I own a Hayate, Hien, Shiden, and Shiden-kai. Guess what I uses? my qck. I loved the shiden series in particular and used them for a very long time. I prefer using my qck now that I use high sensitivity. The shidens tend to be very picky with which mice work on them.

I'll be using it with a Razer Abyssus (optical sensor).

So out of all those you would advise a Shiden? What was "bad" about the other editions?

Where exactly did you order it if I may ask?

I have an abyssus 2014, I remember trying it on the Hien and the hayate, and it tracks fine on those, but the sensor on the abyssus 2014 (s3888) is very sensitive to dust, and those pads are dust magnets :(

There used to be a strawberry version of the shiden-kai which apparently didn't cause problems with mice. The one I have is the latest one, which is Orange, and the only mouse I found that works without malfunctioning at very low speed movement on it, is the g502. The standard shiden(white) might be ok with the aby 2014. I'll try it out with both my shiden and shiden-kai later on today and let you know how it is :)

If I was you i'd just stick/get a qck.

I'm still debating between a Hien, Shiden or Shidenkai. In terms of speed, the Shidenkai might be a bit too fast for me.

Shiden(kai) kinda has the same feel as an icemat, but with the cloth feeling from what I've read?

I'm completely clueless on which version I should take tho (xsoft, soft, mid..?).

How would you rate them?

no. I am using shidenkai, and I have an icemat as well that I used in the past.. icemat is different. shidenkai is very similar feeling to a plastic pad, but way more durable and higher quality. mine is more than 2 yrs old and still working fine.

it comes down to preference, if you like hard pads, shiden or shidenkai. if you like cloth, hien, hayate, or whatever. I prefer hard pads... have tried cloth in the past and the feedback and friction can be nice but still it feels frustrating to me, hence my shidenkai.
IMO artisan are worth it, they are very high quality products.

dunno about xsoft soft etc. IIRC they indicate softness/hardness of the rubber base. mine is mid apparently.

IIrc the xsoft-soft-mid is the thickness and material of the part of the pad that goes on the desk. I guess softer versions would feel more like cloth pads, and mid more like a hard pad.

Yes they worth it, definitely. I don't own one but from the reviews and what I heard about them, they are high quality products. But expensive.

I think in term of quality artisan is 1st, then zowie, then razer, then steelseries.

QcK is overrated, it's nice because it's big and cheap, and also plain black, so works with most mice. But its quality is debatable really. The razer goliathus speed edition is close to QcK, but more durable and I personally like the feeling of the mouse on the mousepad better than on the QcK. Also, it's relatively cheap.

So if you're really bothered about the quality of your mousepad, then go for artisan. If artisan is too expensive for you, or hard to find/buy in your country, then go for the goliathus speed, i own one and it's a very balanced mousepad, i mean in term of quality/price.
If you want something that works ok with most mice and quite cheap, then go for QcK, the safe buy imho :p.

I got a puretrack talent after having a goliathus, it's basically unchanged, whereas the goliathus absorbed dirt and both looked worse, frayed at the edges, and felt slower (due to dirt). carefully washing it didn't bring it quite back to how it was either.

I've had an Artisan Shiden for 4/5 months now which I do really like, but I'm not quite entirely convinced it's not losing tracking a tiny bit very occasionally with a DA 2013, but it also fairly rapidly got dirty maybe from the teflon feet wearing off into the glass, maybe the tracking loss feel is dirt related but it's more like staining, it won't come perfectly clean again.

I'm finding it hard to decide if I want to stay with the Shiden, or go back to the Puretrack.

How long have you had the puretrak?

Over a year iirc.
I definitely felt like it kept its surface much better than the goliathus, and it never feels like it ever causes any tracking problems.
With the goliathus I'd started to think I was getting a tiny bit of accel from minor tracking problems, quite likely all placebo but I never had that feeling with the puretrack.

when you say goliathus, is it the speed or control version ?

I have used my Puretrak Talent for three years. I haven't treated it very well. I have spilled food and liquid all over it, sweated all over it, and left hand oil all over it.

Edges have frayed a little bit: by 2 cm in one corner, 1 cm on one side, and less than 3 mm on the other sides. (Very good numbers.) I think the one side frayed by 1 cm because I used to have the WHOLE mousepad on my desk, so my arm constantly rubbed the side and made it fray. However, now I hang my mousepad over the edge of my desk, which has protected the edges from my arm very well and is way more comfortable. However, hanging it over the desk has created a height difference in that area of the mouse pad, so I can't really use my mouse on that part anymore, but it's hanging over my desk, so idgaf.

Food, liquid, hand sweat, and hand oil all collected in the middle and made the mousepad slower, but I fixed it to a satisfying extent by washing it. Getting a lighter mouse also helped.

The weave is still very tight. It's still mooth like silk.

I would definitely say that the Puretrak Talent is a tough pad and is built to last.

I use a Hien with my WMO, and occasionally my Deathadder, and it works great. It`s a bit uncomfortable for the wrist, as it`s really rough, but just play without your wrist on the pad and it`s fine. I prefer it over my Puretrak Talent.

Absolutely love my Shiden-kai .... best mousepad i used in my entire life and i have noticed no sign of wear and tear... just know how to clean it properly (lukewarm water with a soft sponge or a microfiber cloth)

I also own a Hayate which is about the best cloth style pad ive used but i just prefer the smoothness of the Shiden-kai.

Also noticed no tracking issues whatsoever on my g100s, kinzu v2, zowie am-fg or the new ninox aurora.

What colour did u get? is it the discontinued strawberry one?

I have the orange one that is on the site right now.
Only issue i had with it is if its warm in my room i can get some sweaty hands (not really bad but still its there) and after a few days of that i will get some spots on the pad that have extra friction.

But if you clean it properly with a soft sponge or a microfiber cloth its good as new right away.

Friend of mine had it for a year and it still has the same glide.

Why did you go for the Shidenkai? As far as I can tell it's the fastest one (Hayate > Hien > Shiden > Shidenkai), with the Hayate & Hien having a "cloth feel" whilst the Shiden(kai) has a "glassy feel" which makes it very fast.

Which hardness did you select (xsoft, soft mid)?

I've pretty much always owned cloth mousepad like Qpad, SS QcK, Xtrac Hybrid, Razer Goliathus, so maybe it will be a bit hard to adapt to an extremely fast mousepad.

the hardness only refers to the backing (foam part) of the mousepad, just get hard because it lasts longer and the mousepad won't sink in if you put your heavy hand on it.

I owned two hiens but they are dust magnets and you can't wash em or they fuck up. They are fantastic but only lasts 6 months (for me)

I got the mid.

I went for the Shidenkai and the Hayate to experience both sides of the spectrum.
Back when i still played competitive Quake4 i used a icemat for a while.. but i always found that glide hard to control... i heard the Shidenkai was simular but it was easier to control (and they were right)

I wanted to try the Hayate to compare it to every cloth pad i have owned since 2006 ... ive had everything from the Fatal1ty pad, to the Everglide titan, the QCK heavy the goliathus speed.

The Hayate feels pretty heavy on the friction side but its very smooth and even.. very controlled... and if i did not have the Shidenkai i would use the Hayate for sure.

Still can't decide between the Hien / Hayate and the Shiden / Shidenkai. I'm going to order 2 anyway cause of the shipping costs.

How long have you had both pads, and why did you not get a Hien or a Shiden?

A little over 2 months now.

I did not see the point in getting the Shiden with the Shiden-kai obviously being the slickest.
Basically i wanted it to be what the icemat never was.... something super smooth but controllable.
Also with the icemat (much like toxic back in the day) i always needed a bottle of window wiper and a cloth next to it :)

The Shiden-kai offers the smoothest mouse experience i have experienced in 16 years of fps gaming :)

The Hayate and the Hien was a tossup for me... much like you i just went with 2 pads and i had to pick 1 of those...
For what i was reading is that the Hayate was considered the flagship of Artisan.
I just wanted the exact opposite of the spectrum to the Shiden-kai and try the most grippy pad.... which is exactly what the Hayate is.
Even though it has more friction than a Goliathus speed, QCK Heavy or a Everglide Titan it is much more consistent and smooth.
I hear great things about the Hien as well though, and apparently its not as grippy as the Hayate so if you want cloth thats quicker... it might be the better choice.

Both pads also do not respond to temperature as much as any other pad i have tried (which to me is huge.... especially the QCK and the Goliathus feel completely different in the cold and warm)

I will say the Hayate is a dust magnet.... but if you just wipe it over with a damp microfiber cloth it feels as good as new.

The Shiden-kai i use a soft sponge or microfiber cloth with lukewarm water and some non chemical green soap every 2 weeks and it feels like new after.
Just whatever you do, do not roll it up or bend it too much or you will ruin the coating.

Pardon the wall of text, and i hope that answers your question :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN3iG9QlZf8&feature=youtu.be

I stand corrected on the Hayate being the most grippy!
Can only compare it to what i have had then.

Thanks for correcting me.

Hi, it wasn't intended as a correction, I just thought you would appreciate the link. :) I got it through an artisan mouse pad guide that I relinked below, I'll link it again here as an fyi.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32172733/...-tubby.pdf

Intended or not i don't mind being corrected :)
Appreciate the pdf, very interesting.

Ever since i got these pads i have become a huge fan of Artisan, can't see myself getting anything else unless 1 of the other companies really step up their game.

Me neither, indeed they are a lot more expensive, but they really are a different class of product in terms of quality.

Thx a bunch for the lengthy reply :)

The Shidenkai looks awesome, but I'm afraid it might be a bit too fast. Did you ever experience any issues with your mouse malfunctioning at low/high speed? I'm thinking a light mouse (buying a Razer Abyssus tomorrow) in combination with a very fast pad might be a blessing for me because I'm tired of my Rival + QcK.

Guess I'l just go for the Hien Soft and either the Shidenkai Mid or the Shiden Mid. Their product portfolio is insane, I just can't decide :G

How long did it take them to ship your order?

Btw: which mice did you test on the Shidenkai?

I ordered on sunday and received mine after 5 days on friday (in Holland)

The shiden-kai is really fast but i dont think its too fast... actually once you get used to it its hard to use anything else... especially because you always feel in control.

Personally i used a Zowie AM, Kinzu v2 pro, mx300, g100s and now a Ninox Aurora on the Siden-kai and all have worked perfectly.

I can get the Kinzu v2 to malfunction but i can get that thing to malfunction on anything... its PCS is kinda terrible.

The Ninox has a PCS of 4.3ms on it so its near impossible to get that to malfunction... i could get not get the g100s to malfunction either.
I have not tried to get the Zowie to malfunction, but i use a rather slow sens of 45cm/360 roughly so take that for what you will.

I hear great things about the Shiden though so i doubt you can go wrong with it, although i did hear the color causing tracking issues with some other mouse that the shiden-kai has no issues with and vice versa...

Last question: did you first try the Hayate & then switch to the Shidenkai or the other way around?

It must feel very odd switching between an insanely fast mousepad (Shidenkai) and a slower "cloth" one, no?

Guess I'll just go for the Hien Soft & the Shidenkai Mid :)

Other way around, what i did was i gave each pad 2 weeks before i madeup my mind.

Have to admit the first few days with the Hayate were really really hard because i was so used to the Shiden-kai... but i grew to really appreciate the pad.

I still went back to the Shiden-kai though, because to me it felt like perfection when you have a mouse with teflon mouse feet.
You can literally just track someone left to right on a pixel to pixel basis if you have the skill.

Just make sure you get the large versions of the pads... the Hayate in the pic is the medium one because the large was sold out and its a bit too small for my liking.

And i would personally stick to 1 surface hardness ... i really like the mid, but others seems to enjoy the soft as well.. id stay away from the xsoft.

Let me know what you think of the Hien if you do get it, its on my list still of pads to buy :)

you tried g100s on the shiden kai orange? im thinking of getting it but i need to know if g100s will track correctly (>35cm 360)

I had no issues with it whatsoever.

I loved my strawberry shiden-kai, worth every penny. A light mouse on that very fast surface was great.

Same question: http://www.esreality.com/post/2697020/re-arti...pid2697020

:D

I chose it because i wanted to try a pad with very low friction. I had used qck for a long time and i tended to put too much pressure on the mouse with mouse 1 resulting in bad tracking with lg/mg (the mouse got "stuck" due to the mouse sinking in to the cloth). With the shiden-kai I got a pad that had very low friction, the mouse didn't get stuck and it didn't make that annoying noice a glass pad makes.

Only downside I can think of is that some mouses failed on the pad. I managed to make my FK fail sometimes if i moved it really fast - and the FK was the mouse i used with it. I don't know if this is due to the FK's malfunction speed or the mousepad.

About the foam part of the pad, I don't remember which one i had - I got it from amazon and only one option was available. I don't really think it matters. I ended up having my old qck on my desk and my shiden-kai on top of it making it "xsoft ++". It just felt comfortable.

I lost my shiden-kai on a LAN. I now use a puretrack talant and a G402. It is a perfectly valid option, very comfortable. But if I would care to try to play as good as I can I would buy a new shiden-kai and go for a lightweight mouse.

Edit: Oh, one more thing. The mouse pad didn't feel very comfortable to the skin. I started using a fingerless glove to protect my skin while playing. The same can be said for the puretrack i now use and polyester-type cloth pads like zowie TF speed.

I had to change my grip slightly for my Shidenkai because of that :)

Have to say though i am so addicted to the pad and i have been fortunate that all my mouse options worked flawlessly with it... but i would replace my mouse before i would the pad.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32172733/...-tubby.pdf

> Are they worth it?

No, no mousepad in the world is worth the premium price of the artisan pads. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure the pads are good, they are just overpriced as fuck and the L-sized pads are still kinda small compared to some other pads.
I had a shiden-kai and bought it because of a 50% discount. Didn't like it though. Was way too fast and actually fucked up my accuracy.

At first i thought it said AUTISM mouse pads.... i was like..'ohh, rhats.where tyryl got his...' real' lol

Goliathius with Abyssus FTW

Heck no. Save yourself some money and get yourself a QcK.

*allsop

Of all the pads I've used I prefer the QcK Heavy. All things considered it's the most appropriate pad for me. Long lifespan, relatively inexpensive, easy to clean and comfortable. There are pads available offering alternative glides but I can't say I have a problem with this one. IMHO the mouse is a much more complicated purchase. Shape, sensor, angle snapping, wired, weight, material quality, price and so on.

i used a hardpad for many years and when i wanted to lower my sensitivity and i would slip off my hard pad i went and got a large shiden-kai. was surprised that it was as fast if not faster than my hardpad (SS 9HD). cloth pads with higher friction are common and you can find many that are more affordable than an artisan so I'd recommend that if you want a hard-pad replacement get a shiden-kai (must also check if your sensor can stand the shidenkai colors), if you want a more control pad, i'd recommend something cheaper.