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Dasun H. TheWorkSpaceHero
Desk mats are an essential piece to any workspace. They are larger than mousepads which lets them protect your desk and gives your keyboard and mouse a dedicated home.
Desk mats also give your hands a softer area to interact with, which is much better than using a bare table. Today, we’re going to review one of the more premium options out there: the HEXCAL Desk Mat Bundle.
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The HEXCAL Desk Mat Bundle includes an 80 x 40 cm desk mat paired with a plush cushioned wrist rest. Both items are made from vegan leather, which is likely polyurethane.
This desk mat has a rigid core and ships completely flat. That means, unlike other faux leather desk mats, you won’t get a curled-up and wrinkled desk mat out of the box. You are ready to go right away.
You can’t really ask for more in terms of build quality. The stitched edges are seamless and the vegan leather looks and feels really nice. Overall these give off a more premium product vibe.
The size makes this desk mat very suitable for anyone using a full-size keyboard with their mouse. The wrist cushion is nearly the entire length of the desk mat and takes up around 8cm of the desk mat’s depth.
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I found that the wrist rest was more of a forearm rest if you place your keyboard and mouse equally spaced from the edges.
The wrist rest is very plush and compresses down from 28mm thick to around 8mm thick. The plushness makes it very comfortable to use because it doesn’t force your arm or wrist to sit too high.
I noticed the wrist cushion does like to move around, however, even though it is magnetically pulled into the desk mat. The non-slip base on the desk mat however was fantastic and I was not able to move the desk mat at all.
Not that gamers will be very interested in using a vegan leather desk mat, but it is safe to say you don’t get that ultra-slippery mouse travel like a normal polyester mousepad. After using the desk mat continuously with my Logitech MX Master 3 mouse, it functions perfectly well for all other computer use.
This vegan leather desk mat bundle is for those looking to add a high-quality and professional touch to their desk setup while giving their wrists and forearms some plush vertical support.
Hexcal Desk Mat Bundle Pros:
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HEXCAL Desk Mat Bundle Cons:
One of my favorite things about the HEXCAL Desk Mat Bundle is that it ships completely flat. Most other companies like to roll up their desk mats into the smallest packaging possible to minimize shipping costs.
HEXCAL instead gave their desk mat a rigid core and packaged it flat. This already improves the user experience greatly.
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When faux leather desk mats are curled up, you get a ton of wrinkles and you have to wait a few weeks for the desk mat to uncurl. Here’s what the rigidity of the HEXCAL desk mat looks like:
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None of this is a risk with the HEXCAL desk mat. Just take it out of the box and you are ready to go. No dealing with any shipping-related blemishes.
The desk mat bundle is also double-boxed and padded, so the mat is very safe. Both of the boxes in the above image came out of a larger shipping box.
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HEXCAL advertises this desk mat bundle as being made from vegan leather. This likely means it’s PU leather, which is polyurethane.
PU leather is a lot more budget-friendly than real leather and is a popular option for desk mats. It’s also waterproof. Water just beads up and can be wiped off with a cloth easily.
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The build quality of both the desk mat and the wrist rest rest is fantastic. The stitched edges are completely seamless and I really can’t find a build flaw in the unit I received.
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I really like the minimal-centered logo that looks like it was laser etched into the leather. Typically, I don’t like it when there is a large brand logo in my desk setup, however, the style of the logo looks good and is not very intrusive.
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In terms of aesthetics, this desk mat bundle definitely gave my setup a boost.
I mostly have flat black accessories on my desk, so this matches the setup perfectly. Black compliments most other colors. Also, something about a clean black leather desk mat really adds a touch of professionalism with a nice matte shine.
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Underneath the desk mat, HEXCAL added a rubberized grid to ensure the desk mat stays in place. The rubber grid does a fantastic job because I was unable to move the desk mat around without lifting it.
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The vegan leather has a nice soft touch to it, but the core is rigid so it doesn’t have much cushion to it. That is what the included wrist rest is for.
The first thing I noticed with the wrist rest is that it is very plush. It can compress down a lot, which is great. I was worried it would hold my wrist up a little too high, but that was not an issue.
I also noticed that if your peripherals are centered in the free area of the desk mat, the cushion is more of a forearm cushion instead of a wrist cushion. See the image below where my arm lands on the cushion.
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The wrist rest magnetically attaches to the long edges of the desk mat. I assume this is to hold it in place, however, I was still able to slide the wrist cushion around during normal use.
It might perform a bit better if HEXCAL used the same rubber grid as we see under the desk mat. The desk mat is completely held in place on my desk. The underside of the wrist rest feels much more slippery.
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This desk mat bundle comes in at $138 on the HEXCAL website. As with most HEXCAL products, there is a premium price you pay for the added benefits.
For example, instead of shipping this mat in a tiny rolled-up tube, you get a large flat box with plenty of padding. This must cost a lot more in shipping and has a huge impact on getting set up quickly and receiving a product with the intended quality.
Another example is the plush cushion materials and the integrated magnet system that keeps it attached to the desk mat.
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Overall, this is a comfortable premium faux leather desk mat for those who want a solution that is ready to go right out of the box. It has very few drawbacks and can give your desk setup a really professional and comfy touch.
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