Don't expect a hybrid mousepad to feel the same forever.

Yes, the coating wears off over time. That hard, fast glide you loved on day one will gradually slow down as the coating erodes, and eventually it’ll feel more like a regular cloth pad — just with a rougher texture where the coating has thinned.

How long? Depends heavily on how much you use it and how aggressive your mouse feet are. With daily use (several hours of gaming or work), you’ll start noticing changes in friction around the 4-6 month mark. By 8-12 months, the original glide is usually gone. Some pads, like the Artisan Hien or Razer Strider, hold up better than the cheaper ones, but none are immune.

The coating doesn’t flake off in chunks — it wears unevenly. The center (where your mouse spends most of its time) gets slower first, while the edges stay faster. That inconsistency is actually more annoying than the overall slowdown. If you’re a competitive gamer who relies on muscle memory, you’ll probably want to replace it once a year.

If you want consistent glide forever, get a hard plastic pad (like a Glorious Air or a Skypad). No coating to wear off. That said, the hybrid cloth/hard feel is genuinely nice while it lasts — just don’t expect it to last forever. Future you will be buying another one.