POW3R Control Limited Variant Edition Review: Control Mousepad

Introduction

I bought the RAPTUS Gaming x POW3R Control Limited Variant on June 15th and have been using it for around two to three weeks.

It launched at €75, placing it at the higher end of the cloth mousepad market. During testing, I used the following mice:

• Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike
• Endgame Gear OP1 8K
• G-Wolves HSK Pro V2
• Orbital Pathfinder
• Xtrfy MZ1

The main games used for testing were Valorant, Strinova, Kovaaks, and Aimlabs.

Before switching to this pad, my main was the Wallhack SP-005 Miku OS. My current reference for control pads is the Kurosun Shogun, which remains my personal favourite in this category.

Packaging

The pad arrives completely flat, protected inside two thick cardboard boxes.

The packaging is extremely solid, and the pad was perfectly flat immediately after opening it. There were no raised corners, waves, or any need to leave it resting before use.

Overall, the presentation feels appropriate for a premium product.

Design and Print Quality

The design is one of the strongest aspects of the pad.

The black-and-white artwork is printed extremely well into the fabric and remained visually clean throughout my testing. The print cannot be felt through the surface and does not create any noticeable differences in glide across the pad.

It also does not seem to get dirty unusually quickly. The white areas naturally show marks more easily than a completely black pad, but overall it collects dust and dirt at a similar rate to most control pads.

Both the artwork and the surface feel very high quality.

Surface and Comfort

The surface is noticeably rough, and its texture can clearly be felt under the fingers.

Despite this, I found it comfortable both with and without a sleeve. I personally used it mostly with the Midori B4M, as that is my usual preference, but the surface never became uncomfortable during longer sessions without one.

The rough texture gives the pad a clear control-oriented identity without making it feel unstable or overly abrasive.

Speed and Glide

This is a genuinely slow control pad.

Compared to the Kurosun Shogun, the RAPTUS x POW3R Control has a slower overall glide, although it surprisingly offers slightly less stopping power.

Despite its slower speed, the mouse does not struggle when starting from a stationary position. Static friction is controlled well enough to keep small corrections responsive and precise.

Once the mouse is moving, the glide remains consistent and does not create excessive resistance during longer movements.

After two to three weeks of use, the speed still feels identical to how it felt when I first opened the pad. I have not noticed any early slow spots or meaningful changes in the surface.

Micro-Adjustments

Micro-adjustments are one of the strongest aspects of the pad.

Although it is clearly a slow control surface, it never feels muddy. Very small movements remain precise and predictable, making it particularly suitable for games such as Valorant, where tiny crosshair corrections matter.

The pad provides enough initial freedom to make micro-corrections without fighting against the surface, while still maintaining a slow and controlled overall glide.

This balance is probably its greatest strength.

Stopping Power

The stopping power is good, but lower than I expected considering how slow the pad feels during movement.

The Kurosun Shogun has a faster glide but still manages to provide stronger stopping power. On the RAPTUS, the feeling of control comes more from the consistent resistance of the surface than from an aggressive braking sensation at the end of a movement.

It still performs well during flicks and controlled movements, but it is not the strongest pad I have used when it comes to immediately stopping the mouse.

Base

The base is the weakest part of the pad for me.

It uses a soft base, which allows you to increase the amount of control by pressing the mouse into the surface. Applying more pressure noticeably slows the glide, which can be useful for players who actively use pressure to stop their movements.

However, the pad moved on my desk multiple times during use. This may depend on the specific desk surface, but for a €75 mousepad, I expected the base to remain completely locked in place.

Personally, I think the pad would have benefited from a firmer base similar to the hard base used on Kurosun pads. This would have improved both desk stability and glide consistency.

The soft base is not unusable, but it is easily the biggest compromise of the product.

Stitching

The stitching is well executed.

I did not notice any raised sections, loose threads, or uncomfortable areas around the edges. The borders do not interfere with normal use, and the pad remained completely flat throughout testing.

There are no major complaints regarding the stitching or general construction quality.

Games specific situations

• VALORANT: The pad performs extremely well in Valorant. Its slower glide helps with controlled crosshair placement, while the relatively low static friction keeps micro-adjustments responsive. Small corrections remain easy without the mouse feeling stuck to the surface. The stopping power is not as strong as on the Kurosun Shogun, but the overall consistency makes the pad predictable during flicks and while holding angles.

• STRINOVA: In Strinova, the slower glide provides a stable feeling during both clicking and tracking. The surface remains controlled without producing excessive drag during longer movements. It is not ideal for players who prefer an extremely free glide, but it remains usable and consistent.

• KOVAAKS & AIMLABS: The pad performs best in static clicking, dynamic clicking, and precision-focused scenarios. Micro-adjustments are excellent, and the consistent glide makes repeated movements predictable. In faster tracking scenarios, the slower surface becomes more noticeable, but it never becomes excessively muddy or difficult to move across.

Price and Value

The performance and material quality are comparable to other medium-to-high-end mousepads.

However, €75 is still a lot for a cloth control pad.

The surface, print quality, packaging, and stitching are all very good, but the base prevents the product from feeling completely refined. At around €50–60, I believe the value proposition would have been much stronger.

At €75, it competes directly with some of the best premium mousepads available, making smaller weaknesses much harder to ignore.

Final Thoughts

The RAPTUS Gaming x POW3R Control Limited Variant is a high-quality slow control pad with an excellent surface.

Its strongest qualities are its consistent glide, precise micro-adjustments, rough but comfortable texture, and extremely well-integrated artwork. It feels slow without becoming muddy, making it particularly suitable for tactical FPS games and precision-focused aiming.

The biggest weakness is the soft base. It provides additional control when pressure is applied, but it also moved more than expected on my desk. A harder and more stable base would have made the pad significantly better.

The €75 price is also difficult to fully justify. The pad performs at the level of other premium products, but a price closer to €50–60 would have made it much easier to recommend.

Overall, it is a very good control pad for players who prioritise consistency and micro-adjustments over speed, but it falls slightly short of being exceptional because of its base and price.