SteelSeries 9HD Large Professional Gaming Mouse Pad (Black)

I had been looking at this for a long time. I had no idea what I was missing. I have a logitech laser mouse (sorry, I don't know they model) and had been using the surface of a Lifetime table for the last five months. The table worked well until one day when I scrubbed the surface to clean it off. After I did that the mouse never worked the same way on the desk surface. Then I moved on to a shoe box that I had had sitting in the closet for the last two years. That actually worked very well. However, having your mouse pad six inches higher than your elbow or keyboard was not a permanent solution. Not being a fan of mouse pads in the first place, I relented and bought this. The whole time it was shipping I just told myself I was going to return it. I took it carefully out of the packaging incase I actually did return it. I played one round of CS:GO and told myself "Wow, this is what it feels like to game on a PC." I have never used such a smooth surface. Normally when I aim the texture of the surface the mouse sits on makes me have to really concentrate on hand movement. Not on this. This thing is slick as butter.I have used plastic mouse pads in the past at places I have worked. I was never amused or desirous to see if there was anything better out there. What I had used would slide all over the desk making it very annoying to the point where you just want to throw it away and partly blame your mouse at the same time. This mouse pad doesn't feel cheap, it stays in place, the rubber on the bottom feels the way you would expect it to feel. I didn't expect it to be so slim. It almost looks like it is part of the desk when you step back and look at it after having used it.To those asking about durability, I can tell this thing is going to last. Back to the plastic mouse pads, the cheap ones that you might have used actually has a plastic film on top that eventually wears out. Those are the ones where you see the plastic curling up at the edges. When you look closely at those pads you rally that there are a minimum of three layers. The top layer is more of a surface to slide the mouse over, the second layer provides the reflective properties that that an optical or laser mouse needs, and the third layer is more of a foam that it is rubber. Fabric pads are basically solid rubber with a fabric surface on top. When that fabric on top starts to wear the mouse starts to lose precision. This pad had a solid plastic top with good quality rubber on the bottom. In terms of quality, if you are using it as a mouse pad and just for that, this thing will last for years. I have only used this for a day, but I can tell you that this is not a dirt sponge. Cleaning it should be infrequent if you are using it on a daily basis. If you do need to clean it you can probably just dust it off (unless you spilled something on it, then water would be just fine). The last thing about quality is that this thing is solid. It doesn't really flex at all. If you pick it up on the edge, it isn't going to flop anywhere. If you take it to LAN parties, you will want to make sure to be cautious of how you are moving it. I could see this snapping if you aren't being mindful about your handling of this pad during transit. Anyways, if you leave it on your desk, this things will last for a long time. Again, this is solid plastic and you are not going to find s surprise in the middle after six months of heavy gaming.It is plastic and rubber.I have gone on long enough. If you need a good, positive experience with a mouse pad, this is not one to miss. I don't really see how a pad can get any better. I know steel series use to make an aluminum pad that was close to $70. This is a very high quality product with a low entry price. If you need a better experience when you are gaming you should be rushing to buy this.

It is incredible how great the "right" mouse pad can improve your gaming experience.. I'm extremely picky about my gaming mouse pad, It can make or break the whole enchilada for me. That being said the 4HD pad is the best I have ever had, I have been searching for the right one for a while now and like Goldilocks, they were all either too small, too rough, too big, too thick, too obtrusive.. none I could find were just right.. UNTIL I found the SteelSeries 4HD.The mouse pad is thin enough to not feel like it is raising your wrist off the table at all, but thick enough (with the rubber backing) to feel substantial. The rubber backing holds it rock solid in place and there is no skidding around, even on a glass table. The pad size is subjective I know, but this one is in the just right range... not too big, not too small. The tactile response from the pad is amazing, it is smooth without being too smooth, there is just enough "surface friction" to keep it from feeling like glass, but not too much to start dragging on the mouse. I am still using my original, 7 year old, Microsoft Sidewinder gaming mouse and I spent a little time tweaking the dpi settings, weights and mouse feet to match with this pad. After all is said and done I think this is the absolute pinnacle of mouse and mouse pad cohesion. The result improved my response in game and improved my K:D ratio immediately. Forget all other mouse pads, the SteelSeries 4HD should be included with every computer sold today.

The SteelSeries 9HD large professional gaming mouse pad is exactly as it sounds, a large professional grade gaming surface. It is large and adequate for long mouse travel. It is professional gaming grade in that the materials used are very nice and have long lasting durability, while still having performance in mind. I do like how the mouse pad is stiff and very ridged.The friction is a little high for my taste, i know it was designed as such but i think it is a bit over done. I use a Cyborg R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse, which is a top notch performer and responds to this mouse pad perfectly. However over the few months i have used this mouse pad i have already wore off about half of my contact slider pads on the underside of my mouse. I am a daily user and gamer, but i only spend a couple of house a week on the computer. If you game a lot and purchase this mouse pad be prepared to have to change your mouse's underside sliders after a little while.What i will end up doing (and have done in the past) is get some medium duty teflon tape and cut some out to fit in where my old sliders work. A complete roll of teflon tape will cost less then a new set of sliders and one set of the teflon sliders lasts about as long as the originals, and it only takes a inch or two of tape. So i am only taking one star off for that.Over all, i am glad i purchased this mouse pad. It was a bit on the pricey side as far as mouse pads go, but know that i have used it i can tell that it is well worth the cost. You are getting a sound and superb product that will last you a very long time.