Leather and Felt Desk Mats: A Different Look for Your Desk
When a leather or felt desk pad suits a gaming setup, the trade-offs for mouse tracking and gaming, and options from Satechi, YSAGi and others.
When a leather or felt desk pad suits a gaming setup, the trade-offs for mouse tracking and gaming, and options from Satechi, YSAGi and others.
Photo by mycurrency.com / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Most gaming desk mats are large cloth mouse pads. Leather and felt desk pads give a different, more office-like look, and suit setups that double as a workspace.
Leather and faux leather
- Easy to clean: wipe spills off rather than washing.
- Smooth surface: fine for everyday mouse use, but tracking and glide differ from a gaming cloth pad. Many gamers put a separate mouse pad on top.
- Options: the Satechi eco-leather deskmate and the YSAGi leather desk pad come in several sizes and colors.
Felt
- Soft and warm, with a natural look.
- Not ideal for mouse tracking: use a mouse pad on top.
- Options: a wool felt desk mat adds texture and absorbs some keyboard noise.
For gaming
If you play competitive games, use a dedicated gaming mouse pad on top of a leather or felt mat, or choose a large cloth gaming mat instead. Leather and felt are best for setups that mix work and casual gaming.
Sizing
Measure the area you want to cover: most desk pads are around 80–90cm wide. Leave room at the back for the monitor stand if it shouldn’t sit on the mat.
Bottom line
Leather and felt desk pads look great and are easy to live with. Add a gaming mouse pad on top if you play fast games.
Our picks: Mouse pads & desk mats
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Illustrative photos: Photo by mycurrency.com / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0; Photo by Jacek Halicki / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0