Two high performance mousemats, the 900mm wide cloth Sargas and brushed aluminium Ensis 320, offer rare options for the style conscious or desk-cramped gamer.
Products on Review: Sargas 900 & Ensis 320 Luna
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Mionix
MSRP: $29.99 & $39.99
Mionix are the sort of peripherals designer and manufacturer which will fly under the radar for many consumers. The company was founded and remains based in Sweden, a nation well known for style in engineering, and rather than one of the big beasts of the market they plug away producing products of consistent quality and just a sprinkle of flair. Their current greatest hits are the Zibal 60 – a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Black switches and distinctive green lighting – and NAOS 5000 mouse, both of which have been well received by the industry, whilst this past September they released two new high-quality mousing surface ranges to complement high-end kit.
About Mionix
Mionix AB was founded in 2007 by Peter Nygren. The goal was to design and develop high-end computer peripherals made for gamers. The company stands for high quality, cool design and a touch of innovation. Mionix has received numerous of international prizes and awards for their products. Mionix has a global presence with a worldwide network of distributors, resellers and partners.
In for review today are two of the mousemats from their new Sargas and Ensis ranges: the brushed-aluminium Ensis 320 Luna and gigantic Sargas 900. The Sargas 900 is the largest of the Sargas fabric-topped mousing surfaces, measuring a full 900mm wide compared to 320mm and 400mm variants. The Ensis 320 Luna is diminutive by comparison, only 320mm wide yet topped by a aluminium and backed by a rubberised layer to grip the desk underneath.
About The Sargas Range
The Mionix Sargas 900 is made of a durable microfiber cloth material with slightly more friction than coated mousepads. The special microfiber surface counteracts data loss and improves the sensor tracking performance. The Sargas 900 was built with our in-house Surface Quality Analyser Tool (S.Q.A.T) technology which tests the data loss of the surface, many months of testing has been carried out to ensure that this cloth pad has an extremely low data loss. The underside is made of a natural rubber offering a firm grip irrespective of the surface under the mousepad or extensive movements. The wide tracking area ensures for long sweeping movements without interruption.
About The Ensis Range
The black coated ENSIS 320 and hairline brushed ENSIS 320 LUNA not only look sleek but are constructed of super fine aluminium alloy. 2 mm low profile and super smooth surface make the ENSIS range our most high-end gaming surface to date.
The Mionix Sargas 900 is made of a durable microfiber cloth material with slightly more friction than coated mousepads. The special microfiber surface counteracts data loss and improves the sensor tracking performance. The Sargas 900 was built with our in-house Surface Quality Analyser Tool (S.Q.A.T) technology which tests the data loss of the surface, many months of testing has been carried out to ensure that this cloth pad has an extremely low data loss. The underside is made of a natural rubber offering a firm grip irrespective of the surface under the mousepad or extensive movements. The wide tracking area ensures for long sweeping movements without interruption.
About The Ensis Range
The black coated ENSIS 320 and hairline brushed ENSIS 320 LUNA not only look sleek but are constructed of super fine aluminium alloy. 2 mm low profile and super smooth surface make the ENSIS range our most high-end gaming surface to date.
Technical Specifications
S.Q.A.T. Explained
The Surface Quality Analyser Tool is built into the Mionix NAOS 5000 gaming mouse and measures the data loss between images of the surface taken by the mouse sensor. This information is translated in to a rating between 1 and 10, where a low number represents a higher data loss and a higher number represents a lower data loss between the surface and the mouse sensor. Mousepads rated 8/10 or above will provide no loss of tracking* and improved accuracy.
Sargas 900 Tech. Data:
Material: Durable, smooth and flexible microfibre
S.Q.A.T value: 8
Surface: Uncoated / semi rigid
Dimensions: 900mm x 320mm
Thickness: 2mm
Back: Rubber based backside for a steady grip
Compatibility: LED-optical & laser
S.Q.A.T value: 8
Surface: Uncoated / semi rigid
Dimensions: 900mm x 320mm
Thickness: 2mm
Back: Rubber based backside for a steady grip
Compatibility: LED-optical & laser
Ensis 320 Luna Tech. Data:
Material: Aluminium alloy
S.Q.A.T value: 9
Surface: Hairline brushed / rigid
Dimensions: 320mm x 260mm
Thickness: 2mm
Back: Rubber based backside for a steady grip
Compatibility: LED-optical & laser
S.Q.A.T value: 9
Surface: Hairline brushed / rigid
Dimensions: 320mm x 260mm
Thickness: 2mm
Back: Rubber based backside for a steady grip
Compatibility: LED-optical & laser
Packaging
In some cases mousemat packaging shouts at the viewer: “Look at me”, it says, “I have a wide range of barely incomprehensible features which go really well with all the other products in our mouse range”. It serves as much as a secondary advertising vehicle for branded peripherals than describing the somewhat modest product inside. In this, Mionix are a refreshing change, they keep it simple and don’t use it as an excuse to push other products.
Sargas 900
The Sargas 900 is delivered in a simple box with a somewhat emphasised image of the mat on the front. It’s described as a ‘high performance microfibre deskpad’, but at first glance it’s difficult to infer very much about its dimensions from the initial view. When you consider the propensity of brands using large numerical values as a meaningless naming exercise it’s no surprise if consumers would feel a little uncertain.
The rear explains the inspiration for the name Sargas – a star in the Scorpius constellation – and an overview of this model. Additional space is reserved for the technical specification, although no room is devoted to an explanation of their Surface Quality Analyser Tool.
Other manufacturers have added small windows to their packaging to allow an assessment of the mat’s surface and backside. That’s not present for the Sargas 900, and given that the it’s sealed it could be a handy addition.
Ensis 320 Luna
The first thing to not of this packaging is that it’s not explicitly labelled as the Ensis Luna, although it is clear from the images that the product inside is the one with brushed aluminium finish. It may be that the distinction between ‘Luna’ and matte black versions exist only on the website and in promotional material, so take care if buying from a store or e-tailer which have poor returns policies for opened products.
Thankfully the front of this pack is clear – this particular Ensis 320 has a brushed aluminium finish (which is clear close-up). A minor criticism would be the resolution of the image, which is a little low for a printed product.
The package rear contains all the detailed technical information – the fact that this is 1mm thick aluminium backed with textured rubber – and a little explanation for the origin of the name ‘Ensis’. Once again, there’s no real explanation of S. Q. A. T., specifically what goes in to testing with this tool, which can make the indication of a SQAT value something of a redundant point for buyers.
As with most mousemats both Sargas and Ensis models have a pronounced chemical smell when new. This isn’t something to worry about, just be sure to get some fresh air circulating.
Closer Look
Sargas 900
It’s difficult to show just how large the Sargas 900 is – yes, it’s very wide. Wide enough to more than justify the term ‘deskpad’ for your average, or even larger than average computer desk, the Sargas 900 is intended to sit across your desk with both mouse and keyboard upon it. The black surface is made up of a woven microfibre cloth with quite a dense weave, allowing it to catch the light when viewed from a certain angle. The front of the mat is tapered rather than horizontal with an arc cut out 280mm in from either edge. The only feature which makes the Sargas range not symmetrical is the Mionix Sargas label on the front-left of the mat.
Above is a tighter image of the Sargas surface, which is far softer than expected as Mionix have eschewed the harder cloth surface favoured by other manufacturers. The pad is 2mm thick, most of which is composed of the rubberised backing with a number of purposes.
The rubber back side has a textured surface to better grip the desk on which it is laying. At 2mm thick it should serve to dampen any vibrations which may resonate through the desk, while to a certain extent the sheer surface area of the Sargas 900 will hold it in place.
First impressions are certainly good, although the edge of the mat is a little frayed. This could be a concern if the cloth starts to come away from the backing.
Ensis 320 Luna
Here you can quite clearly see the grey of the brushed aluminium Ensis 320 Luna. It’s a little over one third the width of the Sargas 900, and not nearly as deep at only 260mm; size-wise it will fit on most desks alongside a keyboard without any problems. Under more natural light the reflectivity is relatively dull, but the vertical lines of the brushed effect pick up the light nicely. Once again
A quick close-up of the Ensis 320 Luna’s surface shows the clearly visible brushed effect. For some it will be worth noting that the Mionix/Ensis logo is very slightly raised from the surface – detectable to touch but not raised enough to hamper a mouses’ movement over it.
This picture of the back side illustrates the layers of the Ensis 320 quite well. As with the Sargas the backing is textured to grip the surface of a desk, although in this case the rubber is only 1mm thick. The 1mm thick aluminium brings the overall thickness up to 2mm, retaining a low profile compared to many gamer mousepads on the market.
As far as the pad’s aluminium edging goes, it’s very slightly turned downwards, negating the risk of sharp edges. It’s not perfect – you can feel slight imperfections by running your thumb along the edge – but everything clearly visible or accessible in situ is good all the way around the pad.
Performance Testing
For testing MIONIX provided us with the NAOS 3200, a mid-range gaming mouse based around a 3200DPI optical sensor. This allowed us to test the quality of response with a quality optical sensor, ensuring that the tracking is adequate with both mousing surfaces. In order to test tracking utilising a laser sensor we broke out the Thermaltake Level 10 M reviewed last month, which features a 8200 DPI laser sensor. The keyboard used in the Sargas 900 testing was a generic Logitech membrane keyboard.
We used both mats with a variety of games and in general office tasks, which provides a good balance of precision requirements and extended testing of the surfaces for imperfections and manufacturing flaws. It’s somewhat important to test both FPS titles, where movements are likely to be relatively fast and over long distances, and strategy games which often favour small and precise movements. Hack ‘n’ Slash RPGs are something of a happy medium in these regards, and so also well worth looking at.
Games Tested
FPS:- Borderlands 2
Real Time Strategy:- Starcraft 2
RPG:- Torchlight
Real Time Strategy:- Starcraft 2
RPG:- Torchlight
Results
Sargas 900
In general, tracking on the Sargas 900 was excellent both with the optical and laser mice used. Although the woven microfibre finish is very soft, the 2mm thick rubber backing doesn’t have a massive amount of spring and so mice with relatively small but thick feet/casters won’t have the opportunity to sink in to the mat and add additional frictional elements. Whatever game styles we threw at it never became an issue: it was easily able to track during precise RTS gameplay and more expansive sessions of Borderlands.
Similarly, the lack of spring from the rubber backing added very little unwanted bounce to the keyboard, keeping keystrokes crisp even on the ageing membrane unit. The size of the mat really came into its own, providing a huge mousing surface even taking the 485mm wide keyboard account. Due to the fact that it’s designed to have the keyboard on top, it really adds great layout flexibility to your set-up over a pad greater than 350mm wide. You could even put a mousepad on the mousepad, is that isn’t a bit too over the top.
Due at least in part to the pad’s size, it stays very firmly in place even on a relatively smooth desk surface when movement it at it’s most vigorous. Those who enjoy especially extended sessions at their PC will appreciate that they won’t be adjusting the mat every 20 mins to compensate for moving around the desk.
Ensis 320
Once again the tracking on the Ensis 320 was excellent. The surface finish is also very good, allowing a smooth flow over the top rather than what you might at first glance anticipate with a brushed aluminium surface. There were a couple of very slight imperfections evident when mousing over the surface, although after some time it appeared that
If the Sargas 900 is fairly unyielding, that factor is even more apparent on the Ensis: the 1mm thick aluminium has very little give even though backed by 1mm of rubber. Whilst not affecting the quality of the mousing, it does mean that there is a very slight bow to the pad which isn’t eliminated totally by the backing. In extended sessions this can cause the Ensis 320 to walk a little over the desk, but only a little thanks to the grippy backing.
The unyielding nature of the aluminium pad will tend to pass through vibrations transmitted in the desk. For the vast majority of people this will not be an issue, but those with a PC on the desk which generates plenty of noise and vibrations should be aware. Even then, it’s only likely to be picked up at very high DPI and mouse sensitivity.
Conclusion
So, what can we say about the Mionix Sargas 900 and Ensis 320 Luna? Well, quite a bit as it happens. Lets start with the Ensis 320.
As anyone who has read my reviews should know by now, I’m a sucker for brushed aluminium. I like it on mice, I appreciate it on HTPCs; it’s a finish which is smart and stylish enough to suit any environment. It’s no surprise therefore that I appreciate the look of the Ensis 320 Luna – the brushed effect is subtle, so the surface feels smooth, but effective in that it doesn’t just look like polished metal. This makes it ideal for a office environment, where having your workstation looking smart could be quite a boon.
On the other hand, whilst the size might be ideal for the office it may not be so great for home, especially in gaming. At 320x260mm the Ensis isn’t huge, and many gamers prefer mice configured to a low DPI and making expansive gestures to aim; that’s not a criticism per se, just an acknowledgement of where personal preference will make an impact.
Otherwise, the Ensis 320 is very good indeed. The backside is sufficiently grippy, and though the pad is very slightly bowed the walk on the pad is minimal. On very close inspection the edge finish looks a little uneven, but still feels smooth to the touch. Criticisms we may have are the size of the logo/name on the surface, and the fact that it may pick up fingerprints a little too easily. In the unlikely event that you’re using a mouse with ceramic feet it’s also possible that the surface may be scratched.
The Mionix Ensis 320 is a mousemat ideal for a smart small or home office both in size and looks, with a brushed aluminium finish which is only subtly textured to ensure smooth movement for most mice. Both optical and laser mice had no issues tracking over the surface, living up to the high quoted rating on Mionix’s proprietry S.Q.A.T. system. For FPS gaming the pad may be a little small, and at close to $40 MSRP it’s on the more expensive side, however overall it’s well worthy of a Gold Award
Pros
+ Brushed aluminium finish
+ Smooth
+ Optical and Laser mice track perfectly
Cons
– Cost
– A little small for enthusiastic FPS gamers
+ Brushed aluminium finish
+ Smooth
+ Optical and Laser mice track perfectly
Cons
– Cost
– A little small for enthusiastic FPS gamers
By contrast, the Sargas 900 occupies the other end of the product spectrum. With a width of 900mm it certainly lives up to the ‘deskpad’ moniker, and a projection into the desk of 400mm is plenty for every use we can think of. These dimensions sidestep the problem of mats which are too wide to be placed alongside a keyboard on an often cramped computer desk.
As a mousemat, the Sargas 900 performs entirely up to expectations. Neither our optical nor laser mice had issues with tracking across the surface, the fundamental point of a mat after all. The woven cloth surface is smooth enough for mouse skates to glide over it, whilst also being surprisingly flexible. In terms of thickness, the 2mm rubber backing is probably just thick enough without creating a spongy surface for the keyboard to rest on.
Another point to note of the Sargas 900 is its innate flexibility compared to other mats thicker yet with a smaller surface area. The upshot is a mat which can be packed away surprisingly easily, perhaps for a LAN event if that’s your thing.
Our one concern with the Sargas is durability. We’re reasonably confident that the cloth weave is robust, but the edge finishes aren’t great. After a relatively short period of use the fabric at the edge was ever so slightly beginning to come away from the backing where the forearm runs across it. Other mats use a far more rigid, almost plasticised surface to ameliorate this effect, but that’s the catch-22 of designing with softer fabrics.
The massive Mionix Sargas 900 deskpad neatly renders mousemat size problems irrelevant by effectively turning the front half of a desk into one large mousemat. In that role is performs well, offering a smooth mousing surface whilst not adding any bounce to the keyboard. The only question-mark is long term durability given how soft the fabric surface is. An MSRP of $29.99 seems excellent for a product which eliminates so much inconvenience, well worthy of a Gold Award.
Pros
+ Size
+ Convenience
+ Optical and Laser mice track perfectly
Cons
– Unproven long-term durability
+ Size
+ Convenience
+ Optical and Laser mice track perfectly
Cons
– Unproven long-term durability
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
