I didn't think about it too much but the Steelseries QcK has done me well for years. It's a thin, soft mat with a nice sliding not too rough surface. Comes in different sizes.

Eh, just grab one from Walmart or office depot. At about 5$ it's effectively disposable. A mouse pad is something I have a hard time dropping more than 10 on. They all end up stained, corner bending etc.

Steel series pads tend to be pretty good and have lasted for me, although I don't play competitive fps anymore so that's a major part of it.

Go crazy lol

I personally use a glass pad but they aren't for everyone.

It’s a basic answer, but Razer mousepads always served me well.

Artisan makes some quality deskpads if you are interested in spending a little extra. Otherwise a generic deskmat will do the trick and you won't be too worried about dirtying it or ruining it.

Can't say I've run into Linux oriented mouse/deskpads but it's likely one search term away!

I used to have a hard mousepad, because I thought it was "cool", but in retrospect it was basically no different than just using my desk would have been. They're noisy, and 99% of them just give off edgy gamer vibes.

Cheap neoprene (or similar) mousepads are all about the same in terms of performance, but pricier ones typically look better and may last a little bit longer.

Recently I've upgraded my setup to a wool one from here: https://grovemade.com/desk-and-mouse-pads/

Its been about a year and I still love it, but I will note that I can see how the slightly rougher texture could be a turnoff for some people. They do have other options with different natural materials you may be interested in. IMO, all of their options look classy AF, and I like the use of more natural materials

I've used an A2 Olfa cutting mat for a long time (those dark green ones with the grid)

It was really beat up but the underside was pristine. Mice glided a lot. after getting a new mouse I decided to get a traditional cheapo deskmat because I didn't want to wear the mouse skate pads.

I used a HyperX Fury S XXL for 4+ years with no issues before switching to a glass mousepad. I’ve heard Artisan mousepads are really good, or Artisan clones like the LGG Saturn Pro

i got an amazonbasics one for really cheap - wont link it but it's held up really well and is very comfortable.

I have a metal one I got for father's day a few years ago that I like pretty well but most of the time I just use my desk unless I'm traveling.

I personally use a very thin hard plastic mousepad that sticks to the table, the Razer Sphex v3: https://www.razer.com/gaming-mouse-mats/razer-sphex-v3

It can be very loud to move your mouse on at first (also depending on the skates on your mouse), but once the texture wears off it's very, very smooth.

It's not very durable, take it off a few times and it'll probably not stick well to the desk anymore (it doesn't ruin your desk though). I still like it the most though.

because we all use linux and can hopefully make fun if ourselves....

waifu mousepad.

https://a.co/d/bv7mkw9

I use a HYTE CNVS deskpad and a Razer Firefly hard surface mousemat. I've found I prefer hard surface mats over cloth ones. I also really like the Razer Mamba Hyperflux, but they don't make it anymore. It's a Firefly mouse mat that wirelessly powers the included mouse and it's a really neat design, though doesn't work well if your desk has metal supports under where the mousemat goes. For that reason I use it at work, not at my gaming setup.

https://www.puravibra.com/product-category/officewear/mousepads/

I have used a Logitech G440 Hard Gaming Mouse Mat for the last 20 something years.

It's gotten a bit battered and starting to de-laminate on one edge but it's still perfectly usable even after all these years.

Haven't seen a mouse pad in two decades.. 🤣