Surface

The pad was tested with laser and optical mice. While some may still use an old fashion mouse ball, it will certainly not be in a gaming environment where mice and mouse pads have become an important asset. The following mice were used to test the Nuke-Z Z8 mouse pad:

• Logitech MX Revolution,
• Sharkoon Rush Laser Mouse
• Logitech MX518

The Logitech MX Revolution is one of the most advanced mice out there, but is not necessarily considered a gaming mouse. The Sharkoon Rush Laser Mouse on the other hand is geared toward gamers and offers a variable DPI setting between 400 and 2000dpi. The Logitech MX518 is one of the most successful optical gaming mice and is still commonly used today as the weapon of choice.


The Nuke-Z has a very smooth surface and uses a combination of plastic cloth and foam to create a mouse pad.
The German Nuke-Z website includes a diagram (translated by TPU Staff member):

This does seem to be a very logical combination of cloth and plastic, which should raise durability of the Nuke-Z Z8. Other manufacturers of gaming mouse pads may use a similar technology to achieve higher durability.

Size

The Z8 is a lot bigger than the N-2000 but a bit smaller than the Sharkoon 1337 XL Gaming Mat (which we reviewed here. The Nuke-Z Z8 offers a good area & size compromise for most low sensitivity gamers.

Comfort

The Nuke-Z Z8 is rather thick. 3.9 mm are fairly thick, compared to the even larger Sharkoon pad. This does make a difference in comfort as the mouse is noticeably higher than on a thin pad. Some may like this kind of setup, while other will find it rather uncomfortable. Other modern cloth pads tend to be thinner than this.

Durability

Durability is always a big concern with cloth based mouse pads, as they are fairly fragile, when compared to plastic mouse pads. The Nuke-Z Z8 seems quite well built, but the edges may not hold as long as would be considered above average. A normal cloth pad lasts around 9-12 months, while high quality ones will last up to 2 years. Considering the built quality of the Z8, I would place it at around 12 months. This is also due to the height of the mouse pad.