Get proper glide.
Picking the right mouse is essential to creating a comfortable gaming experience. There are plenty of factors to consider when making your choice, including shape, size, and weight. But mouse feet are another key factor in ensuring your experience is as smooth as possible.
If you look on the back of most mainstream gaming mice, you’ll likely see that these products use some form of 100 percent virgin PTFE or pure PTFE for their mouse feet. This has become the standard in gaming mice, but not all mouse feet are created equal and some may wear faster than others, which is where aftermarket mouse feet can help.
When picking out a set of aftermarket mouse feet, you’ll need to keep an eye out for a few factors. Above all else, be sure you’re getting a set of aftermarket mouse feet made from quality material like pure PTFE. An easy way to tell if the mouse feet are 100 percent PTFE is checking to see if they are any other color than white. If the mouse feet are any other color, the mouse feet you’re looking at definitely aren’t pure PTFE and have an additive. Another popular material is glass, which has its own benefits and pitfalls.
Thickness is an additional consideration to take into account. Stock mouse feet are specifically tuned for their respective sensors, so you’ll need to stick close to those initial measurements. While thicker mouse feet can promote longevity, there is also the risk that it may mess with the sensor. This is very uncommon, especially with reputable brands, but it is something to keep in the back of your mind if your search takes you away from this list.
Lastly, you’ll need to be aware of the edges and the break-in period of mouse feet. Rounded edges are best at avoiding any scratchiness, which most stock mouse feet have. Acknowledging the break-in period for stock mouse feet is also important. You don’t want to go buying aftermarket mouse feet without giving the stock ones a fair shake.
Here are some of the best aftermarket mouse feet brands.
Esports Tiger provides three lines of mouse feet: Arc, Arc 2, and ICE. Each line is slightly different from one another, with Arc 2 being faster, more durable, purer, and faster than its first iteration. Neither Arc nor Arc 2 feet are 100 percent PTFE, meaning they won’t offer quite as much glide as the alternative. ICE mouse feet on the other hand are 100 percent pure PTFE, which provides superior glide.
Both the Arc series generations and the ICE collection feature rounded edges despite being made from different materials. This ensures there’s little scratchiness to get in the way of glide. Some mouse feet models may have issues with the center ring causing scratchiness, though. Esports Tiger has been notified of the issue according to the store listing.
A major player in Esports Tiger taking the best overall slot is its variety. Not only are there three different lines of mouse feet to choose from, but it also provides mouse feet for many different models within each collection that range from Logitech G to SteelSeries and Roccat.
Finding mouse feet for your mouse can be tough, but brands like Corepad make it easier on gamers who are in the market for replacements. With around 95 options to choose from, Corepad likely makes aftermarket mouse feet for your gaming mouse, with options from Asus, Glorious, Logitech G, SteelSeries, Razer, G-Wolves, HyperX, and more.
Unlike some of Esports Tiger’s options, Corepad mouse feet are 100 percent PTFE and have rounded edges to promote a smoother gaming experience. Options typically range between .6 millimeters on some SteelSeries models to .9 millimeters on Glorious mice.
Another positive attribute of Corepad’s mouse feet is that they are relatively cheap, especially compared to something like the Hyperglides on this list. For about $9.99, buyers can nab two sets of mouse feet for a couple of bucks more than one set of Esports Tiger feet.
Shaking things up from the status quo, Pulsar Gaming’s Superglide feet are the only glass aftermarket mouse feet on this list. While every material will have its pros and cons, glass can prove divisive since the material easily picks up dirtied surfaces and can slow down drag. Typically, this is not as noticeable with pure PTFE mouse feet.
Still, Pulsar Gaming’s Superglide aftermarket mouse feet are appealing due to their availability and variety. While companies like Hyperglide and Esports Tiger can’t be found regularly or on retailers like Amazon, Superglides are readily available. Likewise, the line includes many of the usual suspects like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, SteelSeries Prime Mini, and more.
These glass mouse feet are also more expensive than most other options on the list, excluding the Hyperglide’s resale price. Ranging between $21.95 and $24.95, the mouse feet don’t come cheap and they don’t include cleaning and application supplies like alcohol wipes. On the bright side, they should last quite a while longer than PTFE, stretching the value a bit further.
If you own a glass mouse pad, skip these. You’ll only cause yourself heartache.
While Hotline Games’ mouse feet are slightly more expensive than Corepad’s depending on which mouse you have, the package is slightly more well-rounded than the latter company’s. Hotline Games includes two sets of mouse feet, a cleaning cloth, and tweezers. This creates a package that is more complete than any other on the list for not much more in the way of price.
The Hotline Games collection includes mice from Razer, Logitech G, Zowie, and Glorious. It isn’t as extensive a lineup but covers plenty of the major esports mice. Still, for those with one of the available mice, these mouse feet present a great deal on a pure PTFE option.
Past iterations of Hotline Games’ mouse skates were not 100 percent PTFE so be sure to check that the “3.0” in the listing. These options were silver-treated and didn’t provide quite as much glide as the newer pure PTFE options.
Hyperglide is probably the most notable brand on the list thanks to its product’s speed and being one of the first companies to break into the scene. While there are certainly better options out there in terms of value, Hyperglides provide ample speed.
Using 100 percent PTFE in its mouse feet, Hyperglides are also a bit thicker than most stock mouse feet, coming in at around .8 millimeters to .9 millimeters. Being thicker than most options on the list, Hyperglides also offer better longevity and will wear slower than others. The combination of speed and durability makes Hyperglides especially appealing, but there’s one small problem.
Finding Hyperglides in stock is fairly difficult. The company isn’t quick to re-up supplies or introduce support for newer mouse designs like Pulsar Gaming and Esports Tiger. The resale price for these is also egregious, sometimes reaching $70 depending on how evil people feel at any given time. Typically, when in stock, these should cost no more than around $15, which is still relatively pricey for what you get.
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