Kanami & Arbiter Studios Minami Review 💙
*Disclaimer: This pad was sent to me by Kanami to test and review. This will not change my review. All thoughts and opinions will be my own.*
Info Summary:
Packaging: Double boxed, Flat Surface-Type: Satin-Smooth
Base: Custom Full Silicone Backing Edge: Rounded Edges
Dimension options: 490 x 420 x 1.5mm Glass 3m Overall
Price: $110
Units: 1,000+
Minami was Kanami’s first glasspad drop, in collaboration with Aribter Studios, and Kanami’s third glass pad drop, levelling up in artwork and production each time.
Both Aribter Studio and Kanami put a lot of effort into this drop, and it has a lot to unpack.
Surface: From the start of my testing with this pad, the surface felt immaculate out of the box, smooth, fast and silent—all the things you want out of a glasspad in my opinion.
When testing the Minami, I used the pad in multiple genres of games and scenarios to get a feel of the pad’s in-game capability with my skill. Using it in OW2 to test how it feels for a tracking-heavy, fast-paced shooter and also testing in slower-paced, precise shooter games like Rainbow 6 and CS2, making sure I really put the pad to the test to see if it was more of a smooth speed or smooth balance pad. And in my testing, I found it to be on the faster side of balance.
Even with this glasspad being a faster smooth pad I wanted to see how I could preform with it in a game were stopping power is needed and during my testing i found it to hold up pretty well in game but not as much as some of the slower glass on the market, which was expected, but what wasnt expected was how well I performed on this pad when I needed the presision.
Using the pad without a sleeve was something else I tried for the faster-paced games, and it felt great to use with or without a sleeve, with the surface not getting too resistant to skin friction over time under the right conditions, which is something I really like out of a glass pad.
Overall On Surface: I’m a big fan of what Kanami and Arbiter Studios put into this pad’s surface to make it right, and I think the end product is something really good. I hope to see them use this surface again in the future, as it works for so many game situations that I feel like is rare to find in glass.
Base, Thickness And Clarity: The Minami got it bang on the money when it comes to the base, thickness and the glass clarity in my opinion.
The base is a full custom silicone backing with the Kanami logo/text through the middle engraved into the silicone with lines going through the silicone too. I found this base to work exceptionally well for this pad, not sliding on my desk under any circumstances.
1.5mm glass and 3mm overall feels so good on the desk for me when it comes to glass pads as for me it makes it feel so thin on the desk that its never on my mind that the glass feels to thick or too thin, which makes the playing experience 10 times better for me.
The Minami’s surface clarity is some of the clearest artwork on glass I have seen to date, and it’s one I love to see when it’s on the desk. From any viewing angle, this pad looks the same no matter what, which is something I like to see when a glasspad has such detailed artwork.
You really can’t go wrong when it comes to Kanamis silicone backing and glass clarity.
Extra Thoughts: Using the Minami has always been a positive experince for me no matter the game, condisions or vibe I want to have at my desk and I enjoy having that experince with a glasspad as once its on my desk I don’t want to feel like I want to swap to something else for a break or because something isn’t working, and not once did i have this with the Minami.
I also really appreciate the attention to detail that both Kanami and Arbiter Studios put into this glass pad project, as the artwork is so well put down and very highly detailed too, it’s a mousepad I can find myself appreciating a lot more when using, knowing they have a passionate team behind it.
I also loved how well thought out the unboxing of the pad was, too: 3 stickers, a cleaning cloth, a numbered coaster and black fox skates. A nice little touch that I love to see.
Star Ratings ⭐:
Price: 7/10
Unboxing Experience: 10/10
Unboxing Extras?: ✅
Feel Of The Pad’s Surface: 10/10
Base Of The Pad: 10/10
Stitching/Edges: 8/10
Consistency: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Endgame mousepad?: ✅
Thank you for reading 💙
