What do expensive Mouse Pads offer?

mclaren85 · Oct 3, 2022

So I've been using James Donkey JD900 for about a year without any issues, but I just wanted to buy famous Steelseries Qck series mousepad. However apart from being expensive, I've not yet witnessed any difference between these two mousepads. Do you think changing mouse pad with a known and respected brand is futile? Why should I care a better brand?

Count von Schwalbe · Oct 3, 2022

Some have RGB and wireless charging. It looks like that one is just supposed to be durable and washable.

mclaren85 · Oct 3, 2022

But will it offer more slippery surface?

Count von Schwalbe · Oct 3, 2022

mclaren85 said:
But will it offer more slippery surface?

It says it has a high thread count. That generally means smoother, but I didn't compare to the other one.

Shrek · Oct 3, 2022

mclaren85 said:
So I've been using James Donkey JD900 for about a year without any issues, but I just wanted to buy famous Steelseries Qck series mousepad. However apart from being expensive, I've not yet witnessed any difference between these two mousepads. Do you think changing mouse pad with a known and respected brand is futile? Why should I care a better brand?

I like those with sewing around the edge so they don't fray when washed, but I just get the cheap ones.

Iain Saturn · Oct 3, 2022

SteelSeries mouse pads are actually bottom of the barrel performance and durability. Nothing spectacular.

As for what they offer ….

Mouse pads are a little more complex than just “is is smooth”

Static Friction will vary
Dynamic friction will vary
Durability will vary
Some slow over time or develop “muddy” characteristics with humidity
The feel and texture on your hands / arms can vary - ie some pads are abrasive
Some pads make a scratching noise - ie hard pads / early Cordura surfaces
Some pads are coated and coatings can wear off - avoid those
Some pads have difficulty laying flat - avoid those also
Sizes will vary and the good news is that large desk sizes have dropped in price often $30 or $35 for something extraordinary
Some pads behave differently depending on mouse skates

Speaking of skates - they also have a large impact. Various ptf and glass options

Here is a list of 70 options

Cheers

AlwaysHope · Oct 4, 2022

I've been using this Cougar Speed 2 mousepad for some yrs now for daily gaming, it's showing very little signs of wear so far. Can't complain about it. This would be my recommendation if upgrading from the one the OP has already.

evernessince · Oct 4, 2022

As a person who owns 5 artisan pads, there really is just no comparing them to cheaper pads. The surface is extremely consistent and stop / start friction is low. It's also extremely durable and the backing is a unique material that is good at staying in place.

I used to use the QcK awhile back the artisan zero mid is just a straight upgrade.

Regeneration · Oct 4, 2022

A slightly lighter wallet in your pocket.

AlwaysHope · Oct 4, 2022

Regeneration said:
A slightly lighter wallet in your pocket.

That's true, but expense is a relative thing. If the end user is into competitive gaming, then every little bit of help is beneficial.

Steevo · Oct 4, 2022

My desk top or a piece of paper is my mouse pad. Used to use standard smooth ones, never washed them just threw them away. Personal preference is the best one to have.

caroline! · Oct 4, 2022

They help you getting rid of those old $100 bills your grandma gave you when you were a kid.
Other than that... nothing at all.

I've been using pieces of EVA as mats since I've learnt mats were a thing. By the way I'm talking about a kind of polymer, not Neon Genesis Evangelion mechas.

Lei · Oct 4, 2022

mclaren85 said:
but I just wanted to buy famous Steelseries Qck series mousepad. However apart from being expensive, I've not yet witnessed any difference between these two mousepads. Do you think changing mouse pad with a known and respected brand is futile? Why should I care a better brand?

27$ for a mouse pad?
buy this instead and you'll thank me later:

AleXXX666 · Oct 4, 2022

Count von Schwalbe said:
Some have RGB and wireless charging. It looks like that one is just supposed to be durable and washable.

OMFG i knew about RGB, but... i would like a coffee heater please lmfao.. :roll:

I have some Asus strix medium mousepad. I don't like neither "old school small mousepad" nor idiotic "tablecloth" for putting all your dishes there...
but, I very like this mousepad for $20. It's kinnda pricey for mousepad without microwave or pubic vibromassage, but it's extremely comfortable, has durable good edges that haven't breaken after 2 years (!!) and doesn't hurt your arms. Edgecovering is A MUST for me, after I have had some arm scarms with crappy steelseries mousepad without edges!!

Lei · Oct 4, 2022

AleXXX666 said:
OMFG i knew about RGB, but... i would like a coffee heater please lmfao..

How about this? It's pet heating pad, but you can glide your mouse on:
Mine goes around 60°C, does that suit your coffee?

https://www.amazon.com/pet-heating-pads/s?k=pet+heating+pads

Calenhad · Oct 4, 2022

What you should look at is durability, friction, thickness, and materials.

If you wanted RGB and/or have a mouse that supports wireless charging, you can look at those seriously overpriced offerings as well.

The QcK have stitched edges, which is excellent for durability. It is thinner than alot of the ultra cheap crap. That JD900 seems to check those boxes as well. Judging from the image the QcK might have a smoother surface, meaning lower friction. But that is guessing on my part. I have used QcK before and they at least have a very smooth surface.

PLAfiller · Oct 4, 2022

Apart from the gazillion products on the market, it's best if you know what you want. For example the bulk of cheap pads is 3mm thick, I prefer 1mm, hence going with Logitech's mouse pad. Do you want RGB? Do you want a printed picture or not and so on. Perhaps, define your personal preferences and budget very clear before splashing some cash and feel buyer's remorse later.

AsRock · Oct 4, 2022

Lei said:
How about this? It's pet heating pad, but you can glide your mouse on:
Mine goes around 60°C, does that suit your coffee?

View attachment 264132

https://www.amazon.com/pet-heating-pads/s?k=pet+heating+pads

Need some thing like that over winter time lmao. But cannot help thinking it's a possible fire hazard like the ones that keep your drink warm\hot.

bonehead123 · Oct 4, 2022

Ummm.....Your rodent needz a pad ?

Is it that time of the month, or somethin ? /s

Or maybe it's lookin for a place to call home....

Either way, my rodentia are & always have been pad free, as they are male, and will always have a permanent residence right next to my keyboard, hehehehe

Ferrum Master · Oct 4, 2022

bonehead123 said:
Ummm.....Your rodent needz a pad ?

Mine does

.

I having such thing under my pet rat home. The surface is always around 25-30C. I'm feeding around 15W of power from a charger.

As a result the rat is calmer, as she don't need to instinctively build some warm and cosy nest and salvaging random stuff around for it. As it is warm already it it doesn't matter.

Sybaris_Caesar · Oct 4, 2022

Get a glass feet (if your rodent has aftermarket ones available) and a hard pad. Silky smooth operation for years to come. I detest cloth pad cause they soak up dirt and moisture (sweat) and gunk up in a few months if you live in a hot & humid environment like me.

Zach_01 · Oct 5, 2022

Last time I used a mouse pad was more than 15years ago. Desktop is fine for a mouse as long as its all surfaces capable.
There are mouse that can go on a window glass. I've tested the one I had for my laptop, the "Logitech MX Anywhere" and it was like moving it on a pad.
On desktop PC I have the MX Master and its good for any kind of surface.

sLowEnd · Oct 5, 2022

Zach_01 said:
Last time I used a mouse pad was more than 15years ago. Desktop is fine for a mouse as long as its all surfaces capable.
There are mouse that can go on a window glass. I've tested the one I had for my laptop, the "Logitech MX Anywhere" and it was like moving it on a pad.
On desktop PC I have the MX Master and its good for any kind of surface.

Mice work on a lot of surfaces, but I've found the mouse skates last longer and get less disgusting buildup when used on a mousepad.

Zach_01 · Oct 5, 2022

sLowEnd said:
Mice work on a lot of surfaces, but I've found the mouse skates last longer and get less disgusting buildup when used on a mousepad.

Thats why I use baby wipes once a day to clean surface and mouse bottom. No problem for dirt.
And I have this mouse for some years now. Slides pretty good when cleaned as described above.

sLowEnd · Oct 5, 2022

Zach_01 said:
Thats why I use baby wipes once a day to clean surface and mouse bottom. No problem for dirt.
And I have this mouse for some years now. Slides pretty good when cleaned as described above.

Surely the cost of those wipes would exceed the cost of a mouse pad pretty quickly?

System Name	MSI-MEG
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System Name	Work Computer \| Unfinished Computer
Processor	Core i7-6700 \| Ryzen 5 5600X
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Case	Dell \| Heavily Modified Phanteks P400
Power Supply	Dell TFX Non-standard \| EVGA BQ 650W
Mouse	Monster No-Name $7 Gaming Mouse\| TBD

System Name	MSI-MEG
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Motherboard	MSI MEG X570S ACE MAX
Cooling	AMD Wraith Prism + Thermal Grizzly
Memory	32 GB
Video Card(s)	MSI Suprim X RTX 3080
Storage	500 GB MSI Spatium nvme + 500 GB WD nvme + 2 TB Seagate HDD + 2 TB Seagate HDD
Display(s)	27" LG 144HZ 2K ULTRAGEAR
Case	MSI MPG Velox Airflow 100P
Audio Device(s)	Altec Lansing
Power Supply	Seasonic 750W 80+ Gold
Mouse	HP OMEN REACTOR
Keyboard	Corsair K68
Software	Windows10 LTSC 64 bit

System Name	Work Computer \| Unfinished Computer
Processor	Core i7-6700 \| Ryzen 5 5600X
Motherboard	Dell Q170 \| Gigabyte Aorus Elite Wi-Fi
Cooling	A fan? \| Truly Custom Loop
Memory	4x4GB Crucial 2133 C17 \| 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 3600 C26
Video Card(s)	Dell Radeon R7 450 \| RTX 2080 Ti FE
Storage	Crucial BX500 2TB \| TBD
Display(s)	3x LG QHD 32" GSM5B96 \| TBD
Case	Dell \| Heavily Modified Phanteks P400
Power Supply	Dell TFX Non-standard \| EVGA BQ 650W
Mouse	Monster No-Name $7 Gaming Mouse\| TBD

System Name	CyberPowerPC ET8070
Processor	Intel Core i5-10400F
Motherboard	Gigabyte B460M DS3H AC-Y1
Memory	2 x Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR4-3000
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Storage	Boot: Intel OPTANE SSD P1600X Series 118GB M.2 PCIE
Display(s)	Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply	EVGA 500W1 (modified to have two bridge rectifiers)
Software	Windows 11 Home

What do expensive Mouse Pads offer?

mclaren85

Count von Schwalbe

Nocturnus Moderatus

mclaren85

Count von Schwalbe

Nocturnus Moderatus

Shrek

Iain Saturn

AlwaysHope

evernessince

Regeneration

NGOHQ.COM

AlwaysHope

Steevo

caroline!

Lei

AleXXX666

Lei

Calenhad

PLAfiller

AsRock

TPU addict

bonehead123

Ferrum Master

Sybaris_Caesar

Zach_01

sLowEnd

Zach_01

sLowEnd

Processor	Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASRock X670E Taichi
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 Chromax
Memory	32GB DDR5 6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 4090 Trio
Storage	Too much
Display(s)	Acer Predator XB3 27" 240 Hz
Case	Thermaltake Core X9
Audio Device(s)	Topping DX5, DCA Aeon II
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime Titanium 850w
Mouse	G305
Keyboard	Wooting HE60
VR HMD	Valve Index
Software	Win 10

System Name	Compy 386
Processor	7800X3D
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Memory	64 GB DDR5 6400Mhz
Video Card(s)	7900XTX 310 Merc
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Display(s)	55" Samsung 4K HDR
Audio Device(s)	ATI HDMI
Mouse	Logitech MX518
Keyboard	Razer
Software	A lot.
Benchmark Scores	Its fast. Enough.

Processor	Threadripper 3955WX
Motherboard	M12SWA-TF
Cooling	Arctic Freezer 4U SP3
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3733 (2x8GB)
Video Card(s)	5700XT + 3x RX 590
Storage	A lot
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Case	Corsair 760T
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster Z SE
Power Supply	be quiet! DPP12 1500W
Keyboard	IBM F122
Software	10 LTSC

Processor	3900x - Bykski waterblock
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Case	aluminium extrusions copper panels, 60 deliveries for every piece down to screws
Audio Device(s)	sony stereo mic, logitech c930, Gulikit pro 2 + xbox Series S controller, moded bt headphone 1200mAh
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000x
Mouse	pen display, no mouse no click
Keyboard	Microsoft aio media embedded touchpad (moded lithium battery 1000mAh)
Software	Win 11 23h2 build 22631
Benchmark Scores	cine23 20000

System Name	ASUS TUF F15
Processor	Intel Core i7-11800H
Motherboard	ASUS FX506HC
Cooling	Laptop built-in cooling lol
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Video Card(s)	Intel UHD & Nvidia RTX 3050 Mobile
Storage	Adata XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB
Display(s)	Laptop built-in 144 Hz FHD screen
Audio Device(s)	LOGITECH 2.1-channel
Power Supply	ASUS 180W PSU
Mouse	Logitech G604
Keyboard	SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL
Software	Windows 10 Enterprise 21H2 LTSC

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
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Mouse	Logitech G903
Keyboard	Steelseries Apex Pro

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Processor	I5-10400
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Storage	Intel 670P 512GB
Display(s)	Philips 288E2A 28" 4K + 22" LG 1080p
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Audio Device(s)	Creative Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse	Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard	REDRAGON MITRA
Software	Windows 11 Home x 64

System Name	The Little One
Processor	i5-11320H @4.4GHZ
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Audio Device(s)	Yamaha ATS-1060 Bluetooth Soundbar & Subwoofer
Power Supply	65w brick
Mouse	Logitech MX Master 2
Keyboard	Logitech G613 mechanical wireless
Software	Windows 10 pro 64 bit, with all the unnecessary background shitzu turned OFF !
Benchmark Scores	PDQ

System Name	HELLSTAR
Processor	AMD RYZEN 9 5950X
Motherboard	ASUS Strix X570-E
Cooling	2x 360 + 280 rads. 3x Gentle Typhoons, 3x Phanteks T30, 2x TT T140 . EK-Quantum Momentum Monoblock.
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Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse RX 7900XTX. Water block. Crossflashed.
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Power Supply	Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W
Mouse	Razer Basilisk
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow V3 - Yellow Switch
Software	FEDORA 41

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Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard	MSI Arsenal Gaming B450 Tomahawk
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Memory	Team T-Force Delta RGB 2x8GB 3200CL16
Video Card(s)	Colorful GeForce RTX 2060 6GV2
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Display(s)	AOC 24G2 24" 144hz IPS
Case	Montech Air ARGB
Audio Device(s)	Massdrop + Sennheiser PC37X \| Koss KSC75
Power Supply	Corsair CX650-F
Mouse	Razer Viper Mini \| Cooler Master MM711 \| Logitech G102 \| Logitech G402
Keyboard	Drop + The Lord of the Rings Dwarvish
Software	Tiny11 Windows 11 Education 24H2 x64

System Name	PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 200W PPT limit, 80C temp limit, CO -6-14, +50MHz (up to 5.0GHz)
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F39b, AGESA V2 1.2.0.C
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 (Jan 2024) with off-center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3667MT/s 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:280, B-die
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~467W (382W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.12.1
Storage	Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s)	Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR400/1000, VRR on
Case	None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s)	Astro A50 headset
Power Supply	Corsair HX750i, ATX v2.4, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse	Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard	Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software	Windows 11 Home 64bit (v24H2, OSBuild 26100.2605), upgraded from Win10 to Win11 on Jan 2024

System Name	PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 200W PPT limit, 80C temp limit, CO -6-14, +50MHz (up to 5.0GHz)
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F39b, AGESA V2 1.2.0.C
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 (Jan 2024) with off-center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3667MT/s 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:280, B-die
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~467W (382W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.12.1
Storage	Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s)	Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR400/1000, VRR on
Case	None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s)	Astro A50 headset
Power Supply	Corsair HX750i, ATX v2.4, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse	Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard	Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software	Windows 11 Home 64bit (v24H2, OSBuild 26100.2605), upgraded from Win10 to Win11 on Jan 2024