The Pad Arena Thread:Which pad is better? Ask/Find out here!

[Nyghtestorm]

OK, so I need a replacement for a metal pad that I used for about three years that's deader than dead for my PS2. I was going to buy the Red Octane metal pad, but I'm not willing to wait around for eight weeks for them to mail it. Is there something else out there that's similar enough to it but easier to get and with a shorter wait time?

[Ragde8907]

Is this pad any good? http://www.ddrgame.com/dadareddchar.html . I haven't seen anyone talk about that pad.
I really just want a long lasting metal pad that is like the arcade were you can feel where your feet are on the pad. Any suggestions? I really need help.

[PureBlue]

DDRGame pads usually suck. Don't buy them. I recommend the MyMyBox BlueShark if you want a feel that's close to the arcade, or the Cobalt Flux if you want a pad that will last at least 3 years.

[P.I]

[tigress]

Ok, I need opinions on toughness of pads. I use DDR to workout and I'm apparently really rough on my pads. I've gone through four pads (to be fair two were bad out of box, both Pelican foam ones, and one Pelican foam one lasted almost a month - a record for me so far) in at most 2 months.

I'm considering a Cobalt Flux. I've also heard about the Blue Shark. Of the two, which one would be best for someone who needs a pad thta will withstand abuse? I really don't care if it has arcade feel or not as I have never played arcade so I won't miss what I haven't experienced. I'm used to flat pads with no feedback on where you are stepping. As long as it doesn't move on me constantly, I'll be happy with that (I hate non foam pads for the moving issue). And as long as it is decently sensitive (I was fine with how sensitive the Pelican foam oen was when it worked properly), I'll be happy.


It would have to be placed on carpet (I've heard carpet is killer on soft pads, I really don't have anywhere to play on non carpet though). I've ruled out soft pads cause from what I've been reading on this forum (and elsewhere), it doesn't seem any soft pad would prolly last me a year, and for hte expensive soft p ad prices, I'd be ticked if they didn't last a
year.

I'm sick of returning pads constantly and don't want to have to buy one every month either.

So for some one who wants a really tough pad, which one would you choose? Or is there another one I should be considering?

I could also have my roommate make a pad but right now he hasn't figured out a way to make the sensor tough and accurate. Any suggestions for him from do it yourselfers?

[P.I]

cobalt flux

[sheep]

It depends a bit on your carpet. Cobalt Flux's apparently crack after being played on carpet for a while, so you'd need to build a base for it (basically just a wooden board underneath with small walls to hold in in place. If you have a handy roommate, I'm sure it would be a snap for him.

[Syn Zero]

So my Ignition 2.0 is dying after like, four years and I'm considering getting another pad. I'd like to keep using a soft pad since I live in an apartment and I'm sure the downstairs neighbors would have something to say if I went out and got some big, hulking piece of metal to stomp away on. I'm wondering what's a better soft pad to get, since I'm hearing mixed reviews around the forum.

There seems to be a lot of negative feedback about Red Octane's Ignition 3.0, which I was originally looking at. I figure if the 2.0 lasted me this long from the occasional heavy playing the 3.0 should last just as long, but it doesn't sound like the case for others.

And I've been hearing a lot about the pads from MyMyBox (or something like that). The BlueShark ones. They look pretty much the same as the Red Octane foam pads (which I'd prefer over flat pads), but do they work just as good (or better)?
_________________

I'm just being nostalgic.

[P.I]

i have had no problem with my ignition 3.0. i love it.
_________________

AAA's: 30
currently playing: DDR Universe
DDR Extreme 2 US

[kyj197]

[elaxion]

Well, here's my issue. I've pretty much decided that I need an arcade style pad so I'm pretty sure it'll be a blue shark but I was wondering. Do the bars on blue shark pads break after a few weeks? I saw a video and it looked somewhat flimsy. I play bar 24/7 so you know, barless isn't an option for my first metal pad.

So, are the bars on bluesharks extremely flimsy?

[ChilliumBromide]

[NewGuyJeremy]

First post here. I got DDR two years ago for christmas. I had fun, it got hot in the summer, so I stopped playing a few months after I got it. Then recently I'm really wanting to get into it again, but when I got out my pad (Konami soft pad) the down arrow isnt working. I had it folded the way it came. I opened up the edge of the pad already, but don't see any problems. Any ideas? Also, the main reason I'm here, is that I was wondering what pad you guys would suggest for around $40 or less. Open to building my own if you can do it for that much. Otherwise I was thinking of getting another Konami pad and doing the ply wood mod. What would you guys go for?

[hrbngr]

hello,

I have an opportunity to buy a GameStop branded RedOctane Ignition pad for $30. I dont know if it is the ver2 or ver3 pad, but here's my question:

Could someone recommend the best way to test the pads right out of the box to determine if they are either going to be a good example, or if they might be prone to problems?

I probably would like to have 3 pads, 2 for dual play and a spare for down the road, so I could buy 5 or 6 of these pads and then return the ones that might be problematic down the road--If I can determine which ones are worse than the others. I know that the ignition pads take some time to break in, so is there any other way to methodically check the pads right out of the box--other than obvious physical problems, tears, ghosting arrows, ofc.

thanks!

[Ty Dawg SD]

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the BNS DX vs NX pads. My soft pad that I really liked just died. From what I can tell it was basically an NX knockoff. It looks exactly like the NX, but had DDRNation where the BNS logo is.

How much better is the DX extreme serires? I'm an advanced player, easily beating most 9s on doubles and singles. I am planning to get a metal pad soon, but I need a soft pad for the time being.

So is the DX Fusion worth the extra $30-$40?

And yes, even with the NX I do the Plywood/Harcover mod. With that mod my pad lasted for nearly 2 years.

[supersportsguy]

Like some other people in this thread I had started playing DDR some years back on my PS2. I started with a madcatz pad I bought at walmart and it quickly wore out. I then scoured the internet for months trying find the best pad but quickly became discouraged with all the problems people were saying each pad had.

In recent months I've gotten the urge to start playing again and have been to about every forum page on dance mats. I want something about $200-$300, that will last me for years (obviously) and preferably metal because I have come to the assumption soft pads wear out easier and are harder to fix. I'm using DDR MAX and MAX2 and hope to get Extreme and Supernova for my PS2 soon. When I was playing last I was on Standard to Heavy difficulty, maybe 6-8 steps.

I'll be playing almost every day as a workout so I need something that will last me being about 170 lbs. All the threads I've looked at (Afterburner, Blueshark, Nexen, Cobalt Flux) always seem to have people with some problem with their pads. Since I'm not the most experienced player will those work for me? It just seems that every pad I look into sounds good then apparently is faulty within months and I just keep running around the message boards in a circle.

I'm not familiar at all with wiring and the like so a homebrew is out of the question...
Shoes or socks, doesn't matter, the thing I'm concerned with the most is accuracy and long life, being priced around 200-350 with shipping in Canada. Even if you could mention some metal mats that are definite no's , that would be great too!

Thanks for all your help!

[PureBlue]

supersportsguy, most of those pads you named aren't bad pads, they are usually just defective because of bad shipping. If you want something that lasts for years, get a Cobalt Flux. If you want something that might not last as long but are still pretty good, get an Afterburner or a BlueShark. I don't know about the Nexen.

[GoodzMastaJ]

I bought a TX4000 back in fall of 2006 and now I'm looking to get another one except for one small problem that I can't find any on ebay.

I saw a couple stores in the TX4000 thread that still had them but they're charging $130-$200 for them. From what I remember I paid $130 *including* shipping for mine. I guess what I'm looking for is a TX4000 (or nearly identical replacement) for under $150 shipped. It seems to get mixed reviews but mine works perfectly and I'd like to use identical pads in the rare instance that I play doubles.

[ChilliumBromide]

[PureBlue]