MooseMan3000

I know some of you swear by ball mice. OK. I don't care. I hate cleaning them with a passion, so I'd rather have an optical.

My problem is, I don't have a good mousepad for it. The one I'm looking at now is the FUnc SUrface 1030, and it's gotten some pretty good reviews. I'm just wondering if any of you have any experience with these in particular, or if you would recommend another. I would like to be able to use it for gaming, so it should be precise.


Note: I posted this in the gaming forum already, because they probably relate better to what I want, but I thought I would ask here, as well. Any graphics artists, or anything along that line might be of some help.

flamingpeach

Your link leads us to an empty shopping cart.

I'm assuming this is the right mouse pad though?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...114-301&depa=0

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Peryn

I have been using the same optical mouse pad for years (it works most excellent for ball mice as well). Lasts forever, and feels great to use.

You might want to check out RatPadz . I haven't used their GS, as i have the original version. If this new one really is better, you might wanna consider it.

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Asuka{eve}

I have the Ratpadz gs. I think its pretty good.

MooseMan3000

Edited the link, because I'm retarded.

Yeah, that's the right mousepad peach.


And Peryn and Asuka, any particular reasons for the RatPadz? What do you like/dislike about them?

Halx

I just use a regular nylon mouse pad with my opitcal... works perfectly

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strife

I used to have a 3M Precision Surface mousing pad, that was alright I guess...But I have noticed that sometimes my mouse (mx700) would start to jump around. Playing fps' it gets real annoying. So I am in the area to get a new pad as well. Any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.

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yatzr

you guys use a mouse pad for an optical mouse?? I just use my desk, or whatever happens to be the surface next to my keyboard (they work surprisingly well on carpet and couches). Now that i think about it, I don't think anybody in my dorm used mouse pads for optical mice (and most of them were gamers)....actually, one guy won one at a LAN party but didn't like the feel of it so he never used it. Must be a regional thing.

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MooseMan3000

Well, I used to use a regular pad, but I've been using my desk because that one blew. But with my desk, the mouse will jump a lot, and it's hard to be precise. My performance varies a lot depending on the surface I'm on, and that makes me quite inconsistent. Hence, the new pad. I'll probably order one tonight and give it a looksee.

bltzkriegmcanon

Honestly, I've switched over to a regular ball-mouse. I'm a Lasereth convert©. I just use my desk, though. Occasionally I'll break out my optical wireless Intellimouse and do some regular desktop work with it, but when game time comes, that shit gets put up, and the ball mouse gets broken back out and pwnage commenceth. Here's my ol' mouse. Just a simple, three-button ball mouse, and it's pwnage central. It's also freak-close central. And it's 2 bucks. Can't beat that.

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BurntToast

I personally dont like the func pad only because it is too small for me. I use a Destrukt pad because I use low sensitivity and it is HUGE (it doubles as a yoga mat). My friend bought a black Ice Mat and he LOVES the thing because it is smooth as hell... and if you add some Mouse Skatez (teflon tape) it makes it even smoother. Also the SteelPad 4S has gotten some great reviews... check out more stuff here:
https://secure.chambergates.com/theg...mpany/home.asp

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MrFlux

If you have an optical mouse, why do you need a mousepad?

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BulletCatcher

After trying out several different types of mousepads the last couple of years and not finding one to my liking, I decided to stop wasing money and look for a 'homemade' solution.

I found that the cardboard backing of your standard run of the mill legal pad works perfectly. Just cut it off the pad, tape it to your desk. I play quite a few FPS games and have never run into any sort of tracking problem while using it. I also like to play around with Photoshop and have found it to be very precise. The only problem I've encountered is they wear out after about a month of heavy use.

Give it a try. At around $2.50 for a pack of 5 legal pads it can't go wrong.

THGL

I've got one even cheaper Bullet, just a regular sheet of white paper. Works flawlessly!

At home it's letter sized, but here at work I have a lot of room on my desk so an 11x17 sheet is taped down.

I can take notes on it when needed, scribble on it when bored, and when it gets dirty (takes a few months) I rip it up and tape down a new sheet.

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Speed_Gibson

one reason in my case (I hate using them otherwise): glass desk. Not completely clear surface but still more than enough to cause at minor chaos at best with the beam.

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MooseMan3000

Eh, for the price of the Func Pad and the RatPadz GS, I just went ahead and bought them both. I looked at the others mentioned, and a few others I found online, but none seemed quite right.

Both of the mousepads should arrive here this week, and I'll give them some serious testing at the LAN on Saturday night. If anyone's interested, I'll put up some quick reviews of them afterwards.

Ace_of_Lobster

I have a glass desk & an optical mouse. The best thing to use for a mousepad is..... a kitchen cutting board!
Seriously, you can get them in all kinds of shapes and sizes, with plenty of surface area for your gaming needs.
Plus everyone who comes over will be like "Woah, you use a cutting board for your mouse pad?" and you can be like "Yep."

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raist

I recently purchased the Func surface 1030 pad. I love it. I use it with my mx700 wireless logitech mouse and it works alot better on it then the normal pad that would cause the occasional jumping mouse pointer.

MadShinji

I would definitly be interested in hearing these reviews.

kutulu

Other than glass desks I've never heard of someone using a pad for an optical mouse. That's odd. I love my optical mouse (I'll never use a ball mouse again) and I've never used a pad for it.

MooseMan3000

Alright, both pads got here yesterday.

Side note: The Func 1030 shipped from Texas to Maine via USPS, and the Ratpadz GS shipped from New Jersey to Maine (much shorter) via Fedex. They both left the same day, about the same time, and they both got here, about the same time. USPS was a lot cheaper, and it had nicer packaging.


So anyway. I haven't given them both their real testing yet (that will happen on Saturday at the LAN), but I have a few immediate impressions.

Ratpadz GS: Came alone, no packaging. It's just a large sheet of molded plastic, with rubber feet and a textured top. It is roughly the size of a regular piece of paper, in terms of actual surface space. It works well with an optical mouse, as well as a ball mouse, but every so often the optical will still jump. Not nearly as much as it used to on my desk. My main complaint thus far is that the GS is the tallest man made structure in the entire world. No joke. To use it, my hand has to be roughly a quarter of a mile above my desk. This, as you can imagine, is not particularly comfortable. And this brings me to the 1030:

fUnc sUrface 1030. Oh man, this is a gorgeous pad. It comes in an aluminum case with the two-sided pad, a rubber base, and a mouse cable clip which can go on 6 different parts of the base. The two sides are a smooth side and a smoother side (both slightly textured). Right now, after brief testing, I prefer the smoother side, but I'm going to give them both their fair share of testing. So this pad is small, sleek, and it feels nice as hell to use. It is about the size of a piece of paper again, only this time it's only about 2 millimeters high at the mousing surface. A slight improvement over the GS. My mouse responds quickly and accurately, with no jumps so far. My main complaint with this pad is that the surface is hard to get entirely into the rubber base. It took me 5 minutes or so to get it all lined up correctly the first time (time went down with practice...). Oh, and the rubber smells bad when you first open it. The smell dissipated in a few minutes, though, and I only notice it when I'm rubbing my nose along the rubber base.


So far, the 1030 wins hands down. It's smooth, it feels nice, it responds well, and it doesn't give me carpal tunnel just thinking about it. I'll post a few pictures and a little more detailed review after the LAN.

Asuka{eve}

Glad you found something you liked.

tropple

Mouse pad? hhehe.. I use place mats from a local closeout store.

I get any smooth kind for my ball mouse, and for the optical mouse, I get a smooth, but not "slick-shiny" pad.

Place mats are so much better than a mouse pad. Just for their size. Not to mention that they run about a buck ;-)

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tronims

I have the RatpadzGS, it works great with my mx700 and older Wireless Microsoft Explorer. I would highly reccomend, I love how it is big but not enormous.

Destrox

I use my wooden desk for my mx700... why waste money on somthing you dont need?

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MadShinji

Just wanted to let you know we're still eagerly awaiting your further review after the LAN.

Aerundel

I think a pad for an optical mouse is definitely worth it. For one, those little pads on the bottom of the mouse DO wear out. A desk isn't exactly the best surface to scrape a mouse across, getting a pad will reduce noise and friction. Less friction means the mouse will move faster Most pads also have a somewhat geometric pattern on them, also, which will keep the mouse tracking easily. Not much of a problem now since Logitech has a massive frame buffer on their MX mice, but the concept still holds.

Karby

hey, that's exactly what i use! the only problem i have with it is that i have to keep replacing it constantly because it gets very worn and dirty quickly. other than that, it works fine.

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MooseMan3000

Alright, I'm finally getting around to this. I haven't really had time for... well, anything since Saturday, so I apologize for those of you who actually wanted to hear about the pads.

So, basically put, my immediate reactions stuck with me. They just got a little bit more elaborate.


Ratpadz GS: I simply could not get comfortable with this pad. I tried it on a few different machines, with various ball and optical mice, and the tracking was decent. Most of the time it felt a little... slow. I'm not sure why it was, but it always seemed like my hand was just a split second late when I was using this pad. Optical mice still jumped from time to time, though still less often than on a regular desk (or even a sheet of paper). Every once in a while, the pad would slip, despite the "no slip feet." Also, the pad still feels WAY too tall.

Playing Battlefield 1942, Counter-Strike, and Unreal Tournament 2004 with this pad I scored ever so slightly better than I did without a pad. It was so slight a difference that I might attribute it to random variation.

The readout:
Tracking with optical mouse: 8/10
Tracking with ball mouse: 10/10
Comfort: 2/10
Smell: none/some
Visual coolness factor: 7/10 (the curved bottom sort of looks like a stealth bomber, or perhaps the Batmobile)
Number of mouse clips: 0/1
pr0n surfing speed: 9/10

Total: 36 points out of a possible 51 and then some.


fUnc sUrface 1030: Still my pad of choice. Tested this pad with the same machines I used above, with all the same mice, and I tested both the smooth and slightly less smooth surfaces. The tracking is nearly perfect on this thing, even with my cheap Logitech optical mouse. The only time I ever noticed a tracking issue was after one extended UT2K4 session on the smooth surface. My optical mouse jumped and I turned around entirely. My prognosis? The sweat from my hand after the long gaming session interfered with the pad, and it screwed up the mouse. That IS just a guess, but it's the best I could come up with. I never had that problem with the rougher surface, even after longer sessions. After using them both extensively, I learned to like the rougher surface more than the smooth one, because of the physical feedback I got. It helped me aim because I could feel it better, but I think it's ultimately a matter of personal preference. And one of the nicest features about this pad? The mouse clip. It's a really simple metal clip that attaches to the rubber base on the top or sides, but it helps considerably. The pamphlet that came with the pad describes basically how to set it up (it's not that hard even without directions), and it works perfectly. There is little/no drag (I never noticed any drag, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there) on the mouse from the cord, and you avoid the problem of having a heavier cordless mouse. This pad with its rubber base never once slipped, even during extreme gaming conditions (ie, when I died from that BS hax0r and started hitting it). The smell I mentioned in the earlier post is still there, but only when my face is right next to the pad. So not TOO often.

My scores improved considerably with this pad, as did my aim.

The readout:
Tracking with optical mouse: 9.5/10 (would be a 10, except for that jump)
Tracking with ball mouse: 10/10
Comfort: 9/10
Smell: You can get used to it.
Visual coolness factor: 7/10 (There's nothing particularly special about it, but it does look nice and sleek, like a ninja.)
Number of mouse clips: 1/1
pr0n surfing speed: 10/10

Total: 46.5 points out of a possible 51, plus the smell.

The verdict:

The fUnc sUrface 1030 (http://www.func.net) is the obvious winnar. It is smooth as silk, it never slips, it has the simple yet elegant mouse clip, and the smell is funny yet comforting, like your grandmother. I have nothing but praise for this pad, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to get a new pad for optical or ball mice, for any application.

biggles

When my Ratzpad GS started showing signs of wear I started looking for a new mousepad and came across the C4 Mousemat on another forum.

http://www.cshyde.com/Excess%20Inv%20Sale.htm

This is seriously the coolest mousepad I've ever used. It's basically a paper thin sheet with an adhesive back that you can put on any surface. Not only does it look cool, it doesn't make an plastic-y scraping sound when you move around on it. I'd definetly recommend that to anyone using their desk for their mousepad. Just buy a sheet of this stuff and stick it on there.

Chingal0

That puppy works great. Plus you can draw on it. When it gets dirty, rip a layer off. So special.

Edit: Costs like .49 cents at Office Depot.

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