Everglide Mouse Pad

The Everglide mouse pad has been around for a while but until recently, there's been a growing interest in this particular mouse pad. What's so special about this mouse pad anyway? Well, one thing for sure, it looks more like a designer mouse pad. Call it the Giorgio Armani of all mouse pads. The price don't come cheap as well. It can cost up to RM65 plus RM5 shipping (currently there are no retailers carrying this product in Singapore, but we know some retailers are bringing them in). You can purchase it from a local dealer in Malaysia for a total of RM70 (including shipping) by mail order. As it is pretty small, you can have it delivered to you by registered mail. Using the current currency conversion, the price comes out to about S$30, which is roughly equivalent to 2 ZIP disks, or about 4½ Teletubbies mouse pads. It isn't really that expensive, considering the kind of price you can pay for a mouse. What's more, it will probably outlast your mouse, given the high quality material used for the pad.

The pad is made of plastic and has a hard textured surface. It is the texture that gives your mouse the added sensitivity. The mouse roller (or ball) can refuse to move if your gliding surface does not provide enough traction. I often get very frustrated with the mouse when this happens, but in actual fact, it is the surface that is to blame. I don't know how many mouse I've tortured because of this. Anyway, the Everglide mouse pad solves all that. The plastic and texture of the pad somewhat resembles those white plastic chopping boards that your mom use in her kitchen. I know what most of you are thinking by now, why not replace with those cheap chopping boards. Well, theoretically, you can, but those boards are too big and heavy. I doubt it is something that you want to put beside your keyboard unless you intend to chop carrots while you play Half-Life. In addition, it may not be as flat as it seems.

Well, I've cooked up a top 10 list of why you should or should not purchase this mouse pad.

The 10 Reasons

No.	10 reasons why you should	10 reasons why you should NOT
1.	You don't have a mousepad and it is time you get a proper surface for your mousy to run on.	You don't have a mouse pad and you don't use a mouse. You only have a touchpad.
2.	Your old mousepad is mouldy and torn which is typical of those velvet-like or cardboard pads.	You think your old mousepad is still usable and the old mouse skid marks remind you of the good ol' Duke Nukem days.
3.	You like a mousepad with a hard surface, which cannot be easily damaged or torn.	You're afraid a hard surface might damage your delicate mouse.
4.	You like a textured pad, as your mouse don't respond well to smooth surfaces.	Your mouse responds extremely well to a smooth surface, since it is ball-less anyway.
5.	Your fraggability (new word from the Quake dictionary) is extremely poor. You need something to get you into the top 10 Fraggers in Quake 3 Arena.	You are such an expert at Quake 3 Arena that you don't need any extra help to get you to the top of the chart.
6.	You like the idea of chopping vegetables on the pad while you surf the net for cool salad recipes.	You prefer cutting your vegetables on the chopping board instead.
7.	You just couldn't resist the design. It seems that it was meant to sit right beside your keyboard, plus it fits the design of your computer table very well.	You hate the design, which takes too much space on your table. In addition, nothing really beats your Queen Amidala mouse pad with your Darth Maul mouse.
8.	You think spending RM65 on a mousepad is extremely sane, since you have already took 20 train rides back and forth Sim Lim Square looking for it.	You don't believe in spending so much on a mousepad since you can get lots of free pads from exhibitions and trade shows.
9.	You feel safer when you sleep at night, knowing your mousepad could double up as a weapon against intruders.	You already have a baseball bat in your room as a weapon against intruders.
10.	You think CPU-zilla's "why you should" reasons stated above are absolutely true.	You think CPU-zilla's "why you should NOT" reasons stated above are absolutely true.

Do note that some of the reasons are not that applicable, but I suppose you got the idea. :)

Conclusion

Overall, the Everglide mouse pad is a pretty good pad to have if you are one of those fussy users who just cannot accept poor mouse performance. It is definitely going to give your mouse the extra "smoothness" when you're into image/graphic editing, or the extra sensitivity if you're playing quick action games like Quake or Half-Life. In any case, if you are just going to buy only one mouse pad, this should be the one to get. The only drawback is the price. Now, where did my Darth Maul mouse ran to?

Overall Rating (Out of a maximum of 5 Star)
Price	*******
Material Quality	*****
Overall Rating	********

Introduction

The 10 Reasons

Conclusion