Introduction:

   Mousepads have definitely come a long way since the days of the soft cloth pad. Years ago, as hardcore gaming began to overflow into the mainstream computer markets, few companies were there to cater to our mousing surface needs. In the past couple of years, however, the performance mousepad market has exploded with new comers.

   In fact, not too long ago, we published a rather extensive round-up of most all the big players in this new market. Unfortunately, the eXactMat wasn't yet ready, so we couldn't include it. Now, we've finally got our hands on one!

   As I explained in my Razer Viper mouse review, Razer's history has been pretty turbulent. At this point, Razer appears to have overcome all tribulations, as for the first time in their history, they've expanded outside of the gamer mouse market. Not too long ago, Razer was known as the company that didn't make it. Now, it's a completely different story. As I was with the Viper, I'm very excited to see Razer expand its product line even greater and reach into new markets. This is definitely a sign that things are for once going right for Razer.

The Pad:

   The pad arrived in typical packaging. Though, as I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pad came with a neoprene mousepad cover. Razer has named these MAT-PAKs, and are offering them as a special deal with eXactMat purchases from their website, RazerZone.

   Unfortunately, if you use your MAT-PAK at work everyday when you go home to protect your eXactMat from the elements, the coworkers might start looking at you weird. They're just jealous! Seriously though, there's no point in dropping $30 for a mousepad only to have it scratched to hell on the way to a LAN.

   Before we get ahead of ourselves, allow me to give you a brief run down of this new pad. The eXactMat is basically a two sided mousing surface. Thin layers of textured plastic cover an anodized aluminum base. Both sides have rubber feet on all four corners keeping the pad well planted with use of either side. Both sides sport the eXactMat logo, followed by either "speed" or "control" on the two surfaces. The pad is really quite large, with dimensions of 10.4" x 13" x 0.1". Now, lets take a look...

   The "control" side is textured somewhat rough. Although, compared to many other hard pads on the market, it's quite mild. While I've been partial to smoother pads in the past, I found myself quite warm to this texture. Razer claims that this texture is best for lower sensitivity users. While some have a passion for high or low sensitivities, I stay in the middle myself, and this surface seems to fit me quite well.

   The "speed" side is textured very smooth. I'd say it's just about on par with the rest of the smoother pad surfaces on the market now. As the opposite to the "control" side, Razer claims the "speed" side to be for high sensitivity users. I initially used this side exclusively. However, after giving the "control" side a second chance, I ended up liking it and decided to switch over. In a month or two I'll probably switch back just to keep me on my toes.

   In these close-ups, one can see the slight texture difference between the two pads. Both are great textures that I found very compatible with every mouse I tried, including mice from Logitech, Microsoft, and of course, my two babies from Razer.

   As I mentioned above, four rubber feet on each corner of each side help keep the pad stable under use. The rubber compound is quite soft and works very well. As one might think, rubber feet on a mousepad won't help the way a mouse tracks too well. However, because of the size of the pad, the rubber feet take up relatively little surface and I've never had a mouse run into one yet.

Conclusion

   So, what's there to say? It's a mousepad. It sits on a desk and gets run over all day by a mouse. Granted, there's not a whole lot to this product. So, I'll simply say that this is a high quality product which serves its purpose as good as, if not better than any other mousepad could.

   Mousing surfaces are a matter of personal opinion, and my personal opinion is that these two surfaces are some of the best and versatile on the market. If you don't like one, I can almost guarantee that you'll like the other. Is it right for you? If you use a mouse a lot, I'd probably say yes. Even though Razer strives to produce products for hardcore gamers, I could definitely see the appeal for the typical user. Not to mention that most products aimed at this elite market carry a price tag far exceeding normal consumer expectations, while the eXactMat is at a rather reasonable $30.

   I'd really like to thank Robert Krakoff at Razer for providing this eXactMat for review. As I said in my Viper review, it's great to see Razer back and coming out with new products. For more information on Razer and how to get your hands on an eXactMat, visit www.RazerZone.com.