Cooler Master Alloy Mouse Pad

Manufacturer:  Cooler Master
Supplied by:  Cooler Master
Price: TBA

by Dean Barker  (7/30/2002)

Every so often we get an item sent over with a very high nifty quality.  Cooler Master scored some nifty comments over here today with their alloy mouse pad.  The pad was sent over to us as a souvenir but it was just a little too cool not to snap some pics of.  I'm not sure if this is going to be available for retail sale but from the looks of the packaging don't be surprised if you see it available soon.  Special thanks to the Cooler Master HK office for sending this rascal over.

  

The pad and its package is laden with 10th anniversary markings celebrating Cooler Master's birthday.  (Happy Birthday!)

The pad itself is in the shape of an elongated hexagon measuring roughly 220mm lengthwise by 175mm at its center point.  The pad is just under 3.3mm in height.  It is the standard aluminum color you expect to see on most aluminum cases.  Its badging is the anniversary print on the bottom of the face with the Cooler Master logo at the top.  Six rubber non-skid feet are located at each corner to secure the pad to you what ever you are using as a table top.  It is hard to see this in the pic below but the edges of the pad are beveled and polished to a high mirror like shine.  The shine is such that it looks like a stripe of sorts. 

  

When compared to the Ratpad, the Cooler Master is dwarfed in size.

We played around with the pad playing our current favorite first person shooter, Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.  The Alloy Pad action did not seem as smooth or quick as it did with the Ratpad when using our Wireless Microsoft Explorer Intelimouse.  We also felt the same thing when using a standard ball mouse.  The smaller size was likewise noticeable during game play.

During normal PC usage (Word, Excel, IE, and Access) the mousepad performed like other hard surfaced pads.  Giving a more exacting feel that a cloth pad just can't provide.  Think back to the last time you had a lump, bump, or otherwise rough area on a cloth pad.  It seems that your mouse is drawn to that exact point when you are trying to move your curser to an certain spot only to find that the cloth keeps you from being able to hit things on the nose.  And your response was... bang the mouse.  Go figure.  But anyway, none of that here.

Conclusion

Again, I'm not sure if this pad is going to be targeted for retail sale or not but I for one hope it is.  While the Cooler Master Alloy Pad is not as frag happy as the Ratpad, it does have much more than its share of style.  That shiny beveled edge and cool aluminum color definitely make a mark.  The six thin non-skid feet do the job and not one bit of flex did we experience.  With the thing being constructed of metal, I would hope not!  The Cooler Master Alloy Pad reminds us that sometimes it's not all about performance, it is also about sharp looks and lots of style.

 

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