Hello everyone, a little under a month ago, I was contacted by TJ_Exclusives here on Reddit if I would be willing to do a review of their Cerapad Kin if they sent one out for me.
Hello everyone, a little under a month ago, I was contacted by TJ_Exclusives here on Reddit if I would be willing to do a review of their Cerapad Kin if they sent one out for me. Being an enthusiast in the peripheral scene, as well as seeing lots of positive press about the pad from people like fresh reviews, I, of course, said yes. Full disclosure, just because they sent the pad out for me to keep once I created this review, it has in no way impacted my opinions on the pad. All opinions are my own. There’s a lot of information you can find about them directly on their website. They are very transparent about who they are and their product
A little about me
I won’t bore you with facts irrelevant to the review, but I want to give you guys some context about who I am and what experience I have with peripherals. I’ve competed in a few fps amateur tournaments, mainly open Facit League / A rank in EAEA on CSGO back in 2014-16, and open ALGS qualifiers for apex, hitting pred twice in seasons 9 and 11. I also dabbled in the SC2 HoTS ranked ladder but haven’t had much time to play since I got a job after graduation. However, I know what is good and bad in the peripheral scene; I’ve gone through more pads, mice and monitors than I care to admit.
Skypad 3.0XL vs Cerapad Kin
Initial impressions of the two pads are that they are similar, yet drastically different, similar in the sense that they are both very high quality, durable and premium pads, different in about everything else. Starting with the feel of the pads, the Cerapad is certainly more control based, yet it’s still fast; the static friction is there, making it much easier for micro-adjustments compared to the skypad. I personally LOVE this aspect, especially for CS. Stopping power and glide are also reduced compared to the skypad; again, don’t take this as the pad is slow; it’s just not as fast; there is more feedback from the pad in the sense that you don’t feel as if you’re gliding.
The main feature that stood out to me after only a few hours of gaming on the pad was just how confident I felt that I could micro-adjust easier while still maintaining all of the freedom of control that the skypad offers. I never felt as if I was being hindered by the surface material of the pad, whereas I did when I first started to use my skypad. The initial learning curve on the Cerapad is much more forgiving and less of a hindrance for someone who wants to reach the true potential of their aim.
Similarities between the Skypad and Cerapad
- Size, both of these pads are big and are made from tough material, and they are not able to be manipulated at all. Desk space should be taken into consideration before purchasing either of these pads.
- Speed. In my opinion, both of these pads are fast, the skypad being the faster of the two simply because of the lack of static friction and the surface material being the glass as opposed to ceramics. Comparing even the cerapad to something like the aqua control, the cerapad is much faster.
- Dust. Both pads hate dust/hair/crumbs. Keeping both pads clean is a must. Any dirt between the mouse and the pad will make it a very unpleasant experience.
- Performance. Recently my go-to FPS has been overwatch two, and let me tell you, playing widow has never felt so good. The level of control and speed I get with the Cerapad is unmatched. Often, I would miss or overcompensate with the skypad, and as a result, I would lower my sense (this is bad). The combination of low static friction, consistent glide, and smoothness makes it so nice for tracking.
Differences between the Skypad and Cerapad
- The rate at which the mouse feet wear out seems to be much slower on the cerapad; before i switched to the kone XP air, i was using my backup XM1, and the feet on that were destroyed from around 2 months of daily use from the skypad. I put on a new set of corepads and used them for around a week of daily use, still feeling new and fresh, with a nice glide.
- Noise levels are about the same when swiping around, but the skypad seems to be a little quieter, I feel again this has to do with the surface material of the pad, and friction plays a part in the noise levels. It is important to note that neither pad is audible when gaming with headphones.
Closing thoughts
The cerapad is a great pad. It does what it’s designed for well. Would I recommend it over a skypad? It depends. If you want to get into the long-lasting, durable, and premium end of mouse pads, then I would recommend this over a skypad; even though it costs more initially, the learning curve is much more forgiving. I personally prefer the size difference as well as the overall feeling of control and consistency I have when tracking on the Cerapad. I would say that the design of the pad isn’t as nice as the skypad, but if you’re spending this much on a pad that’s designed to make you aim better, as well as appealing to the most serious gamers, does that matter? I will be using the Cerapad as my new main pad for the foreseeable future, and it brings out the best in my aim without having to rely on being at my best every time I hop into ranked. It provides a level of control and speed that is perfect for what I want.
If you’re interested in picking up a Cerapad, head on over to TJ Exclusives. Also, as a disclaimer, i caught covid, so please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes.
Review via Reddit by u/Dwarfkiller47
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