Best Gaming Mouse Pad

[luciddreams]

Yesterday the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse became available in the US. I ordered it right away--I?m excited! I happen to be in need of a quality gaming mouse pad; currently, I do even use a mouse pad with my optical mouse.

What, in your opinion, is the best gaming mouse pad? The most expensive on NewEgg is the IcEMAT 2nd Edition. It has great reviews, but this mouse pad is glass! How does it hold up to wear and tear? And what?s this ?swoosh? sound the mouse makes when being used on it?

The Razer eXactMat is an obvious consideration. It has an Aluminum surface.

Finally, the Thermaltake GAMMA PAD seems to be a quality plastic mouse pad.

Any comments or suggestions between these three? About any others I should consider?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Excelsior]

Cloth...just get a good sized cloth pad that has a varied design. Trust me.

All of those gimmicky pads, are just that...gimmicks. Save your money, and enjoy your new mouse.

 

[QuantumPion]

I don't like the cloth mouse pads, I switched to a hard pad and will never go back. For optical mice you get much better precision because the mouse slides over the surface and isn't dragging on fibers. The reduced friction really helps with getting pin point accuracy. No need to spend a wad of dough on some gimmicky pad though, just get the allsop one. I think it was like $15 and it's pretty sweet.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
I don't like the cloth mouse pads, I switched to a hard pad and will never go back. For optical mice you get much better precision because the mouse slides over the surface and isn't dragging on fibers. The reduced friction really helps with getting pin point accuracy. No need to spend a wad of dough on some gimmicky pad though, just get the allsop one. I think it was like $15 and it's pretty sweet.

Not true. Dragging on fibers my ass. My MX500 glides on cloth pads. Better precision is also false. Any cloth pad that has a varied-design on the surface will provide for excellent precision.

 

[QuantumPion]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
I don't like the cloth mouse pads, I switched to a hard pad and will never go back. For optical mice you get much better precision because the mouse slides over the surface and isn't dragging on fibers. The reduced friction really helps with getting pin point accuracy. No need to spend a wad of dough on some gimmicky pad though, just get the allsop one. I think it was like $15 and it's pretty sweet.

Not true. Dragging on fibers my ass. My MX500 glides on cloth pads. Better precision is also false. Any cloth pad that has a varied-design on the surface will provide for excellent precision.

I'm not talking about the effect of the pad on the optical sensor. I'm talking about the friction of the pad and the movement of the mouse. With cloth pads it's harder to make very slight but accurate movements. Obviously you've never used a hard pad or you'd know the difference. Try using your mouse on your flat desk with no mouse pad for a little while and that will give you some idea of how a hard pad feels. It takes some getting used to but after you do it is much more effective.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: QuantumPion

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
I don't like the cloth mouse pads, I switched to a hard pad and will never go back. For optical mice you get much better precision because the mouse slides over the surface and isn't dragging on fibers. The reduced friction really helps with getting pin point accuracy. No need to spend a wad of dough on some gimmicky pad though, just get the allsop one. I think it was like $15 and it's pretty sweet.

Not true. Dragging on fibers my ass. My MX500 glides on cloth pads. Better precision is also false. Any cloth pad that has a varied-design on the surface will provide for excellent precision.

I'm not talking about the effect of the pad on the optical sensor. I'm talking about the friction of the pad and the movement of the mouse. With cloth pads it's harder to make very slight but accurate movements. Obviously you've never used a hard pad or you'd know the difference. Try using your mouse on your flat desk with no mouse pad for a little while and that will give you some idea of how a hard pad feels. It takes some getting used to but after you do it is much more effective.

Of course I have used a hard pad, why else would I talk sh!t about them. I had a Ratpadz and it was a joke. And I was referring to the friction of the pad and the movement of the mouse when said "Dragging on fibers my ass. My MX500 glides on cloth pads."

All I am saying is, you're wrong about it being harder to make very slight but accurate movements with a cloth pad.

And right now I am using my mx500 on the table.

 

[QuantumPion]

Try moving your mouse pointed by only one pixel with a cloth pad. Then try it on your desk or with a hard pad. That is where it makes the most difference. Unless your cloth pad is brand new, the hard pad will outperform it in this area.

I'm not suggesting you should go out and buy some expensive-ass "gamers" pad, I'm just saying that hard surfaces are superior to classic mouse pads. Even my plastic dell mouse pad at work using a ball mouse works better then most cloth pads. This is just my preference though. You might like the extra resistance of a cloth pad more, if you value tactile feedback over high precision.

 

[Azndude51]

Try something made by fUnc like the 1030 pads or some of their newer ones.

 

[Maetryx]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
I don't like the cloth mouse pads, I switched to a hard pad and will never go back. For optical mice you get much better precision because the mouse slides over the surface and isn't dragging on fibers. The reduced friction really helps with getting pin point accuracy. No need to spend a wad of dough on some gimmicky pad though, just get the allsop one. I think it was like $15 and it's pretty sweet.

Not true. Dragging on fibers my ass. My MX500 glides on cloth pads. Better precision is also false. Any cloth pad that has a varied-design on the surface will provide for excellent precision.

:Q :camera:

 

[Pr0d1gy]

My AMD64 mousepad works very well with my Razerback.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Maetryx

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
I don't like the cloth mouse pads, I switched to a hard pad and will never go back. For optical mice you get much better precision because the mouse slides over the surface and isn't dragging on fibers. The reduced friction really helps with getting pin point accuracy. No need to spend a wad of dough on some gimmicky pad though, just get the allsop one. I think it was like $15 and it's pretty sweet.

Not true. Dragging on fibers my ass. My MX500 glides on cloth pads. Better precision is also false. Any cloth pad that has a varied-design on the surface will provide for excellent precision.

:Q :camera:

lol.:laugh:

 

[fleshconsumed]

Cloth pads are actually very good. In dry weather the friction is excellent, you don't have to clean them at least once a week like plastic ones and they are much gentler on mouse feet. The only problem is that in humid weather or during prolonged gaming sessions they become too moist and friction becomes a joke. Ideally, I would prefer cloth pad, but most of the time end up using plastic. I ordered xtrac zoom2 from newegg last week because I needed a new and big plastic pad, we'll see how good it is.

 

[pulsedrive]

Where did you order the G5 from? I have yet to be able to find them for sale.

 

[fleshconsumed]

If you're talking to me... reread the last sentence - newegg.

 

[mdchesne]

don't spend $50+ on a mousepad. that's just not smart. you have a laser mouse so any large cloth mousepad will work just fine. get a 12"x12" at least. the only "performance" you need to worry about is drag. There are many coth pads out there that are slippery (harder cloth) or more resistant (the softer pads). save up your money for something that'll actually improve your performance and not act as a placebo

 

[Jon855]

Get RatPadZ GS for only around 10 bucks and it's a hard surfaced mouse... it's really good.

 

[ElTorrente]

I spent about 40 bucks, I think, on my mouse pad.

It's an Ulti-mat mouse pad, with teflon coating on it. It is just a big black square, with no writing on it or anything- and I love it. So what if it cost a lot of money- I like it and it works as advertised. If you have the money and want the best of everything- buy one. There is no friction between this and my mx518- at all.

 

[luciddreams]

Originally posted by: pulsedrive
Where did you order the G5 from? I have yet to be able to find them for sale.

I ordered the new G5 directly from Logitech. I received an email notification as soon as it was available. You can find it here

Thank you everyone for your advice on mouse pads! I see there are strong opinions on both ends of the cloth vs. expensive surface issue. While I do not want to waste money on a gimmick, I am willing to spend to increase performance.

I wish I had a variety of mouse surfaces to test out!

 

[fleshconsumed]

Received Zoom V2 today. I'm a high sense player so the pad is a little too big for me so I rotated it 90 degrees. There is noticably less friction than on my generic plastic mousepad I was using before, but not a whole world of difference. For $16 it's allright considering how thin it is and how good the mouse glides over it.

The mousepad doesn't use rubber on the bottom to stick to the table, but rather another highly polished white plastic material. It doesn't stick to table as good as rubber, but it's good enough as long as your table surface is also smooth enough.

The only disappointment which I pretty much expected is that my DB plasma tracks too good on this pad, damn that IR sensor. I recenter my mouse often and I have to take it almost whole centimeter for it to stop tracking (compared to 4mm on generic blue platic pad I also own). Hopefully next generation of laser mice will be better.

 

[pulsedrive]

Originally posted by: luciddreams

Originally posted by: pulsedrive
Where did you order the G5 from? I have yet to be able to find them for sale.

I ordered the new G5 directly from Logitech. I received an email notification as soon as it was available. You can find it here

Thank you everyone for your advice on mouse pads! I see there are strong opinions on both ends of the cloth vs. expensive surface issue. While I do not want to waste money on a gimmick, I am willing to spend to increase performance.

I wish I had a variety of mouse surfaces to test out!

Ahh, my mistake I assumed that Logitech would release the G7 at the same time as the G5, *sigh*

 

[Fresh Daemon]

I got a 4D Steelpad (the plastic one). I like it. The trouble I have with cloth pads is that over time the cloth starts to look dingy because it picks up sweat and skin oils off my wrist. A plastic mousemat (or other hard mat) doesn't have this problem, you can just wash it.

 

[knyghtbyte]

got my G5 a few weeks ago, im in the UK and a site had them in stock and was selling them...lol

to those who have ordered it, you will be most happius

pad wise im looking for an aluminium one......reason being that i sit in an armchair when im at home, and a portion of my arm is resting on the pad on the arm of the chair, i tend to sweat a lot and due to foods i eat my sweat can get quite acidic, atm i been using dark printed back covers of gaming magazines as a temporary thing, within a week of use the bit where my arm rests has started to bubble up a little and go rough....lol...so im figuring a cloth based one wont be useful, nor possibly a plastic one, the aluminium should be fine....heh