The raised lip is worse than fraying.

If you need smooth mouse movement, skipping the stitched edge is the right call. The lip — even on well-made pads — catches the mouse edge if you push it far enough, and that tiny bump is way more annoying than a little fraying on the corner.

Stitching keeps the edges from unraveling, sure. But a desk pad isn’t a pair of jeans. You don’t throw it in the wash. Most fraying happens from edge wear, and a glued or laser-cut edge holds up fine unless you’re violently scraping it against stuff.

The real question is whether you actually push your mouse to the edge. If you do — and most of us do — that raised lip becomes a daily irritation. I’d rather replace a slightly frayed pad every couple years than deal with a mouse that stutters every time I aim for the corner.

Buy a stitched pad only if you never push your mouse past the center.