Peripherals with some kind of awful rubbery layer

[mikeymikec]

For example, I have a spare Razer Salmosa mouse:

"Looks like a normal mouse", one might think. One day I thought it looked a bit dusty and manky, so I tried to clean it (damp cloth, water only). In places, the rubbery outer layer has worn off (e.g. typical areas where buttons get regularly pressed). In others it remains and every bit of crap adheres to it, especially dust which makes it look mouldy.

Here's how it looks today (after a clean, which isn't much better to before the clean):

Is there some way to avoid peripherals with this layer? It feels horrible to touch, kinda like a table surface in a pub that has only been shown a cloth rather than properly soaped and scrubbed. Is this "feature" typically described in some way on sites that sell it?

 

[C1]

Probably should be called a salmonella mouse now - ha.

Ya, the rubbery coated stuff can be problematic with age. Especially small electronics. I stored away a rubberized JVC cassette player & after a bunch of years picked it up again & the whole unit turned sticky. The rubberization was probably reacted with the local air and was changed into a tacky mess.

My Lenovo T420 uses the rubberization look & feel & I hope it doesnt go bad. So far so good, but IMO it's best to avoid that type of coating as you never know. In addition, to me it's dangerous to try to clean plus it shows scuffs & scrapes easily. (Just drag you nails across it & see for yourself.)

 

[mikeymikec]

I decided to have another go at it, and scrubbed it within an inch of its life with a micro-fibre cloth and I've managed to remove 99% of the crap, leaving a black shiny mouse. Still, a lot of work. It is possible to do though, at least to my satisfaction. There's a couple of corners, like between the mouse buttons, that could do with a bit more attention if I can be bothered, but the mouse now feels smooth and looks fine.

The thing is, this mouse has never seen heavy use. My wife used it for maybe a year, then I used it for playing the Batman games as my Logitech MX Revolution doesn't have a middle button, so it really took very little time for the layer to become problematic.

 

[Mr Evil]

That looks like a "soft touch" coating. They vary in quality a lot: I have had objects coated in it that have done nothing but sit in a cupboard unused, and the coating became horribly sticky after only a year or two. On the other hand, my current mouse has a similar coating which is still intact and feeling nice after 5 years of constant use.

 

[gorobei]

"soft touch" is just a plastic with a chemical modification to the end of chain. unfortunately it does degrade over time and turn into a sticky mess(look up lamborghini gallardo soft rubber if you want to hear some horror stories). there are better overmold rubbers that dont break down, but they cost more so the cheap stuff is used in most everything.

if you leave it alone it breaks down into the goo, but im guessing the oils and acids from your hands bind up the loose ends of the polymer if you use it enough. you can clean off the mess with some isopropyl alcohol. just soak a paper towel and rub off the mess.

i now only buy stuff without soft touch whenever possible.

 

[corkyg]

"...i now only buy stuff without soft touch whenever possible.

Lesson learned!

 

[bononos]

.....
Is there some way to avoid peripherals with this layer? It feels horrible to touch, kinda like a table surface in a pub that has only been shown a cloth rather than properly soaped and scrubbed. Is this "feature" typically described in some way on sites that sell it?

Some adverts will list the rubberized layer as a feature like the QFR which on the lid and keycaps. The rubbery layer gives a nicer feel and helps with grip but I find the drawbacks to be worse and am not using any peripherals currently with that coating.

 

[sm625]

The steering wheel on my truck has this crap. I do not understand why. It is tempting to just rub it all off. My gigabyte mouse has some kind of coating that has worn off at the left click button. But it isnt rubbery. It is some kind of paint. I guess no matter what you have, it is going to wear off eventually and start to look bad.