Mantis – Control
Manufacturer: Razer
Type of pad: Soft
Material: Fibretek cloth
Size: 17.25”x13.9”
Price: $24.99

Razer, the company well known for their high performance mouse products, aims to jump to the top of the mousepad market with the release of their Mantis Professional Gaming Surface. Another company called EverGlide, a long time symbol of excellence in the gaming world, recently produced what they call Fibretek, a woven fibre technology. EverGlide currently uses this new technology on their Titan mousepad. EverGlide also licensed this technology to Razer, who then printed their logos on it and are now marketing it under the name “Mantis”. There are two versions of the Razer Mantis mousepad, one with a rough texture for control, and one with a smooth texture for speed.

The Mantis comes rolled up in a plastic tube. Because of its thickness however, it seems to resist any deformation due to being rolled up, and lies flat with ease once taken out of the tube. The first thing to note about the Mantis is its size. It's HUGE! This mousepad is, in a word, huge. For most gamers with standard sized computer desks or tables, the Razer does not become an addition to your desk, it BECOMES your desk. However, in the professional gaming world where the majority of gamers have very low sensitivities to pull off their amazingly precise shots, when it comes to mousepads, Bigger is Better. As you can see from the pictures, I have a rather large desk and the Mantis is easily the dominant feature.

Using the Mantis pad was unreal. It seemed like every shot I took was hitting for some reason. Now, I am an amazing Counter-Strike player already (kidding) but the Mantis seemed to just make me better. Out of all the cloth surfaces tested, the Control surface of the Mantis has the least amount of friction between the surface and mouse feet. I would go so far as to compare this surface with the Control side of the Razer eXactmat, but it retains all the desirable characteristics of a cloth pad. Cloth pads are generally bigger, softer (duh), quieter, and more comfortable than hard pads. The Mantis definitely possesses all of these qualities. Tracking on this surface was exceptional with all types of mice. The back of the pad has that same interlaced pattern we see on most cloth pads, but somehow seems to grip the desk a bit more firmly than any of the other cloth pads tested. When using this pad, not once did I notice my mouse coming within 3 inches of any edge of the pad. This tells me that gamers with lower sensitivity than mine (mine is 2) will have a swell time on this mousepad.

Like all Razer and EverGlide products, this mousepad is constructed very well. I notice very little amounts of curling of the top surface away from the foam cushion part, which is almost expected on a mousepad that has a perimeter of more than 60 inches (5 feet). The surface of the pad itself is a really nice material. It is like a textured fabric that has pretty sizable hills and valleys in a really tightly woven pattern that seems to offer the perfect amount of reflectiveness and reduces the contact area (and thereby friction) between the mousepad and mouse feet. Maybe the coolest feature of this mousepad is the designed that is printed on the top. Razer shows off their creativeness by placing their logo in bright green and black in front of a green and black grid and their website is on their and everything – it's really nice looking. For gamers looking for a low friction and stylish alternative to their Supermats, look no further than EverGlide's Fibretek surface in use on the Razer Mantis Control.

Pros:
+Huge
+Low friction for cloth
+Grips desk well
+Nice design
+Great tracking
+Very high quality surface

Cons:
-Too big for smaller desks
-Somewhat expensive

Score:
9/10