Mousepads.

[Gilbert89]

I have noticed something a bit contradictory in a lot of reviews and Reddit threads (yeah, I know... Reddit). Control and Balanced pads are usually positively reviewed, while speed pads seem to be surrounded by negativity.

But then, glass pads which are in the ultra-speed/no friction category are raved about

Bought the Wallhack SP-004 glass pad. It's so smooth and feels really nice to use. Expensive but worth it.

I hate the re-brand from Sky Pad to Wallhack, why name it after a cheat it just doesn’t make sense… however, the mousepad is great and I have been really pleased with it.

I’m using the SY-001 with a GPX2.

 

[TrojanWhore]

I hate the re-brand from Sky Pad to Wallhack, why name it after a cheat it just doesn’t make sense…

I assume they're trying to imply it gives you an unfair advantage

 

[GregI]

I have noticed something a bit contradictory in a lot of reviews and Reddit threads (yeah, I know... Reddit). Control and Balanced pads are usually positively reviewed, while speed pads seem to be surrounded by negativity.

But then, glass pads which are in the ultra-speed/no friction category are raved about

It makes sense if you think about it. Less experienced players that get review units/frequent Reddit like control pads because it helps mask their bad mouse control ability.

The more experienced players/people who actually do research look at glass pads favourably because good mouse control suits glass well.

It's kind of like how all the mainstream sites if you type in "best gaming mouse" will spam that the 150 gram Logitech G502 is the best mouse to ever exist. Those are the same people stating how bad speed/glass pads are. The stock skates of Logitech probably doesn't help either.

 

[fraps]

Artisan seem to have updated their website. Looks a little cleaner and they’ve knocked off a couple quid from the shipping.

 

[fraps]

Does anyone have any experience with the Zero soft compared to an LGG Saturn pro? I was leaning towards the Saturn due to the supposed hair issue on the Zero, but now the Zeros slightly cheaper and it does seem more popular.

 

[jamief]

Are glass ones really that much better?

 

[t2na]

Does anyone have any experience with the Zero soft compared to an LGG Saturn pro? I was leaning towards the Saturn due to the supposed hair issue on the Zero, but now the Zeros slightly cheaper and it does seem more popular.

Hair issues aren't too bad on the newer Zeros, the old ones (as in ones from 2019/2020) were a bit of a pain. My current Zero is from last year and it's been fine with the hair issues compared to my one I used back in 2019 and 2020. That one felt like I had to keep one of those cat hair removal things on my desk!

 

[fraps]

Hair issues aren't too bad on the newer Zeros, the old ones (as in ones from 2019/2020) were a bit of a pain. My current Zero is from last year and it's been fine with the hair issues compared to my one I used back in 2019 and 2020. That one felt like I had to keep one of those cat hair removal things on my desk!

Haha sounds promising then. I’ve got two furry cats so if the hair issues were prominent I’d be swamped. One of their reps mentioned that they were looking for cheaper shipping options which is enticing. I think I’ll grab a zero soft when those shipping options come in.

 

[t2na]

Haha sounds promising then. I’ve got two furry cats so if the hair issues were prominent I’d be swamped. One of their reps mentioned that they were looking for cheaper shipping options which is enticing. I think I’ll grab a zero soft when those shipping options come in.

Shipping seems to have come down in the last 12 months, I tended to either buy 2 pads for myself or would go 50/50 with a mate and buy 2 at the same time as shipping was always a slightly easier pill to swallow when it was delivering 2 pads.

Zero soft is what I'm running at the moment (XXL in orange) and I'm liking it a lot, smoother glide than from my Hien soft and much less friction compared to my Hayate Otsu. I might try the Key83 next, seen some really good feedback on that!

 

[fraps]

Shipping seems to have come down in the last 12 months, I tended to either buy 2 pads for myself or would go 50/50 with a mate and buy 2 at the same time as shipping was always a slightly easier pill to swallow when it was delivering 2 pads.

Zero soft is what I'm running at the moment (XXL in orange) and I'm liking it a lot, smoother glide than from my Hien soft and much less friction compared to my Hayate Otsu. I might try the Key83 next, seen some really good feedback on that!

I’ve heard the Key83 is unique when it comes to cloth. If I get two I’ll end up with a Type 99 mid as well. That matcha green is nice and I’m fond of control pads.

 

[fraps]

Tenta X Jinsoku, very nice unboxing experience, shipped flat. Will have better feedback once I use the pad a bit more.

 

[t2na]

Got a new Raiden Mid (XXL) from Artisan at the end of last week. I'd forgotten how insanely nice a fresh Raiden feels compared to a worn one. Worn Raiden's are still nice but more like a control pad - vs. the fresh ones for the first 8 months or so have this lovely speed to them.

I've found it always takes 2 or so weeks to wear in initially with the Raiden whereas the Zero is great from the moment you put it down. Still - Raiden Mid has become my absolute fave in the last 12 months!

Apparently this colour is 'coffee brown' but I'm not sure the designers at Artisan quite know what brown is...

 

[fraps]

Got a new Raiden Mid (XXL) from Artisan at the end of last week. I'd forgotten how insanely nice a fresh Raiden feels compared to a worn one. Worn Raiden's are still nice but more like a control pad - vs. the fresh ones for the first 8 months or so have this lovely speed to them.

I've found it always takes 2 or so weeks to wear in initially with the Raiden whereas the Zero is great from the moment you put it down. Still - Raiden Mid has become my absolute fave in the last 12 months!

Apparently this colour is 'coffee brown' but I'm not sure the designers at Artisan quite know what brown is...

I’ve had the same on my desk since November. Ordered a zero at the same time that’s been mostly unused. The damn thing shaved my forearm and kept the hairs sticking up as a reminder. The Raiden mid is fantastic. Smoother, firm, speed focused pads seem to be what I lean towards. It has been a pricey journey to come to that conclusion.

 

[t2na]

I’ve had the same on my desk since November. Ordered a zero at the same time that’s been mostly unused. The damn thing shaved my forearm and kept the hairs sticking up as a reminder. The Raiden mid is fantastic. Smoother, firm, speed focused pads seem to be what I lean towards. It has been a pricey journey to come to that conclusion.

Haha, completely agree that it's a pricey journey to work out what is best for you.

I feel like I go through phases with pads, I spent a good 2 years exclusively sticking to the Hien, then found myself using the Zero non-stop - but the last 12-18 months I've just enjoyed the Raiden so much. I only bought one at the time (as I was still enjoying the Zero) but as soon as I swapped to the Raiden Mid it just felt so much more 'natural' with how I prefer to play.

At least with Artisan you can buy 2 pads from them at the same time to save on shipping and know you're basically covered for 3 years!

 

[syks]

The razer gigantus v2 is actually amazing for the price it costs, used one for fair few months, just switched to a artisan which is also very nice indeed.

Like them both but the artisan just nips it for me, im slightly more accurate while using it in fps games.

 

[RenzoGG]

Haha, completely agree that it's a pricey journey to work out what is best for you.

I feel like I go through phases with pads, I spent a good 2 years exclusively sticking to the Hien, then found myself using the Zero non-stop - but the last 12-18 months I've just enjoyed the Raiden so much. I only bought one at the time (as I was still enjoying the Zero) but as soon as I swapped to the Raiden Mid it just felt so much more 'natural' with how I prefer to play.

At least with Artisan you can buy 2 pads from them at the same time to save on shipping and know you're basically covered for 3 years!

Have you tried the Otsu yet? It sits between the Hien and Zero for speed, but blend the best of both worlds IMO. You still get the texture of the Hien, but it's less rough, but a slightly slower more controlled speed than the Hien. It's still on the faster end of spectrum though
e.g. Artisan zero vs otsu comparison

The Raiden is great, but the only issue with it is that it tends to slow down a bit overtime - it wears out quicker than other Artisan pads do.

 

[t2na]

Have you tried the Otsu yet? It sits between the Hien and Zero for speed, but blend the best of both worlds IMO. You still get the texture of the Hien, but it's less rough, but a slightly slower more controlled speed than the Hien. It's still on the faster end of spectrum though
e.g. Artisan zero vs otsu comparison

The Raiden is great, but the only issue with it is that it tends to slow down a bit overtime - it wears out quicker than other Artisan pads do.

Yeah had the Otsu for a while before getting a Zero. I did that initial move from the Hien to the Otsu but just found that I was sort of in that half way house stage and preferred the Hien to the Otsu - then eventually preferred the Zero to either of them. I actually sold my old Otsu this week!

And yeah, agree re: the Raiden wear. I found the Zero could comfortably be an 18 month pad from my use - but the Raiden definitely changes how it feels around the 6 month mark.

 

[Rroff]

The razer gigantus v2 is actually amazing for the price it costs, used one for fair few months, just switched to a artisan which is also very nice indeed.

Like them both but the artisan just nips it for me, im slightly more accurate while using it in fps games.

Might have to give the Artisan a whirl but at the price without testing it I'm a little leery when the Razer Gigantus gives me great results.

 

[t2na]

Might have to give the Artisan a whirl but at the price without testing it I'm a little leery when the Razer Gigantus gives me great results.

Yeah, I think the 'tiny' improvement you get from an Artisan is really hard to justify against something like the Gigantus.

It's like keyboards. I love the Wooting 80HE - but it's not worth the extra 60-100 over something like the Chillkey 75HE. There's a really nice middle bracket right now for peripherals where you get 95% of the performance/quality of the top end stuff for a fraction of the cost.

 

[syks]

Might have to give the Artisan a whirl but at the price without testing it I'm a little leery when the Razer Gigantus gives me great results.

would have never got the artisan if i had to pay full price for it, my mate upgraded to a bigger artisan so sold me his other one that was a few weeks old for £20.

There isnt a massive difference and i still love the v2, just the artisan is slightly more accurate on fps games for me .