The name ‘SkyPAD’ might ring a bell with some peripheral enthusiasts. They became known for their glass pads (see our SkyPAD 3.0 review) but that brand is no more. After a complete makeover, SkyPAD is now known as ‘WALLHACK’, and the SP-004 is their first big release. The name is a cheeky nod to their old roots (the ‘SP’ stands for SkyPAD’) so the SP-004 is quite obviously the successor to the SkyPAD 3.0. Is it worth your money? And is it an upgrade or a complete redesign? Read our full WALLHACK SP-004 review to find out everything you need to know!
At A Glance
WALLHACK SP-004
Used by 2 players ()-
Saadhak
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rpr
The WALLHACK SP-004 is a worthy successor to the Skypad 3.0. It gives you a very similar experience in a more premium product. People who look for control should turn away quickly, but if you want an extremely smooth and fast glide, the SP-004 is one to consider.
Pros
- Fantastic silicone base
- Very smooth surface finish
- Rather quiet for a glass pad
Cons
- Glass surfaces don’t handle imperfections well
- Sweatier gamers need to use a sleeve
- Expensive
Specs
| Height | 43 |
|---|---|
| Length | 49 |
| Thickness | 3.6mm |
| Stitched edges | No |
| Material | Glass |
| Glide | Speed |
| Static Friction | 30.2 |
| Static Friction Angle | 5.95 |
| Glide Difference X/Y | -3.5 |
| Dynamic Friction | 1.03 |
First Impressions
The unboxing experience of the WALLHACK SP-004 impressed me right away. Coming in a nicely designed box, you feel as if you’re opening a premium product. Of course, that’s to be expected. At an MSRP of $119, you can buy several budget gaming mice for the price of this mousepad, so a top unboxing experience is the least you can expect.
Something that I like is that they’ve included a cloth. Glass mousepads show smudges and sweat stains really easily, so a cloth to clean up the pad when it gets too much to handle is a welcome addition.
Finish and Overall Quality
The SP-004 is a very smooth pad. That’s what you’d expect from a glass mousepad, but even when compared to other glass pads I’ve tried it’s apparent that the SP-004’s surface feels smoother to the touch.
A welcome side effect of this is that the SP-004 is quieter than other glass surfaces. Obviously you’ll still hear a loud ‘smack’ when you place your mouse down after a swipe reset, but that’s something that you can’t avoid with these surfaces.
The edges are nicely and consistently rounded. I ran my fingers over the entire edge and didn’t encounter any imperfections or uneven sections. With that said: the pad has a thickness of 3.6mm, making it so that you can feel the edge of the pad when gaming with short sleeves. Whether this annoys you or not depends on your personal sensitivities and your playing style, but if you’re someone who tends to use all corners of their pad this can be good to know, as it can get annoying if you constantly feel your wrist going over the edges.
Performance
Glide
Being a glass pad, the SP-004 is a speed pad. With that said: it’s not as speedy as its predecessor. The dynamic friction is pretty much the same, but from my testing and experience it’s got a higher static friction than the SkyPAD 3.0. The difference is small, but it’s there.
That doesn’t mean that this is a controlling mousepad, though. There’s no such thing as a controlling glass pad. What you’re getting here is smoothness, speed, and no pullback from the pad at all. This is the second fastest mousepad I’ve ever tested, and if you desire even the littlest bit of control then this is not the pad for you.
Tracking is a breeze on the SP-004 (once you get used to the speed) but I have serious stability issues on a mousepad that’s this fast. I constantly find myself overshooting my targets, and making micro corrections when going for a crucial headshot in tactical shooters often results in a missed shot since there’s no resistance from the pad at all. The slightest movement of your wrist or fingers gets picked up and translated to the game, and that’s a feeling you really need to be a fan of or it’ll get annoying quickly.
Obviously, the above is not an objectively bad thing. There are people who prefer their gaming surfaces to be as ‘pure’ as possible, and this pad is a fantastic option for them. The smooth surface ensures a pleasant, consistent, and ultra slick glide with no resistance from the pad itself whatsoever.
Glide: Community Experiences
During my testing process, I saw some Twitter threads by other reviewers (@jakeufps comes to mind; do check his stuff out) who were testing the pad and mentioned the exact opposite when it comes to the SP-004’s glide versus the SkyPAD 3.0’s glide.
Normally I don’t read or watch reviews of the products I’m testing before I’ve published my own review, but this led me to do some digging and I found out that other product reviewers had a very wide range of experiences with the glide. Some experienced the same thing I did and found the SP-004 to be a tad slower than the SkyPAD 3.0, while others felt like the SP-004 was the fastest glass pad they’ve ever tested.
Experiences with pads vary from person to person (and stuff like humidity can greatly influence the glide of a pad) but having such a wide range of experiences is definitely uncommon. Usually, there’s at least a consensus on pad X being slower/faster than pad Y.
I’m not saying anyone is right or wrong here, but in the interest of giving readers as much info as possible I felt like I had to include this.
Base and Rigidity
The entire base of the SP-004 is covered in a sticky silicone material. Combined with the weight of the pad, this base does a fantastic job at keeping the mousepad in place. Due to the fact that the entire mousepad has a silicone foundation, there are no areas where the pad will flex when applying pressure.
My experience using the SP-004 was extremely consistent.
Playing on Glass
The SP-004 is a well-made glass mousepad, but there are some inherent drawbacks to glass pads that potential buyers should take into account.
For starters, there’s the noise. While even the loudest and most aggressive swipers won’t produce anything louder than a muted thud on cloth pads, glass pads can get very loud. The SP-004 is pretty quiet when moving a mouse around on it, but it’s still glass. Slamming a mouse down after a swipe will produce a loud noise.
There is also the fact that glass pads show absolutely no mercy to imperfections. If you play with skates that aren’t perfectly smooth, it’ll feel as if you’re dragging a spiky rock over a sheet of ice. Even if your skates are perfect, you absolutely feel stuff like hairs or larger dust particles getting stuck between the feet and the mousepad itself, giving you a grinding sensation.
Finally, there’s the humidity resistance. Obviously, humidity won’t seep into the pad. Glass is water-resistant, after all. But sweat from your forearms can and will build up on the pad, and that has a large effect on the overall feeling. This makes using a gaming sleeve pretty much a necessity for people who sweat when gaming. Wallhack offer sleeves themselves, so if you want to purchase the pad I recommend you to get a set of sleeves as well.
As I said: the things I mention here are inherent to glass surfaces. This is not a knock on WALLHACK or anything, as they’ve made a high quality glass pad. It’s simply good to know if you’re considering a glass mousepad and you’ve never used one, which is why I’m including this section in the review.
WALLHACK SP-004 Alternatives
WALLHACK SP-004 vs Skypad 3.0
In my testing, the WALLHACK SP-004 has more static friction than the SkyPAD 3.0. The difference isn’t big at all, but I did feel it when playing games.
When it comes to the overall finish and quality, the SP-004 is the superior product if you ask me. It has a much better base, a smoother surface, and is quieter. I would recommend the SP-004 over the SkyPAD 3.0, unless the latter can be bought at a massive discount.
WALLHACK SP-004 vs Pulsar Superglide Mousepad
The Pulsar Superglide Mousepad is more controlling than the WALLHACK SP-004. It has a higher static friction, and a higher dynamic friction. Both pads are obviously firmly in the ‘speed’ category, but if you absolutely want a glass pad and you want as much control as possible, the Pulsar Superglide Mousepad is your best bet.
See our Pulsar Superglide Mousepad review
WALLHACK SP-004 Review – Conclusion
WALLHACK’s first product is a hit if you ask me. Despite the fact that glass pads are not (and will never be) something that I enjoy using, I can objectively say that this is a high quality mousepad.
If you’re someone who wants their aim to be as pure as it can be with minimal influence and resistance from the surface you’re gaming on, this is a product you should definitely consider. The silicone base is great, the surface is smooth and consistent, and in general this is just a highly qualitative mousepad.
If you want even a little bit of resistance when making micro adjustments, you should forget all about the SP-004 and go for a cheaper cloth pad though. What the SP-004 offers is a surface that’s completely smooth. This surface will brutally punish any small movements you might accidentally make while aiming, and it’s going to make subpar mouse skates (or even dust particles stuck between the skates and the surface) feel like nails on a chalkboard. You also pretty much need to use a sleeve if you want to game for extended periods of time, as sweat will make the surface feel a lot different.
Regardless of all that, the WALLHACK SP-004 is a worthy successor to the Skypad 3.0. It gives you a very similar experience in a more premium product. People who look for control should turn away quickly, but if you want an extremely smooth and fast glide, the SP-004 is one to consider.
This product was received for free from the manufacturer and given to our reviewer to test and review. Brands and manufacturers have no editorial control over our reviews. For more information, check out our review FAQ.
