Desk mats come in three materials at this end of the market. They look similar in a photograph and behave nothing alike in use.
Pressed felt
Feels like: soft, slightly warm, quiet under a keyboard.
Mouse tracking: good for most optical mice; the surface has a fine
texture that sensors read easily.
Spills: absorbs. Blot immediately; do not rub. Water dries without a
mark, coffee usually does not.
Ages: pills slightly under a mouse over months, particularly at the
edge where your wrist rests.
Choose felt if you want the desk to feel softer and quieter, and you are careful with drinks.
Stitched leather-look (PU)
Feels like: smooth, cool, firm. The stitched edge is what stops it
fraying.
Mouse tracking: excellent and consistent.
Spills: wipes clean. This is the one material here that genuinely
shrugs off a spill.
Ages: creases where it has been rolled, and those creases are
permanent. Store it flat.
Choose PU if you drink at your desk, or if you want the surface to look the same in a year as it does now.
Topographic woven
Feels like: textured, with a visible pattern.
Mouse tracking: fine for most sensors, occasionally fussy for very
high-DPI mice on the deepest parts of the pattern.
Spills: between the other two. The weave holds liquid longer than PU
and releases it better than felt.
Ages: well. The pattern hides wear that shows on a plain surface.
Choose woven if you want the desk to have something to look at, and you are not running a mouse at 3200 DPI.
A note on the rubber base
All three should have one. Without it the mat travels a few millimetres every time you push a keyboard, and by Friday it is crooked. If a listing does not mention the base, assume there is not one.
Rolled versus flat
Every mat ships rolled. Unroll it and leave it under something flat and heavy for a day or two before you judge it — felt and woven relax on their own within about 48 hours, PU takes a little longer.
The materials and sizes for each piece are on its page in Mats & Wrist Rests.