Mouse pads will protect the finish of your desk keeping it from wearing out over your usual mousing spot.
													
																	Desk mat vs mouse pad reddit. 
								
	
		
	
																	There s fast slow hard soft and different sizes. 
																	Whether you desire sheer control blistering speed or a balance of both our soft and hard mouse mats are designed to bring out the best in every mouse and playstyle. 
																	I bought a 900mm by 400mm mouse pad from china recently off ebay. 
																	I use a piece of linoleum kinda like flooring cut to the size of the desk. 
															
													
								
	
		
	
																	Assuming you have an optical infra red mouse which is most modern ones if it s a flat surface that isn t super reflective it shouldn t perform any differently at all it just might be a bit less comfortable than a mouse pad with a cushion. 
																	Hard pads eats mouse feet faster meaning you have to pretty much replace them every month. 
																	But you can get used to it. 
																	For example i like soft pads that cover my whole desk 1200 x 600. 
															
													
								
	
		
	
																	Glide is much faster on hard pads than cloth pads and stopping can be a bit difficult to some. 
																	It s much cheaper to replace a mouse pad than replace your desktop surface. 
																	It s all personal preference. 
																	Getting a zowie mouse mat isn t going to make me aim better it s just going to be less comfortable. 
															
													
								
	
		
	
																	If it s a varnished desk or something highly reflective the worst is a glass desk because you get horrible refractions or the light going straight through if it s just glass then you re much much better off with a pad. 
																	It is thicker than my genuine corsair mm200 mouse pad. 
																	Not sure how it compares with more expensive name brand mouse pads but its huge has stitched edges and doesn t wear out my mouse feet which is all i care about. 
																	Was 15 dollars shipped i m happy with it. 
															
													
								
	
		
	
																	Matt black feels sort of like leather warmer than veneered wood glass metal and the mouse slides just fine. 
																	You can t categerise them by good bad. 
																	As far as i know hard pads stay consistent and glide friction won t change with humidity.