5 best mousepads and mats in Australia 2021: From $20 | Finder
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Best mouse pads and mats in Australia 2021

Glide like a pro gamer or improve your productivity and make the most of your mouse's features with our round-up of the five best mousepads in Australia.

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Alex Kidman
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The best mouse pads and mats in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Our editorial team selected the products on this list based on weighing professional reviews and consumer reviews against each other. This accumulated data set was used to pick our overall winners for each specific mouse pad category. For each type of user, we selected parameters based on our research and identified the products with the highest review score within those parameters.

Read more detail on our methodology below..

Best overall mouse pad: Corsair MM600

Pros

  • Durable
  • Quality cloth finish

Cons

  • Small size
  • Edges lack stitching

Average online price: $100

Buy at Amazon
Buy at eBay
Buy at Kogan

Why we chose it

Corsair's MM600 is a premium-priced mouse pad, but it's one that does a lot to justify its asking price.

It's an extremely durable mouse pad made from aluminium, and it's dual sided, with differing textures on each side. That means you can use it across a variety of tasks or accommodate different users and their preferences simply by flipping it from one side to the other.

Reviewers noted its durable nature, the versatility of those dual sides and the comfortable rubber stoppers that keep it securely on your desk as a big plus for the MM600. However, it lacks any power features and it's not a super-sized model if that's what you need.

Best budget mouse pad: Steelseries QcK

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Quality cloth finish

Cons

  • Small size
  • Edges lack stitching

Average online price: $20

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

There are some very cheap mouse pads around, and honestly, if all you want is a surface, then they're probably OK. But if you're going to the trouble of buying a mouse pad, it makes sense to get the most value for your money, and that's where numerous reviewers highlighted SteelSeries' very affordable Steelseries QcK mouse pad.

It's a cloth mouse pad with a rubber base that reviewers liked because the cloth top meant it was very good for tracking mouse movements, while its small size was seen as a bonus for many looking to place it in a home office. Some did note that it has flat edges, not stitched ones, so it's possible to slip your mouse off if you're not careful.

Best gaming mouse pad: Corsair MM800 RGB Polaris

Pros

  • Array of RGB lighting
  • USB out port

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Another cable to clutter up your desk

Average online price: $105

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia
Buy at Catch
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

A gaming mouse pad needs to do a bit more than just track your movements nicely; it should also strike fear into the hearts of your opponents, or at the very least show off just how powerful your own in-game moves are going to be. That's where Corsair's MM800 RGB Polaris stands out; like many "gaming" mouse pads, its big selling point is the inclusion of RGB edge-lighting to dazzle your opponents, but it does a little more than just that.

While it needs USB to connect up power for its lights, it also features a USB out port, so you don't have to sacrifice connectivity in return for your blinkenlights. Of course, not everyone needs flashy lighting, and you do pay a serious price premium for the privilege.

Best Supersized mouse pad: Corsair MM300 Extended Anti-Fray Cloth Gaming Mouse Mat

Pros

  • Huge mousing area
  • Stitched sides

Cons

  • Prominent Corsair branding
  • Black colour fades with age and use

Average online price: $50

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia
Buy at Catch
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

When most people think of mouse pads, they're envisaging a square or small rectangle, but there can be some solid benefits in opting for a mouse pad that's much larger. It gives you solid support for other devices and a massive working area to slide your mouse around. That's precisely what the Corsair MM300 Extended offers, with a generous 92.98 x 29.9 x 0.3cm spacing covering just about any mousing need.

Reviewers like its stitched edging, which helps keep everything in order, and the smoothness of its surface for tracking purposes, although they did note the rather prominent Corsair branding as something of a problem in some situations. The surface is also designed to deliberately fade with age, which might not suit your personal style.

Best charging mouse pad: Corsair MM1000 Qi Wireless Charging Mouse Pad

Pros

  • Robust surface
  • Simple Qi charging

Cons

  • Actual Qi charging surface is small
  • Hard surface won't suit every mouse user

Average online price: $50

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia
Buy at Catch
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

A mouse pad doesn't just have to be a mouse pad; with the addition of a little power, you can do just a little bit more with it – and we're not just talking funky RGB lighting here either. There are a number of charging-specific mats on the market, most of which just focus on charging a companion mouse continuously, but Corsair's approach is a little different. It uses the Qi standard, which means that it's not just mice but any Qi device, such as your smartphone that can get a power boost while you work.

Reviewers liked its hard and slick surface for everyday mousing purposes too, although that could be an issue if you prefer a softer mouse pad. The Qi charging section doesn't cover the whole mat, either – you've got to remember to drop your wireless charging device specifically on the logo or it won't work.

Methodology

17
Brands considered
36
Products compared
5
Best products chosen
  • We compared computer mouse pads that could be purchased online by Australian consumers.
  • Mouse pads that were not easy to buy from Australian retailers or merchants selling to Australia were excluded from comparison.
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

How to compare mouse pads

Improvements in mouse technology – and critically the introduction of optical mice by way of Microsoft more than 20 years ago – have shifted the "need" for a mouse pad into somewhat of a "want" space because most basic mice can track over simple surfaces.

However, where we've seen the most innovation in the mouse pad space has been for gaming mouse pads, where the differences in surface tracking over a reliable area have more impact.

Here's what to consider when choosing your next mouse pad:

Cost

The cheapest mouse pad we considered in this round-up cost just $2.99. The most expensive typically retails for around $270. There's a lot of room to accommodate every budget, although naturally the cheapest mouse pads are always the most basic.

Size

Many makes of mouse pad come in varying sizes, with some able to stretch the entire length of your desk. That's typically a gaming requirement so that you never move "off" the mouse pad, but it can have benefits for regular desk work – as well as forcing you to keep your desk tidier!

Material

The cheapest mouse pads use simple neoprene style materials, but you can step up to pads with fully stitched covers for greater overall thread count – which, in theory, means more accurate DPI tracking – or even more durable models made from steel or glass.

Qi charging and RGB lighting

You might think of a mouse pad as the ultimate in tech devices that never needs power, but a newer generation of pads incorporate power in a few novel ways. Many offer RGB lighting for the gaming crowd, while others incorporate either Qi or custom charging for specific mice or, in some cases, your Qi-compatible mobile phone.

Where to buy mouse pads and mats online

  • Zazzle
  • Officeworks
  • Harvey Norman
  • Umart

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