So you are one of those gamers whose mouse is always flying off the edge of your mouse pad during the middle of an intense fire fight at the most inopportune moment? Well here is a solution that will please even the most frantic of gamers out there. Let me introduce to you the Xtrac Ripper.
The Xtrac Ripper is backed with the same sure grip rubber backing as the Xtrac Pro HS reviewed recently. This material is a proven way to ensure that the mouse pad does not slide around during intense gaming sessions.
The Xtrac Ripper is a cloth mouse pad. These days, hard surfaces such as plastic are favoured by most gamers but let me assure you that in this case the cloth surface is extremely well made and does not detriment mouse mobility over it. The surface is covered with a honeycomb pattern with each honeycomb containing a random dot configuration. This design allows the my MX500 mouse to easily track movement over the mouse pad thus ensuring maximum accuracy and no skipping.
As you can see by the above picture, the Xtrac Ripper is an absolutely huge mouse pad. My Logitech MX500 is dwarfed by the Ripper's sheer size. I did not find myself ever running out of room with this mouse pad (well except when performing certain aeroplane stunts in Desert Combat).
The friction level of a cloth surface can never truly compete with a hard surface but let me assure you that the Xtrac Ripper's surface is about as frictionless as a cloth mouse pad can be. It was a pleasurable experience to use this product as the surface is so smooth. Also, noise is infinitesimal when compared to some of the Ripper's competition. Accuracy is uncompromised and I found that I had no issues when image editing or playing games, both activities that require maximum precision.
Again, Xtrac offers a mouse pad that has very good value for money. This product retails at just US$13.95 which is a very competitive price, considering the size and quality.
So the question stands. Should you go out and buy an Xtrac Ripper? The answer is yes in some circumstances. If you're the average user who does not need the enormous surface that the Xtrac Ripper provides then it is hard to recommend (unless you want to cut it in half to create two, still relatively large, mouse pads.) but if like me you're an avid gamer who requires maximum mousing real estate then this mouse pad is a godsend.
Pros:
• VERY big
• Smooth surface
• Accuracy
• Good value for money
Cons:
• Cloth surface
• Might be too big for some
