Mouse mat recommendations?

My current mouse mat is pretty old and I've been thinking about replacing it. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

One of the main things you'll have to decide is soft vs hard.

Hard mouse mats are usually made of plastic or aluminum, and are rigid; they hold their own shape and flatness regardless of what you put them on. Not much flexibility, if any. Their surfaces generally have very little friction and are easy to move your mouse around on. Some surfaces have more texture, allowing for greater control at the expense of greater friction.

Soft mats have plenty of variety in thickness, materials and texture, but they're usually all quite flexible, and many can be rolled up. Some are extremely thick and padded, some are thin as paper. Their surfaces are usually based on some sort of cloth weave. Mousing on these surfaces is smooth, but usually with considerably more friction than a hard mat.

A good example of a hard mat is the Razer eXactMat (I use this one); it's a dual-sided aluminum mat with one super-smooth Speed side and a more rough, textured Control side. It's been replaced by the Razer Vespula, which is essentially the same thing but made of rigid lightweight plastic instead of aluminum. The Rocketfish Gaming Mouse Pad is basically a copy of the eXactMat's dual-sided aluminum design, but much cheaper and still being sold. There are other hard surfaces from Razer, SteelSeries and others, but I don't have any experience with these.

A popular soft mat is the SteelSeries QcK. It's available in a variety of sizes, from compact to really freaking huge. The Razer Goliathus is another good one; it's available in three sizes plus an extra-wide version that can accommodate your keyboard as well. The Goliathus also comes in two different surfaces; a smoother Speed version and a rougher Control version.

 

Personally I prefer the newer ergonomic pads, usually gel ones which are available most places for less than $20. They take some getting used to if you're used to perfectly flat ones, but if you do a lot of keyboard/mouse work, they're worth it.

 

For hard mats:

I went with the Razer IronClad. It is, arguably, the best hard mat that Razer ever produced that is still in production, within its useful life. Unfortunately, that useful life is rather short--I'm on my third within 1 month, and each has started wearing off within a week of receipt. There is a very thin layer of something on top that starts wearing off very quickly when exposed to sweat or other oils on your palms apparently. On the other hand, when it's new, the mouse mat is amazing--perfect combination of glide, precision, and friction.

In between Ironclads, I also use SteelSeries's Experience I-2, which is made of glass instead of aluminum. A slightly different feel, but still very good once you get used to it. I find the glass is slightly smoother and "sounds" a bit mellower. SteelSeries also used to produce an aluminum mat on par with the IronClad (the SX), but it has since been discontinued unfortunately.

 

Do mouse pads really offer that much of a performance increase over not having one?

 

Generally, yeah, especially if you're using a performance-oriented mouse.

Bare desks rarely have good surfaces for mice. Sometimes the sensors don't play nicely with them, or they shred through the mouse's skates. Mouse mats are generally designed for great tracking and physical motion.

 

It depends on your desk too. If your desk is clear glass, you'd have to get a Logitech darkfield laser mouse. If it's striated wood like mine, precise tracking might be a little odd.

Plus, prolonged use can damage the surface of your desk if it's wood, which is a far worse fate than having trouble making those headshots.

 

I'm using Razer Vespula. It's the new replacement of the renowned Razer ExactMat.

It has dual sides that offer either improved control or speed performance. If you see yourself needing the aspects mentioned, you could consider this lovely hard mat

 

A similiar thread on this topic was discussed HERE, although it is buried in page 4 of that thread. Still, there's plenty of good information, and I'll go ahead and re-post what I said in that thread.

When it comes to mouse mats, I will always use hard pads. They are much easier to clean, and the mouse moves much more freely. Just be sure to clean the teflon feet of your mouse occasionally with a pencil eraser from time to time.

Cloth mouse pads, or pads that are made from a synthetic cloth-like material I really don't like. They tend to add un-neccessary thickness to the mouse pad itself which doesn't bode well as far as ergonomics are concerned. Cloth pads also wear poorly, as you will replace a cloth pad far more frequently than a hard pad.

In any event, I would recommend taking a look at what Func Industries has to offer. I've been using their pads for years and never had a single problem with them. I'm currently using an Archetype and absolutely love it.

Anyway, check them out: Func Industries

 

I have the dual-sided aluminum Rocketfish, Ratpadz GS, and the SteelSeries QcK mini mouse pads.

My Logitech G5 & MX518 seems to glide more smoothly on hard surfaces than soft-cloth mouse pads, but the surface seems to wear out pretty quickly and chew through teflon feet on mice after several months of gaming. I replaced my Ratpadz several times after around 6 months of use on each one and I recently just replaced my Rocketfish after 8 months of use on both the smooth and control side of the mouse pad. These mouse pads become useless when the surface on the hard surface become too smooth and uneven at different spots on the mouse pad. The mouse will no longer glide smoothly and will often get stuck at these spots while gaming.

My soft-cloth QcK mini; however, has lasted me about a year and a half and it still works like brand new. My mice doesn't glide as smoothly as on a hard surface and definitely displays more friction in gaming. However, these mouse pads were designed more for control than smoothness. Also, my Qck mini requires weekly cleaning because it attracts dust/dirt like a magnet.

In my opinion, if you want a smooth gliding experience than I believe investing in a higher quality, hard surface mouse pad than what I previous brought will be a satisfying experience. If you want a control "head-shot", sniping experience in games like Counter Strike then a soft-cloth mouse pad like the QcK mini will look more promising. In the end, it really depends on your gaming style and personal preference.

 

IMO yes.

I personally use a hard pad It is an ancient Everglide Giganta that was worn a bit smooth and is missing the feet. I have one of those foam rubber mesh things (sold for kitchen shelves or something like that) underneath it to keep it from sliding, and I have a Teflon mousing surface sticker over the whole pad (from CS Hyde). I also use Teflon tape over the mouse feet, and sometimes even use a liquid lube on it - I love me some slickness!

Of course your choice of mousing surface should be a personal decision, and I agree with Mastershroom in saying that you need to decide between soft and hard.

Soft pads are usually cheaper and available in larger sizes. They do get dirty, with dirt/dust/spills getting absorbed into the surface. I've seen plenty that have edges that have peeled up from the backing. The backing can be foam rubber or a neoprene type material. The neoprene kind of sucks because it isn't as flexible and seems to be easier to have the surface peel away. You can tell the difference because it is lighter in weight, plus holds its shape (you can hold up the pad without it going limp). The good thing about soft pads is that you can get them really thin, plus they naturally stay put without needing a base (like the traditional Func) or feet (Ratpadz) which adds height. Some of the new soft pads made for gaming have a slicker surface than the traditional ones, making them quite close to hard pads in slickness though I have no idea how long that slickness lasts. I've tried them, but only briefly.

Hard pads can be quite different from one another in thickness, materials and even surface. Some have a rougher surface than others. Typically the rougher surfaces feel slicker/faster while smoother surfaces feel more precise. Problems with hard pads includes being able to get damaged (such as in a LAN bag), wearing out of the pad surface (becomes smooth) and wearing out the mouse feet. Replacement feet are available for the more popular gaming mice, and generic Teflon tape can also be used. For the mousing surface, however, wear is a real problem because as the rough surface gets worn away, the mouse starts to bind on it instead of sliding smoothly over it. The only solutions I've found for this besides buying a new pad is to use a whole Teflon sticker over it (mine is from CS Hyde) or to use some kind of mouse feet lube.

Speaking of mouse feet lube, I've seen some on the market, but for the past however many years (probably a decade) I've used the same thing - Wet Platinum. I just put a drop on a folded tissue and then dab the mouse feet. Sometimes I even apply some to the hard mouse pad. As an added bonus I've used it on the mouse cord so that it doesn't bind on stuff. It isn't perfect because it does attract dust, plus it wears off pretty quickly - within a couple hours most of the effect is gone but some seems to stick around for a few days. I usually use some at LAN parties or right before some intense online gaming. It's crazy how slick the mouse can get with this stuff - you can literally tap the side of your mouse and it will slide across the mouse pad and right off!

 

So....many....jokes....must....resist.....urghhh

Mr. Mysterious

 

+rep to Zippyzap for an excellent post...I've never even thought of lubricating my mouse skates, I might just have to try that now. I think I've still got some KY Jelly around here somewhere

 

OMG are you serious??

Back on topic, what is the average size, diagonally, for a mat?

Mr. Mysterious

 

I use a Razer Goliathus Control Edition, the medium size. So far, nothing against...

 

Um, sorry I should have specified...what is the size in inches?

Mr. Mysterious

 

Whatever you want it to be. There is no "average" size; they're all different. Some are as low as 8" by 6", some are wide enough to cover your entire keyboard with room to spare, over 30".

 

Wow, thank you everyone for the detailed responses. I am considering the Razer Vesupla, but one problem, it has the wrist rest that will force me to change my grip over my razer naga. My hand's are large enough to make a logitech mx 518 fit perfecty and since my razer naga epic is smaller than it, I can't make use of a wrist rest...

 

The wristpad is completely removable. It's essentially a separate flat piece of rubber with a wristpad that you put the Vespula on top of. You can leave it off if you don't want to use it:

 

You sir, have helped me put the last nail in the indecision coffin. You have my gratitude and +1 rep for that. (I would have also said +100 XP, 1 quest point, 100 gold, and +100 karma/faction points... But that sounds like I'd be overdoing it.)

 

I also accept PayPal and TF2 hats

No problem, man.

 

I use Razer Kabuto and lovin' the soft and thinness of it

 

I did post that in complete seriousness and I do use that product. I also get some funny looks and comments at LAN parties too.

No, don't use a water based lube. Those dry up and get sticky in short order. Terrible to use on a computer mouse feet.

I have a couple of older bottles of Wet Platinum but I think they've changed the formulation. They now have a product called Wet Platinum Body Glide - that's probably the stuff you want, or something similar. It is a silicone based lube. However, the normal Wet Platinum should work as well (I think I have one of each).

The point is to NOT use a water based lube.

BTW guys, I'm completely serious about this. Here is a post of mine from 2005 talking about the same thing. I got into all this years before that even, because I was playing a lot of twitch shooters (AKA Quake III, UT) and I seriously went through a lot of mice and mouse pads trying to find the perfect feel. Teflon feet and lube were a natural extension of that.

Oh yeah, the lube also works if you use a cloth pad, but it wears off quicker.

 

I was joking about using the KY...that stuff is expensive, and I have better purposes for it

Where do they sell this Wet Platinum stuff?

 

LOL, I'm sure you do... how's your butt feeling these days?

 

I'm not butt-hurt about your terrible joke, if that's what you're wondering.

(apparently "butt-hurt" as one word without the hyphen is wordfiltered...wat)

 

lol garetjax is fantasizing about mastershroom... lol

the vespula is the best pad ive used, the kabuto is good for a mobile pad