Artisan FX Zero Soft vs SteelSeries QcK Heavy
The Japanese benchmark pad against the tournament classic: premium FX cloth or 6 mm of thickness for a fraction of the price.
Artisan FX Zero Soft
The benchmark Japanese mouse pad, in SOFT base hardness and XL size
SteelSeries QcK Heavy
6 mm thick and the QcK cloth that's been in tournaments for twenty years
Spec by spec
The best value in each row is highlighted in green, per that spec's criterion.
| Artisan FX Zero Soft | SteelSeries QcK Heavy | |
|---|---|---|
| Chassis material | Polyester (FX series) | Fine-woven QcK microfibre |
| Format | XL desk mat | Large desk mat |
| Dimensions | 490 x 420 mm | 450 x 400 mm |
| Thickness | 4 mm | 6 mm |
| Surface | Japanese FX cloth in SOFT hardness | QcK cloth optimised for low and high DPI |
| Base | Non-slip base | Extra-thick non-slip rubber |
| Compatibility | Universal | Universal |
| Contents | 1 mouse pad | 1 mouse pad |
| Weight | 500 g | 635 g |
| Warranty | — | 1 year |
What really separates these two
Surface: FX cloth against QcK microfibre
The Artisan Zero is a balanced cloth, neither pure speed nor pure control, here in SOFT hardness. The QcK is the fine-woven microfibre that has been in tournaments for twenty years. In our scores, the Artisan gets a 10 for precision and an 8 for speed; the QcK, an 8 and a 7. The gap is real, but it's a nuance, not a different class.
Thickness and size: 4 mm against 6 mm
The Artisan measures 490 × 420 mm and is 4 mm thick; the QcK Heavy, 450 × 400 mm and 6 mm on an extra-thick rubber base. Those 6 mm and its 635 g keep it from moving and cushion your wrist. Both are soft: the QcK through thickness, the Artisan through its SOFT base.
Price and warranty
This is the big difference: the Artisan sits in the $75–100 range and the QcK in the $25–50 range, so it costs two to three times as much. SteelSeries gives a 1-year warranty; Artisan doesn't publish one on the listing. For value for money, our score is a 10 for the QcK and a 6 for the Artisan.
If you play tactical shooters for hours and the pad is the last upgrade you have left, the Artisan Zero Soft. If you are starting out or want the safe bet, the QcK Heavy, and the money you save covers a set of PTFE skates, which change the glide more than you would expect.
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