Introduction
ESPTIGER has carved out a niche in the pro scene with quality-made mousepads. So, when the brand collaborated with CS community figurehead James Banks for a new mousepad, we had to try it out. This control pad was made after 18 months of feedback from some of the best CS2 pros in the world. Find out whether it was worth the effort in our full ESPTIGER Heavy Claw review.
At A Glance
BanKs Collection Heavy Claw by ESPTIGER
Used by 1 player ()
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mezii
In essence, this pad doesn’t do anything revolutionary. But it is a well-made pad with a combination of features that makes it a good option to add to the list for control pad enjoyers without feeling like a direct copy of an existing pad.
Pros
- High-quality finishing
- Interesting controlling glide
Cons
- Thickness won’t be for everyone
Specs
| Height | 49cm |
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| Length | 42cm |
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| Thickness | 6mm |
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| Stitched edges | Yes |
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| Material | Cloth |
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| Glide | Control |
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| Static Friction | 48.7 |
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| Static Friction Angle | 8.76 |
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| Glide Difference X/Y | 9.04 |
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| Dynamic Friction | 2.72 |
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First Impressions
The Heavy Claw comes in a flat box. This is a major plus, as it eliminates any curling issues; the pad lays perfectly flat on the desk immediately. At 6mm, it’s obviously a very thick pad. If you’re wondering whether you can feel the difference between 4mm and 6mm, I would say that it’s going to be quite obvious to most people. Pads this thick can be an acquired taste, but I’ll speak more about how it feels further down in the review.
Regarding the design, the pad features a large ‘bear and claw’ graphic on the bottom left side. It’s not huge and it’s subtle in its colors, but I don’t really love this personally. I would’ve preferred a simple signature, or perhaps just the name of the pad.
Luckily, the majority of the pad is plain black. ESPTIGER put out a lot of very ‘busy’ pads with intricate designs. Those are obviously quite polarizing and can be difficult to fit into specifically themed setups. I can personally appreciate the art behind some busier pads, but I prefer more subtle and muted mousepads myself, so I’m glad that ESPTIGER has shown some restraint with this one.
Finish and Overall Quality
This is the first ESPTIGER pad that I’ve really put to the test, and I must say that I am impressed. From the packaging to the pad itself: it all feels premium and well-done.
On thick pads such as this one, the stitching can quite easily become a mess, but here it’s extremely consistent and pretty much error-free.
Everything else, from the surface consistency to the logo printing, looks and feels well-done.
With an MSRP of $44.95, it’s absolutely not a budget pad, but it’s not priced near the top end of the market, either. For the price you’re paying, I’d say that the Heavy Claw lives up to its price point with ease.
Performance
Glide
The ESPTIGER Heavy Claw is advertised as a control pad, and that’s exactly what it is. Testing on the test bench already indicated this, and my real-life experiences confirmed it.
It doesn’t really matter what type of move you’re doing, you’re always going to feel some type of resistance when using this pad. Tracking or making smaller (slower) moves with your mouse notably doesn’t feel as ‘muddy’ as on some other dedicated control pads, though, which I thought was interesting.
Given how this pad came to be (in collaboration with a bunch of CS2 pros) it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is a pad that seems tailor-made for those types of games. You’re getting a ton of resistance and stopping power, helping your aim stay stable while also allowing you to land flicks when you need to. There is also some room to maneuver for small corrections without the pad feeling as if you’re moving through sandpaper.
It’s perhaps not a revolutionary type of glide, but as a control pad enjoyer I do really like how the pad feels, and I like how they’ve given you a bit more smoothness when making small corrections.
Base and Softness
While the pad is 6mm thick, it utilizes a rather firm foam. It doesn’t have the ‘sink-in’ characteristic of pads like the XSoft Artisan versions, or the ZOWIE G-TR.
With that said, the foam is not fully firm. If you use smaller skates (or you just put a ton of pressure on your mouse in certain scenarios) you can get a bit of extra slowdown at times. The bounce-back is relatively quick, so it’s easy to get back to the regular glide.
For me, this was an interesting experience. I am someone who loves pads with a softer base as I like to ‘modify’ the sensitivity of pads by alternating pressure, but I do feel like very soft bases can make my aim feel inconsistent on certain days. The specific firmness of this pad feels like a nice middle-ground, and the more I used it, the more I started to like it. I also think this type of foam is great for people who are just getting into softer foams and don’t yet know what they want on that front.
The base itself also feels great. It sticks to the surface really well, and I had no slippage issues.
Everyday Usage
The ESPTIGER Heavy Claw is a thick pad with a decently firm foam. As such, it’s not going to be the best candidate for plentiful and extended travel sessions inside a cramped backpack. The surface can handle some minor bending and very soft rolling, but I definitely wouldn’t keep it rolled tight inside a backpack for an extended period of time.
In terms of comfort, the pad is well-made, but it should be said that a 6mm thickness won’t be for everyone. Compared to pads with a regular thickness (3-4mm) this feels quite a bit more substantial, so you’ll have to adjust to this experience a bit. This goes double if you play with bare arms. If you are someone who doesn’t mind a thicker pad, there’s not much to complain about. The stitches end up a bit lower than the playing surface, and they’re tightly done with no bumps or flaws, so I did not experience any discomfort during my testing.
Humidity handling seems okay. It’s winter where I live and I do not live in a particularly humid climate to begin with, so your mileage may vary, but I can say that I did not notice any consistency errors even after a very sweaty multi-hour gaming session in a hot LAN environment.
Alternatives
One rather unique factor of this pad is the 6mm thickness. If that’s a deciding factor for you, then there won’t be a ton of alternatives to consider. The QcK Heavy is one, but that’s quite a bit faster (until it gets worn down/heavily used) in my experience.
ESPTIGER Heavy Claw vs ZOWIE G-SR (III)
In terms of pure glide, the ESPTIGER Heavy Claw can be compared to the ZOWIE G-SR. In practice, I do feel like the Heavy Claw allows for a bit smoother gliding when making small aiming movements, so if you’ve always felt like the older G-SR versions were too restrictive on that front, the Heavy Claw could be your answer. The most recent G-SR III does also loosen up a bit in this area, but I still feel like the Heavy Claw is ever-so-slightly more accommodating than even the G-SR III. Do note that the G-SR is thinner than the Heavy Claw though, and that the G-SR has a firmer foam.
See our ZOWIE G-SR III review
ESPTIGER Heavy Claw vs VAXEE PD140
The VAXEE PD140 is another thick pad with a control focus. The PD140 feels slightly faster on all fronts to me, though. It also has a much firmer foam. As such, I would only consider this to be a true alternative if you’re looking for a thick pad with a controlling glide that isn’t as restrictive as something like the Heavy Claw.
See our VAXEE PD140 review
Conclusion
The BanKs Collection Heavy Claw is a really good control pad. In terms of glide, it’s very firmly a ‘true control’ pad, but it does leave a little bit of slack when making smaller aiming movements. That gives it an interesting glide profile.
Couple that with the fact that it comes in at 6mm and with a foam that gives you a nice balance between ‘super soft’ and ‘completely firm’ and you’ve got a pad that does enough unique things to make it stand out from the pack.
In essence, this pad doesn’t do anything revolutionary. But it is a well-made pad with a combination of features that makes it a good option to add to the list for control pad enjoyers without feeling like a direct copy of an existing pad.
As a control pad fan, this one will be staying on my desk a little longer.
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.
Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.
