Zowie GTF-X Review

We all know that it’s important to find a gaming mouse that fits your preferences and playing style, but mousepads are often (unfairly) treated as an afterthought. That’s a shame, because there are many different styles out there, and finding the right one for your playing style and sensitivity can really make a difference performance-wise.

Today we’re taking a look at the Zowie TF-X line. We’ve noticed that our readers often want more speed than what cloth pads can usually offer without having to go for the ‘icy’ sensation that hard pads deliver, so we let our reviewer take a look at a hybrid pad from one of the most renowned gaming companies in the competitive gaming scene. Read on to find out if it’s the right one for you!

At A Glance


ZOWIE GTF-X

Used by 3 players ()
  • morelz
    morelz
  • kabal
    kabal
  • LIP
    LIP
Staff’s Choice

In a world where hard pads are a rarity it’s perhaps even harder to find an appropriate mousepad if you find cloth pads to be too restrictive and hard pads to be too slippery but the TF-X series is an ideal middle ground between both worlds.

Pros

  • Good stitching quality

Cons

  • Pad can move around at times

Specs

Height39
Length47
Thickness3.5mm
Stitched edgesYes
MaterialHybrid
GlideSpeed

First Impressions


Quick note: I received both the GTF-X and the PTF-X for review. These are the exact same pads but at different sizes, so what is said about the GTF-X also goes for the PTF-X, and throughout the review you might see photos of both pads.

The Zowie GTF-X comes flat in the box. That’s good news since it’s a hybrid pad and thus not as bendable as a cloth pad, and it also means that it (obviously) lays flat on your desk immediately. The surface of the GTF-X looks a bit gritty and sandpaper-like at first glance, but if you run your hand across the playing area you’ll notice that it’s actually surprisingly soft and smooth. The texture feels like it’s your standard cloth pad that’s been infused with some soft plastic (and that’s probably exactly what it is, since it’s a hybrid pad) but this definitely leans more towards the cloth end than the plastic end in my opinion.

The TF-X comes in two sizes, with the GTF-X being the large size and the PTF-X being the small one. I’d personally always recommend the GTF-X, since it’s better to have too much room for your mouse than to hit the edge of your pad every other swipe, but aside from the size difference both pads are exactly the same.

Performance


The GTF-X is, as I’ve already established, a hybrid pad which means that the glide that it offers is a lot faster than what (most) cloth pads can give you. The TF-X line is, in my opinion, an ideal middle ground between the speed that a good old plastic pad offers and the control that cloth pads offer. Compared to pretty much every popular (cloth) pad out there the glide of this one is a lot faster, but due to the coarser texturing there’s still a decent amount of stopping power and control involved.

For me personally the glide is just too fast; I have no issues making finer adjustments to my aim once I’ve put my crosshair where I want it to be, but I quite consistently overshoot my target when I’m flicking. That’s not a negative; my muscle memory has gotten so used to slower cloth types of pads that it’s hard to instantly adjust, but I thought I’d note it to sort of illustrate what you can expect from the GTF-X if you’re coming from one of the more popular cloth pads.

The foam of the pad is 3.5 millimeters thick and due to the overall rigidity of the texture and thickness of the materials it does a stellar job of ironing out any kinks in your playing surface, but I did notice that the rubber base of the TF-X isn’t as grippy as I expected it to be. For me it didn’t move during gameplay or testing, but it is rather easy to move the pad just by pushing at the side with one finger, so depending on your playing style this could cause some issues for you. This isn’t as apparent with the larger GTF-X, adding another reason why I’d recommend the large version over the small version for this pad.

Aside from the minor issue with the grip (that’s, again, pretty much a non-issue on the large GTF-X) this pad is really nicely finished. The stitched edges feel quality and never annoyed my arm when I was playing, and the subtle Zowie logo at the edge of the pad gives the whole thing a sleek and professional look. All things considered this is definitely an impressive piece of kit.

Zowie GTF-X Review – Conclusion


In a world where hard pads are a rarity it’s perhaps even harder to find an appropriate mousepad if you find cloth pads to be too restrictive and hard pads to be too slippery but the TF-X series is an ideal middle ground between both worlds.

The GTF-X offers a fast glide, but thanks to the hybrid nature you still get a decent amount of stopping power and, more importantly, fine control for those times when you need to adjust your aim by just a few pixels.

Thanks to the stitched edges and quality finishing it’s also going to be a very durable pad, and while it’s not as grippy as it perhaps could (or should) be I didn’t really have any issues with grip while using the GTF-X for gaming and I’m a low sensitivity gamer who does large swipes all the time, so this is more of a note than a net negative.

All in all the GTF-X is an almost perfect compromise between hard and soft mousepads, and if you’re looking for that kind of thing you should really put this pad on your list. I would recommend the GTF-X over the PTF-X though, even if you don’t need the additional mouse space.

Finally, I’ll sign off with a friendly word of warning: the pad comes flat in the box for a reason, so please don’t leave it rolled it up somewhere for too long as that can cause it to almost permanently warp which is obviously something you want to avoid.

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.

14 Comments
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cunny cockroach

Do you recommend QcK Hard pad (hard pad not heavy or edge etc) or Zowie GTF-X or PTF-X? i need new mouse pad that does not wear down over a month and glides on heavy pressure, good for micro-adjustment etc

Cvnnnnnn

What is your opinion on this mousepad vs qck heavy. My biggest problem on qck heavy is durability after 5 ,6 months it just slow down for me its so anoying. What u think aobut this mousepad speed vs qck and durability also. Thanks for answer

Max

It’s faster than the QcK and should be more durable than the QcK due to the hybrid materials used, though I sadly can’t really comment on long term durability because I don’t test mousepads for months at a time.

Konstantin Galvan

You could also try an artisan mousepad, for example the fx hien soft xl which is a fast cloth pad with great stopping power.

Max

We can definitely look into the Artisan pads!

Haziq Ali

Also worth noting, that while it may come in a flat box, the edges of the mousepad may curl a little bit and won’t get flatter over time since the material has been infused with plastic.

I’ve been using the Gtf-x for almost 3 months now and the curl on the edges still hasn’t flatten out, and mine came in a flat box. This causes the pad to move around quite easily when theres not much weight put on it. This design flaw is a huge drawback in my opinion, although it doesn’t affect my aim when gaming, it does affect the sensor when you’re just casually browsing your pc when your mouse is gliding softly on the edges.

Durablity is amazing tho, and performance is just what you would expect from a hybrid pad, fast and smooth (material might be rough on your wrist tho).

Overall its a good pad if you can confirm it will roll flat right out of the box. If it doesn’t, chances are it will never lay flat (unless you tape the underside).

Max

Thanks for the input! The ones I tested didn’t have any real annoying curvature but it’s always nice to get input from someone who’s been using a product for a longer period of time as I obviously spend quite limited amounts of time (in the grand scheme of things and compared to people who are going to ‘main’ the product) with the products that I test.

legov

Probably because this is more of a hybrid pad and most of them used cloth pads for years and years.
I personally like both of them, but the actuation force on hybrid pads is much better, once you get used to it.

Max

Yes, most players are very used to cloth pads and thus see no real reason so change it out. Aside from that it’s way more convenient to take a cloth pad with you when you’re traveling to practice houses, tournaments, and so on because you can just roll it up and it doesn’t take up a lot of space whereas a hybrid/hard pad takes up more room.

Cvdvds

How come not a single player in any games uses it

Max

You’d have to ask those players. It’s a lot easier to transport a cloth pad though, and given that this needs to lay flat it’s automatically going to be a bit more difficult to take on the road all the time.

veasih

Thanks for the review my friend!

Max

No problem! Glad to do it!