Hi, I'm new to your planet and want to understand deskmats!

[Volny]

Sorry for the silly topic name. But I never really came across the idea of a deskmat until I started perousing mechanical keyboard stores, and I genuinely have some questions about how deskmats are used. Even though that probably makes me sound like I was born yesterday.

So I get that they look nice, and add some sound dampening to the keyboard, and feel nice to rest your arms on. Are there other benefits? In particular, are they good enough to use instead of mousepads? I recently bought a (relatively inexpensive but good quality) SteelSeries mousepad that provides a very smooth and low-friction surface for mousing. Will a deskmat feel like an adequate replacement, or will it probably feel like a downgrade and I'll want to place the mousepad on top? I've only seen "cloth" listed as the surface material for deskmats, if it's mentioned at all, which kind of makes it seem like this aspect isn't seen as particularly important.

Also, what about coffee? Can you happily place your drink on the deskmat, or do people find that the cup gets too wobbly/spills are too hard to clean/it ruins the feng shui?

Finally, does anyone know if cutting a section out of a deskmat would look ok, or would it likely cause bad fraying/bunching/peeling/etc.? All the deskmats I've seen for sale are 900mm x 400mm; my desk's shelving columns would get in the way of that so I'd need to slice some cutouts in the deskmat to accommodate them.

Thanks

[jamster]

I think it's an Instagram generation thing. It's a way to personalise or decorate your desk.

I tried one for a while because I have one sitting around for my kid to play with. It was vaguely unsettling to use- too squidgy and I didn't like the extra height to the keyboard.

At least with a mouse mat, I can find super thin ones, and I can wash them easily.

[TK0]

They are just like cloth mousepads with rubber bottom, but bigger. Mostly for aesthetics and to have more room for mouse movement. The impact on sound, imo, is minimal (you MAYBE could BARELY notice it if you are REALLY looking for it).

Cutting will most likely ruin it. If you're not into matching your deskmat with your keycap/setup, you can find cheap ones on Aliexpress, and in many different sizes.

Putting cups on the deskmat is fine (again, imagine a bigger cloth mousepad with a cup on it), and if you mess up, you can wash them easily.

[chiefmatex]

i find them a relatively inexpensive (compared to switches, keycaps, keyboards, etc hehe) way of changing things up when the mood hits. the custom ones are even much cheaper (and feel and look much much better) than mass market brands (or gaming brands) brands. my only complaint is the usual large size is not big enough to cover my entire desk hehe

functionally, they serve their purpose. they provide a nice and grippy surface to rest your stuff (keyboards, mouse, camera, etc.) on without worrying about scuffing/scratching your stuff or the underlying desk surface. i also find them much better than leather deskmats that i saw a colleague use

[Volny]

Thanks for your advice everyone. I like the idea of something soft to keep stuff from sliding around, but also would like something thin. I'll look on aliexpress for something in my required size