AFK by Yoozy Review — A Better Artisan Zero That Couldn’t Save My Aim
Introduction
Confession time. I've played on glass mousepads for over a year now, and I believe I have lost the ability to play on cloth.
Yes, that’s right.
At some point, I stopped playing on cloth mousepads and switched to glass. After playing on glass for so long, I became accustomed to how little resistance there is and how easy it was to make micro corrections. I liked it so much I didn't see any reason to go back.
Until the AFK by Yoozy came along.
I was excited to get back to using cloth again. I immediately thought of 2 mousepads that I’m familiar with. The Artisan Zero and the ESPTiger Shan Hai TangDao Black. I loved it in 2024 and felt that it outshone the Artisan Zero.
After using the AFK, I feel I can say the same thing about it. It's almost a faster version of the Artisan Zero Mid with some great perks.
However, I wasn’t able to get my aim back to how it was before. I have no idea why it took me so long to adjust. Maybe I’ll figure it out at some point. It’s not the AFK fault. I love this mousepad.
So here's what happened.
TheMasterpiece, Yoozy, and why you should support small brands
First, I want to touch on TheMasterpiece and Yoozy.
TheMasterpiece is a French company that sells gaming peripherals and art. The AFK was made in collaboration with Yoozy, a content creator/peripheral enthusiast.
I enjoy TheMasterpiece because they try to push more creativity into their products. You don't just have another black mousepad laying on your desk. Their products consist of gaming mousepads, glass mousepads, deskpads, posters, and keycaps. All feature artwork that could be created by small artists. You can also make your own custom products by uploading your artwork to make an XXL cloth deskpad or even a glass mousepad, which is nice to see.
Having the opportunity to have your setup represent who you are, or just have a different-looking mousepad than everyone else, which the AFK does as well, is a great approach.
It's a unique piece of art on top of being a good mousepad. I love that there are people out there that don’t just slap their logo on a mousepad and call it a day.
There’s something else that I want to talk about.
We need to support these small companies and artists that are helping bring new ideas to the table. There are tons of companies out there that release the same products over and over again. But it's always fun to see what these smaller companies come up with.
With collabs like the AFK, you allow these creators to display their work on a product. We, as consumers, get to have something more unique.
Not every small company will produce a good product, but it's worth checking out. I wouldn't buy a product from them just because they were small. But the AFK is great.
If you enjoy the artwork and idea behind these types of products, please check out TheMasterpiece and Yoozy. Support them!
Hopefully we see more collabs in the future.
Specifications
On paper, there’s nothing particularly revolutionary here. A balanced hybrid surface, soft base, 4 mm thickness, and premium stitching. We’ve seen similar combinations before.
However, putting all these elements together properly is what separates an average mousepad from a really good one.
Surface
The AFK comes with what the manufacturer refers to as the ZX surface. They describe it as a hybrid of speed and control.
Marketing talk aside, I don't really care what it says on the box. Every company that sells mousepads claims that there is speed, control, and stopping power all combined in their product. Sometimes that isn’t the case.
The AFK, however, manages to do that.
The glide is very smooth and consistent. It has a nice cloth feel to it, something that reminded me of the ESPTiger TangDao Black. It doesn’t feel like you’re dragging your mouse over a piece of sandpaper, which you can find on some cloth pads. Overall, very comfortable.
The AFK feels faster than my Artisan Zero Mid, and I actually like it better. I’ve always found the Zero to be an odd mousepad. I know why everyone loves it, but sometimes I just didn't enjoy the slower feeling it gave off.
The AFK corrects those flaws without feeling like a speed mousepad.
It's still very cloth-like, though.
Base and Comfort
You have a 4mm thick base made out of Poron Soft. This allows the mousepad to be stable on your desk while still having that cushiony feel to it.
I think 4mm is a good thickness. You get enough padding, but it's not too bulky.
Some players like to press their mouse into the mousepad for added friction, which some might find beneficial when trying to stop their mouse. It's a weird thing I have with pressing my mouse into the mousepad. I’ll cover that more in the gaming section.
Another benefit of the Poron base is that it helps keep your mousepad from sliding around your desk.
A pretty standard build for a cloth mousepad that costs this much.
Stitching
The AFK has stitching under the mouse surface, which I like to see on cloth mousepads. It keeps your arm from constantly rubbing against a stitch.
It's also durable if you're worried about the edge fraying. Time will tell on that one.
Having a good mousepad is useless if it gets in the way of you using it.
So the AFK has the right stitching for a cloth mousepad of this caliber.
Glide & Control: Friction and Stopping Power
This is where the AFK really stood out to me: the glide.
It's not super fast or slow. It just glides how you would expect a cloth mousepad to.
The static friction is pretty low. Getting your mouse to move across the AFK doesn’t require significant force. It’s similar to how I felt about the ESPTiger TangDao Black: it was easier to initiate movement compared to the Artisan Zero.
The AFK doesn’t feel like you're fighting the surface to move your mouse, which I like. Your mouse will feel fast and consistent on the AFK.
When comparing it to my Artisan Zero Mid, I would say that the AFK is faster, and you won't notice any sort of muddiness when moving your mouse around. Whether you’re making a quick swipe or tracking a target, the mouse will glide the same way.
How about stopping power? You have great stopping power on the AFK without feeling like you're dragging your mouse across the mousepad. You're able to stop your mouse quickly and with ease.
This is what makes the AFK fun to play on. You have control but can also glide quickly when you need to.
Keep in mind this is all dependent on your skates and how you play. These are just some friction facts that I’ve gathered while using the AFK.
Gaming: I’ve Played On Glass For Too Long
This next part may be controversial, but I feel it’s important to mention.
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I’ve been playing on glass for over a year now. So when I first switched to the AFK, I noticed that I wasn't performing as well as I did on cloth.
On glass, you can easily make small adjustments. I could do a flick and slightly adjust my crosshair and keep on tracking. All while barely paying attention to what I'm using my mouse on.
Cloth is different.
When using the AFK, I had trouble with micro adjustments. It wasn’t because the AFK had high static friction. It's because I’ve grown used to playing on glass.
So when I flick at someone, I notice that I need to micro-adjust, which on glass is second nature to me. On the AFK, I couldn’t do that.
I would have to be more precise with my flick, which isn’t ideal when you’re playing an FPS game.
Quake/Quakeworld I felt this the most. Since you’re constantly changing directions and trying to aim for that one perfect shot. It also happened in Battlefield when trying to aim at a moving target.
Then I realized something else: I press my mouse into the surface when I’m tracking someone.
I didn’t know I did this until I was on cloth. When playing on glass, it doesn’t affect me as much because I’m pressing my mouse onto a hard surface.
So when I was tracking on the AFK, I noticed that I was slowing down.
Everything I did on glass felt much harder on cloth. And I was doing it unconsciously.
So now I have two problems. I can't micro-adjust, and I’m slowing my mouse down by pressing into it. Not a good combo when you're trying to aim.
I tried to fix this issue. I wanted to play as well as I did on cloth, but just couldn’t.
Here’s the thing. It's not the AFK’s fault.
I think it's a great mousepad. It's just that I’ve grown to like glass so much that playing on cloth is harder for me now.
If you’ve been playing on cloth, I’m sure you won't have this issue. I think someone who plays on cloth would love the AFK.
It's a great mousepad to play on. I just can't play as well on cloth as I used to.
AFK vs Artisan Zero Mid and TangDao Black
The AFK is what I would compare it to the Artisan Zero Soft.
But I like the AFK better. It's faster, and I enjoy it more.
One other thing that I like about the AFK is that it doesn’t collect hair/cat fur as much. My Zero collected so much hair that it was annoying to clean. The AFK doesn’t have that issue. No hair or cat fur sticks to it. And dirt is barely noticeable, which is great because you can keep it clean very easily.
That’s a plus in my book.
I would also compare the AFK to the ESPTiger TangDao Black. It's a bit faster than the Zero, and the glide is similar. Not the same, but close enough. If you liked the TangDao Black, I think you’d enjoy the AFK.
Maintenance and Durability
Cleaning is one of my favorite aspects of the AFK.
As I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t collect hair or cat fur. And dirt isn’t noticeable on it either, which I think is amazing for a mousepad you use daily.
It's very easy to clean, too. All you need to do is brush away any debris. Or follow the instructions on the website. They recommend soaking it in warm water and using a little bit of soap. Let it sit for at least 30 mins then rinse and air-dry. Obviously, let it dry before you use it.
They also recommend replacing your cloth mousepad every 3–6 months if you're a pro. And 6–12 months if you’re an average user.
I wouldn’t worry about that too much. As long as your mousepad feels good and you can clean it, I see no reason to replace it.
Cloth will degrade over time, I’m sure. But I can’t say if the AFK will last forever. I would need to test it for a longer period of time. But knowing that it doesn’t collect hair already puts it ahead of my Zero.
Conclusion
I feel a little conflicted when writing this review.
I think the AFK is an amazing cloth mousepad. But I can't say that I play as well on it as I did on other cloth mousepads. That’s because I’ve played on glass for so long.
The AFK has everything I like about a cloth mousepad. It glides fast, and you have control over your mouse.
It's faster than the Artisan Zero Mid, which I like better. It also doesn’t collect hair like my Zero.
It's easy to clean and works great with a gaming sleeve.
I just wish I could play as well on cloth as I used to.
Would I switch from glass to the AFK? No, not right now.
But if you're someone who likes to play on cloth. I would definitely recommend the AFK. If you like the Artisan Zero but want something a bit faster, then check out the AFK.
I also like that TheMasterpiece and Yoozy collaborated on this mousepad. They have some cool art on it, and I like that they put that into their mousepads. I think more companies should do this.
The AFK by Yoozy is one of the best cloth mousepads I’ve used. It’s just unfortunate that, after more than a year on glass, I can no longer take full advantage of what it offers.
And perhaps that’s the biggest compliment I can give it. Even though I couldn’t recover my old aim, the AFK still managed to impress me.
Bullet Points
- Brand & Collaboration: TheMasterpiece and Yoozy combine original artwork with competitive gaming performance. The brand also offers personalized cloth deskpads and glass mousepads.
- Surface: ZX hybrid cloth with an excellent speed/control balance.
- Glide: Smooth, predictable, and noticeably faster than Artisan Zero Mid.
- Static Friction: Low initial resistance, making movement easy to initiate.
- Dynamic Friction: Consistent glide without muddy sensations.
- Stopping Power: Excellent control without unnecessary drag.
- Maintenance: Easy to clean, doesn’t trap hair or cat fur like the Zero, and hides dust remarkably well.
- Tracking: My subconscious downward pressure increases resistance on cloth and slows my aim.
- Micro-adjustments: More than a year on glass has made small corrections on cloth extremely difficult for me.
- Gaming Experience: I couldn’t recover my previous cloth performance in Quake, QuakeWorld, and Battlefield. That’s an adaptation issue, not an AFK flaw.
- Best For: Cloth players wanting more speed than an Artisan Zero without losing dependable control.
- Final Impression: One of the best cloth mousepads I’ve used. I highly recommend it, even though I personally won’t be leaving glass anytime soon.
Get AFK here and use code “airmanthe” for a discount
Disclaimer
This review is not a paid endorsement. I want to ensure transparency and let you know that I am not receiving any monetary or other compensation for evaluating or discussing this tech product. Certain images might have undergone digital enhancement to improve visual clarity. These adjustments do not alter the product’s true appearance, shape, or physical characteristics.
