Decoding Materials: How to Choose the Right Mouse Pad Material

When choosing mouse pads , we all tend to go for the aesthetics, focusing on the designs, style, and size.

There are many types of mouse pads available in the market.

However, a crucial factor we tend to miss is the mouse pad material.

The material directly impacts the performance of our mice and their movements.

Not only that but the durability and the level of comfort a pad offers us are determined by the material it's made of.

Before today, most of us probably never looked at what our mouse pads are made from.

Together, let’s learn in detail about the importance of choosing the right mouse pad material.

In the article below, we will go through numerous materials and analyze their pros and cons so we can select a mouse pad best suited for us.

Let’s begin!

Arguably the most commonly used pads across the world, the cloth mouse pads are a thing of beauty.

Made up of a foam base covered with a fabric surface, these pads are the pinnacle of comfort and control.

Our fingers, hands, and wrists tend to get tired if we operate a mouse for more than a couple of hours.

With a soft and comfortable surface, the cloth mouse pad gives us the ability to work over a longer period of time without causing stress or pain to our wrists.

The top surface made up of cloth is excellent for friction, allowing us to move our mouse with precision and accuracy.

These pads are perfect for traveling as they are soft, flexible, and lightweight; easy for us to roll them up for transport.

Durability is not a strong point of cloth mouse pads. Due to the soft fabric and form, these pads tend to wear out faster.

The fabric is also prone to ripping or tearing away easily.

Another drawback of these pads is that they are stain magnets.

Spilling coffee, soda, wine, or other beverages on these pads can leave stains that are difficult to remove.

When choosing a custom mouse pad material that offers speed, these pads are not the right choice.

The increased friction generated by the top fabric layer means reduced speed. 

Leather is another type of soft mouse pad material. Those of us who have leather jackets or wallets would know how majestic leather looks and feels.

When searching for durability in softer mouse pads, a leather pad might just be the one for us.

These pads tend to last forever with no fear of rips or breakages.

Adding to its softness, leather is generally warmer than other materials, making it the perfect choice to use in colder areas.

However, leather can get dirty over time due to the oil and dirt from our hands and the mouse creating a slick residue of curd on the surface.

Choosing leather will require us to frequently clean our mouse pads.

Some of us may not like our mouse pads to be soft, so we need to find a middle ground between soft and hard mouse materials.

Cork perfectly fits the criteria of a mouse pad material that is not too hard or too soft.

Being a natural material, cork is environmentally friendly.

The material, being springy in nature, gives us comfort over longer periods of mouse usage.

The only drawback of a cork mouse pad is the stains; the porous nature of the material means any slight stain can become permanent.

Choosing plastic as our custom mouse pad material offers us a wide range of benefits

Firstly, there is a degree of stiffness to plastic which smoothes out any uneven surface our desk may have.

Plastic mouse pads are lightweight and easy to clean as compared to other softer materials mentioned above.

When it comes to aesthetics, the range and quality of designs available for plastic pads are overwhelmingly better than other materials.

However, these pads aren’t as strong; as we know, plastic can break or crack quite easily, especially from the edges.

Having a thicker plastic such as polypropylene can solve the breaking problem and enhance better mouse performance.

Additionally, the plastic pad can slide across the smooth desk surface if it does not have a rubberized base.

Moving onto the hard mouse pad materials, we have aluminum. 

When looking for speed and smoother mouse movements, an aluminum mouse pad is the perfect choice.

Its hard surface ensures considerably less friction as compared to softer materials, allowing us to move the mouse at greater speed.

Aluminum pads are specially designed for performance tasks, such as gaming, where quick mouse movements may be required to shoot a target. 

Generally, the aluminum pads are composed of three aluminum panels joined together that are 0.06 inches thick each.

Aluminum allows our mice to detect smaller movements to provide us with more accurate and responsive cursor control.

These pads also support high-DPI optical tracking.

With benefits come drawbacks, and aluminum’s hard surface is not comfortable to use.

The stress caused to the wrist due to the rigid surface means difficulty in using over an extended period of time.

If it's portability we are after, hard mouse pads made up of materials like aluminum are not ideal for that.

Lastly, sliding a mouse over aluminum will also create noise that can be unbearable at times.

Arguably the least popular custom mouse pad material, the glass pad is amongst the most expensive in the entire market.

Similar to other hard materials, the glass also provides a smooth movement and enhanced performance.

Less friction means we are able to gather greater speed; however, getting used to a glass mouse pad can be tricky.

The overall aesthetics of a glass pad are pleasing to the eye and it is definitely a unique accessory to have.

However, the biggest drawback of glass material is it is prone to breaking.

Glass is the most difficult material to protect, and when it comes to moving a mouse on top of it, it will inevitably cause scratches on the surface, too.

Last but not least, it is not cheap and does not offer portability.

Now that we have explored all the materials alongside their pros and cons, we are in a better position to choose the right mouse pad material for us.

Although there are no hard and fast rules as to which material we should choose, the one best suited for us depends on our specific needs and preferences.

Here is how to decide which material is the best for us:

• Casual computer users: Many of us use computers on a daily basis as part of our occupation, education, or leisure. In such cases, we need comfort for our hands and control over our mouse movements.
  
  The materials that offer us comfort are soft, like cloth, leather, or foam. Their softness ensures our wrists are protected from pain over an extended period of time.
  
  Moreover, soft mouse pad materials like cloth generate increased friction on the surface for better control and precise movements.
  
  Hence, soft mouse pads are ideal for casual computer users.
  
  
• Gamers, graphic designers, programmers: On the other side of the spectrum, we will find hardcore gamers , graphic designers, and video editors who need speed and precision in their mouse movements.
  
  A hard mouse pad material like aluminum is an ideal choice if we are looking to perform tasks that require sudden and elaborate movements.
  
  Less friction on the surface due to hard material means smooth mouse movement and higher DPI.
  
  Although controlling them can be an issue at first, getting used to them may take time, but once we do, we will be able to move our mouse more quickly.
  
  Hence, hard mouse pads are the right choice for gamers.

After going through numerous materials and analyzing their features and limitations, we can safely say that the custom mouse pad material is a crucial factor to consider when selecting the right pad.

Not only does the material impact the mouse performance and productivity but it also impacts user experience by providing us comfort.

Moreover, mouse pads are not all about functionality, and choosing the right material can allow us to have freedom over the design and style of the pad.

Want your custom mouse pad? Contact us today!