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.

lZKoce · 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?

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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
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Video Card(s)	Dell Radeon R7 450 \| RTX 2080 Ti FE
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Mouse	Monster No-Name $7 Gaming Mouse\| TBD

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Power Supply	12V HP proprietary
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

What do expensive Mouse Pads offer?

mclaren85

Count von Schwalbe

mclaren85

Count von Schwalbe

Shrek

Iain Saturn

AlwaysHope

evernessince

Regeneration

NGOHQ.COM

AlwaysHope

Steevo

caroline!

Lei

AleXXX666

Lei

Calenhad

lZKoce

AsRock

TPU addict

bonehead123

Ferrum Master

Sybaris_Caesar

Zach_01

sLowEnd

Zach_01

sLowEnd

System Name	Current gaming rig + others...
Processor	Ryzen7-7700 @ FCLK-2133 / Core i7-11700K@stock
Motherboard	Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite / MSI Z590 Unify
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Video Card(s)	Asus RX 6800 XT OC edition / iGPU - UHD 750
Storage	1x Kingston KC3000 1TB + 2TB Team A440 Cardea /
Display(s)	Samsung 32" Odyssey G5 / Numerous Philips 27 + 28" LCD panels...
Case	Nanoxia Deep Silence 5 Rev.B / Lots of nice cheap cases!
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar AE 7.1+Razer Tiamat 7.1 / Onboard
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Mouse	MSI Interceptor DS300 + Lots of optical mice!
Keyboard	Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Stealth /steelseries 6G V2
Software	Win 11 Pro / Win10 x64 Pro

Processor	Ryzen 7800X3D
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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	MoFo 2
Processor	AMD PhenomII 1100T @ 4.2Ghz
Motherboard	Asus Crosshair IV
Cooling	Swiftec 655 pump, Apogee GT,, MCR360mm Rad, 1/2 loop.
Memory	8GB DDR3-2133 @ 1900 8.9.9.24 1T
Video Card(s)	HD7970 1250/1750
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Case	Rosewill R6A34-BK modded (thanks to MKmods)
Audio Device(s)	ATI HDMI
Power Supply	750W PC Power & Cooling modded (thanks to MKmods)
Software	A lot.
Benchmark Scores	Its fast. Enough.

Processor	Threadripper 3955WX
Motherboard	M12SWA-TF
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Memory	G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3733 (2x8GB)
Video Card(s)	5700XT + 3x RX 590
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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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Mouse	pen display, no mouse no click
Keyboard	Microsoft aio media embedded touchpad (moded lithium battery 1000mAh)
Software	Win 11 build 25281
Benchmark Scores	cine23 20000

System Name	constantly updated
Processor	Intel Core i5-12500
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Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 3070 Ti Ventus 3X
Storage	Kingston KC2500 1TB
Display(s)	Dell 27 4K Monitor S2721QS
Case	Deepcool E-SHIELD E-ATX
Audio Device(s)	LOGITECH 2.1-channel
Power Supply	SEASONIC FOCUS GX-750
Mouse	Logitech G604
Keyboard	SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL
VR HMD	META Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 Pro

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
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Storage	2TB Corsair MP600 PRO Hydro X
Display(s)	Samsung G7 27" x2
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W
Mouse	Logitech G903
Keyboard	Steelseries Apex Pro

System Name	Sandfiller
Processor	I5-7600K
Motherboard	MSI TOMAHAWK Z270 ARCTIC
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Memory	32GB Corsair LPX 2400 Mhz DDR4 CL14
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Storage	PCIe 3.0 Silicon Power SSD
Display(s)	2560x1080 LG 29" + 1080p LG + 32"TV
Case	TT Urban R31
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply	Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse	Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard	Zalman WIRED KB
Software	Windows 11 Home x 64

Processor	AMD 3900X \ AMD 7700X
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Memory	Patriot 2x16GB PVS432G320C6K \ G.Skill Flare X5 F5-6000J3238F 2x16GB
Video Card(s)	eVga GTX1060 SSC \ XFX RX 6950XT RX-695XATBD9
Storage	2xIntel 80GB (SATA2) Crucial MX500\Samsung 860 Samsung Evo Sabrent Rocket 4 2xSabrent Rocket 4 Plus
Display(s)	Samsung 1080P \ LG 43UN700
Case	Fractal Design Pop Air \ Fractal Design Torrent.
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha RX-V677 \ Yamaha CX-830+Yamaha MX-630 Infinity RS4000\Paradigm P Studio 20, Blue Yeti
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-750 \ Corsair RM1000X Shift
Mouse	Steelseries Sensei wireless \ Steelseries Sensei wireless
Keyboard	Logitech K120 \ ROCCAT MK Pro ( modded amber leds )
Benchmark Scores	Meh benchmarks.

System Name	The Little One
Processor	i5-11320H @4.4GHZ
Motherboard	AZW SEI
Cooling	Fan w/heat pipes + side & rear vents
Memory	32GB Crucial DDR4-3200 (2x 16GB)
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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	Custom Loop. Two 360ies + 280 rad. 8x Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoons. EK-Quantum Momentum monoblock.
Memory	4x8GB G.SKILL Trident Z RGB F4-4133C19D-16GTZR 14-16-12-30-44
Video Card(s)	ASUS 1080 Ti SLI + water blocks
Storage	Optane 900P + Samsung PM981 NVMe 1TB + 750 EVO 500GB+ 1TB 980PRO
Display(s)	Philips PHL BDM3270 + Acer XV242Y
Case	Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W
Mouse	Razer Basilisk
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow V3 - Yellow Switch
Software	Windows 11 insider

System Name	PC on since Aug 18th 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X, ECO mode 88W PPT
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F35, V2 1.2.0.7
Cooling	Corsair H110i 280mm (w/ Contuctonaut since Jan 2020)
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo (GTZN) 3600MHz 1.40V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:274, B-die
Video Card(s)	MSI RX 5700XT Gaming X, GPU 2100MHz, VRAM 1750MHz
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 by Samsung, 3440x1440
Case	None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster Z <--optical link--> Logitech Z5500 5.1 500W, Logitech G935 headset
Power Supply	Corsair HX750i
Mouse	Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard	Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software	Windows 10 Home 64bit (21H2)

System Name	PC on since Aug 18th 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X, ECO mode 88W PPT
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F35, V2 1.2.0.7
Cooling	Corsair H110i 280mm (w/ Contuctonaut since Jan 2020)
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo (GTZN) 3600MHz 1.40V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:274, B-die
Video Card(s)	MSI RX 5700XT Gaming X, GPU 2100MHz, VRAM 1750MHz
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 by Samsung, 3440x1440
Case	None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster Z <--optical link--> Logitech Z5500 5.1 500W, Logitech G935 headset
Power Supply	Corsair HX750i
Mouse	Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard	Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software	Windows 10 Home 64bit (21H2)

System Name	SYBARIS
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard	MSI Arsenal Gaming B450 Tomahawk
Cooling	Cryorig H7 Quad Lumi
Memory	Team T-Force Delta RGB 2x8GB 3200CL16
Video Card(s)	Colorful GeForce RTX 2060 6G V2
Storage	Crucial MX500 500GB \| WD Black WD1003FZEX 1TB
Display(s)	AOC 24G2 24" 144hz IPS \| LG 22MP68VQ-P 22" 75hz IPS
Case	In Win Mana 136
Audio Device(s)	HyperX Cloud X \| iVOOMi iVO-169SUFBT 2.1
Power Supply	Cooler Master G550M
Mouse	Razer Viper Mini \| Cooler Master MM711 \| Logitech G102 \| Logitech G402
Keyboard	Fantech MK871 RGB TKL Outemu Blue mechanical keyboard
Software	Windows 10 Education 21H1 x64