Mousepads.

I still use an S&S Steel pad - like this:
www.techpowerup.com

SteelPad S&S (New Improved Surface) Review

Based on the award-winning SteelPad S&S, SteelSeries has created a new mouse pad that comes with a completely new surface that is optimized to give the best compromise between low friction and best precision. We tested this $35 mousepad that comes with included Teflon and a carrying bag to see...
www.techpowerup.com www.techpowerup.com

Which I received free with a mouse from OC - must be around 20 years ago.

It is large, it has nearly no depth so you can overlap it with your keyboard without it causing any issues, and the surface seems to work very well.

On the odd occasion I've looked for something newer with the same advantages, but never quite found anything.
 
My next mouse or desk mat isn't going to be black. I don't like how you get grey marks and worn bits. To be fair I have a cheapo Titanwolf mat but it is only 2 years old, but I still had the same issues in the past with Razer mats. So next mat will deffo be lighter in colour.
 
Rroff said:
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.
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I get it, but there is a big difference between the Gigantus and Artisan pads in terms of build quality.

My recommendation would be to look at the Tenta-X Shinrai, it gets 90% of the way of an Artisan pad at half the price.

Otherwise you can use the mousepad finder on mousectrl to find one for your speed & budget, but the Shinrai is basically an Artisan Zero if that's what you're after
 
syks said:
Yep thats one thing you can defo tell, the build quality of the artisan is really good.
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It's definitely something you notice when you go back to a non-Artisan pad. It's a bit like moving between refresh rates.

You almost don't notice going from 240-360hz - going 'up' the stack (outside the first 60-144 move) feels a bit like minor improvements. But when you go back to 240 from 360hz or back to 144hz from 240hz you suddenly feel like there's something very different. Going back to a non-Artisan pad after using Artisan for a long period of time just highlights that 'quality' that other pads are missing.

It just depends if you can justify that extra cost for the Artisan pads.
 
t2na said:
It's definitely something you notice when you go back to a non-Artisan pad. It's a bit like moving between refresh rates.

You almost don't notice going from 240-360hz - going 'up' the stack (outside the first 60-144 move) feels a bit like minor improvements. But when you go back to 240 from 360hz or back to 144hz from 240hz you suddenly feel like there's something very different. Going back to a non-Artisan pad after using Artisan for a long period of time just highlights that 'quality' that other pads are missing.

It just depends if you can justify that extra cost for the Artisan pads.
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It's true, but I'll just throw out that LGG also make exceptional pads. They are on par with Artisan in my opinion. They also come in larger sizes if you happen to prefer deskpads.

The LGG Saturn Pro is legendary. It's a bit slower than the Zero but isn't too slow to be muddy, and doesn't have the same cat hair issue at the Artisan Zero
 
I forgot how uncomfortable 'soft' pads were when it's warmer, just feel like my arm is stuck to the pad. I've been using the Pulsar Hyperion Soft for the past few weeks and it's a great pad, feels like an Artisan Zero soft in a lot of ways with maybe a touch more speed to it.

But the past week of heat has been properly annoying to use that particular pad. Swapped to the Raiden Mid and it's much nicer in this weather. I still think I'll go back to the Hyperion when it's not quite so warm and muggy but it's good to have something for the warmer weather.

I wonder how a glass pad is during this weather, I feel like my arm would be stuck to it the entire time.
 
Still loving my artisan ninja fx...its not the fastest pad in the world but it still feels nice even in the heat we have had, still looks and performs as good as new.

Not sure i will need another pad for a loooong time, even though i do occasionally get the itch to try something else lol
 
t2na said:
I forgot how uncomfortable 'soft' pads were when it's warmer, just feel like my arm is stuck to the pad. I've been using the Pulsar Hyperion Soft for the past few weeks and it's a great pad, feels like an Artisan Zero soft in a lot of ways with maybe a touch more speed to it.

But the past week of heat has been properly annoying to use that particular pad. Swapped to the Raiden Mid and it's much nicer in this weather. I still think I'll go back to the Hyperion when it's not quite so warm and muggy but it's good to have something for the warmer weather.

I wonder how a glass pad is during this weather, I feel like my arm would be stuck to it the entire time.
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Your analysis of the Hyperion and artisan zero is bang on.

I've not had issues with my soft pads in the heat though, but I do have a dehumidifier. Was it particularly humid in your house for any reason (maybe drying lots of clothes indoors too?) That's often a bit cause

Big fan of the Hyperion in general. I'd imagine glass you'd definitely need a sleeve though, one of the big downsides
 
recently got an old but classic corsair mm800 hardpad not the cloth version for £15 brand new off the bay. it's a great pad for sure and easier to clean and not worry about my kittens threading it apart as they have done with the last 4 pads over the last 3 months haha
 
The choice paralysis sounds very real once you start comparing surfaces, bases, control and speed. Seven versions of each is enough to turn buying a mousepad into a full research project.
 
ntemples1 said:
The choice paralysis sounds very real once you start comparing surfaces, bases, control and speed. Seven versions of each is enough to turn buying a mousepad into a full research project.
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Yeah, that's a great way to put it. I think it's easy to get lost in the variety of choice but fundamentally any of the new/recent pads from the major players are all fantastic.

Buying a Raiden Mid or Zero soft from Artisan is never going to be a bad thing. Getting a PD170 or Hyperion Pro from Pulsar are going to give you a really enjoyable experience.

At least now the comforting thing is knowing that you can't really make a bad choice... Just that whatever choice you make you'll probably end up wanting something else to try later on.
 
t2na said:
Yeah, that's a great way to put it. I think it's easy to get lost in the variety of choice but fundamentally any of the new/recent pads from the major players are all fantastic.

Buying a Raiden Mid or Zero soft from Artisan is never going to be a bad thing. Getting a PD170 or Hyperion Pro from Pulsar are going to give you a really enjoyable experience.

At least now the comforting thing is knowing that you can't really make a bad choice... Just that whatever choice you make you'll probably end up wanting something else to try later on.
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Second the PD170. First pad I’ve tried where I truly can’t think of anything to improve.
 
ntemples1 said:
The choice paralysis sounds very real once you start comparing surfaces, bases, control and speed. Seven versions of each is enough to turn buying a mousepad into a full research project.
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Honestly, if you just wanted one pad to do anything, and money wasn't an issue, an Artisan Zero, or Hyperion, or Saturn Pro all in soft are excellent.

The problem becomes when you start considering specific budget constraints, or speed preferences, or you have sensitive skin etc. That's when the mousepad finder on mousectrl is helpful.

But the reality is, you'll likely try multiple mousepads because the choices are wide and there are large differences between a bog standard pad, an Artisan Raiden, Pulsar Jupiter Pro, Artisan Hien, etc. It's quite enjoyable to try different options once you've tried your first premium option. Much more so than mice imo!
 
t2na said:
That’s reassuring to hear. It sounds like the main danger is not choosing a bad pad, but convincing yourself you need to try another one afterwards.Yeah, that's a great way to put it. I think it's easy to get lost in the variety of choice but fundamentally any of the new/recent pads from the major players are all fantastic.

Buying a Raiden Mid or Zero soft from Artisan is never going to be a bad thing. Getting a PD170 or Hyperion Pro from Pulsar are going to give you a really enjoyable experience.

At least now the comforting thing is knowing that you can't really make a bad choice... Just that whatever choice you make you'll probably end up wanting something else to try later on.
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Got my first Artisan pad from Japan yesterday (had seen that Amazon was littered with fakes), quality and the feel of it compared to anything else I've used in the past is vastly different, went for a extra soft XXL pad
 
Glanza said:
Got my first Artisan pad from Japan yesterday (had seen that Amazon was littered with fakes), quality and the feel of it compared to anything else I've used in the past is vastly different, went for a extra soft XXL pad
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Yeah I think buying your first premium pad is honestly an eye opener. Prior to that you just assume they are bits of cloth on your desk. They are vastly underrated as peripherals, and mice are overrated imo.

Glad you are enjoying it - welcome to the rabbit hole!
 
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