Axillary Fighters

Caution traffic!

   By a lucky coincidence, almost all Razer carpets and a couple of similar products in class converged at one spatiotemporal point. As the saying goes, and I was there ... Back and forth with a mouse, I want to tell you everything in order and share my impressions.

   I will start, perhaps, with some reasoning. Do you really need a rug for a modern mouse? As far as I remember, it all began in the days of mice with a mechanical principle of action - which were frankly blunt on some types of surfaces. Around then (and maybe much earlier), people began to buy a rug up to their full ammunition capacity - at that time it was cracking carpets with all kinds of patterns, from the back of which there was an incredible smell of any chemical substance. But how many memories associated with chopping off dirt from three mouse rollers!

Time is running. The mechanics (around 1999) were replaced by optics - bright light from the “keyhole” and a wide range of supported surfaces. Marketing DPIs were growing by leaps and bounds, but progress did not stand still - after some time, laser rodents appeared that could drive on any off-road. An interesting IXBT article can be read on this subject .
   But ... but the carpet industry has not gone anywhere - why in the era of powerful lasers continue to produce new coatings, which are abundant in almost any computer store? Anything to satisfy an old habit? Well, maybe so ... maybe someone has their own reasons for this, and the third is guided by something else ... in general, the carpets remained and are not going to go anywhere yet. Actually, I offer an overview of the most, in my opinion, interesting of what is on the market.

   Below you will see photos of all kinds of spider bugs - the fact is that Razer calls all its products the names of creatures. Mice - the names of snakes, keyboards - the names of spiders, speakers - the names of fish, and carpets, respectively, the names of beetles. So do not be alarmed - where else can you read about bugs!

Goliaths

   Razer Goliathus . Perhaps the most common rugs are gaining popularity, apparently due to the fact that they have the lowest price and are suitable for most users. There are two versions - Speed and Control : two different types of fabric surfaces are glued to a rather thick porous rubber base.
   Speed- Designed for active movements, including high-amplitude ones - in shooters, arcades and other dynamic games involving the mouse. The most smooth carpet on which any mouse drives almost silently (even just a finger literally glides along the carpet). Due to the fact that the distance between the “elements” of the fabric is very small, microsocpic dust particles get clogged there over time - this is not visible to the naked eye, but if you draw along the surface with a fingernail, a bright trace will remain. This is easy to deal with - it is enough to periodically wipe the carpet with a damp cloth or a cleaning cloth.









   Control- designed for more measured movement and "pixel-by-pixel" cursor control - suitable for strategies, RPGs, as well as for working in graphic editors and for other office routines. Has a surface of a complex highly textured woven fabric - all for control. I do not exclude that larger “pores” will also become contaminated over time. A mouse-type manipulator moves beautifully on the carpet, also almost silently.







   Absolutely black, with a green and white name and company symbols. There are three sizes of Goliath - Alpha (large, 444x355x4.3 mm), Standard (standard, 355x254x4 mm) and Omega(compact - 270x215x4 mm). Omega is just such a carpet, as most users imagine it. What can not be said about "Alpha" - the dimensions of this carpet are really impressive! They are so large that the entire keyboard is placed on the mat and under it there is little space for working with the mouse - accordingly, the "clean" space is enough for absolutely any gaming activity.





   They are delivered in an oblong cardboard box, in a twisted form - after unrolling, the carpet lies flat on the table and does not try to take a rolled shape.



   With a slight press, the carpet is slightly squeezed - due to the rubber layer. Both carpets are suitable for any type of sensor and sensitivity settings.

Omega will cost the owner 600 rubles, the standard - 840, and alpha - 990.

Named after Goliath, the heaviest beetle in the world (males weigh up to 100 grams).

eXactMat

   Razer eXactMat is an expensive but very unusual carpet.



   It is solid - its base is a thin sheet of anodized aluminum (approximately 2 mm thick) with rounded edges. As you know, “luminium is the lightest iron on earth”, so the rug is very light ... and on both sides it fits on the working surface - again, Speed ​​and Control. But, unlike soft rag Goliaths, here the black surfaces are somewhat different - more smooth. In the four corners of the carpet there are small rubber pads - during the game they do not interfere, but they allow you to reliably hold the carpet in place and virtually eliminate the wear of the bottom surface on the table itself.







   But the main bonus of this rug is its second part - eXactRest gel standunder the wrist. Yes, it’s about the same as it was in the old black / blue carpets with which all the shops were filled.



   This pillow additionally has a rubber sheet that is placed under the aluminum part - in this case, the height of the mat increases and, again, the contact area increases, which is why the mat does not move at all.



   I don’t know how this stand is really useful, but for sure it’s much more convenient.
   What I didn’t like was the sliding of the mouse on such a carpet rather loud (as on a regular tabletop).



Dimensions 265x330x2.5 mm. It is difficult to find a carpet for sale, but you can - at a price of about 1400 rubles. The fact is that he has already been discontinued at the request of the Scandinavian pro-gamers. Rumor has it that in the cold edges of the guys’s hands froze when they just sat down at the game - as a result, another carpet was born, Razer Vespula.

Razer destructor

   It all starts with a paper "peel" on which some graphics, portraits of e-sportsmen, etc. are drawn. - we are far from them, so just pull out a gorgeous black folder in a fabric braid.



   It is solid and with a zipper - in principle, it can be used as a thick-walled carpet of the Control type series) On one side is the green company logo, which only adds charm.



   After opening the zipper, in the thickness of the protective material is ... yes, a solid Razer Destructor carpet! The one that was built taking into account the requirements of some players of famous teams.



   Actually, it is notable for the fact that it wears a highly textured Razer Fractal surfacebased on a special metallized coating. It gives the sensor a contrasting uniform distribution of dark and light “spots” - for high-speed mouse movements, both laser and optical.



   The mat is one-sided - a thin rubber layer is located below, and the final dimensions of the device are 350x280x2.3 mm. In addition to dark gray, there is a white option - in either of the two cases, only positive emotions remain.



It seems that this is the most expensive carpet - the unit price on the official website is 1790 rubles.

Razer megasoma

   It would seem, well, what else can you come up with ?! It turns out you can. As a result of long engineering torment, Razer Megasoma appeared - a hybrid of soft and hard carpets.



   Those. like rubber, it can be twisted into a tube, but when it lies on a table, it cannot be pressed with a finger (and even more so with a mouse) - it is very hard. The mat is made of transparent wear-resistant silicone, the upper part of which has a white matte finish. Black and white on the bottom left is the name of the carpet with some kind of bug, and on the top right is the barely noticeable Razer logo, glowing in the dark with a soft green light.

   The dimensions of the carpet are non-standard (by the way, the male bug reaches 12 cm in length and weighs 35 grams) - 350x230x2 mm - ideal for dynamic games where sweeping movements are needed, i.e. for actions. The reverse side holds well on any surface - perhaps even better than just the rubber bases of other carpets.



   Well, another nice bonus of this carpet is that it comes with an oblong box made of thick plexiglass, in which the rug can be compactly packed and transported.





   The mouse mixes well on the carpet, but the sound from the movement is louder than from the rag counterparts. But also much quieter than driving on a table. The only drawback is that at first the rug smells of chemistry, which is typical of many rubber products;)

Wikipedia says Megasoma is one of the largest beetles in the world.

Razer sphex

   The next interesting development is the Razer Sphex mat - I can even guess where its roots are coming from)



   That's right - in fact this is a regular sheet of paper. More precisely, one cannot find a sheet with such characteristics, but the thickness is the same.



   The dimensions of the carpet are 320x230mm. On the one hand there is a rough surface, on the other - a lot of dot Velcro, designed for repeated gluing-peeling. A4 sheet does not know how;)



   It is easily glued to wood, metal, glass, marble, but it is better not to stick it on the fabric. Due to its thickness, the carpet is placed in a laptop, in a folder or between the pages of a magazine, and when its time comes, it sticks securely to the table without giving itself away.







   Ideal for most tasks, with a random exit outside the carpet will be almost imperceptible.

   There is practically no noise during operation, as the roughness is very small (close to speed carpets). Not easily soiled.

Name - in honor of such a tiny little one:

But that's not all!

   By calling right now ... In general, the Razer Kabuto is also a very interesting carpet. It is very thin (280x195x1.2mm) and also fits easily between the covers of the laptop, but unlike the Razer Sphex, it has a rubber base.







   The neutral dark surface (without any contrasting elements) is made of rag material, macro fibers are perfect for wiping the laptop screen from prints :) It will
cost the owner 800 rubles.

Named after the Japanese name for the rhinoceros beetle (branchhorn), Kabuto Mushi:



   Now I went to the company's website and saw a new product - Razer Vespula . It was he who replaced the eXactMat carpet - instead of an aluminum base, plastic is used.



   Otherwise, this is a hybrid of Destructor and eXactMat carpets - solid and durable, double-sided (speed / control), with a wrist cushion and the same expensive) But a little more - 300x240x4 mm.

Named after an ordinary wasp.



   In addition to these black carpets, the company offers many bright solutions that are not in the article. The choice is not great, but elegant in its own way.
   Many carpets from different companies were ignored, but ... almost all of them either have much in common with those described above, or do not represent any interest whatsoever. Of the worthy ones, it can be noted, perhaps, that the SteelSeries company has nothing unusual in their assortment, but the carpets as a whole are not bad. For a long time I used the representative of the QcK seriesbut once baby milk was spilled on it :)

* Bonus *

   Ordinary rugs at 50 ... 150 rubles. Often these carpets are handed out for free - as a small bonus to buying something. As a rule, they have standard sizes - slightly larger or smaller than A4 sheet. The base is some kind of finely porous material.



   There may not be a strong grip on the table - I moved the mouse a couple of times with the mouse. The front side is a smooth matte sheet of plastic with all kinds of patterns. It is scratched and, as far as I know, it cracks with strong bending. Actually, it is suitable for absolutely undemanding users, for whom the decisive argument when buying is a drawing on the rug itself.

A4 sheet.It is noteworthy that you can not buy it - it’s easier to find at home or steal at work :) Moreover, if you shave it, then immediately a pack - then you can change it at least every day. In this situation, packs will last for almost two years, and if you take 4 packs at once (on average, 150 rubles per pack - you can buy the same thin Razer Sphex with this money), then you can use at least a whole era. No rubber or rough surfaces - on a smooth surface it will be held on parole, but more often - ride with the mouse)
   Marky - after half an hour of “driving”, traces will remain even from the cleanest hands, however, you can do something on it at any time write down. Tears, bends, wrinkles - but after all, and the price corresponding to the consumable;)
   By the way, they say that manufacturers use the white sheet of paper with 50% black fill to test the “stall speed” of the mouse. This print gives a set of very small black dots on a white background, which is almost perfect for the sensor.

   Armrest of a sofa. Here a lot depends on the model of the sofa. If it is fabric (or, worse, fleecy), then the inevitable dust will intensively clog into the sensor hole - to make sure of this, you can drag the sofa back and forth with your mouse and look into the "keyhole". If the sofa is leather, then this is a completely different matter. But in this case, the armrest should be very wide and even - only in this case it will be more or less comfortable to crawl with the mouse. And this is one sofa out of 10, if not less. In all other cases, the wrist will be very tired.



   In short, this option is suitable only in two cases - when you control a mouse, for example, a media center (nettop), where you simply do not need a regular rug - because there is nothing near the sofa. Or in the case when you are temporarily working on a sofa, for example, on a laptop - there is no place under the mat, the touchpad is inconvenient, but somehow you need to move the cursor.



   But in all other cases, this is continuous mockery of the body - work "on weight", 99% uncomfortable level of height, 99% insufficient area for movements. Well, and also the cons - soiled, expensive and lack of mobility. So, seriously considering this option, buying a sofa should be taken very responsibly.

   Just a table.And what, the most obvious option. In addition to the table itself, you do not need to buy anything - you can just sit down and immediately work. I suspect that many are using this particular option.
   Much depends on the countertop itself - if it is a varnished solid wood or stone (marble), then the teflon legs of the mouse will glide elegantly and silently on it and, most likely, it’s good to transmit all the movements.
   If this is something from the DSP series, then one of the main minuses will be noise from work - with an active game there will be a noticeable unpleasant rustle (in quiet work in applications this is not so noticeable); but if the smallest grain of sand falls, then this rustle will turn into a terrible crunch, and scratches will remain on both contacting surfaces. On some particleboards, lacquered veneers and other semi-glossy surfaces, “cursor improvisation” is not ruled out - when the cursor can either move by itself or randomly move to an arbitrary place.
   If glass is used as a tabletop ... then everything is completely bad. Firstly, glass itself is cold even in summer - as far as I know, when it comes into contact with hands, it negatively affects blood vessels. Secondly, when choosing a mouse you will have to limit yourself to a small number of devices - there are really few of them and, as far as I know, Razer does not have such models. But for example, Logitech has two mice of the DarkField series that can flaunt glass (the minimum thickness of which is 4mm).



   But they are not gaming and just expensive. If frosted glass is another matter, but, IMHO, it's easier to just buy a rug.

The end

   I repeat once again - I’m never a professional gamer, and even pixel-by-pixel control in graphic editors is sometimes not necessary for me. But this does not interfere with working with different mice on different carpets in order to understand what and how, to compare. After I tried to work on different carpets, I concluded - for the average user, this is NOT a required attribute, BUT and not superfluous. It is quite possible to work without a carpet - existing technologies make it perfectly possible to do this on almost any surface, but only using a good carpet can provide the sensor with surface constancy and precise positioning. And the noise from work will almost always be quieter.
   As for professional players (which, perhaps, among readers can be counted on the fingers of one hand, if any), then, of course, the requirements are completely different - in fact, it is for such users that Razer initially creates its products. And, what is nice, the players have plenty to choose from.
   Someone will say that all this is marketing nonsense, sucking money out of parental wallets and simply unnecessary bells and whistles for anyone - it is unlikely that any of us really have an urgent need for these ultra-precision and other chips. But there are a lot of such examples ... yes, at least the recent Winter Olympics, where skiers, due to the slightest change in ambient temperature, apply a certain composition to the skis for gliding. It would seem, but why it’s there - it’s going to go, what it’s not to smear ... but after all, no one discusses these disputes - whoever needs it uses it. Something like this) The mat is not a means for victories and is not a guarantee of accurate frags, but only an auxiliary accessory - everything else depends on the user.

   To summarize: everything is good in moderation and the main thing is not to bring to fanaticism. Razer once again proved that they know their job and provide players with a truly rich selection of tools to win. Perhaps it should be so.

Good luck!