Razer’s first Gigantus pad managed to strike a nice balance between speed and control, and now the famous brand has released the second version of that pad. With a lot of changes being made to the overall product as well as the opportunity to have Razer create a completely custom mousepad for you it’s no wonder that we got a bunch of comments asking if we would review this second iteration of the Gigantus, so obviously we immediately sent the goods over to our reviewer to find out what he makes of it.
At A Glance
Razer Gigantus V2
Used by 94 players (Jun, 2023)-
Taxi2g
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BuZz
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Shyy
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JDC
❝If you’re looking for a pad that’s a bit more controlling without feeling murky or extremely gritty then this is definitely one to consider.❞
Specs
| Height | 40 |
|---|---|
| Length | 45 |
| Thickness | 3mm |
| Stitched edges | No |
| Glide | Medium |
Pros
- Decent humidity resistance
- Decently thick and consistent foam
Cons
- Can move around (a bit) during particularly intense matches
- Stitched edges have been removed when compared to the V1
First Impressions
First things first: this is a review of the standard Gigantus V2, not the customized version. That’s an important distinction to make because I got my hands on both types and the glide difference between the regular Gigantus V2 and a customized one is rather big. That’s because the customized pads are made using sublimation printing which ‘leaves behind’ a coating, giving the surface a different feeling than the regular, non-coated Gigantus V2. The customized pad has a pretty recognizable medium-fast glide that a lot of ‘standard’ cloth pads fall into but it’s the same as far as the foam firmness and so on goes.
Secondly there’s also a difference between different sizes when it comes to thickness. The medium and the large Gigantus V2 have a thickness of 3 millimeters and the XXL and 3XL versions are one millimeter thicker. I tested a large and an XXL for this review but because the difference between the two as far as glide and overall feel goes is negligible I thought I’d leave it at this small remark instead of making two different reviews for the two different sizes.
With that out of the way we can finally get to my first impressions, and while there generally isn’t a whole lot to discover about mousepads I did notice two things straight away. The raised Razer logo has been replaced by a classier and less intrusive ‘RAZER’ tag on the side of the pad, and the stitched edges of the first iteration are now gone. To me that’s a bit of a strange decision because I love the new approach to the branding but I don’t really see a reason to remove the stitching. Perhaps their internal testing indicated that non-stitched edges are preferred but for me they could’ve definitely stayed on.
Performance
‘Woven for speed, crafted for control‘ is what Razer has to say about this pad on their website, and while I’m not someone who takes everything that manufacturers say to heart (I’d be a pretty shoddy reviewer if that’s what I did) I do have to say that they’re pretty much bang on the money with this description. Whereas the first Gigantus wasn’t exactly a full blown control pad (in my opinion) it did seem to focus more on offering that slightly gritty/murky feeling, and that seems to be gone here.
The V2 feels slightly faster that its predecessor but it’s not as fast as some of the usual cloth pads (think Logitech G640, HyperX Fury S, Corsair MM300, …) making it have a pretty interesting glide that’s, for me, ideal for shooters. Ever since lightweight mice and PTFE feet have become so common in gaming mice I find myself gravitating more towards controlling pads and this Gigantus V2 gives me a near perfect combination of good glide speed (once you get going) and plenty of stopping power combined with a decently coarse feeling to make smaller adjustments easier to perform.
The overall performance here reminds me an awful lot of what the G-SR-SE offers and that’s definitely a good thing since there aren’t many pads that offer this kind of ‘restrained but not overly murky’ kind of glide. Speaking of the glide: I obviously can’t test this pad for months and months but the glide remained pretty consistent, even in slightly more humid conditions, which makes this a pretty low maintenance mousepad.
The foam isn’t the firmest I’ve ever seen but I didn’t really have any issues with the feet of a gaming mouse sinking into the pad so unless you’re using super small feet and applying tons of pressure I don’t see any reason to worry.
Something that did bother me a bit (at least on the L version) is the fact that the pad doesn’t always stay put perfectly. It does on most surfaces, but on some of the slipperier tables I’ve tried it on I found that it sometimes had moved a centimeter or two after a particularly intense match. It’s not something that I noticed while playing and the XL version is much better at staying in place but I felt like I should mention it regardless.
One last thing I should mention is the lack of stitched edges. I personally prefer stitched edges (if they are nicely done) and while it’s absolutely not a ‘make or break’ issue it is kind of weird to me that they’ve chosen to not stitch up the edges because the first version of this pad did have that.
Razer Gigantus V2 Review – Conclusion
Razer seems to really be embracing the ‘less is more’ credo when it comes to their esports-focused peripherals, and the Gigantus V2 is an example of that. This sleek looking black pad can only be identified as a Razer pad by the subtle tag and the green foam liner, and while I would have personally liked to have seen the stitched edges that the V1 had return I do feel like this second version of the Gigantus is a worthy upgrade.
Compared to the original it’s gotten a bit faster, landing it that category of pads that manage to strike a successful balance between speed and control. With many gaming mice becoming (or at least feeling) faster due to reduced weight, better feet, better cables, and so on I find myself gravitating towards these more control-oriented pads (think Zowie G-SR-SE) and the Gigantus V2 fits the bill remarkably well.
If you’re looking for a pad that’s a bit more controlling without feeling murky or extremely gritty then this is definitely one to consider.