one in the background?

[lam47]

I have a steelseries Heavy in super big. However its only big enough for the HH and a mouse.
I would like to get the leather filco one! It looks really classy.
I might ask majestouch actually.
Yeah good idea Laurie you do that.

Little board looks like a cherry ML to me Busty.

[cchan]

I have a steelseries Heavy in super big. However its only big enough for the HH and a mouse.
I would like to get the leather filco one! It looks really classy.
I might ask majestouch actually.
Yeah good idea Laurie you do that.

Little board looks like a cherry ML to me Busty.

Definitely a Cherry G84-4100. The bane of my existence. But I'm using the M4 up in my room so I'm subjecting the rest of the family to the 4100.

[Busty]

Definitely a Cherry G84-4100. The bane of my existence. But I'm using the M4 up in my room so I'm subjecting the rest of the family to the 4100.

I like the colors, somebody got a glamour shot to get a better idea. (I thought after forking out the money for an HHKB I'd be done for a while, but ...)

[cchan]

I like the colors, somebody got a glamour shot to get a better idea. (I thought after forking out the money for an HHKB I'd be done for a while, but ...)

It is a good board, and cheap too (I got mine for $20 shipped), but it's the BoME because of its not-quite-full-pitch keys and nonstandard compressed layout.

[kyamei]

(I thought after forking out the money for an HHKB I'd be done for a while, but ...)

Don't worry it didn't work that way for any of us.


As for mousepads, I've been using a fUnc surface 1030 for about 7-8 years now.  Probably the best $40 I've spent on computers, still on my first pad and it isn't worn out at all yet.  

I'm not to fond of cloth pads though.  Got a Steelseries QcK with my Ikari and I find it to be no better than a $1 cloth pad from Wal-Mart.

[IBI]

I bought a nova master mousepad and the only advantage I found over just using my bare desk was that it needs a lot less cleaning.

[itlnstln]

IMO, the ultimate mousepad is the cheap, fabric ones from office supply stores.  Mice move smoothly over them, and I have never had a tracking problem.  Some, if not all, of the hard-style mousepads I have had start to go smooth over time and need to be replaced.  I have an old, royal blue, old-school 'pad that I have had for over 15 years that still works great.  Old-school tech for the win.

[lowpoly]

Old-school was when you didn't need a mousepad because the balls were heavy.

[itlnstln]

Old-school was when you didn't need a mousepad because the balls were heavy.

That is, unless you had a desk with a well-polished top that caused the ball to slide. Cleaning the lint crust on the rollers was always a blast, too. Optical sensors were the single greatest evolution in mice technology.

[lowpoly]

I forgot to add a smiley.

But the early balls didn't slide.

Then the manufacturers saved a few cent and they got lighter and lost grip. Which in turn forced people to buy expensive mouse pads. I ranted about this before.

I agree about cleaning.

I'm happy with optical since the laser mouse.

However, the Honeywell mouse with two angled discs was best. Worked on everything, didn't get dirty. I have to take some pics.

[itlnstln]

However, the Honeywell mouse with two angled discs was best. Worked on everything, didn't get dirty. I have to take some pics.

These were awesome mice.  Some of the best ever made.

[lowpoly]

The ball in the lower right is a regular mouse ball (I keep them when I throw away old mice).

The one on the left (Microsoft) and the right (IBM) are the big good ones. There were no mousepads back then, at least I don't remember.

The top one is the worst ever. It's from a cordless Logitech Mouseman. The tiniest piece of dust would make it block.

At the bottom, with the discs, is a KeyTronic mouse. KeyTronic bought the mouse division from Honeywell. I had a Honeywell mouse but threw it away many months ago. Just found another one on ebay, they are quite rare.

[ozar]

I love how this forum keeps returning to our balls.

Yep, even those with little balls like to show them off every chance they get, it seems.

[Manyak]

Manyak, what kind of keyboard is the small grey one in the background?

Cherry ML-4100


And back in the days of balls, I found mousepads even more useful than now. Desks weren't always perfectly flat, and certain wax coatings made even the heaviest balls slip now and then. Then of course, some people had really nice desks and just used a regular desk pad underneath.