What's a good CONTROL oriented cloth pad?

[Hyde]

First I'll start by stating that I've used Razer Goliathus Control, Razer Scarab (Returned after 1 week), Artisan Shiden, Artisan Hayate and now currently using Artisan Hien.

Before I was the same boat with most people thinking oh the faster it glides it must be better.  But after trying Razer Scarab and Artisan Hayate I realize I actually like slower control based mouse pad.  Games I play are Starcraft and Diablo III, that's when I realize I prefer uniform speed in all direction.  The speed difference on Artisan pads actually felt a bit weird to me.

Razer Goliathus Control - This is the first "gaming" mousepad I own.  It was cheap and does a decent job ($20).  Nothing particular wrong with it but nothing stands out also I guess.

Razer Scarab - I tried it to see what the hype with hard pad is all about.  But in the end decided that hard pad is not for me and returned it after 1 week.

Artisan Shiden - I have to admit I bought this mainly due to its aesthetic LOL.  The white finish just look really really nice.  Also it's very unique, definitely one of the few mouse pads that really stands out.  The glide was really fast coming from Razer Goliathus but I got used to it after a while.  But my Razer Naga will cursor jump on it from time to time, this is when I decide maybe it's time to try a different pad.

Artisan Hayate - After reading a lot of review it seems that this is most people's favorite Artisan pad.  And I heard the speed difference is actually not that noticeable, so I decided I want to give it a shot.  But I'm not sure if it's because it's very slippery and fast.  I find the speed difference is quite noticeable.

Artisan Hien - My g/f decide to get me this as a surprise gift, since I notice that Hayate is a bit too fast for me.  Oddly enough, some people report that the speed difference is quite high on Hien but to me it feels like Hien actually has a less noticeable speed difference than the Hayate.  Maybe since it's slower so the overall difference feels less noticeable to me.  This is the mousepad I'm currrently using now and I think I got used to the speed difference.  But if I had a choice I'd probably still prefer uniform direction speed.


==========================================================================================================================


To be honest I don't see myself buying another mouse pad anytime soon since I've spend a lot of money on it now and a few of the pads I have now are still quite new.  But I guess I'm just wondering what else is out there that would be good for me?  Here are a few that I'm wondering.

Artisan Zero - Since this is their slowest mouse pad and it also has a uniform directional speed so I was thinking this might be good for me.  But like all Artisan pads the price is a bit steep.

PureTrak Talent - Been hearing a lot of good thing about it, though from what I've read this is a relative fast cloth pad too isn't it?  Anyone have any experience with this compare to Artisan Hien?  The giant logo is also another turn off.

SteelSeries QCK - Sometimes I'm just wondering if the price I pay on the more expensive mouse pad worth it?  Or should I just go with this for 1/4 the price and just replace it every year when the surface gets worn or something.

Razer Goliathus Speed - I've tried the Control Edition before but I've always wonder how the Speed Edition fare up.  It's more expensive than QCK but relatively it's still a cheapo mouse pad that I can probably replace it quite often.

How are the new CM Storm and Mionix pads?  I seriously have no experience with any of those.  Any comments would be appreciated but keep in mind I'm looking for a slower more CONTROL oriented pad.

Thanks !!!


EDIT:  Forgot to mention I'm a medium sensitivity user (1200 dpi) with claw grip and I lift off my mouse pad a lot.

[Jocelyn]

All I can say is that you should probably stay away from the Mionix Sargas if you want slower. I have a 320, friend has a 900, and they're pretty slippery and fast imo. This is coming from someone who uses a palm grip mouse (Naos 8200), a medium-high dpi, and does little to no lifting.

[noisyturtle]

The Hein is the control one. Very well built (actually too much control for my taste.) But it seems more sturdy and less prone to wear than other artisan pads because of the surface. The Hayate has much more glide, as much as you can really have on a pure cloth pad. I also have a Sargaras which is very nice and about half the price of the Artisan pads, not as much control as the Hein. It's really a standard surface, just a well made pad. Except for the curve cut in at the bottom which doesn't effect performance, just a visual/comfort flaw.

[Hyde]

Yeah I'm currently using Hien now I have to say it's pretty good so far I guess I just wish it had a uniform speed in all directions.  Kind of why I'm wondering if it would be worth the money to switch to Artisan Zero.

But you do raise a good point that the surface do seem very sturdy.  It seems to be more heavily woven compare to other Artisan pads.

Anyone here have experience with PureTrak Talent?  I'm really curious as to how it compares with Artisan.

And thanks guys I'll probably give the Mionix pad a try one day anyway 

[Shuki]

Puretrak Talent is a great pad, extremely durable. The pad itself is very smooth, however it maintains a very high level of control. I've tried a few of the artisan pads myself as well as many others, my Puretrak is the default pad I go back to however. Based on what you have said I think the pad would be perfect for you. If you care about aesthetics you may consider picking up the white version of it.

Also its a lot cheaper than any artisan pad.

[Grim Fandango]

I like the Qck heavy. It is affordable and provides a nice balance between control and glide. It is also huge, which is important for low sensitivity gamers like myself. I do not see why I would pay more for other mousepads.

[Atakp]

I spent a lot of money trying out all kinds of mouse pads, both hard surface and cloth. I ended up with a puretrak talent at one computer and a puretrak complexity at the other.

Great glide, excellent control, and they are machine washable

[Hyde]

Puretrak Talent is a great pad, extremely durable. The pad itself is very smooth, however it maintains a very high level of control. I've tried a few of the artisan pads myself as well as many others, my Puretrak is the default pad I go back to however. Based on what you have said I think the pad would be perfect for you. If you care about aesthetics you may consider picking up the white version of it.

Also its a lot cheaper than any artisan pad.

lol cool sounds good I'll try PureTrak Stealth next then.  Talent is too big for my desk and while the white version looks nice, it also has that giant "TALENT" letter across the middle.  They really need to fire their designer  =____=

Oh I just did a dummy order now to see how much the shipping was, now I remember why I haven't buy a PureTrak Stealth.  The pad itself is $20 but the cheapest shipping option is $15.  So the total will be $35 while it's still cheaper than Artisan pads but it's getting pretty close in price.  I need to start bugging my local retailers to carry those, because if I can avoid the shipping fee then it will be perfect 

I like the Qck heavy. It is affordable and provides a nice balance between control and glide. It is also huge, which is important for low sensitivity gamers like myself. I do not see why I would pay more for other mousepads.

My g/f actually has a QCK Heavy, it's actually pretty good but it gets dusty/powdery in the middle quite fast.  Also it's a bit big for my taste, I use medium size mousepad typically.  QCK Heavy is consider as large.  I should try to find QCK Mass which is the same thickness but smaller in size if I remember correctly lol.

[Grim Fandango]

My g/f actually has a QCK Heavy, it's actually pretty good but it gets dusty/powdery in the middle quite fast.  Also it's a bit big for my taste, I use medium size mousepad typically.  QCK Heavy is consider as large.  I should try to find QCK Mass which is the same thickness but smaller in size if I remember correctly lol.

True, also the hair from my cats sometimes sticks to it. I use this and it works well to help with both problems.

[Hyde]

^ LOL I have to admit that stick is pretty magical

[t2russo]

For what it's worth, I play LoL and various FPS games on my PC a good deal, using 1200 dpi and a palm grip.

I've been running a medium sized, regular thickness QcK since I got sick of slick pads, and I can't say I have any real complaints about it.  It tracks well with my Sensei and Deathadder, and my roommate has no problems with his Kinzu.

Discoloration in high use areas is an issue with these, but in the eight straight months of use I've had mine, it takes nothing more than a wet cloth to wipe it down and leave it nice and clean.

Ideally I'd still like to try some of the other, more expensive, offerings that you have listed, but the QcK is really a nice pad for the pricepoint.  I can treat it like a replaceable good because it doesn't break the bank, and I find that pretty sensible for something that receives a lot of use.  My suggestion is to give it a shot, worst comes to worst you're out $12 to Amazon.

[velvetdon25]

My vote goes to Artisan Hayate. Smooth horizontals and resisted verticals.

[Saturn]

I like the Qck heavy. It is affordable and provides a nice balance between control and glide. It is also huge, which is important for low sensitivity gamers like myself. I do not see why I would pay more for other mousepads.

I use the QCK heavy myself.  It really is a great balance.  Smooth, but not slippery.  Comfortable and gigantic.  The thickness is nice when the underlying surface isn't very smooth.

[TimIsABat]

I use Goliathus Speed, and it just feels smooth versus slippery. I have no problem controlling my mouse on it so I think it is a great mousepad. I just wish I bought the XL because it is just cool and ish and I like putting a mousepad under my board.

[mauri]

I really like the razer goliathus control but honestly cloth pads aren't really that different from another apart from the finish. Qck+ is also a solid good mat.

I'm using the goliathus on top of a old qck+ so it feels kinda like a "goliathus heavy" ^^