Intro
A mouse mat is a specialized surface for your mouse to glide on, just like how a track race car needs a standardized and well maintained track for optimum performance.
The quality of the surface easily affects one’s computing experience, yet it is still one of the most overlooked computing accessory. Most people would settle with any MYR10.00 mouse mat, but some would spend a humble MYR100.00 just for a mouse mat…
Previously, I owned a couple of cheapo mouse mat and a better quality one which I got from Left 4 Dead tournament. Most of the cheapo mouse mats were made of cloth, and they s*ck till max. Except for one man-made leather mouse mat which is still functional, better, but still awful to use because the surface was too “sticky” for mouse to glide.
The Left 4 Dead cloth mouse mat served me well for around ten months before it start to make my mouse to move in a zigzag way. It collects dust and stain like no tomorrow. I was so disappointed with it because I thought it could last longer. Since then I’ve been using various materials as my mouse mat – A4 paper, hardcover notebook and table, avoiding all sorts of cloth mouse mat.
I’ve been stingy…
After using all those recyclables for quite some time later, I decided to get myself a proper mouse mat because of Chinese New Year loots. If you know what I mean. *mrbean.jpg*
I was planning to get a Razer Sphex, something got into my mind and… Viola, it became Razer Vespula!!!
Tech Specs
- Non-slip, anti-reflective, abrasion-resistant hard coat
- SPEED surface for faster mouse movements
- CONTROL surface for precise mouse movements
- Comes with a gel-filled wrist rest
- Approximate Size : 320 mm / 12.61” (Length) x 260 mm / 10.24” (Width) x 20 mm / 0.79” (Height)
- Approximate Weight: 332 g / 0.73 lbs
Source: Razer Store
Packaging
If you’re familiar with Razer products, you will know Razer products have fancy packaging. I’m sure that quite a generous amount of my money gone to the fancy box and papers.
Product information in different languages at the back.
Open box, approval certificate by Razer Guy. (Who the h*ll is this Razer Guy..) and sorry, I don’t plan to be a Razer fanboy.
Look, Feel, Function
Badass design. The green rubber at the corner provide extra grip and add contrast to the black mouse mat.
At the size of 320mm x 260mm, it is considered an average sized mat. Quite sufficient for most users unless you prefer to use your mouse at lower sensitivity.
A friend of mine own a Razer Exactmat which is made of aluminium. It weights and feels much solid than the Vespula and certainly gives a premium feel. I don’t know the reason the change, whether for extra profit or lighter weight. Despite being made of plastic, Vespula is still very solid, without the extra weight.
Detachable wrist rest is a plus, you get to choose to use the wrist rest or not, since not everyone uses a wrist rest. But one thing about the wrist rest, it is gel filled, some might find it’s a bit on the hard side rather than soft. That’s all about personal preferences.
Control – much like smooth sandpaper’s surface for precise movement
Speed – smooth surface for sleek movement
I usually stick with the speed surface, unless my task require precise movements, such as photo editing.
Conclusion
Pros:
- Dual sided for different purposes
- Compact
- Detachable wristrest
- Rubberized corners for extra grip
- Good looking
- Hard surface – easy to clean
Subjective:
- Gel wrist rest
- Average sized
Cons:
- Material downgrade from aluminium to plastic (compared to Razer Exactmat)
- Premium price – MYR119.00 (compared with other types of mouse mats)
After using the Razer Vespula for about two weeks, to be frank, my mouse never felt so controllable in my hands.
Perhaps A4 papers had trained me to use my mouse in harsh environment, after switching to Vespula, my aim became more accurate. Now there we have it:
Gamers, use A4 paper for your WCG training.
In short, if you’re looking for a hard surfaced mouse mat and wouldn’t mind to fork out some money for it, Razer Vespula is quite reasonably priced consider that Roccat’s dual surface mouse mat costs even more.