Steelseries SX Mouse Pad Review
Total Rating:
(4.6 / 5.0)
Performance:
Value (to gamers):
Durability:
Recommendation: The Steelseries SX is recommended for those who want the smoothest glide available on the market. The only real down side is the price, though that has fallen since its launch.
Standard retail: $49.99
Check price on Amazon
Specifications:
- Material: Adonized aluminum
- Size: 12.6 x 10.6 x .08 in. (320 x 270 x 2 mm)
- Works with: Laser and gaming-grade optical mice
- Glide: Extremely smooth
What we liked:
- Smoothness that puts babies’ bottoms everywhere to shame
- Did we mention it’s smooth? A very quick-mousing surface
- Large enough for most users
- Easy to clean
- Very comfortable
- Stays in place
- Good durability
What we disliked:
- Expensive
The Steelseries SX is the smoothest surface available for laser mice. It performs amazingly well, looks sleek and professional, and targets the very top.
The surface of the Steelseries SX is made of adonized aluminum. We did some research into the anodization process to learn exactly what that meant. As it turns out, it’s more than a marketing ploy. Anodization is basically the process of giving a metal an acid bath that is then electrocuted and sealed. The process makes the material denser and more resistant to wear and corrosion. The anodization process also helps the aluminum absorb the dye, which helps your mouse receive the signal properly. Translation: Anodized aluminum will hold up better and offer great performance.
The SX comes with five MS Glide mouse feet for an extra smooth glide and a lint-free silicon cloth to polish the surface. If your mouse feet are old or cheap, we strongly recommend using the feet that come with the SX. Old mouse feet on the metal surface will be noisier and have more drag than expected. We have applied glider feet from Steelseries before, and know that they have a surprisingly large impact on the mouse’s glide. Tracking and performance on the Steelseries SX is superb. We had no problems tracking with multiple laser mice, including the Razer Mamba and Logitech G9x. The surface was incredibly smooth, and it is definitely the smoothest hard-surface pad around. With the silicon coating, its glide is even smoother than the Icemat (aka I-2). Despite the almost complete lack of friction, I found that the SX was easier to control than glass mouse surfaces. The SX is an especially good choice for high-sensitivity gamers, but it is large enough to work for low-sensitivity gamers who like smooth pads.
The Steelseries SX ships with a pre-applied silicon finish that will wear off fairly quickly. Don’t panic, this is intended. You can do one of two things: wash the silicon surface off entirely and just use the metal surface, or re-apply the silicon surface with the cloth. To keep the pad looking and performing its best, we recommend re-applying the silicon coat with the cloth whenever it wears down. If you’re opposed to a few minutes of surface maintenance, you can just use the metal surface alone.
The pad says it was intended for “gaming-grade” optical mice and all laser mice, and our reviews with optical mice were mixed. We tried the Razer DeathAdder, and I noticed that the motion was not 100% accurate with the when I made quick motions. Performance was spot-on at regular speeds, but quick motions made both optical mice act crazy. If you’re buying the Steelseries SX, we feel you should have a laser mouse anyway. Most people don’t have a mouse pad that is more expensive than their mouse. A good optical mouse should be fine, though, unless you twitch (or flick) quickly when mousing.
The SX is comfortable and easy on the wrist. It’s a fairly short pad, and the edges are smoothed down to a curve so that you’re not rubbing your wrist on a sharp edge. The rubber bottom has a tiny bit of give to it, but not enough to affect the hard surface on top. The base is a hard no-slip rubber that will absorb sound and vibrations. It does its job: it keeps the pad from sliding on the desk, unless you’re really trying to move it. It is especially easy to keep the SX in place because there is so little friction when mousing.
Note that the surface is made of aluminum, so it may initially feel cold to the touch. If you like the room to be cold, your mouse pad will feel cold too. If your hands get hot at the same time, you might get some moisture on the pad. Some find this cooling to be a feature of the SX, while others are a little less excited about it. If you do get some condensation, your mouse should be fine, and you can just wipe it up.
Durability on the Steelseries SX is top-notch. We have yet to hear of a case where the surface of the SX felt unchanged even a little. If you do opt to use the pad without re-applying the finish, you may eventually see some superficial marks on the surface. Unless you really try to scratch it, though, these superficial scratches will not affect performance. The surface is so hard that they won’t be deep enough to feel, even if you’re trying to feel them with your finger. You can just tell the pad that it’s going to last a long time. I doubt regular wear-and-tear could wear the pad down in several years, and long-term users confirm that there is little to no change in performance after solid daily use since June 2007.
The Razer eXactMat is supposedly made of the same material, and may be seen as a competitor to the SX. We’re not sure why, but the eXactMat just doesn’t hold up as well. It isn’t constructed to be as sturdy, and it loses its texture over time. The Steelseries SX, on the other hand, is definitely built to last.
UPDATE: The Razer eXactMat has been discontinued and replaced by the far-superior Razer Ironclad.
The price is quite high, but if you’ve read this far you’re probably the type who wants top performance. Steelseries says the pad is just really expensive to create, and after doing some research into it, we believe them. We feel you do get what you pay for, and can recommend the Steelseries SX without reservation. We know that everyone doesn’t have this kind of money to spend on a mouse pad, but if you do, check the price on Amazon
