Razer Ironclad Review
Total Rating:
(3.0/ 5.0)
Performance:
Value:
Durability:
Recommendation: The Razer IronClad, despite being made of a hardened steel, is less durable than one might think, making it hard to recommend over other mouse pads.
Standard retail: $59.99
Check price on Amazon
Specifications:
- Material: Adonized aluminum
- Size: 12.6 x 10.6 x .1 in. (320 x 270 x 2.5 mm)
- Works with: Laser and gaming-grade optical mice
- Glide: Smooth
What we liked:
- Smooth glide with precise tracking
- Large enough for serious gaming
- Comfortable
- Very easy to clean
- Stays in place
- Excellent style
What we disliked:
- WTF$60
- Durability is less than… Ironclad
- Gets dirty easily
Someone is going to get hurt by the Razer Ironclad. I can already picture someone nerd raging at a deleted WoW account, grabbing the Ironclad, and knocking someone out with it. Seriously, this thing has some heft to it!
Luckily, I don’t think anyone without a stable job will be able to afford it. At nearly $60, this mouse surface clearly targets the gamer who wants the best. Those who know gaming know that few things improve performance more than an excellent mouse pad. Too often people will invest heavily in a high-quality mouse, but skimp on the mouse pad. My FPS tournament experience tells me that if you’re going to go big on one gaming accessory, choose the mouse pad before the mouse – that is, unless you’re using a $10 mouse that came with your Dell. This may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true. While it may not be worth it to most, a high-end mouse pad like the Ironclad seems to have a niche where it would be worth it. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that it is. After playing with the Ironclad for a while, I was forced to revise my review. Not only is it less invincible than I originally thought when it comes to dings, dents, and scratches, but it also has a coating on it that begins to peel (for most) within about two weeks. This renders the surface vulnerable, scratch-prone, and gives it an uneven texture. For this reason, the Ironclad lost some serious points.
After discontinuing the Razer eXactmat – one of the least-durable pads ever constructed – the Ironclad seemed like a play to restore Razer’s image of long-lasting quality. Unfortunately, it seems like a more expensive knock-off of a pad that is remarkably similar to SteelSeries’ top pad, the Steelseries SX. To be honest with you, I used our SX review as a template… and I didn’t have to change the material, price, or even the dimensions – but I did have to lower the ratings.
Toot toot Imma Ironclad!
We used several mice on the Ironclad, and found that the high-end Razer Mice like the Razer Mamba and Razer Naga worked best on the surface. I guess it’s a good thing that Razer’s products work well together, and the competitors’ mice like Logitech and Steelseries worked just fine as well.
As expected, those gaming mice that were old with more worn-down feet were less enjoyable on the Ironclad’s metallic surface. This follows because A) old mouse feet don’t repel dirt and dust as well, and B) if you can hear a little scratching on a cloth or plastic pad, you’re going to hear it much more loudly on a metalic surface. Using an old or low-quality mouse on this surface is just horrible.
Mouse tracking on the Ironclad worked just fine. The mouse tracked extremely accurately, even at high accelerations and speeds. The glide on the surface is a little bit less smooth than the surface on the Steelseries SX. Don’t misunderstand: the surface is still very smooth. It’s just a little bit more controlled, and a lot of people like it that way.
Do you have a piece of metal in your room? If so, touch it. Now back to me. Try to get a sense of the temperature that you’d be resting your wrist on (if you rest your wrist on the mouse pad.) Some find this temperature to be relaxing, others find it to be annoying and uncomfortable. Personally, I like it, even after a few hours.
The Razer Ironclad’s surface should be large and controlled enough for low-sensitivity gaming, but sleek enough for high-sensitivity gaming. In either case, you won’t find yourself having to re-adjust the mouse as often as you do on smaller mouse pads.
I simply cannot recommend this pad, when all is said and done. The SX is a better product in every way. If metal pads aren’t for you, or you want some more ideas, make sure to see some of our other reviews here.
