Ripper XXL Desktop Gaming Mat

Pros:- Well-crafted- Durable surface- Adapts fairly quickly after unpacking- Great solution for lots of mouse running space and a couple of keyboardsCons:- Like any desktop mat, will get soiled over time- Pad is nearly half the thickness of a typical mouse pad- Has that typical mouse pad odor for a few weeks after unpackingI easily give the Ripper XXL gaming pad five stars. It’s the perfect desktop cover for my home workstation. I am a gamer and I occasionally work from home. This very large mouse pad-style mat is a little bit larger than a typical desktop mat you might find in an office supply place. You know, the ones that might have a large calendar on them. A mat is great for protecting the surface of your desk. You also no longer need a dedicated mouse pad; though, I went ahead and got a wrist rest pad—my preference.The pad came roll-wrapped and flattened out easily. It had the expected new mouse pad scent—okay, “odor”—of rubber and adhesive, but it wasn’t any more powerful than other mouse pads I’ve used—granting this is a much larger pad. If you are sensitive to this or concerned about exposure, you might want to air the mat out for a while. It didn’t seem to bother me.Its only downside is that it’s a desktop mat, so since we’re human, its days are numbered. I have managed to stain it in a couple of spots thanks to foods and drinks and smudges of dust. It’s not unexpected. I am still up for buying the same game pad when this one finally gets too gross looking. I would steer clear of this type of solution if you tend to keep a messy desktop—as in food crumbs and drink stains. I’m sure the pad will endure, but it will have those battle scars. If you’re into that or it doesn’t bother you, have at it! I don’t ding the pad for this, because this is not at all the defect of the product.Oh, I guess another downside might be its thickness. This may be a drawback if you like to rest your wrist directly on the surface. This doesn’t bother me because I’ve always used a wrist rest anyway. Even though it’s thinner, there is still a little give in the surface, so I think it’s still doing its job.I recommend this product to anyone that wants a flexible area on their desktop for using a couple of sets of keyboards and mice in a tight space or if you are a gaming and find yourself running off the mouse pad. You’ll have plenty of mouse running real estate with this bad boy.

Small goes away quickly, and mildly high tech when it's new anyway, so not a bother.I have not noticed any "fraying" at the edges, which one reviewer mentioned, but of course individual units can vary.I really like having the big work surface, all at one level, and it spans the seam in my workstation's work surface, which is also nice. And having your bare arms rest on the pad is a bit more pleasant than on the bare (sometimes cold) work surface.It does attract (or make more visible) little bits of white cube flotsam, not a big deal, you can sweep it away with your hand, though takes a couple passes since the surface has more grip than a bare work surface. And I suppose you could use a bit of sticky tape if you wanted to clean a bunch of dust off.One thing I've noticed is that where your skin frequently meets the front of the pad it picks up a slight shiny spot. Noticeable IF you looked for it after a few weeks of daily use, but still not bad after 3 months. AND I've noticed this on other large mouse pads, so no worse on this one, except maybe the black background shows it a bit more than a gray surface might. But I still prefer the black.I chose to put the fabric surface up, so the bottom rubber grips the desk, but still slides a tiny bit over the course of a couple days. No big deal to adjust it, I like it exactly even with the edge of the work surface, which is where my wrists rest (and OK, a bit OCD) I suppose you could put it upside down, the the bare rubber facing up; would probably slide on a desk a bit more, but maybe some small percentage of people would prefer it.I rotated it 180 degrees (still fabric side up) so that their white logo is at the back left corner and less noticeable, vs. front right, again a bit of OCD ;-) The logo is simple white on a black field, so not bad either way.I'd actually consider buying an even larger surface if they offered it (and had a reasonable price) In a big enough sheet I guess I could cut out a giant L shape to cover my entire workstation's work surface in one uniform layer. I suspect at that scale there are wholesalers who offer bulk matting material for that, and maybe a bit cheaper. I haven't bothered to look, but if somebody comes across it you might leave it in a review or comment.One other minor wish is that the bottom surface (or some inner layer) be a bit more rigid. Like many modular workstations, mine actually comes in 3 sections, with a slight dip wherever the meet, due to the beveled edges of both causing a little valley. My Apple wireless optical mouse works OK when it passes over the part of the mat that is over this seam, but my fingers can still feel the dip. It's not bad, and I've wondered about trying to fill it in with something. It's one of those details that's not a "problem", but one of things I notice almost every day. If the mat were actually two layers of rubber, laminated on a more rigid plastic inner core sheet, then it wouldn't dip down. Of course it would still need to be flexible enough to be rolled up for shipping, but I think that'd be do-able, and I'd pay an extra couple of dollars for that.And finally, this level of detail are what people call "first world problems", or "hey buddy, get a life!" sort of things. I feel almost silly reading my review, such seemingly minor details, but I swear I notice workstation, chair, keyboard, mouse things like this over and over and over, until I find something better that doesn't have that issue. Lighting, cubicle air flow, sound, etc. I don't complain about these things, but I just keep my eye open for something better. I rationalize this several ways, but hopefully if you're reading reviews for individual mouse-pads you'll have some empathy for this tendency, and maybe appreciate knowing these details in advance.Like I say, I've ordered 2 more of these today. One will join the first one at my primary workstation, and the second will be cut to fit into another project.

For those of you who are looking at this for a work desk pad, look no further. I can't tell you how annoyed I get with small mousepads (anyone with a dual monitor setup shares my pain I am sure). This "gaming mat" functions as a great desk topper and allows me the freedom to place my mouse basically anywhere I would need on my desk. It also gives my desk the clean, organized appearance I am looking for.The pad looks and feels like quality materials. It's nice and heavy and doesn't slide around. I have had mine for 6 months now and I can honestly say that there is no sign of wear. Its comfortable and my mouse works great on it. I have nothing but good things to say about this giant mousepad, so if you are questioning yourself, don't. This pad is worth the money and more in my book.

This is a BIG mouse pad. If you are like me and move a lot during gaming.....well this is the pad for you. I have only run into my keyboard a few times and haven't yet went off the pad when the gaming gets going. All of the mice I have used on it so far work well....death adder, G9x, RAT7, MS sidewinder.....yeah I have too many mice, always looking for the perfect one-Favorite,though old and no DPI switching is the DA hands down. It is a thin pad that is very comfortable, not sure how it will last as far as wear goes. I highly recommend this product....and hey it is even made in the USA....can't go wrong.