Gaming mousepads!

[moogle]

looking to pick up a wide mousepad; thoughts on the sargas 900?

[cinnamoncider]

looking to pick up a wide mousepad; thoughts on the sargas 900?

Sargas 900 looks file. If the shape doesn't bother you.

You could also check out Corsair MM200 Extended Edition.

[Nojo]

Anyone tried Razer Manticor before? I am thinking of buying one and place it on my desk mat

[adion227]

I have a puretrak stealth atm and love it. I just ordered an Artisan HEIN Hard mousepad. I think it comes tomorrow or the next day. Really looking forward to it since I heard great things about Artisan mousepads. Will report back when I get it!

[Emospence]

I have a puretrak stealth atm and love it. I just ordered an Artisan HEIN Hard mousepad. I think it comes tomorrow or the next day. Really looking forward to it since I heard great things about Artisan mousepads. Will report back when I get it!

Surface takes a while to get used to but I think you will like it

[geogga]

Who else here is rocking a steelseries QCK? Looking for a similar one. Might get a bigger one.

What are different types of mouse pad surfaces?

[ynrozturk]

Hard plastic, cloth and glass are the main ones.

[vun]

Hard plastic, cloth and glass are the main ones.

Glass isn't really there; the SteelSeries pad was the only noteworthy glass pad, and that's gone out of production now. One of the Artisan pads does have glass beads on it if memory serves, though, so glass is available, but only on one type of pad and not as a proper glass surface.

[SaySo]

.

[geogga]

that thing is 1cm thick...

[Elrick]

I've used some func industries 1030 series for years. After the last was well used, a friends offers me a qpad one but I did not like cloth mousepad.
So after some research, I bought a roccat hiro.
The feel is between cloth and hard plastic pad, comfortable and easy clean ( I am playing mmo and fps).

Although I have both I still prefer the Roccat Hiro due to it's extreme ruggedness, that baby can take everything that thrown at it with ease and the surface remains entirely flat and perfect.

Plus it works with every mouse that was ever placed upon it.  I've got quite a rodent collection to test on this pad  .

[ynrozturk]

Hard plastic, cloth and glass are the main ones.

Glass isn't really there; the SteelSeries pad was the only noteworthy glass pad, and that's gone out of production now. One of the Artisan pads does have glass beads on it if memory serves, though, so glass is available, but only on one type of pad and not as a proper glass surface.

There are also the old Icemat's, but those are very rare to come across now as they weren't made for a long time. I still have my 1st gen Icemat and I love it. But yeah I agree, glass really isn't an option anymore sadly.

[vun]

Hard plastic, cloth and glass are the main ones.

Glass isn't really there; the SteelSeries pad was the only noteworthy glass pad, and that's gone out of production now. One of the Artisan pads does have glass beads on it if memory serves, though, so glass is available, but only on one type of pad and not as a proper glass surface.

There are also the old Icemat's, but those are very rare to come across now as they weren't made for a long time. I still have my 1st gen Icemat and I love it. But yeah I agree, glass really isn't an option anymore sadly.

afaik IceMat were a part of SteelSeries from the beginning, there is at least no mention of SS acquiring them before they merged the two brands, so at least I assume that's the case.

[ynrozturk]

When I first got my Icemat in 2003, I had never even heard of Steel Series, and there was no mention of them on the Icemat website. All I remember is that my Icemat was manufactured and shipped from Denmark - doesn't sound too Steel Series-y to me at all. They acquired them later on.

[vun]

When I first got my Icemat in 2003, I had never even heard of Steel Series, and there was no mention of them on the Icemat website. All I remember is that my Icemat was manufactured and shipped from Denmark - doesn't sound too Steel Series-y to me at all. They acquired them later on.

Both were founded in 2001 in Denmark, and since my previous post I have discovered that both brands were owned by what was then known as SoftTrading. They were later merged into the SteelSeries brand, and SoftTrading APS became SteelSeries APS.

So yes, IceMat and SteelSeries have always been the same company.

[ynrozturk]

Ah cool, thanks for the information.

[daetsid]

Been using a Q-Pad CT for almost 3 years. Still feels as good as new.

[Elrick]

Just picked up a Logitech G440 mouse pad for AUD $20.99 at D!ck Smith (a real store name, no kidding) today.

It isn't bad for that price tag where everywhere else on Ebay selling for around AUD $59.95.  Very smooth surface and measures in at 34 x 28 cms.

Not too high in height maybe around 3mm but it does have two sections an impervious top smooth plastic composite with a soft rubber bottom.  It seems to cling quite well on glass like an Ellenborough Leech.

Just so glad to pick up a quality mouse pad for that amount of money here in Convict Town  .

[Novus]

Roccat alumic user myself. I got this around late summer last year (I think?)
I love the glide on this mouse myself and this is my first hard pad (after using cloth pads for so long).
I also got this because rubber surfaces tend to accumulate dust which is hard to clean after it's "caked" in so I opted to go for the double sided mat.

From what I understand the alumic isn't considered a standard hard pad. The alumic is held in place by 4 mousefeet and it's dual sided.
Typical hard mousepads have a soft rubber surface on the bottom and a hard surface on top.

I know these Alumic type mousepads used to be a bit more unique but now more of these type of surfaces have started popping out.

I'm a bit curious as to what people here feel about these "alumic" style surfaces versus the more traditional hard pads (do they actually feel different?).
Also curious how you feel about the Alumic compared to some of the hard artisan series pads.

[Kamen Rider Blade]

I have 2x Tempered Frosted Glass Icemat's that I've been using for years.

Very awesome, super sturdy, gets the job done.

[daetsid]

Qpad CT. Using it for 3 years and still feels amazing

[FoxWolf1]

I use a Forminco Mouse Arena from the early 1990s. Works surprisingly well.

[munch]

recently discovered this pad called Slamepad by a german PC case modding group called ModMyMachine (I think?) that is this super well made anodized aluminium pad, it's a bit expensive and small-ish (315mm wide) for being a gaming mousepad but damn, it's good. tracks perfectly fine with my G400s, haven't tried it with any others yet.
it's got a very smooth and fast glide but still a little bit control to it. think icemat but a tiny bit slower and easier to control. very similar feel.
really love it. was deciding between this one and the Manticor by Razer, but went with this one because it came in pretty colours... well that and the fact that someone told me that G400 and Manticor didn't work very well together. not sure how or why still though.

second favourite would have to be Artisan Shiden.Kai, unfortunately mine got damaged while moving and well, it didn't fit on my new desk at the place I moved to...
it's really fast, really smooth, yet still quite soft for the wrist to rest upon. precision is okay, best soft pad in this regard IMO.
I really value ease of "initial motion" and precision that actually lasts for a long time, in mousepads. and very few deliver on this regard.

fUnc F30.R is really good but very difficult to control, so not too keen on that. but it lasts forever it seems, and has really fast glide. maybe too fast.
F10.S just scratches up and is rather meh. it's like a faster version of the icemat in feel. very picky about being super clean and super smooth mousefeet. wouldn't recommend unless you're obsessively clean.

some honorable mentions are: the rest of the Artisan lineup. best cloth pads out there. Hien is not fast enough for my tastes but does everything else quite well. Hayate is soooo smooth but initial motion not quite as good as my favourites. regular Shiden isn't as good as the Shiden.Kai. yet to try the Raiden, but I'm sure it's awesome.
well that's about it. I think I've tried every Steelseries, fUnc, most Razer - and I feel they don't quite deliver on durability or precision. but I'm extremely picky and have been gaming competitively for way too long.

sorry if reply got a bit hard to read.

[Elrick]

I think I've tried every Steelseries, fUnc, most Razer - and I feel they don't quite deliver on durability or precision. but I'm extremely picky and have been gaming competitively for way too long.

Since you've tried nearly every cloth and hard plastic sureface you think you'll try a Glass Mouse pad soon?  I haven't gone that way yet simply because I'm not a gamer by any means and my Hiro Pad still does everything I expect it to, but some seem to love the ICEmat style of mouse pads.

Glass would be the ultimate surface due to it's extreme ruggedness but the surface is a magnet for dust and dirt.  Should be extremely easy to clean everyday if you spend heaps of time on your PC.

[Novus]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1469572/vance-industries-frosted-grand-elite-mousepad-cutting-board-review

This was hilarious.

[munch]

Elrick: definitely a fan, I have been using an Icemat for a few years (basically since the v2 was released) and really like it. however with this new aluminium pad, I must say I prefer the feel of these. and the styling of the Razer Manticor is nice + it's not difficult to find.
it's a lot thinner, and the biggest issue I've had with the Icemat is that it's just too tall. not very comfortable for my wrists in the long run. I was using a wrist rest for a while but it really hindered my movements in games.

all in all, LOVE the feel of the Icemat - but not for long gaming sessions unfortunately!

[Elrick]

all in all, LOVE the feel of the Icemat - but not for long gaming sessions unfortunately!

I thought so since I read somewhere in reviews the ICEmat came in at 4mm high without the non slip-on feet but once you added them, then it rose to over 7 to 8mm in height which is quite high for an extremely hard surface.

I've never used aluminum nor any glass surface for some time now and am willing to give one a try.  I know the Razer Manticor Elite is selling readily here in Australia and can get it.  Might give it a try, not because I love Razer Corp, but because they tried a new surface that's worth checking out (looks like again I'll be forking out moolah for a company I hate, please don't judge me).

[munch]

indeed, it's around 3-4mm without the rubber feet. and you can't really skip those. maybe replace them with something thinner though. it's a lovely surface, so could be worth doing that to it.
if you could try it out first that would of course be great. not really a huge fan of Razer either, due to most of their products being slightly lower in quality than I'd expect for the price...
but it does seem like a lovely pad! 2mm thin so should be very comfortable in terms of height. worth noting is though that mousefeet is REALLY important with glass and aluminium pads. has to be good teflon. (have not used any other material that works well unfortunately)
please report back if you do get it, would love to hear what you think!

[fknraiden]

Just switched from a Razer Goliathus to the Steelseries HD. Much more tactile than i expected for a hard mat. Using a sensei.

[SirReallySam]

Steelseries QCK... Because it's cheap and relatively nice to use

[Elrick]

Just got a new Quakecon G400S and as soon as I plugged it in the cursor started jerking across the screen having epileptic fits.  Naturally I suspected it was due to my Roccat Hiro 3D mouse pad.

I switched out the pad to a G440 and guess what, smooth as peanut butter.  I suspected Logitech designed these new mouse pads for their current range of mice due to the sensors but was extremely pissed that it didn't like my Hiro pad one bit.

At least my Frankensteined MX500 still loves my Hiro, now I know why I like that customized rodent  .

[Novus]

Just got a new Quakecon G400S and as soon as I plugged it in the cursor started jerking across the screen having epileptic fits.  Naturally I suspected it was due to my Roccat Hiro 3D mouse pad.

I switched out the pad to a G440 and guess what, smooth as peanut butter.  I suspected Logitech designed these new mouse pads for their current range of mice due to the sensors but was extremely pissed that it didn't like my Hiro pad one bit.

At least my Frankensteined MX500 still loves my Hiro, now I know why I like that customized rodent  .

Strange.
I wonder why the G400s doesn't like your hiro.
Does your hiro make other mouse devices with the 3090 go bonker?

[Elrick]

Strange.
I wonder why the G400s doesn't like your hiro.
Does your hiro make other mouse devices with the 3090 go bonker?

NO, every other mouse worked fine on the Hiro for example, the Zowie EC1 eVo CL, Roccat Kone Pure Optical, Mionix NAOS 7000, SteelSeries Rival and even DA2013 all work flawlessly.

It could be something to do with how the sensor reads the surface which I think Logitech are now playing games with.  If I didn't have a G440 to test I would of claimed that the G400S was damaged or needed to be rma'd.

I just have a healthy suspicion of large corporations trying to scrape extra money out of people's pockets by introducing a need to buy an extra something, to make their products work reliably.

[Elrick]

Went back to the Hiro 3D simply because it's the most comfortable mouse pad to use.  The G440 is just plain hard plastic and my hand and forearm started to sweat for no reason.  Going back to the Hiro everything is good.

I also am back with the modded MX500 which is simply my current fave, perfect for internet forum viewing and shopping.  I think I'll be sticking with her for some time to come.

Another thing about Logitech's latest G400S is that it's cheap-arse mouse cable is so thin I can easily floss my teeth with it.  Amazing how they are now cutting back costs across their range to help boost their profits.  Hate it when they decide to listen to their accountant scumbags which are only known to degrade their products everywhere  .

[munch]

I actually like the G400s cable, material is nice. thick cables tend to be more of a problem to me... it's really nice and flexible, somewhat soft but retains a bit of shape. which is nice IMO.

[Novus]

Guess that custom propietary 3090 sensor (3095) is a ****

I heard the g400 had some issues with the cable in the past.

[Elrick]

Guess that custom propietary 3090 sensor (3095) is a ****

I heard the g400 had some issues with the cable in the past.

Yeah some started to work their way free from the plastic housing.  Mine had started to scrape off the black plastic sleeving and simply replaced it with one off Ebay which is way more flexible and soft.

You don't actually have to put up with any of Logitech's poor quality cables because you've got heaps of Chinese made ones to get off Ebay.  The hassle comes in taking apart your mouse to install it, which is highly recommended.

[davkol]

I've just acquired a Roccat Sota. Unfortunately, I can confirm the common complaint that the layers don't stick together after some use, although it's only near the bottom edge for now. Otherwise, it feels good. Much faster than SS QcK, while keeping the thickness and relative softness.

[histevenhere]

I use an artisan mousepad

[hudson0804]

Hi G-hackers,

My mission is almost complete!  My mechanical keyboard is here (plumbed for a ducky shine 3), my new mouse is here (naos 8200) but I've now found that my current mouse mat (some horrid office depot fellows mat0 just isn't up to the job.

Ideally I want a wrist rest - happy to purchase a separate one if needed - but I need a surface that doesn't cause the mouse to spaz out when trying to make small movements, according tot he surface analyser I get 40% recognition on my current mouse mat - I assume this is why I get such poor performance. 

I'm not sure whether hard or soft is the way to go.

Thanks as always.

H

[Johan]

Hard or soft is completely preference based, I decided to stick to cloth, as my wrist took a beating from my razer scarab(mostly due to improper positioning.) Laser sensor mice tend to work better on harder surfaces, but its hard to notice for most people. Maybe grab a steelseries 4hd if you want to try a hard pad.

[hudson0804]

Ordered a 4HD last night - should be here by the end of the week.

I just now need to sort out a wrist rest.

[Protato_Tubby]

Just got a new Quakecon G400S and as soon as I plugged it in the cursor started jerking across the screen having epileptic fits.  Naturally I suspected it was due to my Roccat Hiro 3D mouse pad.

I switched out the pad to a G440 and guess what, smooth as peanut butter.  I suspected Logitech designed these new mouse pads for their current range of mice due to the sensors but was extremely pissed that it didn't like my Hiro pad one bit.

At least my Frankensteined MX500 still loves my Hiro, now I know why I like that customized rodent  .

This might just be a thing in the UK, but our peanut butter has chunks of peanuts in.  So, Did it get better as suggested by the rest of your post?

[Bucake]

i use a Corepad Deskpad XXXXXL (120cm x 60cm / 47" x 23" ).

i used a steelseries Qck+ (still have it) but i sometimes slid off of my mousepad with my mouse, going over the edge. as it was a problem and i didn't want to have that problem again, i figured i might as well go as big as i could find.
with my 60% keyboard i now have a blisful amount of space to use for throwing my mouse around.
..i love it!

(the Qck+ is a better pad, though. it feels better/smoother and is more durable. Qck+ is definitely one of the best mousepads out there.)

[pr1me]

Just got a new Quakecon G400S and as soon as I plugged it in the cursor started jerking across the screen having epileptic fits.  Naturally I suspected it was due to my Roccat Hiro 3D mouse pad.

I switched out the pad to a G440 and guess what, smooth as peanut butter.  I suspected Logitech designed these new mouse pads for their current range of mice due to the sensors but was extremely pissed that it didn't like my Hiro pad one bit.

At least my Frankensteined MX500 still loves my Hiro, now I know why I like that customized rodent  .

Strange.
I wonder why the G400s doesn't like your hiro.
Does your hiro make other mouse devices with the 3090 go bonker?

I have a kone pure optical with a Roccat hiro and if i do any kind of fast swipe, it just stop tracking.
I Also have a Hien mid and a Puretrak Stealth and they can handle the most brutal swipe ever, it doesn't matter what i throw at them it wont stop tracking.
On the other hand, the hiro handle laser mice better, i've never been able to make it stop tracking with the kone XTD and G700.
The hiro is fine unless you start to play with low sensitivity (i'm ~40cm/360) and you start to need fast swipe, then it shows its limit (at least with a pure optical)
It's not much of a problem because the hiro is quite a small pad anyway, and it probably wasn't intended for low sensitivity.

[boradori007]

QCK Heavy works great.

[lunr]

I use a Mionix Propus 380 and I quite like it. I never liked cloth mousepads because I have sweaty palms and it smells funky during the long run but I might try those Artisan mousepads since I heard good things about them.

[Zombly]

Steelseries Mousepad from Amazon cost me $8, and I used previously just my glass table, sticks, cheap, high quality can't ask for more, only downside is the one I got is bigger than I thought it would be.

[Linkbane]

Steelseries Mousepad from Amazon cost me $8, and I used previously just my glass table, sticks, cheap, high quality can't ask for more, only downside is the one I got is bigger than I thought it would be.

Have the same pad, same issue. Usually turning mitigates it for me, or you could cut it considering it's not particularly expensive.

[SeeThruHead]

Just switched from a hard mousepad (Mionix propus 380) to a Corsair MM200 extended. Have to say I'm incredibly happy. Mouse movement is smoother and quieter and I no longer have to move my mousepad over when I want to type.