A week or so ago we took a look at the Smog, Ozone's entry into the competitive gaming mouse industry. As any gamer is aware, however, a good mouse needs to be complimented with a good surface. Not to fall short in this category, Ozone has released two lines of mousepads of their own, and today with sit down with the more portable Ground Level series, which comes in three sizes.
Product Names: Ground Level S, Ground Level, Ground Level L
Review Samples Provided by: Ozone Gaming
Review by: Adam
Pictures by: Adam
Packaging
Each of the three sizes comes packaged in a rectangular box, the length of which provides insight to the surface's size. Should you still find yourself in the dark about which would suit you best, simply flip the box over to find a nice diagram on each representing the size of the pad in relation to a mouse.
Inside you'll find a second plastic casing around the surfaces, the top of which unfolds identical to cardboard brethern. Simply slide the pad out and your ready to game. The initial container also serves well as a permanent storage/carrying case for those on the go, especially gamers who frequent LAN parties.
Performance
Straight out of the box, the first thing you're likely to notice is that the pads are rolled for packaging. Combined with long shelf lives, I've seen surfaces require some conditioning to lay flat in these situations. Ozone seems to have found the perfect balance of material with the Ground Level line, however, with a combination of soft cloth and rubber foam thats heavy enough to hold it's intended form but light enough to hardly notice while transporting.
The aforementioned soft cloth surface is designed for perfect glide, and indeed movement is extremely smooth. The base is, as well mentioned, made from a rubber grip that holds tight to desk and table tops to ensure the mousepad won't shift on you during use. After plenty of hours of gaming, I didn't notice any problems with the unwanted movement or tracking.
The Ground Level mousepads come in three sizes: the standard Ground Level at 320x285x2mm (12.6x11.2x0.08in), the Ground Level S at 250x210x2mm (9.8x8.3x0.08in), and the Ground Level L at 400x300x3mm (15.7x11.8x0.12in). With three different sizes, it is easy to capture a large portion of gaming preferences, with the Ground Level S being especially portable.
One of the truly appealing traits of the Ground Levels are their price-point. For the higher-end quality of surfaces they are, the Ground Level S, Ground Level, and Ground Level L sport an MSRP of $5.90, $7.90, and $14.90 respectively. This makes these surfaces a great entry level option into the professional surface market.
Overall
With three options to suit your personal needs at some of the lowest prices in the industry, the Ground Level line should definitely be consider for any enthusiast looking to upgrade. The surface is smooth and allows for a great glide with no issues in tracking and the rubber foam base ensures that the pad will stay where you want it. Each of the three is easily transportable, providing for great potential for an extra mat for on the go, or your staple surface.
