After opening up the box we found the protective sleeve (shown below). Going back and forth to a lot of LAN parties and contests, the case will keep the S&S from being damaged/scuffed. In our experience though most of the damage that occurs to a mouse pad is when it is in use and someone accidentally spills a drink or food on it. Luckily the S&S has a coating that makes clean-up from an accident like that fairly easy. If you feel that you really don't need to have the protective sleeving the S&S is also available without it.

The bottom of the mouse pad has a unique coating to help keep it from sliding around while your elminating the opposition. Although the bottom does tend to have little "crumbs" rub off and leave them behind (similar to what happened with the 5L).

The S&S Padsurfers that were included work like other feet. Stick them on to the mouse and they'll reduce the friction between your mouse and tracking surface. The feet work very well. Especially on mice that aren't intended for gaming thus don't have any special feet already. A lot of gaming mice now come with feet similar to Padsurfers (although they could be used as a replacement down the road). You may or may not find them useful but we welcome their inclusion with the S&S.

Our experience with the mouse pad has been pretty good. We do miss the fact that it doesn't have a clip for our mouse cord. Since more professional gamers use corded mice, shouldn't a "professional gaming mouse pad" cater to their needs?  You can purchase a cord holder from their site but an included clip would be helpful. Tracking is smooth and the surface is detailed enough that our smallest movements aren't missed. We did test a Bluetooth MX1000, G3, and G5 and didn't have any tracking problems. However still be cautious as SteelPad does mention on their site that problems have been experienced with first generation laser mice. We do like the size, it's a fair sized pad. It doesn't take up a ton of work space but it gives you enough to move around without picking up your mouse.

The tiny spec near the SteelPad logo is actually a "crumb" left from the underside.