Hard pads are better for micro-adjustments.

Yes, cloth pads have higher static friction than hard pads, and that initial “break-away” force makes tiny cursor corrections harder. You push the mouse, it doesn’t move for a millisecond, then it jumps. Hard pads let you start sliding almost instantly.

Static friction is the force needed to start moving an object from rest. Cloth pads (especially soft ones with more texture) grip the mouse feet more, so you need a slightly stronger nudge. Hard pads (plastic, glass, aluminum) have a slicker surface, so the mouse starts moving with less effort. That difference matters when you’re trying to nudge a pixel in an FPS or align a line in Photoshop.

Kinetic friction (once you’re moving) is another story — hard pads often have lower kinetic friction too, so you might overshoot. But for micro-adjustments specifically, the lower static friction of a hard pad wins. You get smoother, finer control without that initial hitch.

If you play games that require tracking (Valorant, Apex) or do precision work, a hard pad is the move. Cloth pads feel more “controlled” for big sweeps but the stick-slip tradeoff is real. Pick your poison, but know the trade-off.