Introduction:

  If you read my reviews, you'll know what a fanatic I am about having a good set of input devices. Since input devices are effectively how you communicate with a computer, they are in fact a data bus of their own (albeit not an electrical one), and can be just as important as other communication paths in a computer. If you're not comfortable using your computer, how can you be happy? Thus, it's very important to have a good keyboard and mouse or trackball - your health can also depend on it.

  However, if you're using a mouse, a proper mousepad can be very useful, and can make your mouse easier to use by helping you move it more accurately and precisely. Using an old, squishy and moldy mousepad can slow down even the latest and greatest laser mouse, and pairing the two together would be like putting an F1 engine in a Pinto. So, today, I'll be looking at a lineup of products from Corepad, a manufacturer of "Professional Gaming Gear", based in The Netherlands. We previously looked at their Deskpad desktop surface and found it to be favorable - can these other products live up to the hype?

Specifications:

  Corepad has a wide variety of mousepads and other accessories. The Deskpad, a desktop surface, and the Eyepads, traditional mousepads, are both made of cloth attached to a rubber backing, like conventional mousepads, but have some slight differences. The Corepad Magna is a mousing surface made out of thick safety glass, with an etched surface for grip and a rubber base that's certainly different from most mousing surfaces.

  Finally, the Corepad Victory is a hard, plastic-surfaced pad that provides the low friction favoured by gamers (and typical of most gaming pads) that is also easy to clean. Corepad has also provided some of their Skatez Pro mouse replacement feet, as well as Corepad Wax, an application that can be used to decrease friction.

• Full list is available here

The full product roundup is shown below. You can see the three size of Eyepads, the rolled up Deskpad, the Corepad Magna and Victory, along with the Skatez Pro feet and Corepad Wax.

Eyepad and Deskpad:

  I'll begin by looking at the Eyepad set of mousepads, which are similar to a regular mousepads in that they have a cloth cover and a rubber backing. However, the cloth surface is superior to most traditional mousepads because it's slightly smoother, and the overall pad is also thinner but still remains soft and flexible. It's available in three sizes - small, medium and large.

Eyepad - three sizes.

Material and backing.

  The small size will suit people not used to the larger mousepads that gamers have been using, and it's not really too small. If you're like me, you have your mouse set to a high sensitivity, so that I don't move my mouse all that much - the small size is just right for this sort of usage, and if you have limited desktop space, the small Eyepad is just right.

  The medium Eyepad is actually quite large, and will suit people used to larger mousepads. The large Eyepad is downright huge, and I actually would recommend against it - if you're going to need this much space covered by a mousepad, you might be better off with the larger Deskpad.

Material and backing.

Backing.

Smooth woven cover.

  The rubber backing combined with the thin and flexible pad makes the Eyepad basically invulnerable to slippage. You won't have to worry about this mousepad getting away from you, even during the most intense FPS session. However, while the cloth surface is relatively smooth, it's no comparison to hard, plastic-surfaced mousepads that provide much less friction and making movement that much more fluid. However, it's a bit of a tradeoff - I've found that these slippery surfaces can actually be too slippery, perhaps making mouse movement less accurate. That's why I've always liked the "feel" of a cloth mousepad, as it provides enough grip to make movement accurate but without slowing you down or making movements feel "sticky".

  In my testing, my laser G7 tracked excellent on the Eyepads, as did an optical mouse of mine. The surfaces are washable as well, so the inevitable grime that builds up can be easily be done away with, if you're a clean freak. Overall, the Eyepads are good choice if you like the feel of a cloth mousepad and don't want a hard surface that is too slippery for you.

Back grip.

Size comparison.

Deskpad.

  The Deskpad, however, is a whole new breed. I won't go into too much detail as we've already reviewed it, but as you can see, it's quite the big beast. It's meant to be like a desktop cover that goes underneath both your keyboard and mouse. Even with a standard keyboard and mouse on it, you can see that there's plenty of empty space available. The downside to this, of course, is that you must have a lot of desktop space available - a keyboard tray isn't going to cut it!

  The upside is that you get better comfort. Having a cushioned, cloth surface to rest your hands and arms on rather than a cold, hard desktop is undoubtedly better. Additionally, when it comes time to clean off your desktop, you can just wash the Deskpad. Thus, it's a bonus to clean freaks like me. The material in the Deskpad was similar to that of the Eyepads, and placing your keyboard on it will also make it less prone to slipping. Overall, it's a good buy if you're looking to improve your overall desktop comfort, and have a lot of desktop space to deal with.

Deskpad dimensions.

Laid out.

Keyboard and mouse on top.