Customer Reviews:
 pretty good, even if you're not a gamer August 27, 2010
dana
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Like some of the other reviewers, i'm not a gamer. But i do enjoy having a large area to work with when it comes to my mouse, and a mat is a necessity for me because my desk is glass and the keyboard tray has holes in it.
I spent quite some time finding a mouse mat that worked well for me -- i hate the fabric ones (too slow and 'sticky'), and i hate the cheap vinyl/plastic ones as well (too slick, no traction at all), so that rules out most of the general-purpose pads available. I eventually settled on a piece of thin cardboard, which, despite being kind of ghetto, actually worked incredibly well. The texture of hard cardboard is almost perfect for me. But... cardboard absorbs moisture very easily, and a combination of summer humidity and a year of contact with my hand has ruined it. So i started looking for a real mat, and after first looking at Razer's offerings (most of my friends are gamers, so it was the first company that sprang to mind), i decided on this.
Since i am not a gamer, i naturally don't have any idea about the ideal surface for quick movements or whatever, so i can't comment on that. All i can comment on is how well it works with my mouse (currently a Mighty Mouse, soon to be upgraded to a Magic Mouse) and how it compares to previous surfaces i've used.
First of all, the pad looks very nice. I'm sure a lot of people don't care about that, but it was a factor for me, and it's one of the reasons i didn't like Razer's mats -- they were all too 'extreme'-looking. Ideally i'd like something with a bit more of a creative design (are you listening, mouse-mat people :/), but this will do too.
One thing i don't like is the little curve at the bottom of the pad. I'm not sure what it's for, i suppose it must be to prevent compression of your wrist, but that's not an issue for me. It just kind of bothers me, it's so subtle that it almost looks like it was un-intended, like maybe somebody couldn't keep their scissors straight when they were cutting the mat. Minor irritation.
The texture of the surface is what i would consider smooth, but it has a slight friction too. It's definitely more 'grippy' than a standard vinyl mat, but not greatly so. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the smoothest/fastest vinyl mat and 10 being the slowest fabric mat, i would put it at maybe 4. (On that same scale my piece of cardboard would probably have been a 5 or 6, so this is definitely an increase in 'quickness' for me.)
As far as tracking, i haven't noticed any issues with either my LED-based wired Mighty Mouse or my laser-based wireless Mighty Mouse. No jumping or sliding or anything like that.
The backing is nice, much better than the old-fashioned fabric/vinyl mats i've used. I haven't had any problems at all with the mat slipping.
The size is almost perfect, it fits the 'depth' (front to back) of my keyboard tray almost perfectly. I do wish it were slightly thinner, but it's probably not a wish i would be willing to back up with more money, so that's fine i guess.
Speaking of money, this would be my main complaint with the mat, although it's not a huge one. I definitely am happy with the purchase, but for what is essentially a simple sheet of plastic, i think maybe 18 or 20$ would be the worth i'd assign to it. I realise gaming mats are kind of a niche product, though, so i guess it's not surprising that it's a little more expensive -- and it is MUCH cheaper than most of Razer's mats (which was the other factor in not getting one).
Overall i'm happy with it and would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a mid- to large-sized mouse mat for general use. Whether it's good for games, again, i can't say
 Just what I wanted, for a good price August 16, 2010
Austin
I wanted a mousepad to save my desk from the rubbing that comes with using a mouse. I didn't want to break the bank, but I wanted something longer lasting/more durable than a $1 mousepad. The SteelSeries pads seem to be about the only scaled up option.
I went with the step up from the cheapest SteelSeries pad. This was mostly because I didn't want to deal with something that was rolled up in a box. I'm very happy with the purchase. It's thin but tough. It doesn't slide at all on my wooden desk. The black/gray design blends very nicely with the rest of my black/silver parts (including mouse).
And the size is perfect--I couldn't fit one of the really large versions onto my small desk, so I went with the smaller one. If you can fit one of the giant pads, it might be worth the money for you. But for most people, the 11" long pad will be just fine.
I would buy a SteelSeries pad again, and I recommend them to anybody else looking for a mousepad.
great pad August 2, 2010
VoyagerMission
Great pad, thin, will stay on place, mouse moves perfectly, a little on the big side so have some room or you'll end up with your keyboard on top of it. great product, would buy it again.
Excellent Item July 17, 2010
Branden (Northern California)
I'm not a gamer, but I knew that when I got mad at those pretty-but-cheap mousepads, I should see what the gamers use. I found this, and it is great. It's a large (a bit bigger than a standard sheet of paper), firm, wonderful mousepad that doesn't slide around the desk, or curl up and bubble. I was so sick of cheap mousepads, and now I am so glad that I have this. I can't imagine going back, no matter what funny thing is printed on those other cheap mousepads.
Great bang for the buck June 22, 2010
Tasoli
No two ways about it, this mouse pad is great. The size is a little small, but they offer a larger one for people who want larger mouse pads. The bottom is a plastic grip with a lot of traction, and the top is a semi-hard plastic mouse pad type composite. It's very thin which I like. Obviously for a better understanding of the product you should try to find one for yourself to try out, but the construction is very good from what I can see.
|
