Intro:

    FlexiGlowHK is back once again with a product that should appeal to anyone that just doesn't want a normal looking or performing mouse pad. I'll put the new xRaider LED illuminated mouse pad on the chopping block in this one page review. FlexiGlowHK was nice enough to send all three color variations, blue, red, and green, so continue on to see I think of this pad.


About the xRaider™ Mouse Pad:

    The FlexiGlow™ xRaider™ Mouse Pad has been designed for the hard-core gaming enthusiast. With a maximum comfort low profile surface, the pad glows brightly, illuminating a funky design around the edge. A dimmer switch, located on the USB wire, allows easy selection of your level of brightness. The slick surface works well with Ball or Optical mice.


Mouse Pad Includes:

 - Gamer approved mouse surface.
 - 5 Silicone feet for added surface adhesion.
 - 1.8 meter USB power cable.
 - Dimmer control dial.


Technical Details:

 - Size: 290mm wide x 223mm x 5mm high
 - Mousing Area: 260 x 213mm
 - Colors: Blue, Red, and Green
 - Connection: USB wire ( 1.8m)
   

The packaging:

    Not pictured, these pads came all the way from Australia reasonably packed in a FedEx box. Below you can see the front and the back of the packaging they all share. The only difference between colors is the band around the edge of the insert, which is red below, hence, it's the red pad. As previously mentioned, the xRaider also comes in blue and green.

(1) Front of packaging	(2) Back of packaging

Included Instruction Sheet: (Scanned)

    I've scanned the sheet that comes inside the package that covers use and more. It's just a small simple sheet of paper, but it is more than adequate considering you already know how to use a mouse pad. I'm sure that is the case if you are reading this.

(3) Care/instructions/warranty info more exactly

The pad:

    As you can see on the 4 sides of the pad are tribal inspired designs, if you will. And yes, the tribal inspired design is quite unique, and catches the LED light quite nicely as you'll see later on the clear acrylic sides of the pad (Picture 14.) The black "surface" of the pad is slightly raised over the clear sides, and the pad, which I have been using for months now, shows no sign of wear. It is a very durable pad.

(4) The pad

A closer look at the logos:
   
    Below you can seen the logos that dawn the upper middle, and the lower right of the pad. They aren't overpowering, and could pose a problem if you ran into them while using your mouse. But with the placement of the slightly raised logos, that shouldn't be a problem at all. I urge you to click at least one of the pics below. You can get a look at what the surface looks like. It is very fine grained...

(5) xRaider logo	(6) FlexiGlowHK logo

The back of the pad:
   
    While there isn't much to see here, I'll just take a pic to let you see it over all. The only thing I'd really like to point out is the 5 rubber pads that hold this pad rock solid on a hard surface. There is a small flex on the pad when you push on say, on a side between rubber pads, but nothing in nomral use will pose a problem. Unless of course, your mouse weighs 10 pounds...

(7a) Back of pad

A closer look at the back of the pad:

    The 5 rubber feet grip well to my (plastic) wood grain desk here. It's actually like a metal teacher's desk with the side on it, that looks like an "L." Ok, back to business...You can barely move the pad around with by pushing on the pad, but when you have your hand on it, it will not move. This of course all depends on your surface to begin with though, but the pads do really stick well. The pad is low enough that it shouldn't be uncomfortable for users to use without a wrist rest. (It isn't for me.) If you have a precision grade screwdriver, you could take the back cover off and see what makes this bad boy tick, but I don't have a precision set at the time of this writing, and I doubt it is that interesting anyway.

(7b) Rubber feet (1 of 5)	(8) Control module	(9) Close up of control module

Clap on, clap off. Wait, no, turn, it's a dimmer!:

    Located a few inches from the pad, inline with the USB wire, is a dimmer switch. It goes from full brightness to off. Very, very handy if you ask me. The pad is quite bright, not too bright per say, but if you needed to dim it down, for instance, with a bedroom PC, that is very easily done with the dimmer switch. That is also the first time I have seen any company incorporate that into an LED lit pad. Kudos!

(10) The dimmer

C'mon baby light my fire:

    Of course here is the best part, the pads lit up. You can surely notice the brilliant colors each pad produces. Due to the fact that this pad is lit by LED's, there is no heat produced, uses very little electricity, has a long lifespan, and you won't see any off colors. I know everyone loves their red products that look pink right? I never could get a really clear picture of them separately. Trust me, I tried, and tried, and tried. :( Picture 14 is quite good however.

(11) Red	(12) Blue	(13) Green

(14) All pads together close up

Summary:

    While I admit, I wasn't the keenest on the surface of the mouse pad before in another related mouse pad review, I must say that after just using the pad(s) for over two months, the surface is quite nice. My gripe previously was that I was used to an XTrac Hard Surface pad, which doesn't offer much resistance at all for the Teflon pads on your mouse. It just takes some getting used to, and you will love the surface. Or maybe you'll love it from day 1. I don't know. To each is own I guess. I am quite fond of the ease of movement after I got used to the pad(s).

    Anyway, with enough space for gaming, digital artistry, or just browsing the web or whatever, most users should like this pad. I have no idea how anyone could say they wish they had any pad that was larger than this. I personally use about 3 inches x 3 inches for mouse movement here. Yes, I mostly do content creation, and some light gaming, but if you really need that much more space than this pad provides, maybe you should look at getting a better mouse.


Pros:

   • Large, smooth surface
   • Colors are true due to LED's being used
   • LED's products produce no heat, and have long lifetimes
   • Three different colors available
   • Long cable for the USB power (About 6 feet)
   • Dimmer switch to tweak brightness/turn off glow


Cons:

   • Where's the UV LED xRaider pad? :)
   • Maybe hard to find to purchase in the USA (Other than Directron)
 

Closing:

    If you hadn't noticed, I had a hard time taking pictures of the xRaider mouse pad. Yeah, it is part camera, but after many sessions, I just did the best I could. Try taking your digital camera, focus on something black, and get an in focus shot of it. So my pics aren't personally up to what I would like to do, so be it. I can't fix it. Buy a color. You'll be happy. These pads look very sharp in person. Trust me on that...

    I'd like to thank FlexiGlowHK for sending the review units. I'm sure if you search around, you can find yours to purchase, which maybe the only problem for some of you. In general, I hadn't seen a bad review of a FlexiGlowHK product yet. Bad of course, as in a negative review that is. I see bad reviews all the time, but then again, so do you. Before I get off on a tangent, thanks for coming by. Take care!



 

Home ^^^