I got some Waxman Soft Touch self-stick felt pads, which appear to be the brand which has traditionally been sold at hardware stores. And I also got the bag of 300 Smart Surface self-stick felt pads, this is the bargain alternative. I compared the two, choosing a form that was available in both -- oatmeal-color 3/4 inch diameter. I inspected both of them carefully, and I tested them in various ways, because I wanted to use them on chair feet, which is a very unforgiving application. Inspection of the pads quickly reveals that the Waxman felt pads have a foam layer between the felt and the adhesive, which is not present in the less expensive Smart Surface pads. From an engineering viewpoint, this foam layer is clearly designed to prevent stress concentrations at the interface of the adhesive to the furniture leg. Excuse me if I'm getting a little too technical for you here, but this is really an excellent engineering design, to include this foam layer. Other differences are that the Smart Surface pads are thicker, and seem a little softer and smoother. I tested both the Waxman and the Smart Surface pads in a very difficult context, even more unforgiving than using them on chair feet. I put the pads both on the outer cylindrical surface of a coffee mug, and on the flat bottom of the coffee mug. Indeed, in both cases, the Smart Surface pads were not very difficult to remove, while the Waxman pads were very difficult to remove. This doesn't mean that the Smart Surface pads are not a good product. But it does explain why they are able to sell a bag of 300 pieces for a low price -- it's because their manufacturing cost is lower, because they omit the foam layer. I'll probably use the Smart Surface pads for many applications, but because using felt pads on chair feet is so unforgiving, I'll use only the Waxman pads on the chair feet. I will add here a few other comments about using felt pads ... Some people have complained about felt pads, that the pads don't stay stuck. Especially when this is reported very soon after application, it's likely that they failed to clean the surface well prior to applying the pads. I use paint thinner for such cleaning, but if you do that, you must be aware that paint thinner is flammable, the rags you have used will be flammable, and even if you wipe it off carefully there will be an odor for about a day as the residue evaporates. One reviewer commented that he uses a forstner bit, which is a drill bit designed to make a flat bottom hole, to make a small indentation in the furniture feet, so that the pad is held better in position, it's not just depending on the adhesive to prevent sliding sideways. This is surely an effective approach, but I don't expect most people will want to bother. A problem which I have experienced with some chair feet, is that the flat tips of the chair legs do not sit flat on the floor. Felt pads in this circumstance will be squashed on one edge, and the adhesive will be much more likely to fail. Trimming the chair feet, slicing so that the leg ends set flat on the floor, before applying the felt pads, will surely greatly improve the performance of the felt pads. But again, most people will likely not want to bother doing this. In summary, the Smart Surface pads are a good product, and very economical. But for particularly demanding applications, the Waxman Soft Touch pads would be a better choice.
