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If you’ve read some of our other reviews, you know that we’re big fans of Razer mice. This company makes peripherals specifically for gamers, and has won a number of awards in their 14-year history.
But even the world’s most high performance mouse will perform like an old rolling ball mouse if you pair it with a shoddy mouse pad. So why not complete the package by pairing your top-tier gaming mouse with a slick Razer mouse pad?
But before we go any further, let’s talk a little bit about what you should be looking for.
Different Materials
To paint things with a broad brush, there are two types of mouse pad: cloth and plastic.
Cloth mouse pads are by far the most common, and they’re what you’re probably familiar with. They’re flexible, and can typically be rolled up for easy transport. Many gamers appreciate the texture of cloth, since it gives more feedback than plastic. The disadvantages here are twofold: they wear out faster than plastic, and can be stained if you spill something on them.
Plastic mouse pads, on the other hand, are easy to clean. They’re also more durable, and can potentially last a lifetime if nothing goes awry. However, plastic mouse pads are less convenient for travel, and don’t provide the same tactile feedback as cloth mouse pads.
Size
A lot of gamers prefer to use low DPI settings for their mice. The advantage of this is that it gives you precise control over your mouse movements, which gives you an edge with high-precision tasks – such as sniping from all the way across the map.
The downside of low DPI settings is that you need to move your mouse further to get the same movement on the screen. In order to make this work, you need a larger mouse pad.
Of course, your own personal gaming space is going to have some impact here. If you’re working on a small surface, you’ll have to use a mouse pad that fits.
Other Things to Look For
A quick word about advertising: a lot of manufacturers use words like “speed”, “control”, or “stability”. These are all marketing buzzwords. We’re not saying they’re bad – every company takes pride in their products – but focus on the features, not the hype.
Now that we’ve gotten our bearings, let’s get started!
Best Overall: Razer Goliathus Speed
This was our editor’s choice for best extended mouse pad, and it’s easy to see why. The surface features a tight weave that’s designed to be more durable than your average cloth surface. It offers pixel-perfect accuracy, allowing you to get your crosshairs on target quickly and easily, without stuttering.
This pad measures 10” x 14”, making it large enough for serious gamers but still small enough to fit on most desks. The rubberized backing prevents it from sliding around while you use it. However, it also makes it difficult to clean the mouse pad, since putting it in the washing machine would cause it to fall apart. If you spill something on it, you’re going to end up with a stain.
Pros:
- Tight, durable weave
- Responsive surface
Cons:
- Difficult to clean
Best Oversized Mouse Pad: Razer Gigantus
This mouse pad is big. It measures 455mm x 455mm, or about 18” x 18”. That’s enough to run your mouse at very low DPI settings without having to pick it up and reposition it. The weave isn’t quite as tight as the weave on the Goliathus, but it’s still very smooth, with plenty of feedback as you glide your mouse alone.
Because it’s a cloth pad with a rubber back, the Gigantus is difficult to clean, so be careful with drinks while you’re using it. It also has a rubberized logo in the top right corner, which makes that small portion of the surface unusable.
Pros:
- Very large
- Smooth cloth weave
Cons:
- Difficult to clean
- Rubberized logo
Best Portable Mouse Pad: Razer Goliathus Mobile
The Goliathus Mobile is Razer’s travel option, and it’s a beautiful piece of engineering. This pad is 215mm x 270mm, which is about 8 ½” x 10 ½”. But the main feature that attracted us was its thin, 1.5mm design, which makes it very easy to roll up for transport.
The cloth weave on this mouse pad is the same as the surface of the Goliathus Speed. This means you get the same reliable, pinpoint accuracy without the thick backing. The downside is that the thin rubber on the Goliathus Mobile doesn’t hold up to abuse as long as the original model.
Pros:
- Easily portable
- Tight, durable weave
- Responsive surface
Cons:
- Not as durable as the regular Goliathus
- Difficult to clean
Best Plastic Mouse Pad: Razer Sphex V2
This polycarbonate mouse pad measures 10” x 14”, the same as the Goliathus Speed. That’s enough for most gamers. The smooth surface tracks surprisingly well, allowing for the kind of precision movement that you’d expect to get from a cloth pad.
This mouse pad is easy to clean by wiping it down with a rag, and it’s more durable than cloth. However, it doesn’t give you the same tactile feedback, so take that into consideration of the “feel” of your mouse is important to you. It also has a little cloth logo on the bottom right corner, which makes that corner of the pad poorly suited for moving your mouse over.
Pros:
- Durable
- Easy to clean
- Smooth cursor/crosshair movement
Cons:
- Little tactile feedback
- Cloth logo tag on corner
Verdict
We were torn on this. We almost picked the Sphex V2 as our top choice, since it’s so durable and easy to clean. And make no mistake, it’s a nice mouse pad. All of these pads are, which is why we chose them.
At the end of the day, though we had to choose the Goliathus Speed. The weave is so tight that it may as well be plastic in terms of washability. Add to that the fact that it’s easily portable, and you’ve got yourself one beast of a pad that you can
