Curious about mouse pads for gamers

Gopher · Post by **Gopher** » 08 Feb 2007, 05:53

Perhaps this is a silly question, but I'm curious as to whether those mouse pads marketed to gamers actually make any difference at all.

I thought swapping mice would be silly, but going from my no frills wireless logitech mouse to a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 has proven worthwhile. I'm just using a CompUSA pad I'd gotten free with a purchase some years ago at the moment.

Is it worth looking into?

Post by **MobsterOO7** » 08 Feb 2007, 06:16

Digital Blasphemy + Func steel pads = Awesomeness

JohnnyWakko · Post by **JohnnyWakko** » 08 Feb 2007, 06:20

HELL YES!

I was a huge sceptic of mouse pads and how effective they could be and if they actually did anything over my super smooth desk top. I always though they could create the possiblilty of runnning out of room when you go over the edge, so I always thought NO mouse pad would better as I would have the whole desk top (of which is huge) to use.

Then one day I won a free X-Trac Mouse Pad in a competition (Thanks to WSGF for the second place in the LOGO competition) and I thought I would sell the sucker for $20 or so on EBAY. Knowing me I had to try the thing out, so I got it out of the box - looked good too - and sat my mouse on the pad. I then gave the mouse a little nudge. WELL! The mouse glidded straight of the pad! HOLY FRICTIONLESS MOUSE PAD BATMAN!

I didnt' realise how much friction I was dealing with using my desktop alone. No wonder I have huge forearms (that and the gym).
A good mouse pad will make movement 200% easier, I assure you! Less effort, easier aim, less tiredness on the arm and so forth.

Gopher · Post by **Gopher** » 08 Feb 2007, 06:56

thanks for the replies guys. What does one need to spend to get a quality mat? I mean, I purchased the mouse used from my buddy for 10 bucks... I'd feel kinda silly picking up a tripling the value on a pad.

JohnnyWakko · Post by **JohnnyWakko** » 08 Feb 2007, 07:25

No idea, i guess they would be around the US$15-$30 mark

CodE-E · Post by **CodE-E** » 08 Feb 2007, 13:24

Yes, do invest in a good gaming mouse pad if you game a lot.

I personally wouldn't recommend a plastic one. I had a plastic EverGlide pad and after a bit over a year both it and my mouse were really work down due to all the plastic rubbing against each other. I'm now using a cloth-type mouse pad (EverGlide Titan), since about 3/4 of a year, and it doesn't seem to be deteriorating, nor my mouse, at all.

Oh, and it's more comfortable to rest your hand on cloth pads than plastic or glass ones. :)

T0MCAT · Post by **T0MCAT** » 08 Feb 2007, 14:53

If you are a gamer you need a descent mouse + pad ! First i upgraded my freebee to a Gamerswear SlickRide CS and I found it allready improved my gameplay alot but then I tried an Everglide Titan "GamingMat" at a mates and was impressed by it smoothness, so I knew I could still improve. So I read some reviews on the net and finaly descide on a razer exactmat.
It's a two-sided anodized aluminum mousing surface:
"SPEED" for high-sensitivity users
"CONTROL" side for low-sensitivity and professional design users.
There's also a bundle package which includes a gel-filled wrist rest.
And I just love it! It doesn't come cheap (+- 35$) but it's a must have... :wink:

dbthump · Post by **dbthump** » 08 Feb 2007, 15:40

What they said. XTrac Pro

Gopher · Post by **Gopher** » 08 Feb 2007, 16:21

thanks guys. I read a couple of reviews and impulsively pulled the trigger on a razor eXactMat for $21 shipped.

I found the Xtrac Pro on newegg for $13 shipped (3rd day guarantee) which is probably a much better value, but honestly, I think the razor looks cooler...

Also I read a few comments like this in the newegg reviews:

this mousepad is a huge dissapointment for me. we just opened up a lan gaming center, though this was going to be the mouse pad we would be using in the store, since no jumping of the optical mice is very important to our customers.

first off, the top layer of plastic is nearly peeled apart from the non-slip rubber pad underneath, and that is not from mistreatment, the adhesive is very weak.

secondly, this makes a mouse jump more than the bare table does. very annoying. makes it completely unusable for gaming, unless you like your character looking straight up in the air and spinning around every couple seconds. somewhat usable for normal computer browsing.

overall, very unfortunate. seemed like such a good idea.
----
I purchased this pad nearly 2 years ago due to the great reviews. I have been using the Logitech MX700 mouse on this surface. It is an okay pad except for the following issues:
1) When moving the mouse along the honeycomb lines it sometimes causes the cursor to follow the same honeycomb path (or even jump)! (i.e. ___/---___/--- )
I can't stress how many times I have missed a headshot because of this... or had to undo an operation in photoshop due to the jitter.
2) The surface is not smooth, it is textured and wears down the teflon tape and increases friction.
3) The foam backing ends up separating.
---

Sure it tracks great...at slow speeds. When I move my mouse quickly, the cursor stalls or even goes backwards. I tried to replicate this effect with every possible material in my home, from cardboard to a scrap of MDF. Only this pad would do it. I suspect it has something to do with the white hexagonal pattern. Sure it looks cool, but something bad is happening here, and the wide bands of white are a prime suspect. I have a Logitech rm67a cordless optical..oh well, another coaster for the rec room. Too bad- I had researched the pad thoroughly, and others seem to love it but it ain't working for me.
-----

There were a bunch of other comments like this that stood out to me.

The digital blasphemy pads seem cool, but are a little more then I wanted to spring for--though the idea of my own art is pretty cool.

I read a review where the Razor Mat was said to best the titan (and is significantly cheaper so I knocked that out of the running)

I guess we'll soon see if i made the right decision.

Stillhouse · Post by **Stillhouse** » 08 Feb 2007, 16:23

I just picked up 4 of these at my local K-Mart for $1.50 each, on clearance:

Allsop Charcoal Metal Art

I've noticed a difference over cloth pads, movements feel much smoother.

Gopher · Post by **Gopher** » 08 Feb 2007, 16:29

LOL I just came across this post on a forum Re: the razor mat and had to share...

I heard that these mouse pads speed up your pc by 10% because it makes your mouse more precise which cuts down on CPU clock cycles! I AM DEFINITELY GETTING THIS!

qaz89qaz · Post by **qaz89qaz** » 08 Feb 2007, 18:46

I have a Razer eXactMat + Logitech Mx518 = heaven :D
The pad has two sides, one for control and one for speed, i only use control though. Bought it for 200sek = 25$

MisMatch · Post by **MisMatch** » 08 Feb 2007, 20:18

Using it for a long time and still works great.
Personally i dont need all those expensive fancy mouse pads :)

Violent Ken · Post by **Violent Ken** » 08 Feb 2007, 23:08

the slickest and smoothest, Xtrac pro HS + xtrac (teflon) maddots
together with my MX 510/518s it is like mousing on ultra responsive ice

Post by **Gilly** » 08 Feb 2007, 23:35

QcK+ & MX518 :)

going to mess with polling rates sometime when i get chance :P

emanuel.en · Post by **emanuel.en** » 09 Feb 2007, 00:01

I'm using Logitech G7 and Razer Pro Solution Mousepad together. The combination is working really good imo.

Adabiviak · Post by **Adabiviak** » 09 Feb 2007, 06:52

I use a thumball mouse for gaming - no pad for me, no tired arms, etc. Not for everyone though.

Post by **ctrlsteef** » 09 Feb 2007, 08:35

I tried gaming with a thumbball once and it was so incredible difficult that I went back to a normal mouse after 15 minutes.
Now that I don't play that much games anymore I most of the time use my Wacom tablet and when I do play a game I use an Icemat as mouse pad.

skeeder · Post by **skeeder** » 09 Feb 2007, 15:56

I used a ratzpad, a very budget pad. I've been using the icemat for the last 2 years or so and since its glass it will never wear down with use.

tomatomanzseedlezz · Post by **tomatomanzseedlezz** » 10 Feb 2007, 11:05

Another vote for eXactmat here 8)

(armed with diamondback plasma LE + eXactmat 'speed side')

Cheers :twisted:

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