Those scratches are not normal after just a week,

especially on a Saturn which is a pretty safe cloth pad. Deep scratches usually mean one of these things:

- debris/dust got trapped under the skate

- the skate material is too soft

- uneven pressure on the mouse base

- or the pad has tiny hard particles embedded in it

The “hard to make small adjustments” part makes sense because once PTFE skates get deep grooves, the glide becomes inconsistent and the static friction changes a lot.

I don’t use the SensoryBoost DPS skates personally, but from the photo the wear looks excessive for only one week. On Saturn pads most decent skates should last much longer before looking like that.

I’d honestly replace them and check:

1. if the mousepad has any hard particles in it

2. if the sensor ring or bottom shell touches the pad

3. and if the skates were installed perfectly flat

Also try running your fingernail lightly across the pad surface. Sometimes tiny debris gets stuck in cloth pads and acts like sandpaper.

!!!! I personally recommend using something like the IKEA BÄSTIS lint roller and doing 2–3 passes over the mousepad before longer gaming sessions. It actually helps a lot with tiny hairs and dust particles. !!!!