Mousepads

[ashort]

I still see them for sale, and handed out as swag, but does anyone really use a mousepad anymore?  for it's intended purpose, that is...

You know me, I'm a trackball kind of dude, and even when I must mouse, it's usually a laser mouse, not a ball-mouse.  I don't see a lot of purpose for them anymore.

[Oafmeal]

Choice of friction, comfort (soft pads), accuracy, longevity of mouse feet, no worn tracks on your desk, etc.

I game a bunch, use optical mice only, and like mouse pads.  They don't cost much, last a long while, and it's not something I'd willingly leave out.  It's odd you mention ball mice!    They're essentially dead, although I do miss how nice it was to clean the lint off the rollers.  Some good memories there.

If you don't use a mouse much, I can understand not needing or wanting a pad.

[sth]

Got a huge desk mat at home because my mouse has issues on the desk surface.
Using a badass Sun Ultracomputing mousepad at work that I found in the equipment room

[sawedust]

Yep, I still do. My mouse doesn't track well on the table surface and I prefer to have a certain texture and glide when I'm mousing around. It's especially important when I'm gaming as well.

Sent from my ADR6400L

[jwaz]

sth hat kind of desk mat do you use? I'm kind of poking around for one



As for the use of mouse pads, to me, it's almost like what kind of switch you prefer. What feeling/ sound/ etc do you want while using your mouse?

[sth]

X Trak Pads Ripper XXL. The big one. The only thing I don't like about it is the logo.
Next time I need a mousepad I'm just going to buy 3mm rubber-back neoprene and cut it to size... that's all this mousepad is.

[All The Fire]

I use my trackball on a mousepad... serious.

I got an old PS/2 rollerball mouse recently. Been thinking of cleaning it up and giving it a whirl, I always liked the rollerball mice. DPI is probably ass compared to what I'm use to.

[davkol]

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[jwaz]

I only use the finest Mahogany for my mouse surface

[All The Fire]

I just tried my slimblade off my mousepad, it wobbles... I'd better twist it.

[mrmusicmr]

Yep, I still do.

[bcpk]

Kind of mandatory when using an optical mouse if you want good performance.

[Daniel Beaver]

I always use a mousepad, even when I'm out and about with my laptop. Too often the mousing surface is either rough, or hinders tracking.

[FoxWolf1]

Also, some mouse pads come with wrist rests, which are comfortable.

[Bilbin]

Mouse pad improves the ability of an optical sensor drastically.

[zeDoktor]

I still use mousepads. At home because my desk is glass. At work because it's just a bit nicer than desk surface.

[The_Beast]

I just bought the SteelSeries Mass mouse pad, the 6mm thick one. It should be here soon

[All The Fire]

Anyone in Australia know where we can get the Xtrac Ripper XXL for a decent price. I looked around a lot of places and the cheapest I can find it for with shipping is $60-$65.

Or anything of a similar size, I'm not even interested in it as a mousepad just as a desk surface, I'll be putting my hard mat on top of it to mouse on anyway.

[sth]

Anyone in Australia know where we can get the Xtrac Ripper XXL for a decent price. I looked around a lot of places and the cheapest I can find it for with shipping is $60-$65.

Or anything of a similar size, I'm not even interested in it as a mousepad just as a desk surface, I'll be putting my hard mat on top of it to mouse on anyway.

You might be better off sourcing a half sheet or less of neoprene with rubber backing and cutting it to size. That's all the ripper xxl is.

[All The Fire]

Ah cool. So is neoprene the rubber or the cloth.

http://www.clarkrubber.com.au/neoprene-rubber.html

This page seems to suggest neoprene is the rubber, I think it may be a little weird having the rubber surface upside. Eh, there's one of those stores about 15 minutes from me I may as well just go in and check it out.

[sth]

Yeah you're right, you want neoprene with a nylon backing. My bad.

[Gawkbasher]

My desk is glass.  I have to use a mousepad.

[stereophonic]

I got am Xtrac Ripper XXL and cut it into 3 smaller mouse pads that are still bigger than the regular sizes Ripper. They also end up being cheaper so it's a profitable buy. My desk is weird so I couldn't really keep it as a whole. Maybe one day when I get a better desk I'll buy another one and keep it whole. It's pretty cool looking and comfy.

I couldn't imagine using a laser mouse without a mouse pad though. It' freaking important. If you don't have one, you're being silly. Go buy one. Right now. Unless you want an handicapped mouse.

[muguts]

using a qck+ right now but i just ordered a ripper xxl off newegg can't wait!

[The_Beast]

using a qck+ right now but i just ordered a ripper xxl off newegg can't wait!

Did you like the qck?

[davkol]

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[All The Fire]

Clark Rubber don't sell nylon coated neoprene, had a look at a few other rubbers they have with some coated surfaces, nothing that I felt would be comfortable for a desk mat. They said they could order it for me but that's just going to blow the price out. They had some rubber foam which could do but I'm still undecided on that.

[MykB77]

I am using steelseries 4HD and 9HD with G700 and R.A.T. 9... no problems.

Haven't had much luck with cloth pads.
Occasionally dust throws off the R.A.T. 9 ...

[muguts]

Did you like the qck?

I did like it a lot actually. i only switched because i'm an impulsive buyer and me giving my qck+ to a friend gave me an excuse to buy the ripper .

davkol is right though the mouse pad does have a grain to it (probably the cause of the dirt collection also), I noticed it when I was cleaning it. It's much smoother left <=> right than it is top <=> bottom. However it was never a hinderance. the ripper xxl has about the exact same feel as the qck+ but it appears to be interwoven so it should be the same smoothness in any direction.

[Heisenberg]

SHIDEN MID, large snow white. It's pretty big and feels great.

[sth]

How often do you have to clean that? I'd guess, based on that very small picture, that you are a neat freak about your desk

[sth]

Meant to post this earlier but never got around to snapping a pic:

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[Heisenberg]

How often do you have to clean that? I'd guess, based on that very small picture, that you are a neat freak about your desk

I've had it for about 9 months and never cleaned it. I wouldn't say that I'm a neat freak, I just throw stuff out after I pig out and don't keep all my possessions lying around for no reason.

It's fared pretty well and I expect another couple of years out of it.

[sth]

Well, yeah, that's more along the lines of what I meant. I don't tend to keep much on my desk either, but the rest of my room is usually not as clean as my workspace.

[The_Beast]

I just got my QCK MASS, it's defiantly a lot smoother than my old cheap $3 one

[Brendan]

I love my XXXL Xtrac Ripper

[Wildcard]

Yep I do as well. I have my trackball next to my KB and a mouse on a pad sitting next to it. Mouse pads are fun and before anyone calls me geeky, remember what forum we're on ; )

[NamelessPFG]

Surprising how there's no mentions of the Icemat/Steelseries Experience I-2...

Why hasn't anyone else bothered to make a mouse pad out of a solid sheet of glass? It seems to have all the right properties-ease of cleaning, a texture that won't wear off too easily-but those are still the only ones to my knowledge.

For that matter, I don't recall seeing any metal mouse pads, either. It's all just cloth, plastic, and in some cases, leather.

[Daniel Beaver]

Didn't they kill off that line of products?

[NamelessPFG]

It sure doesn't look like Steelseries is producing any more, but there's still several floating around for sale...especially if you're willing to stand pink.

Black and white ones are harder to find, but still doable (albeit for more than $40 shipped, unlike the pink ones).

Regardless, I wonder why they killed off the Icemat in the first place and nobody even bothered to make a competing mousepad also made of glass.

[Bullveyr]

Hm, I think they still produce them in medium black.

[jwaz]

I saw a huge stack of those Sun Microsystems mouse pads at an electronic recycling spot over on the peninsula.

[sth]

I saw a huge stack of those Sun Microsystems mouse pads at an electronic recycling spot over on the peninsula.

Which one is that? I need to start hitting up ecycle places.

[jwaz]

yay area peeps should me up sometime soon and go ecycler keyboard hunting, I know at least 3 good spots.

as for now. it's a secret ;]

[sth]

YayGPM

[NamelessPFG]

Just got the Icemat today.

It's a solid mousepad, pretty much what I was hoping for...except I didn't know what color it would be until it arrived, and it turned out to be pink. Still significantly cheaper than most of the white or black ones floating around.

Also, my Logitech G500 tracks fine on it, so now I don't have to worry about its compatibility with laser sensors.

[foEs]

Here are some of my mouse pads, I have more around the house.  Granted I was sponsored for a little while so some of them I was given for free.

[Lanx]

icemat is 2nd best mousepad i ever used, currently best one i got is a steelseries sx, just a piece of aluminium, that and telfon/ceramic feet is like having forever ice hockey. i have 3 icemats around the house, they look cool enough to just place on a coffee table.

[dmbr]

I would give you quite a few dollars for that Steelseries SX. Scuffed mine and have never been able to find a replacement

[Lanx]

oh, didn't know it's not sold no more, that's scary.

[dmbr]

Mousepads are extremely important if you're at all serious about gaming.

The Steelseries SX will simply make you better. Like, *poof*. And that is why there is not a single one for sale in America :/

[hamza_tm]

I sold an icemat for about £15 shipped within UK, bargain I would say

And there isn't a single SX I've found in the UK either

[All The Fire]

I caved on an Artisan Shiden XSOFT the other week, came on Monday and had a run with it in WaW last night. So impressed, feels really comfortable under the wrist, glides really well with little effort but gives enough friction so as not to feel slippery like the Roccat Sota hardmat. Strikes a great balance all round.

[The_Beast]

I love going from a small cheap mouse pad to this huge Steelseries. It's awesome that I don't have to constantly pick up and drag my mouse around

[fuah]

Ordered two of the large HIEN VE's. Hoping to set them up as a deskpad.

[itznfb]

Optical w/ good mousepad > laser.

I use a X-Raypad THUNDER 8 at home for gaming and a XTrac Ripper at work. I'm pretty sure I was one of XTrac's first customers over 10 years ago and everyone always made fun of me for having these big mousepads now they are one of the most popular.

[NewbieOneKenobi]

Dood why u even ask???!!!oneonesix

Just kidding. This is subjective and people may disagree but I've discovered that the pad may matter more than the mouse. With a limited budget, getting a "designer" pad with a plain mouse is a better idea than the other way round unless I'm missing something (although I've seen my G9X laser mouse glide and track very well on a wooden desk). Still, I'm not saying an expensive hard pad. Just get a cloth pad that costs a couple of bucks instead of a one buck piece they supply with OEM computers. Razer Goliathus is like one of the best pads ever to exist and a smaller one can cost less than a sixpack of beer, same for Steelseries QCK. The best pad I've ever used, although briefly, was probably a custom print pad ordered from ome guy who printed your photos on them. Dunno why, how or where but the surfaces of his pads were amazing. Kinda like a tailored suit, I'm actually not sure they weren't cut by hand (due to the slightly imperfect fringes). Did that thing track! And it cost even less than a Goliathus or QCK (a half, actually).

This said, with a good sensor and a smooth enough desk, you can perhaps go without a pad without deteriorating of tracking and glide, you just need to be careful. The tracking must be predictable if you want to play competitive multiplayer. Going without a pad has the advantage of not having to worry about the edges, not having to rest your wrist on an edge, the mouse not being as tall (if your wrist is outside the pad) and so on. This all can be very advantageous, I think.

[harrison]

yes and no.  at work i've got a nice heavy laminated desk top, and as a mousing surface it's not too bad.  as a result, i don't feel a need to use a mousepad.

at home, however, i have a  wood desk surface with a pretty heavy grain.  as a mousing surface, it sucks ass and has lots of drag.  i use a func30r mousepad, and used a func1030 previously.  i like the hard textured surface with as little drag as possible.

[YMSNoms]

I currently use a SK Gaming Steel Series QCK

[qlutch]

Been using my Qck+ for 4 years now. It's pretty great.

[9-bit]

As an RTS player, I really want a large mousepad. I also have low sensitivity, so take it as you will. It's preference, you don't need it, but some like it.

[Amo]

Instead of paying big for a hard mouse pad I got a 99c ceramic tile from home depot instead. It works surprisingly well, probably the best mouse pad I have used. I would suggest that anyone who wants a hard pad pick one of these up first. Almost 0 cost for potentially great reward.

[whiskerBox]

For guitar lovers


Saw those at guitar center for $10 pretty cool

[edhead999]

I had a qck+ but then tried out the TL goliathus... it's pretty nice

[chocobunny]

Dog chewed up my mousepad so I've been using a sheet of A4 paper.   Was intending to get a new one this month but I pretty much spent my entire entertainment budget on the Steam summer sales.

[All The Fire]

I spilt tea on my week old shiden xsoft about a month ago. It seems fine, feels the same, but I can see some light brown staining cause the mousepad is so damn white. At least it all missed my LE pure. Fancying the idea of an aluminium mousepad now.

[9-bit]

I spilt tea on my week old shiden xsoft about a month ago. It seems fine, feels the same, but I can see some light brown staining cause the mousepad is so damn white. At least it all missed my LE pure. Fancying the idea of an aluminium mousepad now.

I honestly don't think it's possible for this post to be more British.

[All The Fire]

Ha, right now I'm wishing I lived there. Alugraphics want to charge $200 to ship their mousepads to Australia and I can't get past authorize.net's ****ty address checks to get Geared's mousepad.

[nomad]

Been using a func surface 1030 for the last 6 years

[Zhentar]

I've had a big sheet of this stuff on my desk for a few years now: http://www.c4mousepads.com/C4Ngen04.htm

I got it at the recommendation of Dan's Data. It's a great mousing surface. No lip to get in my way, and plenty of room to move around on it, and it's got a better feel to it (and better tracking) than just the surface of my desk.

[tweet0]

I use a Steelseries 4hd for my mousepad. It is probably the best price/performance hard mousepad. There are better pads but you usually pay way more for them. I also use 800 dpi, with the smoothness of a hard pad it allows for lower sensitivity users to move quicker with less movement, thus helping wrist pains as well.
If you want cloth I think the steelseries qck is perfect. I am not a steelseries fanboy but those two products are the best you can get for the price in my opinion.

[TheProfosist]

I've had a big sheet of this stuff on my desk for a few years now: http://www.c4mousepads.com/C4Ngen04.htm

I got it at the recommendation of Dan's Data. It's a great mousing surface. No lip to get in my way, and plenty of room to move around on it, and it's got a better feel to it (and better tracking) than just the surface of my desk.

yep got the same mouseing surface except justa small cutoff.

[peptobiscuit]

My pad journey:

Corel Draw '93 pad. I think it was like 6x8". 0.5 inch thick. Hilarious. I still have it.

2010 - steelseries SX: (10x12") great aluminum pad, nice low friction. After about 3000 hours (a little bit over one year), it started wearing down. It was a very loud and scratchy pad, but very slippery. It also ate mouse feet like no tomorrow. I switched it out because it was actually too small.

2011 - Steelseries QCK+: (15x17"). So i was out of town for a while, and i wanted to game so i needed a pad, so i grabbed the biggest cheapest thing i could get, and it was this. Lovely pad. Tracking was not as good as the SX, and it had higher friction, but holy crap it is quiet. Nice for travel, but i'm super lazy so I don't like it for extended use. It also gets gunk stuck in it.

2012 (present) - C4 ngen 04: (16x16"): Lower friction than sx, lower noise level than sx (still makes corduroy vwoop vwoop sound), better tracking than sx and less mouse feet wear than the sx. This is my favorite surface. Like any "hard" pad, it does get dirty, but you can wash this in your tap. Works best on hard glass or plastic surfaces, where you can wet wipe them clean and quickly apply the pad. I have a dinged up wood ikea desk that swells when it gets wet, so its tough to get this thing PERFECTLY flat because of the wood bubbles, but other than that it is amazing. I love this thing. You have the hugeness of a soft pad, with the low friction and sweet tracking of a hard pad.
HOWEVER, it likes big thick mouse feet like on the logitech g9x or corsair m60. Thin mouse feet like on the steelseries kana seem not to agree with it. If you consider one of these, do yourself a favor and buy the c4 mouse feet with it, you will not regret it at all.

[TheBackgammon]

Shinden pads are the way to go; size and texture is amazing

[Ragnar]

I use Ratpadz, I love them. I have never tried any other nice mouse pads though, so I have nothing to compare to except OEM style pads, and they are much nicer than those.

[Zykos]

A mousepad helps so much.

[Hyde]

Artisan Shiden XSOFT Medium Size

Prior to this I was using Razer Goliathus pretty good mouse pad for the price.  Also tried Razer Scarab briefly but found it too fast and not enough control so I returned it lol

[microsoft windows]

I use 7 mouspads.

[DaClownie]

Steelseries QcK mini... I'm on limited space for my computing, so this mousepad combined with a CM Quickfire Rapid with MX Browns allows me plenty of space on my keyboard drawer.

[Paranoid]

I use both for work and at home a razer lachesis mouse. At home I use a steelseries 9HD mousemat as to the surface of the table at my work. I have to say the mousemat makes a world of difference in this case

[akuJIWA]

I'm using qck+ fnatic and IME 3.0 navi. Best combination!

[xcelerate]

Current Pads:
Goliathus Speed extended (excellent with abyssus)
Steelseries 9HD
Artisan Shidenkai Med (best glide)
Artisan Hien Med
Puretrak Talent
Cyborg G.L.I.D.E 7

Previously owned: Razer Destructor, Razer Xactmat, and others

My all time favorites would be the shidenkai, goliathus speed and the talent.

[Glod]

Im never one to keep my desk clean so ive always used some sort of a mouse pad or surface.

Just got a Razer Sphex Skin surface and i love it but my friends are making fun of my "bad decision" and "cheap mouse surface" , they just be jelly. I wonder how long before the adhesive wears out.... Coming from a Ripper XXL btw, got tired of using cloth mousepads.

[posthaste]

I love the super slick PTFE mousepads sold by CS Hyde.  You can also buy it in a roll with a thin rubbery backing and cut it to fit your space.

http://www.c4ngen.com/

[wcstick]

I use a mousepad so that the mouse sensor has a consistent surface to read. otherwise, there would be skipping and missing gestures. I do a bit of illustrator and photoshop work so a good surface helps a lot so that I don't miss pixels. however, I'm not particularly picky about the texture of the mousepad so long as my mouse can track properly.