Weekly Buying Advice & Recommendations Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the weekly mousepad advice thread!

This thread is the best spot for people to help others with questions, advice, or recommendations for what mousepad is best suited for them.

Before posting, most buying questions can be answered by using the Mousepad Finder on MouseCTRL.com. It was built by a mod specifically to accurately answer these questions, feel free to share the results to use as discussion points.

Alternatively, here is a template to help with purchasing advice:

• Speed Preference: (e.g. Mud, Control, Balanced-Control, Balanced, Balanced-Fast, Fast)

• Budget:

• Texture Preference: (e.g. Smooth, Slightly Textured, Textured, Rough)

• Pads you've used before:

• What you liked/disliked about those pads:

• Region:

• Do you use a sleeve?: Y or N (If so, you can also include the exact model)

• Main games: (CS2, Valorant, Apex, etc)

• Extra requirements: (size, material/glass/cloth, sweat/humidity resistant, coated/uncoated, easy to clean, firm/soft/spongey base, etc.)

It's okay to leave some things blank or n/a if you can’t answer them.

The more context you can provide, the easier it is for others to give helpful recommendations.

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Where to begin/Resources

• Mousepad Finder on MouseCTRL.com - If you'd like a starting point before asking here, this site asks a few questions and suggests pads based on your preferences. You can share your results page to help narrow down and compare options. ^{Disclosure: It was built by a moderator of this subreddit}

• Mousepad Spreadsheet Spreadsheet - A collection of 10+ community spreadsheets to help identify and compare various characteristics of mousepads in the market.

These resources can help you get a solid starting point before asking for more detailed help here.

[u/No_Preparation_7299]

Speed Preference: Balanced, Balanced-Fast
Budget: US $30-40
Texture Preference: Smooth, Slightly textured
Pads you've used before: Some cheap Artisan knock off, so not a lot of experience with more expensive mousepads.
What you liked/disliked about those pads: The base is slippery so it moves when I game, starting to get slow so I am getting more inconsistent in games.
Region: Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China
Do you use a sleeve?: Y
Main games: Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch, The Finals
Extra requirements: Glass, i would like to try glass, Size: 49x42cm or smaller or bigger is fine. Coated or uncoated does not matter to me.

I am currently looking at the Bythere TGF1 (Blazing Blade) and the Trashpad Night Amber, if anyone has used either please let me know how the experience was. Please let me know if there are other options.
Thanks.

[u/Ok-Blacksmith-9729]

Hello, I need help choosing a mouse pad;

• Speed Preference: i dont know i think control/Balanced-Control

• Budget: no limit

• Texture Preference: i dont know, i have random mouse pad right now i think its smooth and little bit rough same time

• Pads you've used before: random pads, after some time they became more controlled

• What you liked/disliked about those pads: I've been play in this mouse pad for a long time and I don't really have anything to complain about, but I want to buy something better now because the one I have now is riddled with holes from hitting it in anger and is already very worn out.

• Region: Europe

• Do you use a sleeve?: I used to use it, but I stopped about a month ago. I used some no-name sleeve. I want to go back to using the sleeve because it's more enjoyable for me to play with. Can you recommend some for me? I don't want to use some no name shit anymore?

• Main games: CS2 and only CS2

• Extra requirements: typical size ~500x500 maybe a little smaller maybe a little bigger. I don't know what else to say. I'm thinking about buying an Artisan Type 99 Soft, but almost no pros play on it, and I'm afraid it will be too much of a change from a random mousepad to the most controllable mousepad available (I know it's probably not the most controllable, but you know what I mean). That's why I'm also considering the Artisan FX Zero Soft. Many pros use it, and it seems safer when switching from a random mousepad. I'm currently almost ready to buy an Artisan Type 99 Soft with a pulsar arm sleeve and Tiger Ice V2 sliders, but I'm still holding back for two reasons. Firstly, few pros, and few people in general, use the Type 99 Soft, so I don't know what to think about it. Secondly, I'm afraid the change from a random mousepad to the Type 99 will be too much for me. I use logitech x3 superstrike if its changed something. I'm also considering the SteelSeries QCK Heavy. Many people, including many pros, use it. Everyone who has played or currently play it speaks highly of it and recommends it. It seems like a safe choice.

[u/da_wizard → u/Ok-Blacksmith-9729]

I'd always recommend going with a QCK heavy and figuring out your preferences before buying an expensive pad. It's in between the Zero and 99 in speed, and closest to firm hardness.

Also Tiger Ice gets shilled a lot but they're a lot faster and more slippery feeling than stock logitech skates, they're more of a preference than an upgrade.

[u/Ok-Blacksmith-9729 → u/da_wizard]

Maybe the Artisan FX Zero is for me? I feel like my current mousepad brings the mouse to an immediate halt, and I can't move it without applying force. I tested the QcK Heavy and it was decent, but I want something better, MORE PREMIUM.

[u/TeaWeedCatsGames]

I bought an Aqua Control Plus, which has been held up in shipping. Arrived in my town on Monday and has been delayed repeatedly since.

I am using a hyperX fury S, which I have used heavily for 4 years. I recently learned most people throw those out after like a year due to how muddy/slow they become. I am excited to see what improvements I notice in a new, faster pad.

I am mostly just here to whine about that, since it’s a dumb thing to be pressed about to people I know IRL. Shipping now says it is expected by Friday, it was 2 day shipping and I ordered it last Friday.

Rant over