First off, it's not real leather or anything like "real" leather in the sense of touch, feel, or smell - instead it's more like a vinyl hybrid thats thin, shinny, and very smooth with little to no resistence in the surface it provides. That said, it comes faily large - I picked up the largest size, and it's perfect for my setup! Water doesn't absorb, it gives a nice large/even surface to work with, it's clean, has a great look, and feels just about perfect for my needs, especially at this price point!It does have a slight grain-like texture and give that immitates "real" leather but only slightly, and that's saying a lot for the cost. It seems like a pretty solid product all around, but like all artificial leather products I do have concerns with how it will hold up over time and age through different temp changes in the environment. For now the surface isn't showing any signs of bunching or tearing and while it did have the smell others have mentioned when I first unpacked it, it was gone after about a 12hrs of being drapped over a chair before use.Quick word of advise, read the directions - I almost didn't. The pad will come rolled up tight in a box, you'll need to un roll, flip and re-roll to get the curl out rolling against the original direction), and press down a bit on the re-roll to help flatten out the tightest part of the curl in the center. I also recommend doing this to both sides for best results. In my case, I did my re-rolls, then drapped it over my office chair over night by a cracked window. In the morning the smell was gone, the pad looked fairly flat, and when I put it on my desk it sat perfectly and was ready for use.I love the new large surface area on my desk, more then enough space to place my keyboard and various contollers with room to move things around :)