The main downside of memory foam is its tendency to absorb body heat and warm up with extended use. Memory foam may also cause excessive sweating, which can be uncomfortable. Excessive sweat can also lead to your memory foam wrist rest absorbing the sweat smell, so you’ll have to clean it regularly. While correct positioning can ensure that your wrist is supported when using any of the other entries on this list, the Kensington Duo Gel makes the process a whole lot easier with its built-in wrist rest.

The RGB lighting can easily be set to any of the twelve onboard programs via a small button on the USB hub, or, for the best results, you can use the Corsair iCUE software to program your own setup and link it in with the rest of your rig. The rumours are true – size does matter. Specifically, you need to be mindful of the space you have to work with when buying a mouse pad; an extra-large mat will be of little use to you if you’re working from a desk with limited surface space. Best Mouse Wrist Rest Overall: DeltaHub Carpio 2.0 has a unique “palm rest” design for reduced wrist pressure and PTFE feet that allow it to move with your wrist.

Before You Buy

Best Keyboard and Mouse Wrist Rest Combo: Gimars Keyboard and Mouse Wrist Rest is a great value combo perfect for those seeking support for their mouse and keyboard. Key specs – Dimensions (HWD): 312 x 344 x 4mm; Material: Polycarbonate, cloth, rubber; Weight: Not specified; Waterproof surface: No; Additional features: Wireless charging (Logitech Lightspeed mice only) USB hub: If you’re low on USB ports, you may want to look into a mousepad that has an integrated USB hub. As with the RGB lighting, these will need an open USB port to connect to your laptop or PC, but from there you can use it to connect your desktop peripherals. As well as providing more ports, it’s also handy having them in reaching distance for when you want to swap something out. Overall, DeltaHub’s Carpio 2.0 is an excellent mouse rest that stands out for its design, comfort, and freedom of movement. It’s not cheap, but we believe the benefits justify the price here. These Gimars wrist rests use the typical combination of memory foam and breathable fabric covering you’ll find in most wrist rests. It’s nothing exciting, sure, but this means they’ll be easy to get used to if you’ve never used wrist rests before.

There’s no “best” material, as it boils down to personal preference. We suggest buying one of each type and trying them out for a couple of weeks to see which works best for you. Closing Thoughts A hard mat, on the other hand, is designed for speed, cutting out any unnecessary friction to keep your mouse movements as nippy as possible. If you feel confident in your ability to stop the mouse on a dime, or if you just generally prefer speed over precision, a hard mouse pad will provide the least amount of resistance. Ergonomic wrist rest: If you spend a lot of time at your desk, you’ll already be aware of the importance of an ergonomic setup. A wrist rest provides a soft but supportive place for your wrist to sit, allowing you to keep it in a comfortable position while using your mouse. You can buy these separately, but for the sake of simplicity, as well as ensuring that you have enough space on your desk, a mouse pad with an integrated wrist rest could be the way to go. If you’ve got the desk space and a tendency to cover an extensive surface area when using your mouse, you’d be wise to opt for the biggest mouse pad you can get. Logitech’s G840 XL is a full desktop pad that essentially turns every inch of your deskspace into a mouse mat, giving you plenty of room to manoeuvre, as well as the freedom to adjust your setup on the fly. As well as the lighting and extra ports, the M700 is a full desktop pad, so you’ve got plenty of room to move your mouse around, as well as the option to reverse your setup at a moment’s notice. The cloth surface allows your mouse to glide around unhindered, while the non-slip rubber base keeps the mat firmly in place and avoids any irritating bunching in the corners. For a gaming mouse pad that enhances your experience, the M700 is pretty much the best there is.

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Syncing your gaming peripherals into your RGB lighting ecosystem is always a satisfying experience, but each new element added does come at the expense of an open USB port to use for other things. This fully-featured gaming mouse pad from Corsair goes some way to correct this issue by including a USB hub, providing two extra ports for the one that it uses.