Xtrac Ripper XXL Mouse Pad Review
Total Rating: 
(3.9 / 5.0)
Value: 
Low-sensitivity performance: 
High-sensitivity performance: 
Durability:
Recommendation: HUGE! If you’re looking for a mouse pad that doubles as a desk mat, the Ripper XXL is about as big as they come.
Standard retail: $44.98
Check price on Amazon
Specifications:
- Material: Cloth
- Size: 36 x 18 x .13 in. (914 x 457 x 3 mm)
- Works with: All mice
- Glide: Laser and gaming-grade optical mice
What we liked:
- Largest mouse pad available
- Works great for very-low-sensitivity gamers and graphical designers
- Impossible to move on accident
- Comfortable to use
What we disliked:
- Sub-par durability
- Limited compatibility
- Shows dirt and residue, not easy to clean
Please notice the size of the pad before reading any further. We opened the box and set the pad down, and we all had the same reaction: “wow.” We knew that the pad was going to be 36 x 18 inches, but we were still impressed to actually see it.
There was no way the pad was going to fit on the computer desks around here, so we packed up a laptop and took it into the kitchen. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but nearly resulted in disaster. Because the pad is so large, it makes no sense to put the Laptop at the side and have the mouse pad stretching out three feet to the right. So we placed the laptop on the left side of the pad, which was in front of us, and plugged in a Logitech G500. We turned the mouse sensitivity up and the polling rate up to 1000/second in the Logitech software, just to see what the pad could handle.
It was about this time that the laptop’s temperature readings turned red. Brilliant. Obviously putting a laptop like ours on a cloth pad was not a good idea. So now we were sitting at a table with three feet of pad stretching out to the right, and it just looks funny. I have an arm span of about 6’6″, but I couldn’t even utilize the whole pad without stretching awkwardly. In the meantime, someone was setting up a desktop.
Back to the mouse test. With setting turned up to high, the XXL could not keep up. Movement became jumpy and uncontrollable, especially at high acceleration. This was kind of what we expected, as every cloth pad we know of does the same thing. Turning the DPI and polling settings down caused the mouse to behave. Obviously the pad is designed for low sensitivity, so it’s hard to fault the pad for that. We were happy to have a formal compatibility list for the XtrAC pad. The following mice are “100% compatible,” and while others may work, these are the ones we are sure of: Logitech: MX300/500/510/518/700/1000 G5 & G7 Microsoft: Intellimouse Explorer 3.0/4.0 Laser Mouse 6000 Apple: Mighty Mouse.
We switched the pad over to the desktop, and found a lot of space going to waste. You can either have the keyboard resting on the pad, or have the pad stretching out three feet to the side. I doubt many desks allow for the pad spanning three feet beyond the keyboard.
If you do get the XXL, you probably want to resist the urge to place things on top of it. Even though it takes up a huge portion of your desk, you don’t want large stacks of papers or books building up around the edges, because they will push the padding down and pull at the edges.
Again, we took the XXL’s rating down a notch because it is no good for mid- to high-sensitivity users, as there are higher-performing pads that are good for high and low sensitivity. For low-sensitivity users, the pad is great, though. If you want this gargantuan thing on your desk you can either check the price or get the XtrAC XXL here
