Those neoprene mousepads make my skin crawl for some reason. I found this one, which is made from aluminum, and it’s a joy to use with my optical mouse. I even like the sound my mouse makes as I run it over the lightly textured surface.

—Mark Frauenfelder, Recomendo

You know those cheap foam mousepads vendors still hand out for free at events, the ones that get pretty grody-looking after a while and eventually fall apart? You don't have to rely on those flimsy things when you have the option to buy an aluminum mousepad.

The particular mousepads I'm talking about today offer a cheaper alternative to, say, this one from Satechi, without sacrificing any build quality. They're made from an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy on one side, with a nonslip textured PU leather material on the other. You can flip the thing over and use that PU leather side as a mousepad if you like, but I prefer the glossy aluminum side always.

Not only does the pad look awesome and offer excellent mouse accuracy, it also gives you a nice hard surface to work with if you're sitting in bed or on a sofa. That same surface is waterproof, so you don't have to freak out if something spills on it.

The mousepad comes in three rectangular sizes and a circular one, none of which will break the bank:

• Small (9" x 7") — $9, also available in gold, rose gold, and gray.
• Medium (9.5" x 7.9") — $11
• Large (11.8" x 9.5") — $18
• Round (7.9" diameter) — $13