In the hopes of catering to a wide section of the market, Razer decided to design a dual sided mouse pad that offers both speed and control, as well as a hard surface. It comes with a long list of features (for a mousepad) and a high price tag (for a mouse pad), but will a pad that does it all do it for you?
The features
The Vespula comes out guns blazing, with a wide range of features that are sure to impress. The most notable is the two sides of the pad, one reserved for control situations with a rough, coarse surface for increased friction and improved tracking, while the other boasts a speed surface with a superfine finish, offering little resistance to mouse movement. Each side is bonded to hard plastic board that offers little flexibility to preserve the surfaces.
The Vespula also comes with a non-slip rubber mat that you place between it and the table. This protects the down-facing side of the mouse pad, and stops it from moving around even during vigorous gaming sessions. The rubber mat features a built in gel wrist rest which integrates well with the shape of the mousepad, and offers a comfortable perch for your wrist while gaming.
Rounding off are the typical Razer graphics printed on both sides of the pad, as well as green rubber feet in the corners of the pad that provide support and grip for the pad if one chooses not to use to bundled rubber mat and gel wrist rest.
Razer Vespula pad and mouse
In use
The first thing that takes getting used to on the Vespula is the gel wrist rest, especially if you’re not used to a similar feature on your current mousepad. Your wrist is raised higher than it would be on a flat mouse pad, and takes a few games before you’re no longer aware of this. Once you’re used to it though, the pad becomes as comfortable to work on as any others I’ve ever used. It’s important to note that working with the wrist rest installed is a nightmare for gamers who play at very low dpi settings and lift their mouse off the surface while gaming. This causes friction on the wrist and can get irritating after a few games.
As for the surfaces, both were a pleasure to game on, and both felt different enough to justify having two available to choose from. This being said, after a few gamers I tended to favour one side over the other, this coming down to personal preference. The other gamers who used the pad for an extended period of time felt the same, and very rarely flipped the pad over once they found the side that best suited their play style.
When using the rubber base the pad remained in position through some intense gaming sessions. This was not the case when the mat was removed. The green rubber corner supports did little to stop the pad sliding on wood, glass and plastic, though they kept the pad high enough to avoid damage.
Razer Vespula top view
Problems
There are problems with hard mousepads though, with their inability to roll up or fold away being an issue when transporting the pad to a LAN.
The other issue is how sensitive the surfaces of the pad are to damage. Packed away next to the keyboard on the way to a LAN, the Vespula suffered a range of fine to deep scratches, rendering the speed side unusable. Special care needs to be taken with the sides of the pad, something to consider if you’re a regular LANner.
Bottom line
The Vespula is a great mousepad with a long list of features when compared to other pads on the market. It offers the best of both worlds in control versus speed surfaces, and is very comfortable for most gamers thanks to the gel wrist rest.
However, it’s high price (recommended retail price of R349), fragile surfaces, and inability to fold or roll away all count against it, something to consider if you’re the type of gamer who is on the move often.
Nevertheless the Vespula is a great mousepad, performs well during gaming and comes recommended.
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Gotta point out that hard mouse pads are literally the perfect thing for travelling, especially if you have a laptop or have no idea what you’ll be able to use your mouse on next. I’ve been using my Destructor every day for gaming or work for more than 2 years and it hasn’t got any scratches on it and it still works perfectly. The only thing taking strain is the non stick mat on the underside which is fraying around the edges.
Razer pads also come with a carry case so you should never have to worry about it getting damaged in transit if you put the effort in to just pack it up. I never use mine though, I just chuck it in my laptop bag and off I go. If you have any sort of backpack or laptop bag you shouldn’t ever have to worry about your pad getting damaged or warped.
For the cynics out there that believe a mouse pad doesn’t matter… try it and you’ll see the difference.