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The art of mousing

By Ted Pollak, JPR Gaming Analyst

To all our feline readers: sorry this article isn’t about rodent apprehension techniques—it’s about a company whose products are devoted to making computer mouse use a better experience. This can range from better mouse control for everyday tasks to life and death virtual performance for professional or recreational PC gamers.

Christopher Kahl, CEO of XTracPads, has some of the best mouse enhancing products in the world. He started his company in 1999 in response to his disappointment with the puny mouse pads that were available at the time. Kahl started making pads for friends and fellow gamers and produced his first mass market pad in 2002. And, unlike most of the rest of the computer and peripheral industry, his pads are all made in the USA …

… made in the USA but sold to customers around the world. Christopher sent a soft and hard mouse pad to me as well as various “friction reduction products” to try out. (see below).

The hard surface Pro HS on top of the soft Ripper XL with Anti Friction Products. (Source: JPR)

Ahh, the mouse—an iconic input device which has gone through two revolutionary changes in the past few decades—optical/laser and the scroll wheel. Getting rid of the cursed “rollerball” was a huge deal to serious computer users as these things were dirt magnets that gummed up and sometimes required constant cleaning for smooth mouse operations. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the need for mousing real estate and also the need to overcome friction that develops from all sorts of stuff that attaches to the mousing surface and the “feet” of the mouse itself.

XTracPads has solutions for both. They have a pad for everyone, for every work or play space, and they differ in materials and size. The company produces both cloth and hard surface pads depending on ones preference. Soft pads have a nice feel to them and indeed work just fine with optical/laser mice (and in my testing they do not create an overbearing feel of friction). The hard surface pads have a smooth feel and may be easier to clean—but either way I think you will be happy. They range in size from traditional to a monster 36 x 18 inches. (Which is big enough for your keyboard and plenty of mousing surface as well—in fact they call it a mat versus a pad.)

XTracPads friction reduction products are really cool! They include but are not limited to Insta-Glide, Mad Dots, and Mad Wax. Insta-Glide is a foam wipe that, when applied to the mouse feet, significantly reduces friction with the mousing surface and is good for around 100 applications. Mad Dots are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) “mouse slippers” that cover and expand the surface area of the mouse anti-friction pads, and finally Mad Wax, a blend of wax and Teflon, is for friction reduction on hard-surface pads.

All this translates into better computing even for non-gamers. Have you ever selected a file or a folder and carefully dragged it to another location, but are unable to precisely place the item? (maybe even dropping it into the wrong location) This is usually the result of running out of mousing surface or friction. One word of warning—having a friction-free mouse takes some getting used to but it is well worth it. Most of us spend so much time at our work/play stations that the cost of these items is insignificant compared to the benefits. Happy Mousing! (XTracPad products are available at a number of retailers or xtracpads.com.)

Another company in this space, Func Industries, http://www.func.net/products/liquid/index.html also has a selection of pads with multiple surfaces that are customizable; but come in at a higher price point. They have a water based anti-friction liquid; but not as large a selection of anti-friction choices. We have not had a chance to compare their offerings to XTracPads but readers should be aware of their products.

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