Tech Olive

Having tested several Razer mouse pads now, we’ve found that for the most part, double-sided pads mostly serve as a gauging tool for gamers to see which style of pad they prefer for future purchases. After a few hours testing each surface of a double-sided pad, gamers will know what they’re most comfortable gaming surface is. Is the Vespula any different? Does it offer something that previous pads don’t? Let’s have a look.

The Razer Vespula features Speed and Control for its two sides and we’ll start by focusing on the Vespula’s Speed surface. This side offers a slick and almost frictionless surface for only the most hyper-active of gamers. However, this side also has a large drawback: after a bit of heated gaming, especially on warmer days, the Vespula’s Speed side quickly became a bit sticky when I started to perspire. Granted, it’s nothing that will ruin your gaming experience, but still enough to annoy you.

On the other side, you’ve got the Vespula’s Control surface. Personally, I much prefer the Control side of the Vespula because I usually find the Speed surface ends up feeling detached somehow. I much prefer the more textured Control side because — while still very slick and fluid to game with — it offers a greater feel of (as the name implies) control rather than just having the mouse slide around the pad. And of course, this is all dependent on what type of gamer you are. To its credit, the Control side is much better at dealing with your excessive perspiration as you continue to frag away.

The Razer Vespula comes with an optional wrist rest that is connected to a large rubber pad that helps keep the Vespula in place during your gaming sessions. Should you choose to game without the wrist rest, the Vespula does have rubber feet on its own to prevent slipping, but these aren’t quite up to the task and will leave the Vespula shifting around a bit.

After using a variety of Razer’s offerings, the Vespula doesn’t seem to be built as sturdy as the company’s other mouse pads. Of course, the trade off is that it’s lightweight, and due to its smaller size, it makes you think that it was designed more for mobile gaming such as LAN parties. One of the largest drawbacks of the Vespula is that it’s simply too short. More than a few times, I found myself moving the mouse off the top edge of the mouse pad because I thought I had more room to move the mouse forward. The Vespula offers plenty of horizontal gaming space but, unless you’re using a smaller mouse, this could be a problem.

When it all comes down to it, these double-sided mouse pads are only 100% usable and effective for the first few hours of gaming. Once you choose which side you prefer, you’ll be sticking with it. Don’t expect it to be like DPI where you’ll be changing it during gaming to get the competitive edge. If you haven’t used a double-sided mouse pad and aren’t sure what surface you prefer, then this is a purchase worth considering, but if you already know if you prefer a certain kind of surface, look elsewhere in Razer’s store for a pad that is focused on your liking.

Full Disclosure: The first Vespula review unit Razer sent us had issues with air bubbles in the finish [Image]. After contacting Razer, we were assured that no other cases of this had been reported, and that their team would inspect the faulty Vespula to find the root of the problems. Of course, it goes without saying that such an imperfection would be covered by Razer’s warranty terms.

Scores

-Price: 7
The Vespula is competitively priced among other gaming mouse pad offerings, but it’s hard to ignore that there are better overall mouse pads in that pricing range, even from Razer’s own store.

-Setup/Install: N/A
Simply remove from box and place on desk.

-Ease of Use: N/A
Assuming your wrist still functions properly, this category shouldn’t be an issue.

-Performance: 6
The Vespula’s dual-sided design offer gamers the ability to choose which is better for their gaming habits. However, things can get annoying due to its relatively small vertical space and how the Speed surface tends to get sticky even with just a little perspiration.

-Features: 8
Two mousing surfaces to choose from, an optional memory gel wrist rest, and great gaming performance make this a good mouse pad for any gamer.

Overall: 7 Olives