Steel Series mouse pads got a manufacturing downgrade

[Delicieuxz]

I bought a new large Steel Series mouse pad to replace my old one, and when I took it out of the box I immediately felt that it was lighter and thinner than my old one. So, I weighed them both in the box the new one came in.

The old mouse pad in the box weighs 326g. The new one weighs 282g, which is 44g less. The box itself weighs 68g. So, the old mouse pad is 258g, and the new one is 214g, which is 17% lighter.

It might not matter too much, but the new mouse pad can move a bit around on my wood desk surface, while the old one is firmly stationary. That could be due to the decreased thickness and weight of the new one. The new one also doesn't feel as soft to rest my arm on, which would be due to its decreased thickness.

 

[Mad Maxx]

I've tried just about every mousing surface -- cloth, aluminum, glass, plastic, leather, fake leather, even cutting boards. About a month ago, I got a Corsair MM350 Premium Extended XL pad (35" x 16") and it's become my holy grail of mouse pads. It has everything you hoped to find in the Steelseries pads. It's thick, smooth, quick while also providing good control. Mine costs about $40 from Amazon, Best Buy, and other stores, but I found an open box one on eBay for $25 shipped. It hadn't even been removed from the box. Just one end of the box wasn't sealed. Definitely worth a good look and it's available in several sizes.

 

[Delicieuxz]

More details on the difference in thickness of the large classic SS pad I bought (March 2022) and the new one of the same model I just bought. I peeled the SS logo off the old one (and will do the same with the new one).

Here's the order information and my invoice of the old one:

 

[dogDAbone]

"we have the technology, we can rebuild it, make it cheaper, thinner, less useful than before" - Oscar Goldman, well, sorta

Practically EVERYTHING nowadays follows this statement, as all mfgr's are cutting every possible corner to lower their costs but charge the same or more than they used to.

 

[sharknice]

You want it to be as thin as possible, but it should have some sort of grip on the bottom so it doesn't slip.
Maybe this is actually an improvement.
If they're sacrificing the stickiness on the bottom, or the rigidity or durability then they're just cheaping out.

 

[legcramp]

Buy a GLORIOUS mouse pad on amazon... thick and high quality and cheap too.

I used to be a BENQ Zowie GS-R / GS-R SE user in the past but went through my stock, the newer ones claims to be the same quality but they are thinner and lighter when I bought a couple off amazon last year.

I recommend this beast 5mm thickness and is a perfect cloth replacement for the GS-R SE series, $14.XX before 5% coupon, I can't believe I used to pay $30 each for worse quality.

Glorious XL Heavy Gaming Mouse Mat/Pad - 5mm Thick, Stitched Edges, White Cloth Mousepad | 16"x18" (GW-HXL)​

 

[DWolvin]

I just mentioned on another thread, the various cheap 3m Teflon pads are very thin (so you need to have a smooth desk), and have an adhesive on them. Plop them down and they seem to last a long time. Plus they are cheap!

 

[Delicieuxz]

You want it to be as thin as possible, but it should have some sort of grip on the bottom so it doesn't slip.
Maybe this is actually an improvement.
If they're sacrificing the stickiness on the bottom, or the rigidity or durability then they're just cheaping out.

The old, thicker one feels better, IMO. The added weight helps it grip the desk. The thinner one moves around over time, which is really annoying. Steel Series offers a thicker variant, which is even thicker than the older one I had from them. But it also costs more than the regular one.

Buy a GLORIOUS mouse pad on amazon... thick and high quality and cheap too.

I used to be a BENQ Zowie GS-R / GS-R SE user in the past but went through my stock, the newer ones claims to be the same quality but they are thinner and lighter when I bought a couple off amazon last year.

I recommend this beast 5mm thickness and is a perfect cloth replacement for the GS-R SE series, $14.XX before 5% coupon, I can't believe I used to pay $30 each for worse quality.

Glorious XL Heavy Gaming Mouse Mat/Pad - 5mm Thick, Stitched Edges, White Cloth Mousepad | 16"x18" (GW-HXL)​

Cool. I'll check it out.