The 3S Steelpad from www.shadowknightsystems.com is a very popular gaming mousepad in Europe, this according to all of the gaming hardware and review sites I have seen here and there.  Some of the biggest gaming groups or clans from all parts of Europe tend to use the model 3S or it’s bigger brother, the model 4S.  When it comes down to competition in gaming, every tiny advantage is used by some of the best gamers in many different game genres’ to gain the edge in competition.  Back when everyone used mice that had a rolling ball mechanism to send inputs to your computer, mousepads weren’t that big of a deal.  Now that everyone uses optical mice, the mousing surface is more critical when it comes to mouse accuracy.  High DPI is everything when it comes to most first person shooters, the question is what mousepad is best for you?  There are a million different mousepads out there now but there are only a handful of “professional” mousepads oriented towards the serious gaming connoisseur. 

Today we will look at the offering from Steelpad.com known as the model 3S.  The model 3S is basically a thin plate of hardened and specially treated aluminum which measures 250mm x 235mm x 3.5mm (feet included) which roughly breaks down to 9.84” x 9.25” x .14” for those of you that shrug your shoulders when metrics are involved.  If this product was an actual piece of cold rolled steel, it would be heavier than the aluminum material used.  According to the official release: “The post treatment consists of fiber polishing of the edges, and then a cleansing process”.  This really isn’t the typical mousepad of old, that is for sure.  As you have seen on the front page of this review, I have some simple test beds that I want to run this mousepad through for some consistency as compared to the Icemat when that review rolls around.  They are the following: 

Testing methods for both mousepads:

I will use each mousepad over a three day period.  I don’t have a set amount of time that will be allotted to each review or test, just going to stop when I feel comfortable and confident about each mousepad.

• General Everyday Use: Internet browsing, Word, Excel, spinning mouse around in circles for hours on end, ect…
• Gaming: The games played will be Quake 3 Arena, Unreal Tournament 2004, Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat, and Warcraft 3.
• CAD Modeling:  Designing in AutoCAD 2004, both 2D Wireframe and 3D Solids Modeling.

Mouse used:

The mice that was tested with this review was none other than the trusty Logitech MX500 and the Logitech Dual Optical.  Note, both the model 3S Steelpad and the Icemat have warnings about mouse errors when using older Logitech optical mice predating the MX500 series.  This is why I tried to use the older model Dual Optical mouse I had lying around for testing purposes.  Results to follow.

The older model Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical	The newer model Logitech MouseMan MX500

Snipped from the Steelpad website:

Cleaning:

Warning:
Do not clean with anything consisting regular soap, this might leave a membrane.

For optimal performance it is recommended to clean the surface of the Steelpad occasionally. We recommend products used to clean mirrors applied on a cloth.

Padsurfers:
To prevent the mouse from making scratching noise when used on the Steelpad, it is important to keep the mouse feet clean, either by regular cleaning or by using the enclosed Padsurfers (Teflon tape).

When applying the Teflon tape we recommend that you make the pieces bigger than the feet, and make sure that the tape is glued all over the feet - right down to the mouse bottom. Ensuring no edges can pick up dirt.

Instructions:
1. Size the Teflon tape to the mouse feet
2. Cut one slice for each foot of the mouse
3. Pull the red tape off of the backing. *Make sure your hands are dry otherwise the glue may rub off.
4. Press the adhesive side onto the feet of the mouse to cover the existing foot
5. Make sure to seal the edges with your finger nail.

The Model 3S wrapped up nice and neat in the box. Click picture above for a larger image.	Open box shown here with the Padsurfer (Teflon tape) taped on back. Click picture above for a larger image.
Here you can see the strip of Teflon tape and the 8 rubber feet on bottom. Click picture above for a larger image.	The Padsurfer (Teflon tape) for the model 3S from Steelpad.com. Click picture above for a larger image.

General Usage:

First off, I wanted to see just what kind of response I would get by doing some simple day to day mouse maneuvering.  Internet browsing, opening and closing programs and menus were nice and fluid with the mouse and the 3S.  And the most important test that can be done for this test method, the rapid zig-zagging and rotation of the mouse for a sustained period of time.  I’m joking guys!  In all seriousness, this mousepad when used with the Teflon tape is very smooth and very responsive.  The scratching sound it makes is minimal but some folks might find it somewhat irritating.

The Logitech Dual Optical with Padsurfers (Teflon tape) from the 3S kit. Click picture above for a larger image.	The Logitech MX500 with Padsurfers (Teflon tape) from the Icemat kit. Click picture above for a larger image.

Gaming:

I am a dedicated gamer.  I have been gaming seriously since 1994 with the advent of Descent.  I also run a local monthly LAN group here in wonderful Lawton, America, so I keep up with everything on the gaming side.  I love FPS (First Person Shooter) games with a passion and this is the perfect way to thoroughly test this product. 

Quake 3 Arena: The first game that I loaded was the revolutionary FPS game known only as Quake 3 Arena.  This is still a favorite at my monthly LAN parties and so what better way to test it out than at a LAN party?  I play with a low sensitivity so I will naturally pickup the mouse and place it back down on the other end of the pad in rapid succession to do something as simple as turn a 180°.  One of the things that I did notice after about 15 minutes of playtime is that my rail shots were becoming more accurate with the 3S mousepad.  When you use the zoom for the railgun, your crosshair just seems to magically float with a smoothness and fluidity that will have you on top of the leader boards in a short period of time.  I did notice that the sweat from my palm would “stain up” the bottom of the 3S and I had to wipe it down with a moist paper towel every couple of hours.  I didn’t notice any ill effects or skipping from the optical sensor of the mouse when I happened to glide over this area, but the stain just didn’t look very appealing so I had to take care of that pronto.  Overall, I enjoyed my Quake experience even more with the 3S. 

You can see here how the surface gets fingerprints on it easily. Click picture above for a larger image.

Unreal Tournament 2004: Like Quake, Unreal Tournament 2004 when played 1v1 with someone else shows a noticeable increase in my mousing accuracy especially with the lightning and shock rifles.  The way that I can tell a difference between this pad and my func surface 1030 mousepad is that I sometimes tend to overshoot my intended target with the func pad and must correct my shot.  I have seen a higher chance of stopping exactly on target with absolute minimal correction with the 3S pad.  As the professional gamer will tell you, that split second can mean all the difference between winning and losing a critical match.  The 3S is a winner when it comes to playing yet another FPS game in my book. 

Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat: Playing Battlefield 1942’s popular mod named Desert Combat with this pad makes things a bit more complex in my opinion.  I love to fly, especially in the Apache or the A-10 and for those that have played this game with a mouse in lieu of a joystick will know exactly what I am talking about on this.  To fly the slower planes with any accuracy, you will constantly have to slide your mouse and pick it up and bring it back to the other end of the mousepad to keep flying in those tight circles when in air-to-air combat with another plane.  This coupled with the maximum allowed level of turning sensitivity will mean that sometimes you will swing and place your mouse down on the table instead of the mousepad and it will catch the edge of the raised pad and keep your mouse from sliding across the pad.  Some might not have this problem, but when I play DC, I usually play with an oversized mousepad for just this purpose without any problems or snagging of the mouse at all.  Other pads tend to have beveled edges to help alleviate this problem.  Other than this one issue, I find that my accuracy when in a M1A1 Tank or a M1A2 Abrams is right on the money; even when I am in motion trying to hit an enemy vehicle. 

Warcraft 3: Warcraft 3 isn’t going to have the same level of accuracy as a Quake or a UT2K4, but you will do a lot of clicking and dragging to trap or select certain troops and the 3S handles this process wonderfully.  There doesn’t seem to be that hesitation or good ole fashioned re-clicking that is common when trying to select multiple troops for commands.  Scrolling the map isn’t an issue because the black surface of the 3S will catch every level of information your optical sensor needs to perform accurately.  Thumbs up with the War3 test.