Mouse pad and Steelseries decision help

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bafiofromgermany

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I recently asked for help on a new keyboard and with everyones help I'm waiting to see what the Razer Black Widow is going to offer. Now I'm looking on getting a new mouse pad. I don't use one as of now and I'd like to get a high end one for my gaming needs.

From what I've read I'm liking the look and feel of the Steelseries. I'm looking between these two choices.

steelseries SX Medium Mouse Pad

and

steelseries 9HD Gaming Pad

Which one do you guys prefer?
 
Between those two, the Steelseries 9HD would be the best. It's a rougher plastic (compared to the smooth ones), but that means it should be slicker, but maybe too much in my experience. Should offer great tracking as well.

I'd keep away from the SX mostly because there are a lot of tracking problems, or just not as high of a malfunction speed as other pads. Also it's coated with Tephlon and once that wears out the pad is suppose to suck... If you want to give metal a try, go ahead and get the Rude mousepad for a fraction of the cost, but also has the same problems...

I would recommend getting a cloth mousepad, there's a great thread started by IanM who tested out several mousepads (I don't think he's been able to try the QCK) but you can read that and figure out which one is for you, he does an excellent job of pointing out all the flaws in each pad, but don't be too intimidated by his reviews he's very picky and points out even the smallest things...

Nothing compares to the feel and quality of cloth it seems, many people who've bought different surfaced mousepads normally seem to come back to cloth including myself after try glass (for over a year) and plastic
 
What mouse do you have?

I haven't used either of those pads, but I do like my Puretrak Talent a lot.
 
I currently have a Logitech MX 518. Studying up on mouse pads and what I think I'll like is headache inducing. Everyone likes something different, and the only way I can tell what I like is by testing out mouse pads myself, and unfortunately nobody I know would spend more than a dollar on a mouse pad so the only testing I can do is when I purchase a mouse pad myself.

I am worried about how long a gaming mouse pad will last and with the plastic mouse pads if it will eat the feet of my mouse away and how loud the pad is. Even the Steelseries QCK cloth pad I've heard only last a few months before it starts to wear down.

I'm thinking of going both cloth and plastic now. Cloth for general use and graphic design and plastic for gaming. This should help keep my gaming pad longer lasting and the feet for my mouse will thank me. For some strange reason I just want to try plastic to see for myself. After reading countless reviews and user feedbacks I'm actually now leaning towards the Razer Destructor. Totally out of left field I know, but I've read more positive things about the Destructor than I have the 9HD. I'm hoping I'll like it but if not I can always sell it and never have to think about the what if with mouse pads again!

After I try out the plastic pad I'll then decide if I want to get a cloth pad, the PureTrak pads do look very nice, but if I really like the Destructor I'll probably just get a cheap pad for daily use.
 
I've got the destructor, and I've noticed it's aaquired a sheen to it near the middle where my mouse generally resides. I was imapcting my Naga causing the lazer to freak out occasionally. I'm actually in the market myself, and I really think I'm going to go with a good cloth pad this time.
 
I can't say much about what plastic pads to buy, I do own a Ozone Exposure, it's a great pad however the listed dimensions were a lie and a real let down so I can't recommend it for that reason...

As far as people talking about the talent, I'm currently using one but I'm not overall too satisfied, its a good pad and all but it personally doesn't suit me and I would lean more towards a regular cloth pad like the steelseries (or another brand if you are worried about it wearing down).

You shouldn't worry to much about mousefeet wearing down so quickly, I think it's something greatly exaggerated unless you have an incredibly low sensitivity, but in that case you wouldn't use plastic because the pad wouldn't be big enough. If it still gets to you just buy yourself some mousefeet, they do not cost much...
 
Thanks for the help, I'm going to try the Destructor. It's coming on Wednesday. After a few days I'll let everyone know how I like it just in case someone else out there is wondering. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pickup a cloth pad too but I'll let everyone know what I'm planning on doing there after I try out the Destructor.
 
i believe that clamed 20%+ better tracking is true. I think they got that metallic surface idea from Revoltec who claimed the same about their fightmat pro2, i use the latter now and i really think it's true, having used also a normal plastic pad from revoltec.
 
I hate cloth the 9h is a good pad I like my pads as smooth as a babies arse.
 
bafiofromgermany said:
I am worried about how long a gaming mouse pad will last and with the plastic mouse pads if it will eat the feet of my mouse away and how loud the pad is. Even the Steelseries QCK cloth pad I've heard only last a few months before it starts to wear down.
Click to expand...

You don't have to worry about mouse feet.

http://www.hyperglide.net/?hg=mx_skates_1

this will save them and it makes mouse movement over pad even smoother.
I think i have eaten over a dozen of such sets (from various manufacturers) over the several years i had plastic and then later glass mousepad.
 
The 9HD is very good. I had the smaller 4HD for a few months (retired my old Func pad) and really liked it. When the Starcraft 2 beta came out I ended up switching to a Steelseries QcK mousepad for greater accuracy. It was my first cloth pad in over ten years, but I'm happy to have made the switch. Even in FPS my accuracy has further improved. It is an adjustment period since you need to apply more force to move the mouse, but for me it was worth it.

It comes down to personal preference. If there is a way to audition those mousepads, do it. If not, the 9HD or 4HD should be great for you. They are top notch plastic pads.
 
I got my Destructor a couple days ago, and I have done a limited amount of gaming on it so far, yet my first impressions are good. I generally use very low mouse sensitivity playing FPS, however I played a few rounds of CounterStrike Source and with the gliding of the mouse I feel like I have a bit more control over my movements and I'm seeing my mouse sensitivity go up a bit in the process. I'm still tweaking, we'll see how that goes in a few weeks. In Starcraft 2 I was worried there'd be too much gliding, but I'm able to select units faster and my mouse clicking is just as accurate as before.

The mouse pad is extremely thin which is good on the wrist, but I can see the roughness of the pad wearing out over time. I can also see where mouse feet can get worn out over a period of time as well with the roughness of the pad. I am going to keep an eye on my mouse feet and if they are getting beat up I'll pickup a pair of hyperglide feet. I am also pretty sure now I will pickup a cloth pad just to keep the Destructor from wearing out. All in all I got what I pretty much was expecting and hoping to get out of a high end mouse pad.
 
This may not be a popular choice these days but I still love my 3M pad (the original curved, lightly textured blue one with the water ripples graphic). It's still going strong with just a warm water and soap washing every few months. Back when I first got it I was using a ball mouse and playing FPS and RTS games pretty seriously, then I moved to optical and it worked just as well. These days I mostly play MMOs and RTS (diamond SC2 player) and it continues to work great with my G9.
 
I'm still a big fan of the good old fUnc pads. Ordered my first one about 10 years ago now...used it for about 3 years, at which point I gave it to a friend of mine and ordered another custom one for myself. I've been using that same fUnc Archetype 1030 for 7 years now. It has shown some wear, but it's still fantastic.

Sadly, the manufacturer site hasn't sold fUnc pads in a while and you can't customize them anymore.

Found this site where you can still order the default models (which have one rough side, and one smooth side):

http://func-pads.com/

These pads are honestly far better designed than most of the Razer and Steelseries products I've tried (granted I haven't tried them all). The 1030 or the Archetype are cheap, have great performance, and offer a lot of flexibility. Give them a shot.

Here's an old pic of my pad out of its base:

DSC00028.jpg
 
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th 9hd is a very very durable hard pad it will bend alittle and be fine very good product if ur looking for a hard pad.
 
Current favorite is the Puretrak Talent, but I haven't tried it against any other pads in here.
 
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