Cobalt Flux Review

*Feel free to post questions in the comments section.

There comes a point when you start to question whether you should stay with your old foam pad or upgrade to a metal pad. When my foam pad finally died off, I did a lot of research looking for what the best metal pads were. I was checking reviews and comparing the pros and cons. The answer I came to after reading many comments and reviews was that the best metal pads were the Cobalt Flux and Blue Shark. Since Blue Shark wasn't sold anymore I bought a Cobalt Flux. I couldn't have been more excited! After seeing what the pros could do I had to have one. Now that I've had time to use it I want to share my experiences with you.

At first, I just ordered the Cobalt Flux with no mod. Normally, when I played on pads that were flush, I'd have no problem telling where I was. When soft pads moved out of place, I could get away with only pressing the arrow along the very edge. Something seemed a little different with this pad. The Cobalt Flux's design is all based around flexing the metal sheet to touch the metal under it. This means that only a circular range in the center of the arrow will touch the metal and make a connection. If the pad moves from its original position and you accidentally step on the edge of the arrow, the sheet won't flex enough and it won't make a connection. You need to be much more accurate about where you step. When I stepped on an arrow accurately it always sensed it but if I was too far off it would register a bad score. It's kind of like an all or nothing sort of deal.

-Making the Cobalt Flux Carpet Friendly-
To fix the problem of it moving I addressed the Cobalt Flux's weakness, carpet. I bought a plastic mat with spikes under it to lay over the carpet. Then I bought some rubber to lay on top of that. Now the flux was staying in place perfectly! This improved my scores significantly. I was able to score a AAA on an expert song. On In The Groove, I was finally able to keep a combo going between songs without the pad messing up. I was so excited with how well it was working.

-Clean Regularly-

After about a week of playing it heavily I noticed it wasn't responding as well as what it once was. I unscrewed the four panels and couldn't believed how dirty it had gotten. When I wiped it with a moistened rag, the rag became filthy. Once I cleaned the contact area thoroughly, I screwed the panels back in. The flux was working as good as new! I found that when I played it a lot, I would need to clean it about every week or two in order for it to work perfectly. It will work with less cleaning but it will judge inaccurately more often. One time, I had a little sand on my shoe and it came off under the panels. This was really annoying because it would make a loud cracking noise every time I stepped on a panel. If you get a flux, expect to clean it regularly.

-Making the Pad More Sensitive-
I didn't like how squishy the panels felt. I heard that doing a penny mod made it feel more solid and more sensitive. I didn't want to risk denting my new pad so I came up with a new solution. I had a friend give me some scrap sheets of metal to put under each panel. These sheets are 14 gauge. They couldn't have fit more perfect. It left the smallest gap possible but worked perfectly. I taped each sheet around the edge so they wouldn't move. Now I'm able to play without having to press as hard or in the center of the arrow as closely. It also seems like I don't have to clean the pad as much either. This is one mod I wouldn't want to play without.

-Black and Textured Arcade Mod Kit-
After awhile, I wanted to see if it would make a difference if I added an arcade mod. I ended up choosing the black and textured arcade mod kit. The four black panels they sent in were three times thicker than the regular panels. The clear center panel they sent in was short like the original center panel. I solved that problem by stacking three clear panels together in the center. They also sent four metal bars to place between the center panel and the corner panels. I could tell a little difference with where I was on the pad but not as much as I hoped for. This will help you be more prepared for the real arcade pads. I used to slide my feet on my old pad all the time without hardly lifting them up. This forced me to try harder by making me lift my foot more to get over the elevated buttons. If you drag your feet similar to how you can with a soft pad, you'll catch your feet on the elevated buttons and trip. It feels different than the arcade pads. I never had any problems with tripping on those. After I got good at playing with the mod kit on, I decided to take it off to see if I would do better with the pad flush. I was able to get a better score than what I could with the mod kit on. Overall, I feel sort of neutral about the black and textured mod kit. I don't feel disappointed buying it but I like the pad better the way it originally was.

The biggest advantage the Cobalt Flux has over any pad is durability. I don't see how you could break this thing. The way it works now is how it will work years from now. This makes the Cobalt Flux the best investment pad because once you get one I don't see why you would ever need to get another pad again. I think if anything goes wrong, it would probably be with the control box. Overall, it's a great pad. I like it better than any pad I've ever owned before. This is the perfect balance between sensitivity and durability. If you want a complete arcade feel, I would buy a different pad. Aside from that, it works very well and I would recommend getting it. Click on the link below if you would like to purchase one.

You can visit Cobalt Flux's official website here.