Endgame Gear is a relatively new player on the market but considering the fact that their XM1 mouse has become the endgame mouse for a lot claw grippers out there despite being their first mouse release, they very quickly became a company that we have high expectations of.
When they announced their line of premium Cordura gaming mousepads we obviously had to see if these could reach the same highs as their mouse so we sent the MPC450 to our reviewer to see what he thinks of it. Read our full review to find out everything there is to know about this pad!
At A Glance
Endgame Gear MPC 450
❝This is a speed pad and it’s a great one at that. From the surprisingly smooth feeling but super heavy duty (when it comes to spills and tears) surface to the impressive firmness of the foam underneath: this is a high quality fast mousepad with a very interesting surface.If you’ve got a need for speed this should be on your list without any doubt.❞
Specs
| Height | 40 |
|---|---|
| Length | 45 |
| Thickness | 3mm |
| Stitched edges | Yes |
| Glide | Speed |
| Static Friction | 40.7 |
| Static Friction Angle | 4.25 |
| Glide Difference X/Y | 24 |
| Dynamic Friction | 0.96 |
Pros
- Durable
- Water repellent surface
- Good stitching
- Surprising amount of micro-control for a speed pad
Cons
- Could tone down on the branding
First Impressions
The first thing I thought when I received the package that contained the MPC450 was ‘this is an awfully big package to contain just one mousepad’ but that’s because the MPC450 comes in a flat box. Rejoice, people who hate bumps on their pads!
This pad is available in three sizes, with the MPC450 being the smallest one at 45×40 centimeters. Observant readers will know that that is pretty much the standard size for a (competitive) gaming mousepad, meaning that the other two are an extended version and a colossal desk-sized version which, according to Endgame Gear, is the largest Cordura mousepad in the world. I’ve been told that those other two pads don’t come in a flat package (which isn’t that odd if you think about it) but that does mean that this pad can be rolled up as well should you feel the need to.
With that out of the way we can get to my first impressions of the pad itself, and this is a tale of two feelings. On the one hand I love the deep blue color of the MPC and the stitched sides, but on the other hand I’m not really a fan of the quite large and rubberized Endgame Gear logo along with the Cordura tag. I get that these things are important for branding, doubly so for smaller companies, but I would’ve liked to see a smaller logo application here. The Cordura tag could be there for licensing reasons (I’m just thinking out loud though; I’m not saying that this is the case) and is easily removed with a pair of scissors so that honestly doesn’t bother me as much but obviously I could do without it.
Performance
I’ll start of by answering a question that’s probably on a lot of minds right now: what exactly is Cordura? Well, Cordura is a specific type of fabric usually made out of nylon (though there are many variations) that’s mainly used for military and outdoor usage due to its resistance to tearing, scuffing, and so on.
Now I don’t know about you but I am usually not gaming in the great outdoors so why would anyone want to make a mousepad out of this? The answer to that question is pretty simple: this pad is dirt- and water repellent and, simply put, is meant to last for years and years and then some, so there’s no need to worry about it degrading on you the minute you’ve had one too many sweaty gaming sessions.
I obviously can’t test how it performs after years of intense usage but I can say that I have tested it during literally the most intense heatwave my region has ever experienced and it came out on the other end of that testing period like a champ. I get sweaty hands quite easily whenever I am trying hard in a competitive game so on hot days I can really feel a difference between the spots where my wrist is usually sitting versus less-visited mousepad spots but that wasn’t really the case with the MPC.
The claim that it’s water repellent really holds true as well. Just to test I spilled a bunch of my precious water on the pad and it stayed on there long enough for me to grab my camera, take photos, and upload them. Afterwards I just gently dipped the spill with an absorbent cloth and the pad was about as dry as my lawn after weeks of zero rain. I personally don’t need my pads to be water resistant since I keep my drinks away from my keyboard and mouse space but I’m just saying that all this talk about Cordura being a reliable and low-maintenance fabric doesn’t come out of thin air.
Of course the pad could be bulletproof (it isn’t: don’t get any ideas) but all of that doesn’t matter if the glide isn’t pleasant so let’s get to that. If your answer to the question ‘how much speed do you want’ is ‘yes’ then this might be the ultimate pad for you because this is a fast one. In fact it’s one of the fastest cloth (or cloth-ish in this case) pads I’ve used so far but due to the fact that there’s still some texturing on the surface micro adjustments don’t become an impossible task. Don’t get me wrong: you’re not getting anywhere near the controlling feeling of slower pads but you’re also not getting the ‘on ice’ feeling you get out of some hard pads.
Concerns might be raised over the comfort of a fabric that’s made for rugged military people and outdoorsy survivor types but I didn’t experience any discomfort whatsoever. I absolutely hate the feeling of coarse textures grinding across my forearm as I perform large swipes for an entire evening so I was a bit concerned when I started reading up on Cordura but I’ve got to say that the MPC450 feels great. The mouse surface itself feels smooth enough and the stitching, while not the finest or most high quality stitching job, didn’t annoy me either. The rubber base also did its job of keeping the pad where I put it and the padding underneath the surface is nice and firm so that’s all aces too.
Given the fact that this isn’t your standard cloth surface I was a bit more thorough when it came to testing a variety of sensors. I don’t have any mice with really old or unknown sensors lying around but I had absolutely no issues with a 3310, 3360, HERO, Focus+, and what have you so I can say with relative certainty that this surface handles all of the current sensors (and even the previous generation of top sensors) without any hiccups.
Endgame Gear MPC450 Review – Conclusion
Endgame Gear keep surprising me. Their XM1 is a mouse that I quite often recommend to people looking for a claw grip mouse, and I suspect that I’ll find myself recommending this pad quite often too. As is the case with every product it won’t be for everyone: if you desire control or don’t like a very fast pad then this absolutely isn’t for you. There’s a surprising amount of ‘micro control’ for a mousepad this fast but it’s still nowhere near what you expect out of a more controlling surface.
That’s not a dig at this pad, though. This is a speed pad and it’s a great one at that. From the surprisingly smooth feeling but super heavy duty (when it comes to spills and tears) surface to the impressive firmness of the foam underneath: this is a high quality fast mousepad with a very interesting surface. It’s not for me (I prefer control) but if you’ve got a need for speed this should be on your list without any doubt.
What I don’t like is the fact that the logo is so large, and while I do love the deep blue color of the mousepad (my setup is mostly blue since that’s my favorite color) I know that it won’t suit everyone so perhaps a regular black version with slightly smaller branding could be something to consider for the people at Endgame Gear.
As far as I’m concerned, Endgame Gear delivers the goods yet again, and I can’t wait to see what products they come up with in the future.