One of the downsides of the increased popularity of mechanical keyboards is that for the most part they are a lot thicker than rubber dome keyboards. That can sometimes lead to more wrist pain. Some manufactures include a wrist rest with their mechanical keyboards but that isn’t an option for everyone. When I switched to a Code keyboard and moved to a new desk I noticed right away that the new desk would dig into my arm, so this put me on the market for a wrist rest that fit my needs. I had seen a few people using Grifiti Fat Wrist Pads previously and knew that the thick padded design would be perfect for my needs. Well when I ordered one from Amazon I actually ran into a small problem and that led to me speaking to Grifiti’s owner and along with replacing mine he sent a whole box of different pads for me to check out. Now that I have been using the Grifiti Fat Wrist Pads for a while now I can finally talk a little about how they perform, enjoy!

Product Name: Grifiti Fat Wrist Pads

Review Sample Provided by: Grafiti

Written by: Wes

Pictures by: Wes

 

Models tested

Grifiti Fat Wrist Pad 17 (Nylon Surface)

Size: 4 x 17 x 0.75 inches

Grifiti Fat Wrist Pad 17 (Smooth Surface)

Size: 4 x 17 x 0.75 inches

Grifiti Fat Wrist Pad 19 (Smooth Surface)

Size: 4 x 19 x 0.75 inches

Grifiti Big-Ass Fat Wrist Pad 17 (Smooth Skin)

Size: 8 x 17 x 0.75 inches

Ergodox Fat Wrist Pad Set Custom Fit for Massdrop Split Keyboard Set

 


Packaging

There isn’t too much to cover here. Grifiti ships all of their Wrist Rests in a thin clear plastic. They are sealed at one end with a folded sticky tab. On the front of the bag they have their Grafiti branding with the product name under it. The size of the actual wrist rest is in the white box and then the smooth skin models have that designation on the top as well. Around on the back they do break down some of the key features along with the product dimensions. The biggest thing that stood out to me was a small note that you can clean the wrist pad with mild soap and water than let it air dry. The rest of the back just lists a few of the other Grafiti products that you can find. The Ergodox specific model is a little different in its packaging with a more basic shrink wrap and then white stickers with the product name on it. These aren’t something you will find on Amazon, you can get them through Massdrop or on the Grafiti website. They even list it as a custom set specifically for the Massdrop Ergodox.

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Photos and Performance

So if you are a little older like me you will most likely remember wrist rests similar to the Grifiti Wrist Pads. With a lot of keyboards including a wrist rest this did go away a little. This is why Grifiti officially calls this a retro product. Basically what you are getting is an extremely thick pad with a similar design to a standard cloth mouse pad. The bottom of the pads have a similar design to give them good traction on your desk, there is almost an inch of foam, and then a fabric coating on the top. Recently Grafiti introduced another version of their pads with a smoother surface on the top as well. In the second photo below you can see the fabric top next to the new smooth skin surface.

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The general idea is that the Fat Wrist Pad’s fit your situations so Grifiti actually makes a wide variety of designs. There is the single extra-large pad that is 8 inches deep where the others are 4 inches. This model is only available in the 17 inch version for a standard full sized keyboard. They make widths for TKL and 60% keyboards as well. They also recently introduced a 19 inch model. This is actually what I have been using the most. With the other pads they fit the keyboard perfectly. The problem with that is if you play a lot of games you keep your hand on WASD or QWER when you do that typically your arm comes in at an angle and will hang over the side of the 17 but with the 19 you get a little extra space. All of the Fat models are .75 inches thick and all of the different sizes are available in both the new smooth skin and the standard fabric. In some of the designs you can even get your pick of a few bright colors as well.

After spending time with them both I prefer the smooth skin but it does have a downside. If you get oil on it from your hands it will stand out and look a little crummy. All of the thick “Fat” models, after heavy use, will also start to mushroom out. This means it is absorbing your weight and is just a side effect of this. So if you decide to get a Grifiti Fat Wrist Pad you should look at this as a consumable item, with a lot of use you will need to replace them from time to time.

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The Ergodox pads are a little unique as well. The other designs are all rectangle in shape but the Ergodox pads are a pentagon shape. This fits the shape of the wrist pad less version of the ErgoDox perfectly.

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Overall and Final Verdict

So this is one of those reviews where there isn’t really a whole lot of testing I can really do. I have spent the last month using the Grifiti Fat Wrist Pads on all of our computers. Without a doubt using them is a lot better than not having them. My wife has been using one as well. Her biggest complaint was that she would like to have a matching pad for her mouse, but after looking Grifiti has those too, looks like I will have to put in an order for a few.

The Wrist Pad aren’t perfect, for starters they show wear quickly. Specifically if you use them a lot they start to mushroom out from the pressure you put on them. The smooth skin model also soaks up your body oils quickly giving it a dirty/inconsistent look really quickly.

Beyond their comfort, what I really like about the Wrist Pads is the variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and even surfaces that you can get. The fact that you can get a pad to fit any size keyboard including an ErgoDox is awesome, especially for someone like me who has a whole range of keyboards. Sadly, I am going to have to pick up pads for both my 60% and TKL keyboards in the future. Now that I use one day to day I don’t think I’m going to want to run without one when I go to events. 

fv4recommended

Author Bio
garfi3ld
Author: garfi3ldWebsite: http://lanoc.org
Editor-in-chief
You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes's obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn't anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC's he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers. If you are interested in writing for Wes here at LanOC you can reach out to him directly using our contact form.

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garfi3ld replied the topic: #36443 18 Mar 2015 21:31
Happy hump day everyone! Today I take a quick look at a few thick wrist rests from Grifiti

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