Over the past week, I’ve been using nothing but the Harut glass pad from @LockOnGear, one of (if not the) most anticipated glass pad release of this year. The Harut is a 490x420x4mm pad, with an incredibly visually striking and unique design, created by the insanely talented @krouya_art, and was a limited release with 300 serialized units produced. With this being Lock On’s first release, many people’s expectations may not have been high from the start, competing in a space with heavy hitters such as Wallhack (previously skypad) and Glassworks. However, once units started coming out, many people will have changed their minds.
Described by mel0n as the “IKEA glass 2.0”, the Harut has an incredibly unique surface, coupled with art that stands out in a sea of Anime pads, making it one, if not the, most unique release of this year.
Games Played:
- Kovaaks
- Black Ops 6
- Rainbow 6: Siege
- CS2
Skates Tried:
- Ghostglide Cyclones (Dots and Donuts)
- X-Raypad Jade Air (Dots and Donuts)
- X-Raypad Obsidian Pro (Dots)
- LaOnda Softeis (Dots)
Design
Starting with the art, the Harut features unique, hand drawn, art designed by @krouya_art. Obviously, art is very much personal preference, however, I think it’s difficult to argue about the quality and design of this piece. Despite the 3mm glass thickness (which was the industry standard, but is being improved upon with newer generations of glass such as the Hana, improving image clarity), the colours are incredibly vivid, and the design comes through incredibly. Because of the glass thickness, the serial number and small details such as the runes on some of the swords, are somewhat harder to perceive, but by no means illegible.
I am IN LOVE with how this pad looks on my desk and if by some miracle it ever stops being my main pad then I will definitely find a way to keep it on display because regardless of its performance (which spoiler alert, is incredible), it deserves to be seen.
Production Quality
I have already touched on the image quality due to the glass thickness, so I won’t repeat myself too much here. Keep in mind, that the quality of the image will be comparable to essentially every other 4mm glass pad on the market, and even then I feel it slightly outperforms some, such as the Kazemi in this bracket, potentially because the design features less small details, making small imperfections more unnoticeable.
The edges and corners of the Harut are beautifully rounded, making it a joy to play with, ensuring a comfortable gameplay experience on the arm. I will discuss the need for a sleeve more later on, in the “surfacing” section as well.
The backing of the Harut is a relatively simple, but incredibly effective silicone base. Fresh out of the box, it almost felt a little sticky, which is great because out of any pad I own, this one felt the most secure on my desk. After some use, some dust accumulated on the base, making it somewhat less sticky, but it still performs exceptionally in this regard.
Especially considering it was the first release for a relatively speaking smaller company, the attention to detail was incredible on this pad. The packaging looks incredible and comes with solid foam inserts in the box, for a premium unboxing experience, as well as adequate protection for the pad. Additionally the pad comes with a few goodies, such as cards from Lock On Gear, some stickers, as well as a set of Obsidian Air Pro skates. There was a slight factory issue with these, where some pads received 2 sets, and others none in return. The people from Lock On acknowledged this error, and have apologized profusely to those effected (such as myself unfortunately), but have spoken with the factory to ensure that such slip ups do not happen in future releases.
Surfacing
Arguably the most important part of any mouse pad, the surface. The Harut feels quite smooth to the touch, not so much as the Kazemi perhaps, but definitely smoother than the Wallhack SP-004. Living in an area with quite varying weather, I can account that it’s very moisture resistant, as you would expect with most glass pads, however the Harut is better than average when it comes to stickiness in more humid environments. I could play comfortably without a sleeve most of the time, though I personally just prefer playing with a sleeve, no matter how good the surface. Just know that if you dislike wearing a sleeve, the Harut remains an option for you.
Glide and Performance
In terms of it’s performance, the Harut is what I’d call a true “balanced” glass pad. You will never achieve true control on glass, however the Harut is one of the slower pads I have tested, making it a comfortable choice for individuals who enjoy the benefits of glass, but may struggle to implement it due to their game of choice, with glass usually being somewhat unsuited for TacFPS titles.
The Harut’s static and dynamic friction come in at the slower end of glass pads. While I haven’t personally tested the Cosmic Wraith V2 glass (yet, it’s in the mail but DHL lost the package), I’ve been told by someone who has both that the Wraith V2 is still considerably slower. What I can say however, is that the Lock-On is slightly slower than both the Artisan Raiden Mid (cloth) and the Soku Fujin (glass), however it is far smoother of an experience than these two options. It is however still considerably faster than options traditionally considered “balance” pads, being roughly 14.5% faster than the Hien in Mid on average.
As previously mentioned, the glide is exceptionally smooth on the Harut, with dot and donut skates performing exceptionally on this surface. Due to it’s balanced nature, it really is down to the skates how faster or slow this pad performs. Using slower skates, such as the included Obsidian Air Pros, will offer a more controlled and slower experience, while Ghostglide Cyclones or Jade Air Pros will be a far faster experience. In addition to being very smooth, it also offers quite a quiet gliding experience on most skates.
Overall, the Harut offered a comfortable playing experience, with low levels of audio feedback, and enough stopping power to be played in both scenarios which require good tracking, but also those with more static requirements causing abrupt stops. It isn’t as difficult to control as some of the more extremely fast glass pads (WH SP-004) but is by no means “controlled” in the general sense. I found myself performing very well on tracking and TS tasks, with my static clicking being very good compared to other glass pads, with not a big difference from some cloth pads. During my testing, I used a range of sensitivities, from 20cm to 45cm/360, and my flicks felt like some of the most consistent they have done in a long time, which is not something I expected I would ever say about a glass mousepad.
Final Thoughts
I definitely bought into the hype of this pad when I caught wind of it. I was so excited about the pre-release that I refreshed my tracking every single day to see if it was one step closer to being in hand. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
The Harut is one of, if not the, most satisfying experience I’ve had with a surface in a long time. The glide is exceptional, the surface feels balanced enough to control and flick consistently, and even without headphones on the audio feedback is so minimal that I’ve never once felt irritated by it. The design is absolutely gorgeous, and the way the design is made, the 3mm glass really doesn’t impact it’s clarity in any considerable way.
If Lock-On Gear ever makes a regular production unit, I will absolutely recommend this pad. Not only because it is without a doubt in my mind one of the best experiences you will have, but also because the people at Lock-On deserve all the support in the world. Any question I had they were super quick and friendly to respond to, and just in general they were a joy to interact with. I bought this pad from my own money, and I would do so again in a heartbeat. I am looking forward to what Lock On has in store for us next, I will certainly be there. I doubt that anything will take the Harut’s place in my rotation for a long, long time.
Ratings
- Speed (General): 8/10
- Speed (Glass): 4/10
- Production Quality: 9/10
- Visual Quality: 9/10
- ‘Arm Feel’: 9/10
- Glide: 9/10
- Noise Level: 9/10
- Enjoyment: 10/10
