Razer Ironclad Review

Razer Ironclad Review – With so many mouse mats designed and manufactured by Razer, one might get confused trying to decide which mouse mat to get.

The Razer Ironclad is actually quite different compared to the others so far, mainly in terms of the material. Coming in white and a large surface area, the Razer Ironclad is a perfect combo with a Razer mouse, both in terms of look and gaming experience.

Packaging

When I first got the Razer Ironclad package, I was amazed at how heavy this thing was. It’s probably the heaviest mouse mat packaging I’ve ever experienced. It appears that Razer includes a metal carrying case which is quite heavy too, but definitely very sturdy and protects the Ironclad really well.

My Razer Ironclad unboxing video:

Look and feel

Razer Ironclad is 320mm x 270 mm x 2.5 mm in dimension and occupies quite a large desktop space. Depending on the size of your computer desk, it may not fit in so make sure you measure the space before you get the Ironclad. On my desk, it’s perfect though as you can see from the picture I took:

The Razer Ironclad is also unique because it’s made with anodized aluminum and a sandblasted coating hard surface. That makes the Razer Ironclad quite heavy as a mouse mat but having a smooth surface. The aluminum body is definitely very solid and sturdy. You can knock on it hard and it will not bulge. With an extra help of rubber coating at the back, the Razer Ironclad sticks on the desk even when you are making frantic movements with your mouse.

Gaming and Overall Experience

The sandblasted surface concept is quite new to me so it felt funny at first when I glided my Razer Lachesis 5600dpi and Razer Mamba along on the mat. Since I’ve been using the Razer Vespula for months, I felt that sliding the mouse on the Ironclad needed some time to adjust to. I felt that the Ironclad has more friction than the Vespula. As a result, I had to increase my DPI when I game on the Ironclad, compared to the Vespula. There’s definitely more friction but after a while, I barely notice this at all. I guess I just needed some time to get used to the new surface feel. As Razer puts it:

It features just the right amount of friction to deliver the precise targeting you need to eradicate all competition with sharpshooting accuracy without abrasive results

With around 4800 DPI, I find that gaming on the Razer Ironclad feels great. I tested the Ironclad with both Lachesis 5600dpi and Mamba, playing FPS games such as Battlefield Bad Company 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops. I’m not a heavy gamer who goes to tournaments but I wouldn’t say I’m a bad gamer as well (I often finish on the top 3). In one occasion, I was doing so well in Black Ops that people started to call me a hacker and I was kicked from the server :) This doesn’t come often though so I’m not saying that using Razer Ironclad will make you a better gamer (it does help but your skill is of course very important here). I’m just trying to prove that great gaming is possible on the Razer Ironclad. It does feel smooth and accurate.

I also like how the metallic surface keeps my wrist cool, perfect when you’ve started sweating or when you play during the summer. I heard how you should pour a cold water to your wrist to stay cool so the Ironclad metallic design is notable here as a bonus.

Conclusion

Should you get the Razer Ironclad? If you haven’t had any gaming mouse mat, then yes, you should. I remember the feeling of having a non-gaming mouse pad and how different it is when gaming on one. If you already own a Razer Vespula, I don’t think you need the Ironclad unless if you want a bigger mouse mat surface (or a sexier looking mouse mat on your desk). If you own the other mats, I can’t give you any opinion unfortunately. I used to own the Razer Megasoma but it was a cloth pad so it’s a totally different experience as I so much prefer gaming on a hard surface nowadays.

All in all, I love gaming on the Razer Ironclad’s hard surface. It has a nice cool sensation when your wrist touches the mat, it has a wide surface without being too gigantic (great for low sensitivity gamers), it looks great especially with a black-coated mouse on it (all Razer mouse), its surface is easy to be cleaned with a wipe cloth, and it helps you to point your cursor more accurately. The only drawback is that the mouse mat and the nice metal carrying case are both quite heavy to be carried around for too long.

Razer Ironclad Review – Pros

+ Large surface to glide through
+ High quality material
+ Sturdy
+ Sticks on the desk good
+ Cool sensation on the wrist
+ Looks cool
+ Easy to clean
+ Premium hard carrying case
+ Can boost extra DPI/CPI due to the surface