When it comes to peripherals there are only a few companies that focus on people who are concerned with how their mice, keyboards, and even mouse pads perform over how they look or the lighting effects available. Zowie Gear is one of those companies. When we had the chance to see what all of the talk was about and check out one of their G-CM mouse pads, we jumped at the chance. For some people anything will work for a mousepad, but for those of you who need more you might want to see what we have to say about the Zowie Gear G-CM.

Specifications

Surface	Smooth Microfiber
Length	440mm/17.3in
Width	320mm/12.6in
Thickness	2mm/.08in
Materials	Cloth top, foam rubber base
Compatible With	All Mice

 

 

 

 

 

 

Packaging

The packaging for the G-CM is surprisingly simple. The package is a basic long gray box without any flashy pictures or designs. In fact, the only information on the box is the product name, the company name and a short list of specifications. The only view of the actual mousepad we can get from outside is through a small circular plastic window on the front of the box, which shows the product texture and color. It’s safe to say that with this type of packaging, Zowie Gear is confident in its product, as they certainly won’t be grabbing any customers on visual flattery. This is actually something that excites me, because usually confidence isn’t misplaced.

Inside we find the pad rolled up tightly so that it fits inside the box. Upon unrolling the mouse we can find the word Zowie, along with the company logo in orange pin stripped letters on the giant red face of the mousepad. The logo is unique and a bit abstract, frankly the design as a whole reminds me of a cool piece of graffiti.

Performance

First off I would like to talk about the size of the G-CM. Its dimensions are 440mm long, by 320mm wide. The mouse pad is also only 2mm thick, which is about half of what I am used to. It is worth it to note that we did get the XL version of their mousepads, which come in a S, M, and XL size in a range of different colors. With these dimensions, there is plenty of room to work with without being overly large. I actually prefer the size and shape of this mousepad over my current Steelseries one because the Zowie is a rectangle and not as wide as the Steelseries, which often times has a hard time finding a snug home on my cluttered desk.

The base is made out of a rubber material and is great at gripping almost any surface. The interesting thing is that the base has absolutely no texture to it, it is completely flat. Most other mousepads have some sort of texture to help with grip. I was surprised at first because I didn’t look at what the product page said it was capable of, and when I placed it on the glass surface of my desk and tried to adjust it I couldn’t get it to budge. I had to take the whole pad off and place it again so that everything lined up. I had great success on both glass and wooden surfaces with the mouse sticking in place. Short of grabbing it from the bottom and peeling it off, the mouse was not moving. Zowie claims that if it does ever lose that extra grip, that a simple wipe with a damp wash cloth will restore it to like new conditions.

The surface of the mousepad is made of tightly woven microfibers. This gives the pad a smooth feel and the fabric used almost gives off a shine when hit with a light source. The surface is smooth and both mice I used tracked well on it. The Razer Naga I use most of the time didn’t experience any more z-axis issue than I was used to, but both mice did experience a tiny bit more acceleration on this mousepad versus the Steelseries one. It’s not enough to be noticed in game, but it was noticeable when testing. The mousepad is made of some sort of fabric, but one noticeable difference from my standard pad is that it is firmer, which is a preference thing, but I happen to like it. When you press down on the mouse, the pad doesn’t have any give, and it feels like you are pushing against a table, whereas with my Steelseries pad it has more give and it feels as if you are pushing into a Dr. Scholes type gel.

Overall and Final Verdict

Overall I think the Zowie G-CM mousepad is great. It is an excellent size, and I love the rectangle shape versus the square shape that I often see in other mousepads. The rubber base allows for the pad to seal against most surfaces very well and prevents it from moving around while gaming. The cloth used for the surface is very nice and sleek and doesn’t exaggerate any issues with either of the two mice that I tested. The cost may be a bit high in comparison to similar products, but not enough to go writing home about. The artwork is cool, but there isn’t much of a selection. You can pick from a range of colors and sizes, but they all have the same logo, so there is nothing to really differentiate yourself from the crowd. That being said, my desk hippo and Stormtrooper will be welcoming the Zowie G-CM to the neighborhood and wishing the Steelseries safe travel into the closet.