SteelSeries QcK Heavy Review

When it comes to competitive gaming gear people often like to talk about which mouse they should use, which headset offers the best value for money, and so on.

Not a lot of people seem to be talking about which mousepad you should choose, which is a shame. It might not be the most important part of your setup, but there are definitely big differences between the various types of pad, not only in appearance but also in performance and feel.

The Steelseries QcK line has been a steady performer in the world of mousepads, with it being both widely available and offered at a reasonable price, so it’s no wonder that this pad is one of the more popular ones out there and the next pad to be featured on our list of popular gaming mousepad reviews.

At a Glance


SteelSeries QcK Heavy

Used by 142 players ()
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Pro’s Choice

The SteelSeries QcK Heavy is a thick mousepad with a medium gliding experience. It can be ideal for people who have a lot of inconsistencies on their desk, as the thickness will cover up most surface-level bumps and dents.

Pros

  • Thickness covers up uneven desk surfaces

Cons

  • Thick pad can get irritating on the skin for some
  • Very strong rubbery smell initially

Specs

Height39.7
Length44.5
Thickness6mm
Stitched edgesYes
MaterialCloth
GlideMedium

Usage Over Time In The Pro Scene


First Impressions


The Steelseries QcK Heavy is definitely that; heavy. That’s due to the fact that it’s a very thick mousepad. It’s around 6 mm thick (0.23 inch) and it’s made that way to ensure that you don’t feel any imperfections in the surface you decide to put it on, which can be an issue with thinner mousepads.

Due to the overall size and weight of the QcK Heavy it lays flat on your desk almost immediately after unpacking it (it comes packaged in a rolled up fashion), which is definitely nice if you want to use it instantly. The pad obviously won’t cover up any gaping holes in your desk, but due to its thickness it does indeed cover up minor imperfections rather well, making it a good choice for players who travel to lans often or play on shoddy surfaces.

A weird quirk with this pad is that it has a rather defined smell to it. After unpacking it the pad will definitely fill a small room with the smell of the materials that were used for a couple of days. That’s solved by leaving it to air out for a bit or by simply not caring about the smell, but it’s definitely weird for a mousepad to elicit ‘what’s that smell?’ responses from people who quickly entered the room.

Performance


The QcK Heavy is a large mousepad, so people who play on low sensitivity will find plenty of real estate to execute their large sweeps. The pad itself is finished with a white Steelseries logo in the bottom left corner, but is left completely black otherwise. The logo didn’t interfere with the tracking as far as my testing goes (I tested with a variety of different sensors and mice) so should you find yourself frolicking about at the edge of your mousepad in the heat of the battle you won’t see any issues.

The QcK Heavy has a rubber base in order to make it stick to the surface it’s placed on. I’ve been using the Heavy on and off for months now and I’ve yet to catch it slipping even a bit, even though I play on a rather low sensitivity and do some rather aggressive flicking from time to time.

The pad sadly itself isn’t finished with stitched edges, which gives it a less premium look than its stitched counterparts, and the edges have started fraying a little bit, though it’s definitely nothing too bad.

The QcK Heavy has a rather tight texture, resulting in a smooth and medium (to fast, for a cloth pad) glide. It doesn’t have the most stopping power as a result, so if you have a tendency to overshoot you might want to think twice about buying this certain pad.

A very small downside of choosing a pad this large is that it’s going to take a while to completely dry off if you decide to wash it (which you should, every once in a while) but that just comes with the nature of the product.

SteelSeries QcK Heavy – Conclusion


The QcK Heavy is a great pad for users who want to have plenty of real estate to move their mouse around.

It’s built like a tank and offers a very smooth, medium-fast gliding experience. It might not be to everyone’s taste due to the thickness of it, but if you can get past that (and the smell during the first few days) the QcK Heavy is definitely a very good and reliable pad which can easily be used as a LAN pad on its own as well.

If you like to have your pad ‘rein you in’ a bit you should be wary though, as there isn’t a whole lot of stopping speed to the QcK Heavy.

This product was received for free from the manufacturer and given to our reviewer to test and review. Brands and manufacturers have no editorial control over our reviews. For more information, check out our review FAQ.

71 Comments
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alireza abdollahi

Hi. I play on 800 dpi and low sens, i really want to buy zowie g sr, but it doesn’t found in my country. I can buy g640 and qck heavy because other optin are so expensive for me. Is there another mouse pad that behaves like Zowie? Or i have to buy qck or g640 for slow and controlled aim.

alireza abdollahi

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A_im

Please someone help me, i was using qck+ like 6 years and edges gone bad so i bought it again used it like month but it feels super fast compared to my old one. I tried to wash my old one it still slower than new one. Old one also have logo+ steelseries text new one just have logo on it. Both original confirmed by steelseries support. Why i don’t feel same on new one help what i should do!

Reber

i got a the qck for about a week but where i palce my hand its starting to get dirty aalready is this normal?

Doj1ma

Should I get the Gsr II or Qck heavy

joshie

which is better in terms of control? hyperx fury s pro or qck heavy

calvi

when u wash qck heavy what method did u use?
rinse with warm water
use cloth detergent? and brush it with a tooth brush?
after that is it ok to use hair dryer but put the heat off?

Cranzit

so how do you recommend drying it

nebur

el fury s pro o el qck?

Karsten

So i used an QCK+ FNATIC Edition for like 4 years, after i felt i need something new i bought an Razer Gigantus, but i kinda feel more consistent and confident with the QCK. Which one can you recommend me the QCK Heavy or the Zowie G-SR?

Leon

Im fingertip user and I think about getting new mousepad beacuse mine is too fast. I wanted to ask what mousepad would you recommend. I think about something between QCK heavy and G640. I think QCK heavy will be better beacuse I use fingertip which is unstable and thick mousepad will let the mouse dig into it. Also G640 need to be worn out to be slow and I don’t want to deal with that. Also, can you tell me how much worn out G640 is slower than QCK heavy?

Bryan Gabriel

im using a qck edge. is there any difference between edge and qck heavy? also, i’m thinking about upgrading to qck heavy would you recommend it? 400dpi 1.2sens

David Rokosz

This or the Gigantus V2? I have a bit of a tight budget. I play 400 dpi and 1.9 sens and overshoot sometimes on this mouse pad (some random no brand one), so I am looking for a control but not stuck on the mud feeling pad. Thinking of switching to 1.55 sens if I still overshoot on the new pad

ARCANGEL

Is this surface better for SPEED or CONTROL?

Max

It’s a bit of both to be honest. It’s not really a speed pad (too slow for that) but it’s also not a dedicated control pad if you ask me (not enough stopping power for that) so I guess the answer is: it’s in between.

Nikki

I am currently using steelseries Qck Heavy large it’s been like a month since I bought it but the problem is that I feel like my mouse is sticking to my mousepad can you tell me the reason please. Well I am using bloody p85 lighting strike mouse.i am very much depressed of it cause my aim gets shittier. If you could help me then it’ll be great

Max

It could have something to do with humidity or the buildup of dust/dirt. You can always try washing the pad. If the feeling of the pad has been the same since you bought it then it’s probably just that you’re not used to how the pad feels. If that’s the case you might want to go for a faster pad such as the Fnatic DASH or the Endgame Gear MPC series or perhaps the Glorious Helios.

don

does the qck heavy offer the same smoothness and glide speed as the glorious 3xl ?

Max

It is very similar but I think the QcK feels a bit faster all things considered.

alex

is the qck heavy slower than the rest of the qcks ?

Max

Technically it isn’t since it’s the same surface material but due to the thickness it can feel slower because mouse feet can ‘dig into’ the surface a bit more easily on such a thick pad, so if you’re someone who puts a lot of pressure on their mouse or your mouse has tiny feet it can certainly feel a bit slower.

Flp

Which one is faster log g640 or qck heavy, also can u recomend mousepad similar to qck heavy?

Max

They’re very similar so it will probably depend on things like humidity and cleanliness but I have the feeling that the QcK is a tiny bit faster. A similar common pad to the QcK would be the HyperX Fury S in my opinion.

ficcotti

PROSETTINGS pls help i got QCK heavy , when i open it out of box for next 5 days mousepad was so good , smooth and rly good. After 7 days of usage its started to be sticky almost unplayable i mean it bother me so much and make me nervous , can someone confirm that problem or is jsut qck is like that after sometime of usage . PLS HELP and THANKS

Max

Are you by any chance playing in a humid environment? This can greatly affect the feeling of a pad. If you’re sure you or someone else hasn’t spilled anything on the pad I’d give it a wash (https://on-winning.com/how-to-clean-your-mousepad/) and see if it gets better after that. Pads do wear down after some time but you shouldn’t feel any major differences after only seven days.

Nikki

I am having the same issue and it makes me depressed

Cvn

No i didnt wash it, but i clean it every day with wet wipes. It feel someday slow someday faster. I mean if i get QcK heavy, it need less cleaning? and i want to feel same glide everyday, after some months using gsr feel sticky…

Max

I don’t know if cleaning it every day with wet wipes is ideal to be honest. You shouldn’t be having to clean a mousepad that often, though if it works for you that’s obviously fine. In any case; every pad will need cleaning every once in a while, though the QcK Heavy is pretty low maintenance.

Cvn

I have problem with GSR zowie , sometime glide is fast sometime slow so i cant get used to that pad, and u mentonied in some coment that GSR has that problem. So im using that pad about 7,8 months and sometime i feel i cant get consistency… What about qck heavy would i have better experience ?

Max

Might be a silly question, but have you washed the pad already? The G-SR should be pretty consistent (though on the slower side) if you wash it every so often. That said, the QcK is faster and required a little less maintenance in my opinion, so if you’re after that it’s a good option.

Kasper Bergmann

Funny thing is, you say it dont have the most stopping power, or the most control. But personally I feel like it has that(idk maybe it is the amount of friction it produces?) But I do also refer to when it is a little worn in. When it is brand new it feels pretty fast, but after a few weeks that feel is gone imo.

I just got the glorious 3XL that I read reviews, saying it is one of the best balanced in terms of speed & control. Veil it do look and feel a lot like the qck, the glorious to me, feels faster than my qck, and I feel like so far, that Im more inconsistent. Idk this might just be that it is brand new and me getting used to the slighty different feel, and might change when the pad has been worn in some. But I also read a lot that it is much better at not getting worn out. It last longer. Idk if that is for me. I seem to have gotten way to used to the worn out feel of a qck.

Max

Well as I usually say when people ask about these sorts of things: the glide of these pads is really similar most of the time. With the exception of pads like the G-SR (which is a very controlling pad) and so on most cloth mousepads are pretty similar. Things like wear, cleanliness and even the climate (humidity etc.) can also greatly affect the feel. If I use a QcK+ in Finland it probably feels a lot different to one in Brazil or something.

That said: I really like the 3XL, but it’s obviously a matter of personal tastes whether or not you’ll come to like it.

James

Hello I am now with Razer Firefly mat . I am thinking to change new . What do u recommend I like a Razer Firefly mat speed.

Max

Of the pads I’ve tested I’d recommend the Glorious Helios in that case, though as a fair warning I should say that I haven’t tested the Razer Firefly.

Gordon

Does the mousepad have a reflective surface?

Max

Nope, it doesn’t. Don’t know of any cloth mousepad that has a reflective surface to be honest.

Lyon

What’s the size of the Large size?

Max

It’s 450mm x 400mm x 6mm.

George

Complete fucking garbage that wont stay playable for more than a month. You will get small bumps almost instantly so all the smoothness just disappears.
Will never waste a penny on this shit again.
Buy a Zowie G-SR instead.

Max

That’s unfortunate that you had that experience. Can’t say that I had the same issue as you did. The Zowie G-SR is a much more controlling pad than the QcK Heavy though, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for people who want to get the same-ish glide feeling.

Yeet

Thanks for the review! It was made very well.

Max

Thanks! Glad you liked it and I hope it helped!

Marlindo C Fagundes Neto

Very cool.
Keep up with your content, it’s great quality.
Greetings from Brazil!

Max

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you like it!

Lincoln

How does the QCK Heavy compare to the regular non-thick QCK? I play with 1000-1200 dpi and I move my mouse very fast all over the screen, which one should I get?

Max

There’s no real difference except for the thickness. Depends on what you prefer really.

Angelos

Hello, I am between this and the QCK Heavy mousepad. My current one is cheap and has worn out edges. I like a soft and fast pad more than a control-based one. What would you recommend me to get?

Max

The new QcK Edge series has stitched edges so I can really recommend those if you like the QcK!

Apollo

Any other pads that are like the G-SR or have a lot of control?

Max

The Zowie G-SR definitely has the most control out of the pads we have reviewed: https://prosettings.net/review/

Santi

Hi i need to know a mousepad with control other than zowie gsr like is the hyper x fury normal one control and the steelseries heavy qck. I have a glorious now md it has like No control like My mouse glides way to much so i was thinking bout hyperx normal one or QcK Heavy xxl cuz i need control amd the zowie gsr is too small for me plz help me ?!:)

Max

HyperX and QcK aren’t what I’d call control pads so no dice there. The Razer Goliathus could be an option maybe, but it’s not as controlling as a G-SR.

Apollo

I’m really torn between this and the Logitech G640 and the Zowie G-SR and Glorious 3XL. Which one do you think is best?

Max

I haven’t personally tested the Logitech G640 but you should note that the G-SR is a very controlling pad. That’s not a bad thing at all, but it is an acquired taste, so if you like pads with a lot of control I’d say go for the G-SR.

carlos

Best pad for cs go?

Max

Most pros use the Zowie G-SR, which is a very control oriented mousepad. If you want something a bit speedier you can always try the QcK line, while something like the Razer Gigantus is a bit of an inbetweener. Also make sure to check out our review section for more mousepad reviews: https://prosettings.net/review/

Ethan

Hey I was wondering how fast this pad is compared to the Razer Goliathus speed? I currently have an ec2-a and It feels like ice on the Goliathus, is it the same with the qck heavy?

Max

I can’t confidently say how fast it is compared to that one since I haven’t yet gotten the chance to fully test the Goliathus Speed, though from my limited exposure to it I think I can say that the Goliathus Speed is a bit faster.

AnonymousSteve

I ‘ve been using the Goliathus Speed for 3 years and recently just switched over to the QCK Heavy. My Goliathus has definetly worn down after 3 years of use and comparing it with the QCK Heavy right out of the box, the QCK Heavy has a only slightly faster glide. But if you compare it to a new Goliathus Speed, the Goliathus would problably have much more glide than the QCK

Max

Yeah these pads are all pretty similar to each other as far as glide goes, though I personally find that the Goliathus has more of a control element to the glide. Your experience may vary though, as these things are influenced a lot by factors such as dust and humidity, certainly when the glides are so similar.