Thermaltake Dasher vs. Mionix Propus 380 Mousepad Review

Comparing The Mousepads

First, to have a better understanding of the dimensions of both products, we placed them over each other along a traditional model, the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm exclusive collector’s edition mousepad. Seeing the resulting image, it becomes clear that a lot of table room is required for any of the models tested. Both are great in terms of space for tracking: there is no “running out of mousepad” during long movements, be it gaming or even plain work. The mouse will not go over the edges, that’s for sure.

Figure 4: Mousepads size comparison

Both the Dasher and the Propus 380 are even when it comes to firmness: due to their rubber bases, they seemed to be glued on the glass surface of our table and even on the little plastic sidetable. They endured several hours of sudden and frantic movements over gaming sessions without moving a millimeter.

Despite coming rolled up, the Dasher quickly assumes a flat form without humps except one on the right upper corner – which quite frankly it’s a tough spot to reach. We took the mouse over there and the peripheral’s own weight flattened the hump, which didn’t hampered the movement in any way. Being made of cloth, the Dasher got a litte dirty due to the friction with the base of our right wrist. This whitening came out with some humid cloth.

The Dasher, even though it is flexible and soft to the touch, looks like some smooth asphalt where the mouse slides on with grace and precision, responding to the higher sensitivities of professional gaming models. It performed with honors during hours of playing World of Warcraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Figure 5: Rolled up Dasher with carry bag

The Propus 380 felt like having a metal plate over the table – and the little bright dots twikling over the black surface made it look like outerspace (Propus is, after all, the name of a star in the Geminis constellation). The PVC layer absobs impacts and makes the mousepad less rigid. Performance was slightly superior to the Dasher’s: the Propus allowed for an even smoother and more precise tracking.

Figure 6: Propus 380 PVC layer