Best hard mouse pad?

P

powerhouse

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 8, 2000
Messages
153
My wife needs a new mouse pad... which means I can upgrade and give her my old func 1030 Archtype. I looked at the new func 1030 xl's but it appears they are out of stock most places and may have switched manufactures (lower quality) according to recent reviews.

The Archtype has been the best mouse pad I've ever owned, ultra durable and accurate, but they don't appear to be available. Whats the best hard surface mouse pad available today?

Please don't recommend Ratpadz... I've owned two of them and was extremely disappointed.... the original with the (awesome) flaming hardocp logo that cupped in the middle so bad I had to put it in the oven every month and the gs that I wore out in less than a year.
 
I don't know what the hell you're doing with your ratpadz, I've had 3 of them, two for home and one for work and it has yet to wear. (3+ years now of usage)

Are your mouse pad glide pads made out of 50 grit sand paper?
 
My Ratpadz GS was my main mousepad for over 10 years and I only needed to scratch it up a few times to keep it working - it's still good and I still have it but I don't currently use it. I only upgraded recently because I wanted a bigger mouse pad. I am so far also happy with my Corsair MM400 that replaced the GS. It's soft on the bottom with a thin hard layer on top. Not as sturdy as the Ratpadz, but good enough so far. The other brand I was considering is Mionix, which is what I also have for a mouse, but I've read good things about their mouse pads. I did read the Corsair MM400 was a bit better, though, so that's what I bought.

Some brands make aluminum mouse pads, but I didn't want to buy aluminum because bauxite is difficult, dangerous and dirty to mine. Aluminum is great for some stuff but I didn't see it as necessary for a mouse pad in specific so I didn't buy it. You could consider it if you're really unhappy with plastic in general.
 
The first one's surface was tough as nails but it cupped in middle. The gs was not durable at all. These were pretty well known issues with the ratpaz. I've had my func 1030 for 5+ years and its still perfect so its not something i'm doing.

I ended up buying the corsiar mm600.

Thanks,
 
dandragonrage said:
My Ratpadz GS was my main mousepad for over 10 years and I only needed to scratch it up a few times to keep it working - it's still good and I still have it but I don't currently use it. I only upgraded recently because I wanted a bigger mouse pad. I am so far also happy with my Corsair MM400 that replaced the GS. It's soft on the bottom with a thin hard layer on top. Not as sturdy as the Ratpadz, but good enough so far. The other brand I was considering is Mionix, which is what I also have for a mouse, but I've read good things about their mouse pads. I did read the Corsair MM400 was a bit better, though, so that's what I bought.

Some brands make aluminum mouse pads, but I didn't want to buy aluminum because bauxite is difficult, dangerous and dirty to mine. Aluminum is great for some stuff but I didn't see it as necessary for a mouse pad in specific so I didn't buy it. You could consider it if you're really unhappy with plastic in general.
Click to expand...

I also have the MM400 and I like it. If you're looking for the least amount of friction I think it is the best out there. I think Logitech has one that is almost exactly the same too.
 
The MM600 arrived and was promptly returned. It wouldn't track with my Logitech G602 at all and I didn't think the surface friction was that good on either side.

So I searched hours for a hard mouse pad and ended up with a..... ratpad. I didn't see any other contenders that looked appealing and the rp is fairly cheap so I gave it a 3rd try. So here's a quick dirty and biased mini review:

Ratpad
Surface 10/10 - Perfect, The best I've ever used
Dimensions 7/10 - Func and MM600 were better. Its plenty wide but the deep scalloped bottom cuts into the height too much
Price 10/10 no complaints
Thickness 5/10 - Very thick. I would guess at least twice the thickness of MM600 and 1030.
Shipping 2/10 - Took 11 days to arrive and was bent. Shipped without any padding.
Durability X/10 - I hope its better than the first two

MM600
Surface 5/10 - Both surfaces seemed mediocre at best. Wouldn't track at all on my G602 and loud.
Dimensions 10/10 - No issues
Price 7/10 - $40 for a mouse pad is pushing it. Beautiful AL frame and feels like a high quality piece.
Thickness 10/10 - No issues
Shipping 10/10 Amazon 2nd day and beautiful packaging.
Durability X/10 not a clue.

Func 1030 Archetype
Surface 9/10 - Really Good, but noticeably inferior to the ratpad.
Dimensions 10/10 - Awesome
Price 8/10 - Fair
Thickness 10/10 - No issues
Shipping 9/10 - Newegg great packaging
Durability 10/10 - 5+ year no noticeable wear

I'm keeping the ratpad but unsure if I will give it to my wife or keep the func. The smooth tracking on the rat is unbelievable good but its already (slightly) bent just from shipping. hopefully it will even out with use and not cup in the middle.
 
If you can't find anything else that you prefer and you're willing to spend the money, you may want to switch to aluminum surface (preferably anodized, not painted. ). I have a SteelSeries SX and they're hands-down in another class entirely. Everything tracks perfectly, its just ever so slightly textured due to the anodizing, easy to clean, ultra-durable, and as an added bonus, cool to the touch. I combine my SX with one of those ergonomic "bean bag" wrist wrests (which I admit I'm going to have to replace soon) and it has just been phenomenal.

The only downside at the moment is that the SteelSeries SX is no longer in production, so what was originally pretty pricy ($30+) has gotten even more so I've found with the simple addition of rarity. There have been several aluminum mousepads since, but I've not used any of them so I can't speak to their quality. Razer for instance has the Manticore, which seems similar in description at least to the SX. There are also more than a few "made for Mac/Book Pro" aluminum mousepads, but I don't know how their lighter color etc...is made for gaming and whatnot, or if any of them are anodized etc.... they're made to be aesthetically Mac-pleasing first and foremost.

Good luck!
 
Love my Rocketfish ("Speed" side). Think I bought it at Best buy for $20 about 5-6 years ago and haven't needed or wanted anything else since.
 
There is no 'best'.

Some people prefer plastic.
Others prefer metal or glass.

People that prefer plastic often don't like the cold metal or glass surfaces.

Personally I like the coolness of metal and glass. To me plastics are just yuk. They are too warm and make hand and wrist sweat.

Also I seem to be quite hard on mousepads. I have never had a plastic surface last even 1 year. For example, the ratpad I purchased was worn out in less than a year. X-Trac thin plastic pads wear out in just a few months.

My first Steelseries SX (anodized aluminum) was pretty nice, but the anodize also wore through after a couple years. Hoping my second Steelseries SX will last longer by keeping the surface treated (lubricated with silicon).

Have also had good luck with glass. My icemats were pretty nice. Not as smooth as the SX, and they also showed wear after a couple years, but still pretty good.
 
I quit using mousepads when optical and laser mice came out. I just use my desk. Am I missing out on something? The only hard mousepad I've ever used came with Mario Paint on the Super Nintendo!
 
Ratpadz.

Apply 3m mounting tape to the corners of the pad and one to the center.

The pad wont move and will never warp. Best idea ever, possibly one of the best mouse pads ever.

They used to warm on me bit not any more!
 
Maybe something like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-RE...9528?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item338be08628

It's honestly the best mousepad I've ever owned. I got one in 1993, and I still use it today. It actually outlived the mouse it came with, and has followed me from before my first computer all the way to the present. And I was a kid, so I was pretty rough on things. It may be the last mouse pad you ever need.
 
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TheRapture said:
icemat, large size. Is there even another option?
Click to expand...

Well, considering they're pretty hard to get at this point...

I use a small Icemat and love it. Tried the Manticor (Razer's aluminum pad) and found it to be too high friction (Icemat is MUCH smoother). Hoping I can snag an Icemat V2 or SteelSeries I-2 if one ever shows up for sale.
 
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