Custom floor mats: reasons not to buy one

When we talk about all the peripherals and accessories that have to do with the computer, the mat is one of the most intricate. After the keyboard, we could say that personalized mats are the accessories that we can customize the most. However, are they as good as they seem?

It may seem attractive to have the image you like as the base of your mat, but what are the pros and cons?

The best you get is a custom accessory. A unique object on Earth and that will be entirely designed by you. But, next, we are going to tell you some things that you should consider before buying a custom mat.

Index of contents

What are custom floor mats?

Perhaps not many of you are familiar with this type of accessories, although they have no mystery. In general, we could summarize them as the mats whose design has been created by the same person who buys them.

The main grace of these products is to be able to put the image and shape that you want. You could create a mat with a family photo, a favorite phrase on a tacky background or the image of a series or movie that has marked you. The possibilities are truly endless.

For this, we can rely on numerous web pages where they sell these products. In addition, you will have the possibility to buy one or a pack of many mats. It may be that you have already seen some of these products from corporate gifts or at events, since it is very typical.

Although the advantages are quite clear and direct, the disadvantages are something that cannot be deduced. Many of them you will already be imagining, but here we will make a quick reminder of what inconveniences you could find.

Half price

On most pages, you can get these mats for just under € 8; if you are lucky, maybe even less. Of course, this price will only be if you buy a pack of 100, 200 or even more. If you are looking to buy only one for your personal use, the final price will be around € 10 , approximately.

It is not too much money, but if we put it in perspective with the market offer, it is quite high for what they offer you. In computer stores, gaming and others, we can get good quality mats for the same price. In fact, we can find the Amazon Basics mat for around € 5 .

If we raise the bar a little more, for about 10-15 € we can already find XL- size mats, something that we may not find on personalization websites.

Build quality of custom floor mats

On the other hand, we have to look at the quality of construction of these products. To allow custom mats to be customized, most companies use a similar method. It is a simple method and, above all, cheap.

• First they use a black / dark rubber base that is capable of slightly adhering to the surface it is on. On this base the desired image is placed. Finally, it is sealed with a layer of rigid and transparent plastic to coat the image. With this it lasts longer and becomes an optimal surface to slide the mouse.

The quality of these products can vary between sellers, but, more or less, all agree to be so. This has negative consequences such as deteriorating faster due to not having reinforced edges or directly its general quality.

As we have said, the point is that they are cheap products where the strong point is personalization. Instead, in other brands focused on accessories and peripherals, all the money is invested in the product offering the best at the lowest price.

This is why it is highly likely that a cheap, regular mat is of better quality than a custom mat of the same price.

Overall performance

This point is highly related to the previous one, since construction materials matter when using accessories.

Similar to the last claim we've made, custom floor mats spend part of your budget implementing the image you've asked for. Meanwhile, common floor mats spend the maximum budget improving and perfecting their products. This is why it is not surprising that a mouse can better use a mouse pad of any brand than a custom one, probably made of plastic.

In addition, some of these mats are designed directly to be very precise, to slide easily or to be portable. On the other hand, the others usually try to be a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone.

A small detail is that custom mats can cause problems for older mice. It is not very common, but if you have a mouse from three generations ago or more, you may have detection problems. Older optical sensors had serious problems when used on different colored or translucent-looking surfaces.

Durability and maintenance of the mats

The last point we will talk about is the life expectancy of the products.

We would hope that a product of these characteristics, despite having enough use, will last a good couple of years, although more would always be better. This is why many of the common floor mats are made of fabric rather than rubber or plastic.

The fabric is like an article of clothing, so if it gets dirty over time, we can put it in the washing machine. In addition, if you have the edges sewn with an extra layer of fabric, it prevents unraveling and other problems of being used every day. If you do not do anything extreme with your mat, we can assure you that it will have a long life and a good life.

On the other hand, the personalized ones are usually made of plastic and not embroidered, due to their materials. This means that it is more prone to “chipping” , that is, that the plastic separates from the adherent base on the sides. This can happen through continuous rubbing, spilled water or heat sources, as it can happen that you have cups of coffee or similar on the table.

In general, we prefer classic mats since they usually have a longer life expectancy and are easier to clean and care for.

Final ideas on the mats

There are various reasons for preferring one type of mats over others, although in the end it all falls on personal taste. These points that we have mentioned may not matter to you and you prefer to have a mat made to your liking. Totally respectable. However, you already know why we think it may be a not as good idea as you originally thought.

In conclusion, we could say that the main flaw is its poor budget investment, which makes it an "expensive" accessory. If you do not mind spending a few euros more, it is a good option, but if you are looking for the best at the lowest price, it lags a little behind.

Keep in mind that everything we tell you is about the most common models of personalized mats. It may be that you find a model of a special website where they are made with great care, so these reviews do not always apply.

This is our opinion on the matter, but what do you think? Do you like personalized rugs or do you prefer to buy from a trusted brand? Share your ideas below.