Everglide Large Attack Pad Review
Web Site: http://www.everglide.com

Written by Scott "Scoots" Smith and Chance "LoneStar" Craig

Thoughts from Scoots
A few months ago I attended a LAN party in Bellevue, Nebraska, and one attendee was all worked up about this hard plastic mousepad he'd mentioned a few times before... after taking a quick look I wondered what could be so great about it? I was very curious...

After getting my Everglide Large Attack Pads in the mail, I was anxious to try one out. It's a thick, hard, plastic material (of proprietary origins), with rounded edges and a very slight texture on the top surface. I thought at first the pad was far to 'slippery', and my mouse (Logitech Wingman and Microsoft Intellimouse), slightly dirty at the time, seemed to skitter over the surface too fast... things improved a bit after a thorough mouse cleansing, and after turning down the mouse speed about 15%, it started to feel comfortable.

One of the first things you'll notice when first using the large attack pad is the odd shape--an oval with one side rounded out. The cut-out side is intended to surround your wrist slightly, letting you make more extreme left and right movements without picking up your hand or having the mouse come off the edge of the pad. A clever design, that in most cases is effective. Because the depth of the pad is a bit shorter than most square pads, I still occasionally run the mouse off the trailing edge, but less and less every day.

As this picture indicates, the Everglide has a very slight surface texture, with tiny ridges that help "grip" the mouse ball better than fabric, and according to claims from Everglide supporters, better than the 3M Precise Mousing surface. The feel of the pad takes some getting used to because there's very little resistance, so your mouse seems to move quicker. Also, if you're a heavy-hander mouser like myself, you can actually feel vibrations from the mouse moving over the pad's surface, which also takes some adjustment.

I currently have two Everglide Large Attack Pads next to the two most-used PC's in my home, and they will probably stay there for some time. Even though mouse speed and acceleration are turned down, I can still make 180 degree turns in my favorite FPS games with ease, yet gain a bit of accuracy for fine movements. The surface seems to be very durable, again unlike the Precise Mousing Surface which seems to wear smooth after heavy use. It's a breeze to clean, although you'll find because of material used it rarely needs cleaning, and comes with that snappy Everglide logo! A hearty recommendation from this reviewer!

Thoughts from LoneStar
What the heck is a Everglide Mousepad? That is what I used to say! I started looking into the Everglide Pad a couple of months ago while at QuakeCon 99. I noticed several of the gamers in the tournament and many in the BYOC area were using them. I asked the guy next to me about it and he said that it was by far the best he had used, I asked him where to get them and he said the only place was online. I decided to go for it and get one to try out.

Let me start by saying I have been using the 3M Precise Mousing Surface for the past year, replacing it about every three months or so due to it wearing out and curling up at the corners, other than that I have been happy with it. The day I got my Everglide in (the large attack pad, 8" high 101/2" wide 1/4"deep) I had just finished playing some Q3Test and thought this would be the perfect time to try it out and compare it with the 3M PMS pad. Let me first describe what the Everglide is like. It is a solid piece of plastic with a beveled edge, it stands about a 1/4" off the surface of your table with a "rough" surface on top for traction.

The response of the mouse on the Everglide was the first thing to hit me! It was quite a bit faster than the 3M PMS, I thought for a while I would have to turn down the sensitvity on my mouse, but after about 10 minutes of play I got used to it. (My son is still trying to get used to it, he says the mouse is too fast now!) Another good thing about it is that it will never have to be replaced, and can be easily cleaned to prevent "stuff" from building up on your mouse ball. The only negative I have with this pad is it takes awhile to get comfortable with it. I ended up turning it about a quarter of a turn clockwise to make it more comfortable for me.

Well? I would defiently have to recommend this mousepad for the serious gamer. After using mine for several days I just love it, and all those other players I saw at QuakeCon with it can't be wrong about it either! It comes in three flavors for now:

• Mousing Surface $12.95(91/4" High, 8 1/2" Wide, 1/4"Deep)
• Small Attack Pad $14.95(8" High, 9 1/4" Wide, 1/4" Deep)
• Large Attack Pad $16.95(8" High, 10 1/2" Wide, 1/4"Deep)

More details about the Everglide Mousepad can be found over at their website along with ordering information.