Mouse Pads

A mouse pad is easy to dismiss and does two things that matter.

It gives the sensor a consistent surface. Modern optical sensors work on most desks, but glass, gloss and heavily patterned surfaces cause tracking errors, and a bare wooden desk wears the mouse feet.

It sets the friction. Cloth pads have more glide resistance, which helps controlled, precise movement and is what most people prefer. Hard pads are faster and slicker, favoured for quick flicks. Neither is better; they suit different hands.

On size, bigger is usually the right answer. If you play at a low sensitivity, aiming across a screen takes a sweep of 20cm or more, and a small pad means running off the edge mid-movement. Extended pads that sit under both keyboard and mouse solve that and tidy the desk at the same time.

Thickness matters on an uneven desk; stitched edges stop fraying.

A practical note: a cloth pad does more to quieten a mouse than any silent switch, because much of the noise is the mouse moving on a hard surface.

The range covers Corsair, ASUS, MSI, Kensington, Fellowes, MARVO and Hama.