Corepad Magna Review

     Here at Club Overclocker we have tested many mousing surfaces over the years. From expensive metal and glass pads to innovative plastic and fabric pads, it takes a lot to really make a mouse pad stand out. The Corepad is different. Right out of the box the look and feel of the Magna Blue tells you this is not your ordinary mouse pad. Let’s see if this pad performs as good as it looks.

Features:

 - Large gaming surface with unique smooth surface.
 - Long lasting safety glass surface.
 - Recommended for low and high sensitivity mouse settings.
 - Inclusive non-slip rubber base.
 - 315 x 255 mm / 12.4" x 10.0”.
 - Fencing is branded into the glass so it's extremely hardwearing.
 - Offers unparalleled precision and the smoothest gaming surface around.
 - Extremely comfortable to use.
 - The Safety glass is Impossible to bend or distort.
 - Compatible with most current types and models of mice including optical.
 - Easy to clean.

     The Corepad Magna is manufactured in The Netherlands out of high quality safety glass. Corepad’s motto, “At the center of all things gaming.” sums up the companies vision of the mouse pad as the most important piece of your gaming system, connecting you seamlessly with the PC. The packaging is attractive and does a solid job of showing the unique fencing imprint on the surface of the pad. Available in both blue and grey, the color is limited to corner accents and the company logo. Corepad also offers their original pad in both blue and an interesting orange.

     Our review pad came with the pad itself, Corepad Skatez and a wristband. The Skatez are included as a strip of Teflon tape you can cut to fit your mouse. Corepad also offers Skatez custom cut to fit many popular mice including my MX1000 and several other high end mice like the Razor Diamondback. Installation of the tape was fast and easy. I even had enough left over to do Skatez for my other Microsoft mouse. The wristband is something completely new for me. I must admit my local gaming group found the thought of wearing a wristband to improve your game a bit crazy. In practice, I soon forgot I was wearing it and found it kept me from feeling the edge of the pad when franticly mousing in Counter Strike: Source. The wristband also offered support for my wrist that would normally require an additional wrist support pad. Any gamer still not using some form of Skatez should make trying these out a priority.

     I tested the Corepad out over a week of steady gaming that cumulated in an all night LAN party. I usually pack along my trusty Everglide Gigantica so, I will use it for comparison. To get the feel for the Skatez, I played for about two hours using my MX1000 naked on the pad. I wanted to get the feel for how the surface felt verses my Gigantica. Plus, it’s always fun to be able to say naked in a review! The Corepad's fencing surface has a texture that fells rough compared to the Gigantica. When I installed the Skatez the difference was astonishing. The Corepad suddenly became like a sheet of ice, slick and responsive. My Gigantica was quickly put aside for the rest of the week.

     The Corepad sits on a piece of non-slip rubber making it a two piece pad. The above picture shows the glass only to accent the fencing pattern and show the thickness of the surface. With the underlying pad in place the Corepad sticks firmly to your desktop and takes on a dark grey color. The size of the pad at 12.4” x 10” making this slightly larger than the Gigantica and placing the Corepad in direct competition with the Icemat. It is important to mention the operation of the Corepad is totally silent, none of the grating noise often associated with glass surfaces.

Conclusion:

     After a week of extensive time with the Corepad it has easily become my new mouse pad of choice. The highly responsive surface and unique look have sold me on the advantages of the fencing. The only disadvantage that stands out is the lack of compatibility with some mice, notably the wireless Intellimouse Explorer series. If a new mouse pad is in the cards for you, the Corepad is an affordable alternative to its high priced competition. Corepad is adding new vendors, but I found it easiest to purchase the Corepad direct from the manufacturer. More affordable than an Icemat and more responsive than the fUnc surface, how can you go wrong?

Pros:

 - Smooth responsive surface.
 - Non-slip rubber base included.
 - High quality of construction.
 - Large surface area.Safety glass.

Cons:

 - So new it is still difficult to find.
 - Requires Skatez to get full performance.
 - Some mice are not compatible.