Question 1

How often should I replace skates?

Accepted Answer

PTFE wears slowly: with daily play most sets last several months — less on a glass or rough pad, more on soft cloth. Replace them when you see scratches or a shiny, flattened band at the leading edge, when an edge lifts, or when the glide turns uneven or slow to start. Glass skates don’t wear down in normal use; replace one only if it chips, because a broken edge scratches the pad.

Question 2

PTFE, thicker PTFE or glass?

Accepted Answer

Standard PTFE is the safe default on any pad. Thicker PTFE rides higher on soft, thick cloth and takes longer to wear through, which also makes it the best choice for a glass pad. Glass has the lowest static friction and never wears in, but it costs more, sounds a little crisper on cloth and isn’t meant for glass pads.

Question 3

Dots or pre-cut skates?

Accepted Answer

Pre-cut skates cover the same area as the stock feet, so the mouse feels as it did, only smoother. Dots touch the pad with less surface: the mouse starts moving more easily and the glide feels lighter, which many players like on cloth — though on a very soft pad dots press in deeper than full skates do. Dots also fit any mouse, and you choose the layout.

Question 4

Will new skates change how the sensor tracks?

Accepted Answer

Not in a way you’d notice. A thicker skate lifts the sensor a fraction of a millimetre, well within its working range. If you run the lowest lift-off distance and the cursor starts to cut out on quick lifts, raise that setting one step. Keep every skate or dot on a mouse the same thickness, or it will rock.

Question 5

Does fitting skates, grip tape or a skin affect my mouse’s warranty?

Accepted Answer

No. Changing skates and adding grip tape or a skin are normal use and don’t touch your mouse’s warranty. Damage done while fitting them — a sensor window scratched by a metal tool, a shell pried open — isn’t covered (see what the warranty covers).

Question 6

Will grip tape or a skin leave residue?

Accepted Answer

Not in normal use: both use adhesives made to peel off cleanly. Peel slowly and low, folding the piece back over itself; after months on the shell, a few seconds of warm air from a hair dryer makes it easier. If a trace stays behind, an alcohol wipe takes it off. Don’t use acetone or nail-polish remover — they cloud and soften the plastic.

Question 7

Will it leave a mark on a white shell?

Accepted Answer

Neither grip tape nor a skin stains the shell. But a light shell slowly picks up skin oil and a faint tint where it is exposed, while the part underneath stays as it was — so after months, peeling a piece off can show a faint outline of where it sat. An alcohol wipe usually evens it out; on an older shell a trace can remain. Dark shells don’t show it.

Question 8

Can I use grip tape and a skin together?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as long as they don’t overlap. A skin covers the top of the mouse and grip tape the sides; where both have a piece for the same spot — the main buttons — pick one. Grip tape stuck over a skin would pull the vinyl up when you take the tape off.

Question 9

Grain or suede?

Accepted Answer

Grain is the firmer hold, and the one to choose if your hands get warm or damp: the rubberised texture keeps its bite. Suede is softer and drier to the touch, gentler on skin over long sessions, and suits hands that find rubber texture harsh. Both peel off cleanly, so trying one costs you nothing but the tape.

Question 10

Can I return skates, grip tape or a skin I’ve opened?

Accepted Answer

Unopened sets — every piece still on its backing sheet, nothing peeled, applied or cut — can be returned within 30 days of delivery, like anything else we sell. Once a piece has been peeled, the set can’t be returned for a change of mind: its adhesive is spent and it can’t be sold again. A set with a manufacturing fault is always covered, opened or not — we replace it at our cost, or refund it. Our other accessories — cables, bungees, receiver docks and care kits — follow our standard returns. Details in our returns policy for accessories.

Accessories⁽¹⁴⁾

Skates & dots⁽⁵⁾

Arc PTFE Skates

Arc Pro Skates

Prism Glass Skates

Arc Dot Skates

Prism Glass Dots

Swapping skates

Grip & skins⁽⁵⁾

Grain Grip Tape

Suede Grip Tape

Universal Grip Sheets

Ember Split Skin

Ink Blossom Skin

Applying grip tape

Cable, bungee & dock⁽³⁾

Flex Paracord Cable

Anchor Mouse Bungee

Relay Receiver Dock

Care⁽¹⁾

Glide Care Kit

Questions⁽¹⁰⁾

Skates & dots(5)