X-Raypad first made a splash with their Thor mousepad and have since quickly expanded their offerings. The Equate Plus is kind of in the middle ground when it comes to speed vs control and this pad attempts to strike a happy balance between the two. With the quickly expanding competition in the mousepad market , I tested this pad out for over a week to see how it stacks against the competition. Thank you to Lethal Gaming Gear who sent this out for review.
Dimensions
450 x 400 x 30mm
Presentation and Build Quality
The Equate Plus comes rolled up in a vertical box that has a premium feeling to it. Unboxing the pad and giving my first impressions, the pad definitely is eye catching on my desk. I received the ‘black and white curve’ print design and it’s a good contrast on a desk with a variety of mice. There was a distinct rubbery smell when I unboxed this mousepad and it definitely lingered for a few days. Happy to mention that after 72 hours or so the smell is mainly gone. The rubber base has a thread texture to it that somewhat works to keep the pad in place.
The print has a slight sheen to it and has almost a slight sparkle to it on close impression, something that doesn’t really come across in images of the mouse. The stitched edges are clean and won’t really bother you while using it and fortunately they are not too thick or high. At 3mm high the mousepad feels pretty flat and there isn’t much of a spongy feeling while using it. It did take a while for the pad to unfurl and I still notice the edges of my pad sticking up a bit from being rolled up in the packaging. I’d recommend using something heavy to weigh down the edges a bit if this is a concern for you.
Surface and Performance
The fabric they used is being deemed “Micro-Amundsen” , its made from a type of polyester with a specific weave. The stated goal of this mousepad was to offer a control pad that still had a decent amount of speed to it. It’s supposed to be faster than the original Equate and I’d say it’s noticeably faster than say a Zowie GSR-SE but definitely not on the level of a faster pad like the Artisan Hien. There is a fine grit feel to the mouse against your skin which isn’t enough to irritate your skin it but its kind of sandpapery. There isn’t a ton of static friction going from a dead stop to flicking the mouse but this mouse does have a lot of stopping power. You’ll find be hard pressed to overaim with this pad and I found myself stopping short sometimes as I was getting used to the pad. The pad isn’t the quietest out as you can hear a slightly noise while gliding your mouse on the surface but it’s not something that will distract you in-game.
The glide on this pad can vary depending on what feet are on your mouse. It was a bit scratchy on my Razer Viper Mini with stock feet but I found the mad much smoother using Tiger Arcs. Definitely recommend you use this pad with aftermarket feet or a mouse with good stock PTFE feet. It took a few hours to adjust to the pad but it wasn’t too much of a departure from pads I’ve used in the past. Once I got used to it I played quite well and could feel my aim was pretty consistent. It’s not my best performing mousepad by any means but its far from the worse. One thing that was a bit disappointing about this pad was that the base was not that sticky on it and I could feel the mousepad shifting and sliding with regular use. The X/Y movement feels consistent and I think this mouse works best for games where you need to do a lot of pre-aiming as opposed to a ton of tracking. That’s due to the really high stopping power found on the Equate Plus.
The XL size felt adequate 90% of the time but there were a few occasions where I wish the pad was slightly bigger. That being said unless you are a really low sens player, you’ll be able to use this pad comfortably without taking up a ton of desk space. I can’t speak to the durability of the surface but it seemed to hold up over the course of a week of use and still looks pretty much new. I think for the price, this mousepad should offer decent value.
Conclusions
The X-Raypad Equate Plus offers up kind of a jack of all trades proposition. It’s right in-between a control and a speed pad and it has relatively consistent performance with an attractive printed design. It does have some flaws namely in the slipperiness of the base and the scratchiness of the surface at times.
Bottom Line
If you want a good looking mousepad that offers solid performance to cost, it might be worth looking at the Equate Plus.
Rating 7.5/10
Pros
Attractive Printed Design
Stitched edges feel good and don’t get in the way of use
Decent speed and great stopping power
Cons
The rubber base is prone to slippage
The surface can feel scratchy with some mouse feet
Where to Buy