Artisan Hien (Black/XL) [FX-Hi-SF-XL-B] FX Soft (Japan Import)

Product Information

When a thick tape is pasted, irregularities are generated in the operational feeling of the mouse pad. The gaming peripheral market has been truly shaken up lately with extremely good gaming mice, headsets, and budget mechanical keyboards.

Alternatively, if you are on a tighter budget you can try the Odin Infinity XL which I would consider Hien’s little brother. In fact, the rubber base is so good it actually becomes an annoyance sometimes, since I like to micro-adjust the position of my mousepad depending on how I hold my keyboard.

Because the mousepad literally sticks to the table I CANNOT move it unless I lift it off completely and place it once again the way I want it. In a lot of gaming communities, the idea of changing things that currently work fine is frowned upon and that is how you end up with an entire colony of ill-advised gamers using sub-par peripherals simply because of peer pressure or bad advice. A good practice to maintain the speed of your Hien is to clean it regularly with a microfiber cloth and rotate the mousepad around so you break in the entire surface of the pad without creating slow spots.

I recommend spending the extra money for the FX version to prevent any potential fraying on the mouse pad. I didn’t notice any significant difference on the pad comparing X and Y axis, all good on that front. Using tape for improved glide is not a novel concept but in the context of glass mouse pads (SkyPad 3.

Once again, I have used A LOT of pads over the years but never have I seen such a unique rubber base used on a mousepad. Artisan is a Japanese company that produces the highest quality grade mousepads on the market currently. The only other real downside I can think of is the fact that the pad might be too fast for certain people, but that is not an issue with the pad, but with the level of skill of the user. Coming from a Logitech/Steelseries Limbo this pad is a whole other class, the poron base is amazing, the stitched edges aren't raised and the glide is perfect paired with corepadz!