Gaming mice are only as good as the surfaces you use them on. Gaming peripheral manufacturers create mouse mats and pads that are tailored to suit any gamers’ preference. Some gamers swear by soft pads for the comfort and portability they offer whilst other prefer hard mats for their durability and feel. Whatever your preference is, there’s a mousing surface there for you.
Today we have two gaming mouse surfaces from Tt eSports: the Dasher Speed Edition and Ladon Speed Edition gaming mats. Let’s check out these mats feel and perform and as usual let’s make this showy!
Thermaltake ventured into the gaming peripheral scene with their brand Tt eSports and they have successfully established themselves into the market with quality and affordable products. From their Challenger keyboard line to the new Level 10 M gaming mouse, they are steadily cementing their presence in the professional gaming scene.
We have a couple of products from Tt eSports and we’ll start with our volley of reviews with a couple of gaming mouse mats, the Ladon and Dashher speed edition mouse mats designed for people who prefer smooth swiping action. Let’s get some description and photos on these mats and get on with the review.
SPECIFICATIONS
[tabs tab1=”Ladon” tab2=”Dasher”] [tab]Ladon
- Dimension (LxWxH): 360x300x3mm
- Ultra-Thin Fiber and Nature Rubber Base, ensuring Mouse Pad Stays in Place.
Dasher
- Dimension (LxWxH): 400x 320x 4mm
- Cloth Weave Material Surface with Rubber Base, ensuring Mouse Pad Stays in Place.
CLOSER LOOK
[tabs tab1=”Ladon” tab2=”Dasher”] [tab]Ladon
| [singlepic id=4945 w=240 h=160 float=center] | [singlepic id=4946 w=240 h=160 float=center] |
| [singlepic id=4947 w=240 h=160 float=center] | [singlepic id=4948 w=240 h=160 float=center] |
Dasher
| [singlepic id=4895 w=240 h=160 float=center] | [singlepic id=4897 w=240 h=160 float=center] |
| [singlepic id=4898 w=240 h=160 float=center] | [singlepic id=4900 w=240 h=160 float=center] |
PERFORMANCE, COMFORT AND FUNCTIONALITY
To test out our surfaces, we use a Razer Spectre with a laser tracker and A4Tech X-720BH with an optical tracker to test on both types of sensors.
Ladon
Due to the size of these mats, it’s highly suggested that potential buyers measure their desks first before purchasing. That said, the Ladon is a light and thin and easily lays flat on any surface. Its stitched edged also gives a good boundary with a certain feel to it so users don’t swipe outside the surface. The Ladon’s fabric gives it a visibly gritty surface but the surface itself is smooth and has good glide. Being a soft mat, the small thickness tends to have little softness to it at all and the Ladon tends to get hard on the wrist on most desktop surfaces. During testing we noticed that the optical mouse was pretty choppy whilst the laser one was having no problem and felt more consistent. That said, we advise that the Ladon be used with laser-equipped mice than optical ones as the performance is quite poor.  It’s pretty ok for daily use though for the laser mouse but some might prefer having a wrist-rest to alleviate the friction and strain on the wrist especially on intense and long gaming sessions.
Dasher
The Dasher has a larger surface area than the Ladon and much thicker which gives it a softer feel. The surface itself is very smooth despite looking matte and the texture and feel has a soothing appeal to it. The non-slip backing gives it a stable base which is highly appreciated for a speed-oriented surface. One thing we found irritating with the Dasher is its habit of getting deformed when rolled for a long-time. Such was the case when we opened it for use for the first time. The mat curved and had bumps on its surface that it was irritating to use. We corrected the situation by putting some books on top of the mat and left it for some time to put back its flat surface. The Dasher does not have the problem with optical mice as the Ladon. Both test devices worked smoothly on this surface and provided a smooth, comfortable surface for use. All in all, it has a good feel to it but we suggest not rolling it up for long if you travel with it.
CONCLUSION
[singlepic id=4906 w=320 h=240 float=center]Tt eSports has yet to release a hard mat but if their current line of soft mats are any indication, their choice of surfaces are quite respectable. The Dasher and Ladon we tested today don’t bring anything special to your game nor does it improve anything. What they do though is give you a good gaming surface to play and swipe on. Both surfaces are pretty effective surfaces and work nicely, given you’ve already flattened out your Dasher and you use appropriate devices.
Both surfaces come in at attractive prices which for anyone looking for soft mouse pads is highly enticing. The Ladon costs around US$20 (no word on local availability) and the Dasher around Php900, making it go up against Razer’s soft-mat, the Goliathus. These pads won’t win any style awards nor increase your FPS, but they are a couple of premium quality mouse pads that are worth checking out. If desktop gaming bling is what you’re after, these pads are not for you but if you have some affection for Thermaltake and Tt eSports, we don’t have any problem recommending you these pads if they fit your needs.
