Razer Goliathus Control Gaming Mouse Pad (Fragged)
Total Rating: 
(3.2 / 5.0)
Performance: 
Value: 
Durability: 
Recommendation: The Goliathus Controlled pad is recommended for gamers and designers who expect considerable resistance and enjoy the feeling of cloth. It is not, however, a good all-purpose pad.
Standard retail: $24.99 for Goliathus Alpha L (Oversized)
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Standard retail: $19.99 for Goliathus Standard M
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Standard retail: $14.99 for Goliathus Omega S (Small)
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Specifications:
- Material: Cloth
- Goliathus Oversized: 17.48 x 13.98 x .17 in. (444 x 355 x 4.3 mm)
Goliathus Standard: 13.98 x 10 x .16 in. (355 x 254 x 4 mm)
Goliathus Small: 10.63 x 8.47 x .16 in. (270 x 215 x 4 mm) - Works with: All mice, recommended for optical
- Glide: Very controlled
What we liked:
- Affordable
- A lot of control and texture
- Fair quality for a cloth pad
- Multiple sizes, including Oversized
- Oversized pad works great for low-sensitivity gamers
What we disliked:
- Tracking is jumpy with high mouse DPI settings (high sensitivity)
- Sub-standard durability
The Razer Goliathus is a re-branded version of the old Razer Mantis. According to someone we contacted at Razer, it’s the same surface. We suspect that the re-branding was due to Razer developing its own fabric and dumping the third-party supplier. At any rate, there are two versions of the pad: the Goliathus Speed and Goliathus Control (being reviewed). I’ll leave it to you to determine which surface has more texture.
The feeling of the Goliathus Control was strange for me at first. I was not expecting so much resistance, and I believe this is the most controlled pad that we have reviewed to date. I’m something of a high sensitivity gamer, and this is a low-sens. pad, so I called in some help. We asked a two-man team to review the pad. One usually plays as a sniper in FPS games, while the other usually plays as an assault or gunner. The gamer who played with a run-and-gun style hated the pad. He had some explicit words for it that cannot be repeated here. The sniper, on the other hand, was in love with it, and will be using this very pad after we’re done reviewing it.
You should know that, like most cloth pads, the Razer Goliathus does not work well with high-sensitivity mice. At max DPI settings, nearly all mice – including laser Razer mice like the Lachesis – bug out. The higher you go, the worse the problem becomes. With laser mice, we started seeing problems at around 1200-1800 DPI, depending on the mouse. We had no problems with optical mice.
If you are interested in a large, responsive pad, check out our review of the Goliathus Speed. If you’re interested in the Steelseries line, read our Qck review here.
Durability on the Goliathus is pretty standard for a cloth pad, which means it’s relatively low for a gaming mouse pad. If you are one who rubs against the edge of your mouse pad with your wrist regularly, the Goliathus’ edges may begin to peel sooner than if your wrist is elevated off of the pad. One user who rests his wrist on the edge of the pad reporting serious peeling after only six months, but those who keep their wrists raised report that the pad can easily last for a year or two of hardcore gaming.
The Goliathus took a hit to overall performance due to the inability to support high-sensitivity mice, but low-sensitivity performance on the oversized Goliathus is great. Durability caused a slight hit on value, but you can avoid the durability issue if you play with a raised wrist. I can only recommend the pad to low-sensitivity gamers who don’t mind the high friction, and would recommend the largest pad that will fit on your desk. To see more mice, check out the mouse review main page.
Get the Razer Goliathus Control Goliathus Alpha L (Large)
Get the Goliathus Standard M
Get the Goliathus Omega S (Small)
