Thick stitching helps, but it's not everything.

Yes, thicker stitching generally lasts longer, but the quality of the stitching matters more than the thickness alone.

A thicker stitched edge means more thread to wear down before it starts fraying. The extra material takes longer to abrade against your desk and mouse movements, especially if your mousepad overhangs the desk edge. But a thick, sloppy stitch with loose tension will still unravel fast. What you really want is a tight, consistent overlock stitch (the looped edge binding) or a double-stitched hem. Steelseries QcK and Razer Gigantus use good overlock edges. Cheap no-name pads often use a single zigzag that frays in months regardless of thread thickness.

Bottom line: a decently stitched pad with moderate thickness will outlast a thick but poorly stitched one. If you’re buying for durability, check the stitch type, not just the thread size.