Steelpad 4D

Steelpad originally started making mouse pads out of aluminum, hence the metallic name. The 4D is a two-sided plastic version of its 4S that we reviewed earlier. The first side is a textured surface with the look of high grit sandpaper but without the feel and scratchiness of sand.

The other side is so smooth that it is semi-reflective. Every mouse tested was very responsive on both sides of the 4D.

The pad comes accompanied by a rubber-like pad. It is similar to something I have seen used as a shelf liner in kitchen cabinets for dishes. The pad provides a grip for both the mouse and the surface underneath. There is no slippage while using it, even during the most intense gaming sessions.

Some gaming situations require you to look up and down repeatedly. A good example is when you are a Counter-Terrorist checking back and forth between a balcony and the street for bad guys in Counter-Strike's CS_Italy. This is where I encountered my only issue with the pad.

When your hand is close to the bottom edge, the repeated up and down motion on the edge is a bit abrasive against your wrist. I removed the rubber mat to see if this would relieve the scraping because of the new lower profile to the desk surface. It did, but the net effect was worse because the surface then moved around from the friction with my hand.