By: Brian Cheung (Guest Writer)
August 25, 2014
Lately, I have been looking for a new vehicle to replace my old 2002 Toyota Corolla. After searching online and looking high and low throughout the city for cars that I liked, there were still three or four models that I had my eye on. It was a contest between the Toyota Corolla Sport, Toyota Camry SE, Honda Accord Sport, and Lexus IS 350 AWD F-Sport. Although they do not all necessarily compete each other -- considering their price and intended market -- this short list became what we looked out for in the past few weeks. Each vehicle's unique characteristics attracted my attention as a potential client. However, without much explaining, the winner in terms of aesthetic pleasing-ness took my attention straight to the Lexus. Personally, I am into the sleek-looking fast-going cars; however, my parents’ preferences and priorities were totally different. This being said, we had to eliminate the (my) idea of purchasing the IS 350 AWD F-Sport, for “safety reasons”, so to say. In the end, it was practical considerations that won over; loosely quoting what Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kwan wrote in his Western Digital Red WD40EFRX 4TB review back in June of this year. As such, for our family, the question boiled down to, would it be the newly designed sleek, reliable Corolla, or the comfort and spaciousness of the Camry? Either has its merits, and size does matter. For practical considerations and size selection when buying a mousepad, the same goes. Will the XTracGear Ripper be that sleek, smaller but reliable mousepad, or will it be the bigger and more comfortable alternative? Read on to find out!
The brown corrugated box containing the Ripper was sent to us along with the recently reviewed Carbonic, and the to be reviewed latest revision of the Ripper XXL from Salt Lake City, Utah to our APH Networks office located in Calgary, Alberta. First shipped with the United States Postal Services, it was then handled by Canada Post once it reached Canadian borders. The box itself was damage free, with the Ripper nicely tucked in between the other two products sent along to be evaluated.
Compared to previous reviews done on XTracGear mousepads, the shape of the box that it came in was the main difference for the Ripper. The Ripper came in an aesthetically pleasing rectangular prism shaped box, with clear representation of the XTracGear brand with the classic red, black, and white colors. As stated on the box, in case if you are wondering, you have in your hands a “Large Mouse Surface”. The only thing that bothered me slightly was the name “Ripper” was not centered on the front of the box. But that is hardly an issue in the big picture. I would also like to point out the 100% recyclable package, for all the environmentalists out there reading this review. Before we move on, let us move onto the features and specifications of the Ripper, as presented on the XTracGear website:
• Whisper quiet mouse surface
• New polished textile helps speed up mouse movement
• Open cell rubber helps cushion wrists for long periods of time
• Excellent for users who prefer low sensitivity settings
• Sure Grip rubber base for holding power
• 17” x 11” x 1/8” (432mm x 280mm x 3mm) approximately
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
