Taking A Closer Look

- Why the glittery look?

As you have probably already gathered by their names, the new Everglide range has been designed specifically for use with Optical mice. Your mouse's optical eye must detect a difference in the surface as the mouse moves over it. If the surface and/or image is too regular, the eye can't distinguish the differences in the surface as it moves and thus, cannot track.

This is precisely the reason for the glittery finish on four of the five pads, as the use of a high percentage of very light colours and just enough black (contrast medium) allows for more precise tracking.


- The Pads

For starters, let's take a look at the two "Smoke" pads in Everglide's Optical range. The Giganta and Attack Pad smoke both have the exact same texture and are made out of the same material, however, they slightly differ in size. The Attack Pad smoke is slightly smaller than the Giganta, measuring 8x10.5x1/4" (HxWxD), with the Giganta measuring 9.5x11.5x1/4".




The reason Everglide has created these two variations is because some people have more desk space than others and the Giganta is quite big, meaning it won't conveniently fit on all desks. The Giganta is also slightly more expensive than the Attack Pad as it gives you more surface area to move around.

The two "clear" pads are exactly the same as the "smoke" pads discussed above, except they feature a clear tint.




Each of the pads have an Everglide logo plastered across the bottom right hand corner, as well as round plastic bulbs on their underside to prevent the pads from moving around the table during an important frag session. As many have seen with previous Everglide pads, their logos do start to wear away after prolonged use. This shouldn't be a problem for most of you as the logo does not affect your gaming experience in any way, however, I thought I'd mention it anyway.




Finally, the last pad in the Optical range, named "Optica", is completely different from the first four pads. Instead of being made from pure plastic, the Optica has a vinyl surface and a rubber base. Furthermore, plastered over the top of the pad is a full colour image. This pad is the cheapest of the lot and caters for users that cannot afford the premium price tag placed on the other pads.



One complaint I did have with the Optica pad was that it is very floppy and thus highly bendable. Without much pressure you can put a big crease through the pad. This however, is easily fixed after a night of pressure under a heavy object such as a phone book.