Speed or Control? Razer Goliathus Mouse Pads

Speed? or Control?

For those of you who do not know the difference between the two, heres Razers Mousepad guide that explains what they are good for. Also, heres a youtube Review of the Goliathus Mouse Pad(s)

So im tired of re-buying mouse pads due to wear, flaws in design, or something else of the sort. So i started looking at these Razer mousepads, and now do not know which would be the better one.

Some specs from me, I am using a logitech g700 mouse (5600 DPI), and i would be playing mostly first person shooters (BF3 ofcourse, Battlefield series maybe some counterstrike) and im debating between the two. I usually play at low-med speed settings on my mouse.

If anyone has experience and/or owns these, please help me and tell me what you think of your mouse-pad. Im leaning towards control, but im worried because it seems as if it has little holes in it, that might make the pointer jump around a bit.

Please tell me what you think guys.

Edit: do any stores carry this? id like to feel them both before buying.

 

I use a G700 and Goliathus speed edition. Love it, its smooth but nothing close to too slippery of losing control or anything. There were also questions of the control mats wearing down the glides on your mouse.

 

I would not trust anything from Razer as an "educational tool". Razer, as an informational source, tends to be over-hyped hyperbole intended to be used by them as a marketing tool (and not an educational tool).

On several occasions, they enter an already-established market of computer peripherals where competitors have been developing products for years. But then they come onto the scene, and portray themselves with the image of "Hey, guys. You know all those problems that the *other* guys have had for years? Well, *Razer* is on the scene now, and we have the answers you've been waiting for!"

Except Razer needs to use deception in order to create that image. I've seen them do it with:
* Wireless gaming mice (states that their Razer Mamba has 1ms USB polling rate, while other competitors have 2ms. This is false).
* Keyboards (states that they are the first to release a gaming keyboard with mechanical keyswitches. This is false)
* Razer Blade and Switchblade (the world's first gaming laptop, or portable laptop. This is false).

I would not trust any piece of information that comes from Razer.





The question you SHOULD be asking yourself are the questions that mouse pad buyers have been for years before Razer ever made a mouse pad. Do you prefer hard or soft mouse pad surfaces? What kind of texture do you like? What kind of material for a mouse pad do you prefer (plastic, metal, etc)? How thick / thin do you want your mouse pad to be? How long does it take for the mouse pad to show signs of wear?

I use an Xtrac Ripper pad for my main gaming computer. I like it because it is a large, thin cloth mouse pad that was reasonably priced. I don't like hard mouse pads, or thick mouse pads, or metal mouse pads.

 

Well yeah. I never cared for any of razers stuff, nor do i use any of it, (mice keyboards, etc) I use logitech for all of that seeing how i love their service and they have extremely durable items (atleast from the experience i have with them). But i read alot of customer reviews about them and people do say that its some good stuff, so i was curious on what people thought.

This is why i ask this question

 

Why to mess every thing... buy a good mice with high dpi for speed, and pad for control, that's all....

 

I tried both -- I gave Goliathus Control to my sister and a friend has Goliathus Speed, but didn't compare them side-to-side. I can't say there's *too* much of a difference, except the Speed one does feel smoother and I think I liked it a little more but I could easily work on either. Goliathus Control is now about a year old and with daily usage it still feels the same. I don't remember seeing any wear signs on the surface, however the mouse she is using is pretty crappy so can't say anthing about the mice wearing off. I am using Megasoma at the moment at home (which is relatively rough) but didn't have any problems with either of my mice wearing off.

Overall their mouse surfaces are pretty good -- at least thats my impression, but the "fancy" ones are definitely too expensive if you're paying the full price.

 

if your not gonna help, dont post at all. im looking at these due to the fact that they would only cost me 10$(discounts and coupons) anyways, so i am not paying 30-50$ for these.

and if you read what i said earlier, ive already went through a few mice pads so please read before you blatantly post.

thanks for the input, + rep.

 

This is what I suggest:

For any product, I would suggest that you do research on that particular class / type of product (mouse pad, keyboard, mouse, headset, etc). Be sure to get information from multiple sources (review sites, customer reviews, internet forums like NBR, etc). And from that, you should be able to put together a pretty good picture of which are the good products and which are the bad products.

Now, it may very well turn out that the best product for you is made by Razer (especially when it comes to mice - they are strong there). But the important part is to keep your options open to consider all manufacturers, instead of just limiting yourself to just one manufacturer from the very start.



To 3Demons-

BTW, I realize that you are already doing this by creating this thread. So my message isn't targeted at you... rather at the other people who may be reading along with this conversation.

 

I have the Goliathus Speed edition, extra-large Alpha size. I'm very happy with it. As others have said, it's very nice and smooth, but not slippery; you'll still have all the control you need. I've used a control pad before (not the Goliathus though), and it just seemed to restrict motion way too much. I didn't want to move the mouse very fast because I could feel the friction and I was concerned about wearing down my mouse.

 

I had the fortune to try both side by side. The control version was too rough IMO, too much effort to move the mouse around for my liking. So I just went with the smooth, been using it for 3 years now. All good aside from getting a little dirty. Of course, it's your preference whether you prefer a smoother mouse pad or not.

FYI I am using it with a Deathadder (which is working just fine after 3.5 years, bought it used), picking up an Ikari Laser from the post office in a couple of hours.

 

awesome! thanks alot for the input!

 

using G700 on Qck heavy, and it feels great.
should be kind of similar surface with the goliathus speed, so I'd recommend it.
i only dig all black so qck is still my number 1 pick

people on OCN are worshiping puretrack talent and Artisan mousepad for cloth pads so you may want to check them out too.

 

This is my own opinion but If you use low-med dpi settings then DONOT buy the Goliathus speed. Its too slick and you will experience a loss of accuracy in your gameplay in games where accuracy is important like CS for instance...I use low sensitivity and feel my goliathus speed was a mistake. Felt the qck (forgot which one) was light years better..... Its upto you, If you can try them out somewhere like friends please do as each person has a different comfort zone...If pinpoint accuracy is not as important then the Speed would do just fine...The good thing about the goliathus pads is that most laser mouse sensors track pretty well on them(tried on the speed, not sure about the control)....The mouses I have used are the Xai, Deathadder, Diamondback, Abyssus, Mamba, mx518 and the logitech g500 which I currently own( I hate the G500 btw), and if you are going to use mouses that use an optical or infrared sensor then avoid the Speed as they track pretty badly on it, eg: current deathadder,mx518, abyssus. -that was incase you have an extra mouse, or plan to get one.

Anyway I hope I've been helpful!

 

Interesting, what sort of tracking problem have you had on it with optical mouses? Personally I have had no issues on it with the Deathadder (1st version) and Diamondback. The Ikari laser is working fine on it of course.

 

I have also had no trouble tracking on my Goliathus Speed with my Mamba, DeathAdder, Orochi, MX518 or G9. I'll check my old Sidewinder too as soon as I can find it.

 

i seems like i might head towards the speed one.... but ill wait for a few more inputs.

but thanks so far guys.

 

I wasn't talking about the first version Deathadder(the first version is known to track well on most surfaces and pads). The 3500 dpi Deathadder tracks horribly on the Goliathus Speed(known jitter issues). The Diamondback clearly tracks better on a qck(tried side by side)(I loved my diamondback). As I said the surface is waay too slick for any mouse if you're using low to med dpi. Haven't tried the Ikari though. My point? you can get a much better pad for your mouse.

The tracking problem I experienced was a loss in my accuracy in gameplay as compared to using a better mat suited for the mouse. It was not due to any defect in the design of the mat other than the mat being too slick. Using a standard qck I was waaay more accurate and headshots were a breeze. I'm not saying that you can't get used to the pad but trust me getting a better pad is much more worth it. My friends in college wanted to try out my mouses on both the pads(they are gamers btw) and they all found playing on the Goliathus Speed way more difficult than with the Qck. The only reason I keep it is that it looks nice and that I don't game as much anymore.

And like I said in my previous comment lazer sensors track pretty well on the pad(subjective)(only tried my G500)(didn't have much dough to shell out on more pads and mice so I couldn't try other alternatives), but I'm sure you can get a much better alternative.

I recommend getting a hard mat for the G700 as lazer sensors track better on Hard mats than on soft mats(goliathus are soft mats).

check out this thread for help;
http://www.overclock.net/mice/916543-best-mousepad-g700.html

 

My 3,500 DPI DeathAdder has no trouble with jitter on my Goliathus Speed, at 800 DPI or 3,500. I dunno what to tell you; maybe yours is dirty?

As far as being too slick...well, I think that's just about impossible for a mouse pad.

 

while it's true xai is having problems with cloth pads, my G700 have no problem on qck cloth pad

http://forum.notebookreview.com/accessories/608489-dpi-optical-vs-laser-accuracy.html
see post #12 for xai, and #20 for my g700. both on qck
lesson: don't judge by the sensor alone. same sensor in different mouse can give you different results.

ps. my qck is not clean at all LOL

 

Dude I never had any problems with a qck. I love that pad. Read my post properly. And why I recommended a hard mat is to make the decision process simpler for the OP. Lazer sensors are known to track better on Hard mats and the G700 is known to track extremely well on most Hard mats so a hard mat is pretty much a safe bet. You say the G700 tracks well on the qck, great but it may track better on a hard mat. The goliathus speed I have is pretty good for my G500, but I may be better ingame if I used a hard mat.

And lol I'm pretty aware how you can get different results with a same sensor but different mice, but don't go telling me I've judged wrong when I haven't.

@Mastershroom: um jitter is a pretty well known problem with the 3500 dpi deathadder with the goliathus speed, don't beleive me? google it. If you can try a qck pad out and you will notice how much better it tracks on a qck instantly.

read the comments in this thread for other people experiencing the jitter issue:
http://ariekanarie.nl/archives/215/razer-abyssusrazer-deathadder-3500dpi-review

And being too slick is not at all impossible for a mouse pad....Have you tried a glass pad? Then again how slick is too slick is entirely subjective and I was explaining what I felt.

@3demons: Just go for the goliathus speed if you know your going to stick with the g700. This thread is kinda getting out of hand and I apologize for that. I use alot of mice so just in case you do or plan to buy an extra mouse or something you don't have to buy a new pad if you get a good one in the first place that works well with most mice ...Just my 2 cents. Hope you get the pad that you are looking for as I remember when I started searching for a pad how frustrating it was to get one to my liking.

 

haha.,then my post is not for you

just trying to share the experience
since some people say laser sensor has bad tracking on cloth pads

 

No probs mate...

And to be fair to those "some people" Alot of lazer sensors actually don't track so well on soft pads as compared to hard mats(skipping, jittering) hence why hard mats are so popular with mouses that use lazer sensors, even most companies recommend a hard mat for a mouse with a lazer sensor as they go together so well as lazer sensors prefer a very fine suface that hardmats provide rather than a coarse surface which is seen in cloth mats which work better for optical mice......but as lazer technology is getting better you see this less and less...

Which arises an interesting question, probably the g700 might not track so well on the goliathus control due to the coarser surface and the wider weave as compared to the goliathus speed? Just speculating as I haven't tried it out.

Steelseries did an amazing job with their mouse pads, hats off to them, and the qck is just soo good!

In college I won quite alot of tournaments with my Da/diamondback clubbed together with my qck. Excellent pad, quite a deadly combo.. .....

my goliathus speed is doing pretty well with my G500(wish I didn't hate the mouse so much- I expected it to be more like the mx518 due to the similar form factor but I was pretty wrong, the sensor has acceleration, the scroll wheel is waay too loose even in the notched mode(I find this horrible for gaming and 3d work), scroll wheel buttons miss click often as I move between the side clicks and the mid click, its waay too heavy( I lift the mouse quite a bit and re-position during gameplay) , and I wish the sides were rubberised instead of the texurised sides logitech gave it.) Anyway I still think the best mouse sensors was the avago in the original deathadder and the sensor that is in the mx518. ....I still haven't found the perfect mouse as I am a fingertip user with large hands and am quite limited by the z-axis issues plaging most of the lazer mouses these days and if not z-axis its acceleration, if not that then its the form factor or aesthetics.....The deathadder was uncomfortable as it is a pure palm grip mouse unless you have giant hands and I did like the mx518 but hated its aesthetics. I'm thinking of trying the new logitech g400...The G700 looks like a great buy but I think it shares the same scroll wheel with the G500 which is very difficult to use for me...is the scroll wheel the exact same one in the g500?

 

well, here's what ima do:

i talked my friend into getting a control since he said he needed a new mouse pad anyways, and ill get the speed, once they come in, ill try them side by side and let you guys know what i think.

 

It's not so much that the thread is going out of hand. The problem lays where your initial post might have had the wrong wording. In terms of "poor tracking", when that actually only translated to "I didn't like the tracking". Don't take this the wrong way, I am just clearing it up for everyone else too.

And its so far so good with the laser sensor, did my research before buying so it better work.

Sneaky. :laugh:

 

Yes it is good with the lazer as ive said so before....But the 3500 dpi deathadder tracks horribly on it...thats not my opinion, its a known issue..

You are right about the other optical mice though...I didn't like the tracking on it compared to my qck but neither did my 8 other gamer friends who tried the same... So yes its safe to say if you do plan on getting an optical mouse down the line then getting the goliathus speed is not a safe bet. It wasn't for me as I prefer optical mice.

and in my first post it sounded like I meant that for all mice.....sorry abt that...;p...

and I'm pretty sure the research you did was seeing other peoples opinions and they tend to be subjective themselves...just because it tracks fine on the goliathus speed doesn't mean it won't perform better on a more suited mat....because I did bit of research myself ;p ....if something is reasonably good, a majority praise the f*ck out of it but that doesn't mean thats the best pad for that particular mouse....what works for them might not work for you. I learned that the hard way. If I had the dough I would chuck the goliathus and get a more suited hard mat but untill then this will have to do for now. Because for me the goliathus speed for lazer sensors is a jack of all trades but a master of none..

But thats just me...If you feel the Goliathus is perfect for you and its not holding you back even a bit then thats great..! I wish I was that fortunate.

@3demons: nice.. sounds great! but I'm curious of why your just going between these two mats. Could a steelseries mat be a consideration?

 

well, another friend basically can get it for half off due to his work, (from any razer product) and on top of that i have a coupon, so im getting 75% off thats why its between these two.

 

Wow thats a nice offer .....Then by all means choose whichever you like

 

Ah of course! Reviews and what not are entirely opinions, as objective as they try to be. Then again when I bought the mouse pad I didn't have the luxury of choice (QcK didn't exist back then ). And hey, it was dirt cheap where I bought it, was more of an impulse buy more than anything. :laugh:

 

I might try the Razer Vespula.

Its kind of expensive, like $26 but it has both the speed and the control sides. I like that because in Starcraft 2 I can select things fast but if I want to do some photoshop I can do that on the control side.

The only thing I don't like are the green corners.

 

Got both the Omega versions and I prefer control.

 

Razer has a pretty neat comparison guide to help you decide. It shows the amount of grip(stop the mouse where you want to) and glide(how slick the pad is) the pad has.

Razer Mouse Mat Comparison | Razer Gaming Mouse Mat Advisor | Razer | For Gamers. By Gamers.