If you like high-quality gaming peripherals (keyboards, mice, headsets) and especially very good mousepads you have definitely heard about Artisan, the Japanese wonder company that is currently producing what are undoubtedly the best mousepads on the market.
Although these Artisan pads are premium quality there is a minor issue that all people interested in purchasing one have to deal with – pricing and importing the mousepad from Japan.
The Artisan mousepads are not cheap, especially if you factor in delivery fees to NA or EU and the import fees. But what if I told you that one of Artisan’s most popular pads, the Hien mousepad had a little brother?
Today I will review the Odin Gaming Infinity mousepad, a hidden gem for anyone interested in Artisan Hien-like products!
Unfortunately unlike its bigger brother the Artisan Hien mousepad, the Odin Gaming Infinity does not come flat-packed and is instead rolled in a standard box.
There is nothing exceptional about the unpacking experience since all you get is the box and the pad inside.
Fortunately, the mousepad has a very flexible and soft rubber base which had no issue laying flat on my table from the get-go. Although I was still a bit worried that I will have to leave books on the corners of the mousepad to straighten them out, no such action was needed.
The biggest reason this mousepad is so impressive is the hybrid surface that it boasts. The mousepad as previously mentioned is very Hien-like and performs splendidly when it comes to maintaining a swift glide with little static and kinetic friction.
Micro-adjusting your flicks and tracking on this mousepad is simply buttery smooth and it greatly compliments users with already good mouse control capabilities.
Once again because of the hybrid surface the durability is exponentially higher and like its bigger brother the Artisan Hien, after the initial break-in period of about 2 weeks, the pad maintains its glide and fast surface splendidly.
Unfortunately, the Odin Gaming Infinity pad does not have the same level of base softness customization and only comes in one option, but its direct comparison would be the Hien XSoft.
Putting them next to each other you can see the similarities in the surface which explains the very comparable behavior of the mousepads. If I had to quantify it, I would say the Infinity pad is about 90% alike to the Artisan Hien, being just a tad bit slower.
As with the Hien, the surface might be a bit rough for certain people therefore I would advise you to use a hand sleeve for maximum comfort.
The stitching on the Odin Gaming Infinity mousepad is very good. It is neat and held up well after the pad was used intensively for a month-long period.
Unfortunately, the stitching is still lacking in comparison to its big brother the Hien, but the stitching on the Artisan pads is nothing less than art so this should not be a deciding factor in your equations regarding buying the pad or not.
The bump from the stitching on the Infinity is ever so slightly raised and you will be able to feel it when gliding with the mouse over the edge. But as stated once again, if this was not a comparison to the Hien, I would give the stitching on the Infinity a big thumbs up.
The rubber base on the Odin Gaming Infinity mousepad does its job well and keeps the pad in place during gaming. I have never experienced any issues with the pad moving and even in testing where I tried to push the pad around it wouldn’t budge from its place.
I have tested the rubber base on 3 different wooden surfaces and 2 glass ones and the results seem to match – the pad stays on the table well.
I was also impressed by how soft and malleable the rubber base is as mentioned above in the packaging paragraph. I suspect one of the reasons the pad stays in place so well is exactly because of that softness that allows it to retain its position under all circumstances.
Is the rubber base as miraculous as the Artisan one? No. Does it do its job well enough for you to not care about that fact? Yes. Case closed.
The biggest advantage the Infinity pad has over the Hien is its price and availability. Unlike its bigger brother that costs a lot (considering the import fees and delivery) and is hard to get, the Infinity is available on their official site, and in other regions like the EU, you can even buy it from retailers like MaxGaming.
At 29.99$/€ the mousepad offers insane value for its performance and is the pad to go for if you want a Hien but do not have 100$/€ to spend!
Unfortunately, the biggest reason not many gamers know about this phenomenal mousepad is the fact that Odin Gaming, at some point in time has engaged in less than reputable business practices.
This makes it hard to recommend the pad when you cannot trust the company selling it.
At the same time, the best advice for people interested in a cheaper Hien mousepad is to buy the Infinity from resellers like MaxGaming in the EU (this is how I got the pad). In this case, you can avoid any troubles if Odin Gaming decides to act suspicious again AND get an absolutely banging deal for a Hien but at 30$/€!
If you see any of your local retailers having this mousepad in stock snag one ASAP since this is truly an underrated deal!
The Odin Gaming Infinity mousepad is indeed an exceptionally good deal for anyone looking to buy a Hien but is on a tighter budget. The surface that is 90% alike to the Hien and the overall solid build quality of the pad makes it a no-brainer.
Once again though, I would recommend purchasing this pad from regional retailers as that way you will not have to be anxious about the pad arriving at your doorstep or not.
The Odin Gaming Infinity lives up to the hype of being a Hien-like mousepad at a fraction of the cost. You will indeed be giving up some of the pristine build quality that the Artisan pads have, but the Infinity is by no means built shabbily! An exceptional product overall!