Mouse Pads: Plastic, Cloth, Metal or Glass OH MY!!!

[simi_id]

What about the new SteelSeries 9HD ?
I think to buy one of this together with XAI.
Is this any good 9HD ? Has anyone tried it yet ?

[EastCoasthandle]

Originally Posted by simi_id

What about the new SteelSeries 9HD ?
I think to buy one of this together with XAI.
Is this any good 9HD ? Has anyone tried it yet ?

The SteelSeries 9HD is nothing more then textured hard plastic. And as with all plastic mouse pads I've encountered they eventually wear down. Some may be more resilient then others but still wear down. IE: Although they wear down the mouse is still able to track on it.

Before you spend 35 Euro I suggest that you visit your local hardware store and get a 12x12 piece of white, ceramic tile and see how well your mouse performs. It should only cost $1/1 Euro and some change. You will need to put something underneath the tile to prevent it from scratching the surfuce of the table and to keep it from sliding. For example: Ultra Solid Grip Liner

[kid41212003]

My mouse pad is nameless, and I have no idea what kind of brand it is, but it's the best I have ever used (for optical mouses).

It has a surface like in this pic but alot smoother.

The surface made of something like half cloth, half plastic (polymer?), 1mm thick.

It's soft, and felt really comfortable, the base is more hard and thick and feel like rubber, which made it's hard to move around, you need to lift it to move it. I will take a pic of it when I get home.

[Gjohnst4]

For extremely cheap, The DELL XPS gaming mouse pad, (aluminum covered with black tracking surface) is only about ten bucks if you google it, and works very well

[IINexusII]

i would get urself a pad which is the same company as the mouse, so i bought a the destructor for my deathadder mouse. a graph with all these mousepads is overkill... lol

[Gjohnst4]

Heres the Dell XPS for 2.99, for a cheap solution, can't beat it. Even when it wears down, buy another
http://www.the-laptop-guy.com/store/...php?prod=KU170

[simi_id]

Originally Posted by EastCoasthandle

The SteelSeries 9HD is nothing more then textured hard plastic. And as with all plastic mouse pads I've encountered they eventually wear down. Some may be more resilient then others but still wear down. IE: Although they wear down the mouse is still able to track on it.

Before you spend 35 Euro I suggest that you visit your local hardware store and get a 12x12 piece of white, ceramic tile and see how well your mouse performs. It should only cost $1/1 Euro and some change. You will need to put something underneath the tile to prevent it from scratching the surfuce of the table and to keep it from sliding. For example: Ultra Solid Grip Liner

Yes, but they are marketing it as a new researched surface to work better with laser mouses and new technology in it's structure. I couldn't find a in depth review on the net being new on the market.

[EastCoasthandle]

Originally Posted by simi_id

Yes, but they are marketing it as a new researched surface to work better with laser mouses and new technology in it's structure. I couldn't find a in depth review on the net being new on the market.

You are so close yet so far...Yes, they are marketing it for you to buy! We get it but should you be so willing to believe the marketing of it at 35 Euros for a mouse pad? It's not a modern marvel we are talking about here.

[BababooeyHTJ]

Originally Posted by EastCoasthandle

You are so close yet so far...Yes, they are marketing it for you to buy! We get it but should you be so willing to believe the marketing of it at 35 Euros for a mouse pad? It's not a modern marvel we are talking about here.

Agreed, I can't see spending that kind of money on a mousepad.

[simi_id]

Xai + 9HD vs Kone + Taito/Sota ? Which one ?

[BumbleBee]

Xai + SX. 9HD will do. the Roccat Kone uses the same sensor the G9 uses except the Kone is better built from the bottom up in terms of performance neither the Kone or G9 come close to the performance of the Xai.

[simi_id]

Originally Posted by BumbleBee

Xai + SX. 9HD will do. the Roccat Kone uses the same sensor the G9 uses except the Kone is better built from the bottom up in terms of performance neither the Kone or G9 come close to the performance of the Xai.

So SX alluminium pad is better than 9HD plastic pad (also SP, 5L, S&S) ?

[BumbleBee]

the 9HD is the only one I don't have any performance data on. it will track on the 9HD, will it track better than the SX is the question. I feel inclined to say aluminum is the better choice.

[simi_id]

Originally Posted by BumbleBee

the 9HD is the only one I don't have any performance data on. it will track on the 9HD, will it track better than the SX is the question. I feel inclined to say aluminum is the better choice.

Thanks for the answer. I think I'll give it a try to XAI + 9HD since thay were saying to develop 9HD together with XAI. And since S&S it's the most world used plastic pad, 9HD being also plastic I think it's an improved version.

[BumbleBee]

Fred has a review on it here.

[EastCoasthandle]

It's the weekend, who has tried the white tile method yet?

[Frederik S]

General things to consider:
Hard mats are hard, which means no dampening when you reset the mouse to the center of the mat, thus making you are tad slower sometimes if you use a low sensitivity lift the mouse a lot.

Hard mats made from glass and metal are cold, which means you could get condensation problems. Glass and steel does not work well with all sensors and performance on those mats can vary a lot depending on amount of dust on them.

Plastic mats are a often a good compromise because you can achieve virtually any surface texture and friction due to the plastic molding process, and the fact that you can choose from almost an unlimited number of compounds.

You basically have to decide upon these four aspects when getting a mat in order to get on YOU think is GOOD.
1. Choose a size that fits your style of playing
2. Choose a material that suits you
3. Comfort
4. Texture / Glide

The average gamer goes through one soft mat a year, one plastic mat every 2 years. Steel and glass are not always the best when it comes to durability, for example old steel mats wear down just as fast as normal plastic mats. So you might want to think about how much you are willing to spend on getting the best mat for you.

First thing you want to do is try a lot of different mats, no review can make up for personal experience. Go to a shop visit a friend and try out a mat with YOUR (or something that is quite similar) mouse, the layout of feet and the design of them has a big influence on how the mice feels on a certain mat.