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[Sponsored] Dream Machines DM Pad XL - by Ino.

41K views 67 replies 32 participants last post by  munchzilla 
#1 ·
Dream Machines DM Pad XL

Recently Dream Machines released their own lineup of mouse pads to go together with their mice. They come in two sizes for now, the L version and the XL version. In this review I'm going to take a closer look at the DM Pad XL. The pad comes in plain black with a small DM logo in the lower right corner.



Size

The DM Pad XL is a desktop pad, meaning it's extra wide allowing you to place your keyboard (at least parts of it) on the pad next to your mouse. Its dimensions are 800 x 450 x 3 mm. For comparison a Qck Heavy is 450 x 400 x 6 mm. The pad has stitched edges for protection against fraying of the top material.

Here you can see the pad with the G Pro on it:




Material

The top material is very similar to that of the Qck. It's difficult to actually point out differences, namely because my Qck pads are all worn in while the DM Pad XL is still relatively new. The feeling of the fabric is rather rough like the Qck, not as smooth as the G-SR black or the Nixeus Type R. However this rough feeling is just in comparison and when I really concentrate on it, while using it the pad feels soft.



The rubber backing is also very good, grips my wooden desk adequately and does not seem to have any kind of air bubbles in it. It's not as soft as the G-SR backing, but at least on par with the regular Qck Heavy and far better than the Puretrack Talent backing.


Build quality

The quality is really good, I could not make out any material flaws, the backing is fine, the stitched borders are well made. The borders are not as fine as on the G-SR Black, but they are still soft and don't irritate my arm while using the pad at all.

Another close up of the material


Speed + Control

For this section I decided to try and find an objective measurement that allows me to rate the glide of a mouse pad. I set up an inclined table where I can set the angle of the inclination in fine steps and see at which point the mouse glides on its own on the pad. For this test I used the same mouse (G Pro with Hyperglides) on all the tested pads to ensure consistent results. With every new inclination I reset the mouse by hand to the same spot, made sure I didn't give it any initial movement and watched if it moved on its own. Obviously this only tests for static friction, but it should give you an idea where the surface lands.
Unfortunately all surfaces where really close together, so it's not like there is a clear winner. However some pads consistently required a lower angle than others for the mouse to move on its own.



So what you can see is that the DM Pad XL requires only a 6° inclination to allow the mouse to move on its own. This is the best result between the pads I tested, however bear in mind that most other pads were used a lot. I've used the DM Pad XL for roughly three weeks now in comparison, but I have to say the glide hasn't changed at all in that time. The Type-R by Nixeus is also rather new, an interesting pad which I might review also in the future. What really surprised me in this test was that the only hard pad I have, the QPad HeatoN, had the worst results.

Conclusion

The DM Pad XL is a really good pad, the quality is at least on par with the likes of Qck Heavy or Zowie G-SR. But here's the kicker: The DM Pad XL only costs around $16, the DM Pad L only $10.
Compare that to the Zowie pads at $30+. Or if you want to compare it to extended pads then the only contender in terms of price is the Ducky Flipper XXXL, which has the same width at 800 mm but only 300 mm depth (Prices from maxgaming.com).
If that's not a great deal then I don't know what is.

To me it's clear that in the future this will be the only pad I can really recommend, because no other pad offers as competitive pricing at the same quality.

And speaking of the width of 800 mm: That is the only small downside for me. Because 800 mm is too wide to place next to the keyboard and too small to put the keyboard fully on the mat. As you can see in my setup below I have the keyboard half on/half off the pad. It works just fine, but it would be nicer if the pad was a full 1000 mm wide.



Additional Pictures

For those of you interested in close ups of the fabric in comparison with other pads I've added some pictures below:
with QCK Heavy

with Qck+

with QPad UC 50

with NP+

with G-SR Grey

with G-SR Blue

with G-SR Black

with Nixeus Type-R

I've also added official pictures with better quality than my camera offers



 
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#7 ·
I've ordered directly from DM. Shipping was free of charge and delivery took no more than two days. Definitely recommended if you're based in Europe.
 
#8 ·
Shipping time depends on a country of destination. For the most of EU countries, shipping should take 3 to 7 business days. For Germany, based on our experience, 2-3 working days is possible. However, we do encourage you guys to purchase from local stores.

Right now it is Maxgaming (Finland, Sweden, Denmark and possible a couple more). KustomPCs (UK) - should have stock very soon.

Working hard to make products available in more locations.
 
#9 ·
That's a weird size for sure and would put me off. Alot of desks are 900mm-120mm so those sizes are usually chosen. I've gone off desk pads recently but would be nice to see someone do something like 60cm x 45cm....without stitched edges though.
 
#10 ·
+REP for the review, great work as always !!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian2one0 View Post

One thing i'm curious about is if your wrist/arm gets sweaty while it still be easy to drag across the mousepad on the new Blue version? I know on some pads if your wrist gets sweaty it's almost impossible to move it across the mousepad.

I know on the QCK Heavy you can still swipe your whole arm across the pad with a little sweat which is why im wondering if you can with the new Blue GSR.
I have the same question ^ for the DM pad, does it feel sticky on your skin when you sweat a bit ? you also said that if feels a bit rough, I hope it's not as rough to the touch as a G-TFX
smile.gif
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DreamMachines View Post

Ino,

Thanks for your review, it was worth the wait
smile.gif


vanir1337,

If you're located in EU and Maxgaming does not cover your location, you can order from our website as well.

https://dreammachines.pl/index.php?page=dmpadl
https://dreammachines.pl/index.php?page=dmpadxl

If our website does not open in English for you, please change your language in the top right corner of the webpage.
Thanks! How's the shipping to eg. Hungary or other countries in that area?
 
#14 ·
I don't like wearing sleeves or any other kind of clothing while playing, i just want an uncoated clothpad that feels on skin as smooth as the glorious XL heavy does + plus a superior base that provides better grip on my desk and zero curled edges ( after a reasonable amount of playtime if not straight out the box )

if this pad proves to be another dissapointment ( like cougar speed 2 - mionix alioth - xtrfy etc ) then I will buy a thinner glorious and call it a day ..
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoFGR View Post

+REP for the review, great work as always !!
I have the same question ^ for the DM pad, does it feel sticky on your skin when you sweat a bit ? you also said that if feels a bit rough, I hope it's not as rough to the touch as a G-TFX
smile.gif
Now that you mention it: it works very well even if your arm sweats. I know what you mean with the stickiness to the arm, but with the DM pad it was no problem. It behaves more like a Qck than a G-SR in that regard. Never had a glorious pad so I can't compare to that.
And no, it's not G-TFX rough, more uncoated vs coated rough. Like the G-SR has that satin feeling to it, this one doesn't have that. It's still a smooth surface.
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClevoGuy View Post

Wait, what white spots? What are you doing with your mouse pad? :O
On the Qck after a while the sweat and skin from your hand/arm causes the area where you move most of the time to go more grey. Not really white, but you can easily see it. Throwing it in the wash solves that I believe, at least it did for other pads.
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ino. View Post

On the Qck after a while the sweat and skin from your hand/arm causes the area where you move most of the time to go more grey. Not really white, but you can easily see it. Throwing it in the wash solves that I believe, at least it did for other pads.
it does. it's just like skin and dust that piles up? I guess the dust gets stuck in the skin oils and skin residue. washes out with just warm water rinse (not hot).
 
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