Hmmm, how to start, how to start... how does one review a mouse pad, or "mousing surface" as these higher cost products often like to be called? The performance of such a product isn't really quantifiable like a graphics card or a power supply - there is no MousePadMark2003 (which would presumably test in favour of Everglide and against Ratpadz in some scandalous driver issue), and no hardware monitoring sensors. But I can tell you how I feel about the Steelpad 4S and how, in my opinion, it improves upon your everyday standard foam/fabric mousemat and some other "high performance" pads. So, let's do that.

Before we start on the pad itself, the packaging takes centre stage. The Steelpad comes in a rather stylish thin cardboard box. There's no fluffy packing materials, but then it would take a postman the size of Arnie to damage this thing. Also included in my package was a strip of "padsurfer" teflon tape. This is designed to make the mouse glide on the pad, more on this later.

Right, to the pad itself. Firstly, the obligatory multiple angle photos.

Pad dimensions

Approx 290x245 useable area

The Steelpad is undeniably attractive - it's a very classy looking pad. Crafted from a piece of aluminium plate, ironic given it's name, the Steelpad is a very smooth sleek surface upon which to wield your choice of mouse. Interestingly the packaging claims a 3.5mm aluminium plate. This simply isn't true, the plate itself is around 1.5mm thick, the pad when rested on a desk is around 3.5mm tall due to the feet. Quite misleading if you ask me, but since 3.5mm thick would have been ridiculously over the top I'll let it go.

Aluminium thickness 1.5mm, full height 3.5mm

Note that the current website does actually state it is the full height with feet, it may be that the packaging has been changed and no longer says this since I have the old style box.

The top surface feels great to the touch and like it should provide a great surface for the mouse. Whether or not it does we shall discuss shortly. The bottom of the pad has eight low profile rubber pads to grip your desk which work extremely well - it's really rather difficult to move the pad unless you really want to.

Using the Steelpad feels really quite different to using other mousepads. For a start, it's metal and so feels cold to the touch. At first this is really rather surprising, but after a while I actually find it quite comfortable. Some may not enjoy the cold metal feeling, I guess that's personal preference. As an aside, for the real hardened pro gamer there exists a Steelpad Glove designed for use in conjunction with the pad. But we won't go into that.

Moving the mouse around on the pad feels a little "draggy"... the metal surface puts up a little more resistance to movement than other plastic or fabric topped pads. That sounds like a bad thing, especially to all you quick aiming gamers out there. It's a clear reminder that the surface you are using is made of metal. It also makes a slight scratchy sound as the feet of your mice run over the metal. Again this acts to remind you that you are using a cool metal mouse pad but is a bit of a pain in the arse.

This scratchy contact can be combatted - the included "pad surfer" tape is designed to stick over your the feet over the mouse and provides a much smoother contact. I do very much recommend you use this tape, it greatly improves the mouse movement over the pad... in fact I would go so far as to say it is essential since the mouse does feel a bit sluggish without the tape. You still get a feeling of more resistance than with super slick plastic pads, but it is a different motion rather than a worse one. Somehow it makes the whole thing feel a bit "classier" than just zipping about on a lump of plastic foam. As well as the improved contact, the noise is reduced to a whisper when using the tape.

The MS Wireless Optical mouse looks quite at home on the Steelpad 4S

So the movement of the mouse is nice and fluid, so long as you use the included tape on your mouse. Now to use with optical mice. Being such a smooth surface, I was worried the cameras in optical mice would have a hard time registering movement on the Steelpad. At first, it seemed my worries were well founded. Use with my MS Wireless Optical is really quite difficult - whilst it works most of the time, sometimes the mouse cursor just refuses to move with my hand movements. Transferring to the plain desk proves the Steelpad is indeed at fault. However, using the Steelpad with my Logitech MX700 optical mouse gives no such problems. It seems that the MS mouse is inferior in some way to Logitechs offering, but since I know the MS mouse works on every other mousepad I've used I'd have to say this is a disappointing flaw of the Steelpad. After further experimentation it seems the MS mouse goes to sleep on the Steelpad and doesn't know it's moving so doesn't wake up. This may be to due with the black colouring of the mat, although the problem doesn't occur on another black pad I own. I can only guess that since the pad is so flat and dark the mouse cannot tell when in low power mode that it is moving. Whilst one could say this is a mouse flaw, really the pad should be designed with mice in mind not the other way around.

So, some positives and some negatives there. The pad really is fantastic looking - I think this is probably the only time I have referred to a mouse mat as "sexy", but it's all I think of when trying to describe the pad. You're definately going to have a feeling of superiority if you turn up to a LAN with this thing under your arm when your mates are all using fabric mats, or plastic pads for the "pro gamers" among them. The fact that it's essentially a lump of aluminium means it's not going to wear out any time soon. This could be the only mouse mat you ever buy, assuming you enjoy using it. When used in conjunction with the pad surfers the movement is slick and easy and should improve upon a basic cheap mouse mat. But this is where we get the biggy. This pad is not cheap. The Steelpad 4S, the most expensive of the range, is currently listed at €40.24/$50.25, which is about £30, plus shipping. I can't lie, that's quite expensive. But when you look at the price of all the other "high performance" mouse pads it doesn't look quite so ridiculous. And with my experience of everglides and ratpadz among others, this one has a certain class that sets it apart from it's competition.

You have no idea how many attempts it took to get this photo to come out...

If you've got a killer system with all the bells and whistles, and want to treat yourself to the final finishing touch, then you can't do without a Steelpad 4S. If you're an avid LAN gamer and travel around trying to show the CS crowd who's boss, this could give you an edge. And if you don't beat them at the game, at least you could hit them with it*.

* (DON'T do that. If you couldn't figure out that I was joking, then please just leave and don't come back.)

For more "average" users it may be a little excess to requirements.

Seems fitting then that it recieve the "enthusiasts' choice" award, given to those must have products for the man who has everything but wants more.

Sexy!
Solid construction - built to last
Good size
Teflon tape is included
Quite expensive
Scratchy when used without the tape (which may not last as long as the pad)

Related:
Steelpad homepage and online store.