Well my girlfriend changed all that for me when at Christmas I was presented with a Cyber Snipa Tracer mouse mat. I have to say, my mouse use has definitely improved with this thing (and no, it is not just mental)!
Here's a pic:
I'm really glad she got this for me. Now I understand why people use mats like this. This thing is way different than what I was used to. For example, it is very hard. The structure is some type of hard plastic with a surface basically glued onto that. This surface is extremely slick, especially if you use a mouse with already slick feet like any of the Razer mice or the Logitech gaming mice. You can literally tap the mouse with your finger and it will slide on this thing farther than you expect. If you were to tilt the mat at all, it would slide right off. If you don't get what I'm trying to say already, this mat is really, really, really slick. :)
I've tried all the mice I have on this mat, and am satisfied with all but the Razer Lachesis. The Lachesis is Razer's newest offering, with advertised 4000 DPI. The Lachesis simply will not work on this mouse mat. However, I must stress this is NOT the mouse mat's fault, it is a problem with the Lachesis. No other mice have trouble with this mat, even other laser based mice like the G5 and G3 from Logitech. The Lachesis simply cannot handle any small spec of dust or grime on the surface before it simply goes haywire. I can slide over a speck of dust and literally the pointer will jump 4 to 6 inches across the screen. Razer states in their knowledge base as of now (1/30/08) that they are working on this problem, however their latest firmware (1.58) has not corrected the problem.
Back to the Cyber Snipa. Simply put this is a great mouse mat. Get one if you can. Another one that is exactly like it but sold under a different name for approximately the same cost is the Thermaltake A2417 Flare Pad. My girlfriend has this pad herself and I can honestly say it is identical to the Cyber Snipa Tracer. I can't find one difference except for the logos.
This mat also lights up blue with a dimmer switch that, of course, dims the light. You can dim the light down to completely off or impressively bright. I sometimes turn down the light it is so bright. This is powered by a USB port, so if you have a free USB port to use this feature, it is cool although completely unnecessary. Currently I'm a little short on USB ports so mine is not plugged in at the moment, due in part to the Razer Tarantula taking up 2 USB ports.
The one gripe I have with it is that I tend to sometimes pull my hand to the back of a mouse mat. If you do this on this mat, it will lift the front end up slightly off your table/desk because of this pad's one piece solid construction. The mat actually rests on 4 or 5 feet on the bottom of it around the edges. While there are 3 feet on the back that look like a middle one was placed there to sort of counteract this, it still should have been placed farther back nearer the edge of the mat to prevent this problem totally. A small piece of non-slip padding or another small foot of some sort from your local store would fix this problem indefinitely and easily. Another option is simply turning the mat sideways, which I've found works well also. This completely removes the lift up problem. However I have simply gotten used to putting my hand farther up on the mat to prevent this and it is now almost a habit.
I give it a 9/10. I definitely recommend this mouse mat to anyone who is looking for a good gaming mat. Extremely slick and smooth, easy to dust off/clean off, and looks great. Also it is very wide, so it has ample space to slide your mouse.
-Rav
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