FreeFall SV Base Control+ v2 Review

Disclaimer

no one paid me to write this, i paid for my mousepad with my own damn money, there was no discount or incentive, im just a fucking nerd.

tldr; This is the weirdest pad I've tried. I like it. I like it a lot. I might end up actually maining this one. A low-to-medium friction pad with impressive stopping power. For those who don't speak mousepad nerd, moving the mouse on the pad is reasonably fast and stopping the mouse is very easy. Base should stick to damn near any surface. Would not buy if you're someone who rests/moves their forearm across the mousepad as I'd imagine the texture would become uncomfortable during longer gaming sessions, but that's the only negative. Other than that this is a great pad.


I've seen a lot of people argue that this pad is not a control pad because it's not built the way other control pads are; it's not a super squishy always-slow-all-the-time mudpad. It's not going to slow down by applying more pressure. It's a fairly thin pad with a very hard base, so it has very little give. It's just ~not like the other girls. But there's some witchcraft going on with this surface. If I touch it with just a finger and move around, it feels INCREDIBLY textured. Its got all these very noticeable bumps, tons of them, all across the weave of the pad. When I first unboxed it I was like "this is gonna be uncomfortable as fuck". But, surprisingly, that's not the case. The texture is noticeable, but even as someone with sensitive skin I'm not bothered by it. Worth noting that usually the only part of my hand to rest against or glide around on the mousepad is the base of my wrist. I'd imagine for people who have a fair chunk of their forearm on the mousepad and are bareskin, the texture would be uncomfortable. For the way I use it, it's not annoying, it's not coarse. It's just kind of there. With a few days of fairly heavy use, it hasn't caused any damage to the feet on any of my mice. So all of my initial concerns have been wiped away.

But the real witchcraft happens when gaming with the pad. This surface is so unique. Looking at the texture of the pad and given the feel of it, I was expecting this to be a very slow, high friction pad. But that's not the case at all. There is very low static friction, and while the dynamic friction is somewhat noticeable, I don't feel like I have to fight against the pad to do big swipes. It doesn't feel like it's tugging against the mouse like a lot of other control pads do (GSR, GSR-SE, Saturn Pro, Jupiter, etc.). What this surface does provide is some incredible stopping power.

I've been favoring control pads because I am a high tension aimer. Blame the cigarettes. While high tension aim can have its benefits (fast flicks and rapid micro-adjustments), there are also drawbacks. When I do large movements, I sometimes have to put extra effort into stabilizing the mouse onto the target I'm aiming at. Control pads excel at combatting the drawbacks of jittery aim by having higher dynamic friction. When I do a large swipe and try to hit a stopping point with a control pad, I will stop. With faster pads, I'll probably move a little past the target and have to readjust accordingly. This has left me in a strange place when mousepad shopping. I like the low friction of speed pads; tracking feels great, micro-adjustments are easier, overall moving the mouse just requires less effort. But when I have to do large movements, I'll often have to make lots of small adjustments after the big swiping motion to finally land on the target I'm aiming at. This one is too hot. I like the...well...control of control pads; being able to put my cursor exactly where I want it to be is very fucking nice. If you can do that, you click more heads and win more games. But they require so much fucking effort. As a fingertip gripper, some of my favorite control pads cause wrist/shoulder pain after prolonged use because I'm fighting against the pad to move my mouse. It almost feels like a pulling motion. The resistance/friction from control pads also varies based on how much force you apply to the pad. If I'm in a tense aim duel and I'm applying pressure to my mouse or leaning into the pad in any way, I will have to work harder to move it against a control pad. This one is too cold.

The SVBC+ v2 is just right. I can only assume it has to do with their fabric choice. FreeFall is the only company I've seen offering a premium mousepad with a jacquard weave surface. It's certainly different. I can move my mouse freely without fighting the pad. It's thin with a very hard base, so pressing into the pad doesn't make it any slower. But the stopping power is so good. Doing static scenarios in aim trainers, it is noticeable how much more consistent I am at landing on the targets than with speed or balance pads. This pad checks all the boxes for me. Light, low-friction movements with the ability to stop where I want. It's just so damn nice. But by describing the mouse in this fashion I know people will say "that's just a balance pad, its not a control pad." I disagree.

I think people are too stuck in their ways when defining what makes a mousepad a control pad, so when they look at the SVBC+ they go "that's not a control pad" because in comparison to every other control pad on the market, its just not the same. It's not slow, it's not thick, it's not squishy. But I 100% believe this to be a control pad. Ultimately, what makes a mousepad a control pad is if it's designed for precision, accuracy, and prioritizes the user's ability to control the mouse above all else. And the SVBC+ v2 is all of that. It's a control pad. A very good control pad.

Places to purchase the pad:

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Pub: 20 Sep 2023 20:28 UTC
Edit: 20 Sep 2023 20:52 UTC
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