Mouse Pad for <$25

[mcurphy]

Looking for a good mousepad. I use an MX700 laser mouse on a glass desktop. Right now my mouse pad is a piece of printer paper, lol. I'll probably upgrade the mouse to the G7 within a few months.

Recommendations for something under $25? Prefereably from newegg. I don't know a thing about pads, so any input is welcome.



EDIT Well I decided to go with a piece of marble tile! lol Thank you all very much for the great suggestions! If the tile doesn't work out for me, I will revisit this thread to review the many great ideas that were posted.

Thanks!

 

[The Boston Dangler]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=90

i'm using the ulti-mat black, but there's some decent options for a little less money

 

[oynaz]

A tile. Seriously, a marble tile is a very good mouse pad.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: oynaz
A tile. Seriously, a marble tile is a very good mouse pad.

LOL, I saw that thread a month or so ago when whoever it was came up with that. Was that your thread? (I couldn't find it through search)

But anyhow, when I first saw it I kinda laughed at the idea, but now I'm seriously considering it. I'll have to go to the hardware store this weekend and check them out. I would assume I want a marble tile with no texture, perfectly smooth?

And, do these work well with a laser mouse? MX700 or G7?

Thanks for refreshing my memory on that idea!

Edit: Anyone have a link to that thread?

Edit nm, I found it here

 

[imported_Imp]

There's no shame in using paper. I did it for a few weeks after getting a new dark, glossy desk; mouse kept jumping and just stopped working every 10 seconds. Well, then I bought a $7 nice looking, shiny, thin pad. It still skipped. In the end, went back to a good ole ass-looking blue $2 classic mouse pad. Now half of it is white with dead skin. For less than $25, I'd try one of the 3M or something pads rated for optical mice, and make sure it isn't glossy. That or just go to staples, some place with a great return policy, buy a bunch you like, and see if they work. Next pad, if I can find it cheap, will be one of those 'cloth' carpet pads, they look cool.

A marble tile sounds cool and cheap, but don't you have to sand it or something?

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: Imp
There's no shame in using paper. I did it for a few weeks after getting a new dark, glossy desk; mouse kept jumping and just stopped working every 10 seconds. Well, then I bought a $7 nice looking, shiny, thin pad. It still skipped. In the end, went back to a good ole ass-looking blue $2 classic mouse pad. Now half of it is white with dead skin. For less than $25, I'd try one of the 3M or something pads rated for optical mice, and make sure it isn't glossy. That or just go to staples, some place with a great return policy, buy a bunch you like, and see if they work. Next pad, if I can find it cheap, will be one of those 'cloth' carpet pads, they look cool.

A marble tile sounds cool and cheap, but don't you have to sand it or something?

I also have a new desk, it's pretty much clear glass. I've been looking at some of the options on the egg, but I was just curious if anyone had some experience or recommendations with any of them. I always just used the surface of my last wood desk, and haven't had a mouse pad for probably 8 years or more. Back then all you could get were the ole ass-looking blue $2 classic mouse pad...white with dead skin. LOL good one

Anyhow, I'm pretty set on trying out the marble. I have tons of sandpaper lying around so I'm going to give it a shot.

 

[imported_RedStar]

RATPADZ GS --cause i just got 1. (certainly a huge difference from just basic) XT is latest model.

as for the tile...do you ahve to heat it up

 

[dfuze]

Be very careful putting something as hard as marble on the glass. Besides weight (not sure of your thickness) you have to be careful of it scratching the glass.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: dph1077
Be very careful putting something as hard as marble on the glass. Besides weight (not sure of your thickness) you have to be careful of it scratching the glass.

Yeah, I had thought of finding some kind of pads to stick to the bottom corners so it will rest softly on the desk. I figured I'd check out what kind of cabinet pads they had while I was at Lowes.

 

[oynaz]

Originally posted by: dph1077
Be very careful putting something as hard as marble on the glass. Besides weight (not sure of your thickness) you have to be careful of it scratching the glass.

Put some of the sticky felt pads underneath the marble tile.

I just bought a greyish marble tile, stuck said pads underneath and that was it. The marble is a little rough on the surface, but that suits me. The mouse is an MX700 optical mouse.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I picked up some Thermaltake job from a local Radio Shack. It uses a USB cable, and actually glows around the edges (has a whole bunch of different colors). If you can't stand the glow, I wouldn't really recommend it though; it can be turned off, but you'll still have the clear plastic edges that will just look weird. On the positive side, it has an EXCELLENT surface for my G7, and the pads on the bottom stick to my desk very well. Cost me ~$20. It looks similar to this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817114131

Before that, I was using a microfiber cloth pad from Staples. For $10, it worked pretty well, and kept the pads on my mouse clean. It moved around on the desk a lot though.

 

[Conky]

I use a large (approx 14" x 18") cloth type mousepad that was $9.99 at Office Depot. I've seen these at CompUSA too. Works great with an optical mouse. Big pad is great too because I don't have to worry about getting off the pad during an online match.

 

[mcurphy]

Nice ideas, thanks for the replies! I am going to go for the Marble for sure now, but I will defintiley revisit this thread and suggestions if it doesn't work out. I figure for less than $4.00, and for something different, tile is the way to go. And if I don't like it, it won't be too much of a loss.

Thanks again!

 

[oynaz]

NP. Be sure to let us know of your experiences with the tile.

 

[mcurphy]

Thanks for the idea Oynaz. I had forgotten all about that option, lol. Anyhow, I was thinking about maybe cutting the tile to a custom shape. Any suggestion on a tool or tools that can give a nice clean cut w/o breaking, cracking, chipping etc.. the tile?

 

[John]

Most of the nerds at my office use the X-Raypad Thunder8

I've used a lot of various pads over the years and the Thunder8 is my favorite.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: John
Most of the nerds at my office use the X-Raypad Thunder8

I've used a lot of various pads over the years and the Thunder8 is my favorite.

Thanks John. Those look like nice pads. I may end up with something like that if my custom tile job doesn't turn out

 

[Xorp]

func 1030 is an old time favorite that's still really good.

I had a ratzpad GS and it sucked. Dumb shape and it whore out after a few months. XT probably isn't much better.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Xorp
func 1030 is an old time favorite that's still really good.

I had a ratzpad GS and it sucked. Dumb shape and it whore out after a few months. XT probably isn't much better.

FINALLY someone recommends the 1030. I have that and I've been using it for 3 years. It's about time I replace it cuz it's worn out, but this is a crazy good pad.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I'm still using some crappy old blue felt-topped mousepad

 

[John]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Originally posted by: Xorp
func 1030 is an old time favorite that's still really good.

I had a ratzpad GS and it sucked. Dumb shape and it whore out after a few months. XT probably isn't much better.

FINALLY someone recommends the 1030. I have that and I've been using it for 3 years. It's about time I replace it cuz it's worn out, but this is a crazy good pad.

The X-Raypad is nearly identical to the Func 1030 except the base is hard plastic with feet that keep it from sliding on your desk. The 1030 has a flimsy plastic base and tends to slide around.

 

[Xyclone]

fUnc sUrface 1030. It rocks! It comes with 2 sides, one that is smooth, for "twitch gaming," and one that is rough, for precision moves like headshots or Photoshopping. I bought mine for $20 from Newegg 2 years ago.

 

[spaceclamjr]

http://handstands.com/retail/mouse-mat/super-mousemat.php
handstands Supermat, its 14" x 17" and comes in a few different colors
think Steelpad Qck+, but only $10

http://www.jab-tech.com/X-Ray-Aqua-3-Cloth-Mouse-Pad-pr-3019.html
Xray Aqua3, my current mousepad, same dimensions as the Supermat/Qck+
but much thinner

 

[mcurphy]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I decided to go with the marble tile, but if that fails, I will be revisting this thread to review all these great ideas!

 

[L337Llama]

Func Pad's rock, and like another guy said, stay away from a ratpadz gs. Mine wore out after a few months, at least i only paid 6$ for it. I just got the func archetype 1030 to replace it, and its way nicer.