Link: Everglide
(Regular version left, Giganta version right)
While the 3M has all the durability of a paper bag in a monsoon downpour, the construction of both the Everglide pads (the regular version and the Giganta) is particularly hard wearing indeed - the damn thing's a solid chunk of plastic! I've taken these things to LAN parties right at the bottom of a backpack loaded with heavy computer gear and they came out looking exactly the same without even a scratch. They're also much easier to clean than either the 3M or your regular cloth mouse covered mat - just quickly wipe them down with a dishcloth. In fact, some people have apparently even thrown it in the dishwasher and its come out fine, rubber feet still attached and all.
The surface of the Everglide pads has a kind of random bumpy texture, almost like smoothed down sandpaper, but made of plastic, if that makes sense. Because of this intentionally slightly uneven surface, the Everglide pads, like the 3M surface, offer a good combination of smoothness and grip, although comparing them side by side my mouse seemed to slide around a bit better on the Everglide compared to the 3M. Of course, that makes it slightly better suited to fast-paced deathmatch titles like Unreal Tournament, if a little less suited to sniping in Counter-Strike. Aside from the durability, one of the strongest points in Everglide's favour is the sheer diversity of their pads - they've got so many different designs! There are pads with logos from Quake 3 Arena, Everquest, Unreal Tournament and even Tribes 2 - and as I write this that game isn't even out yet! What's more, if you have the cash you can even order a number of pads with your own logo on it, say for your clan or company.
The only problem I personally have with both the Everglide pads is the curve at the bottom. While the Ratpadz (you guessed it - more on them in a bit) have a smooth, gradual surface across the entire bottom of the pad, the Everglides have a curve in the middle, which makes mousing on the far left or right sides of the pad a little uncomfortable for me.
If you do end up getting an Everglide and have an optical mouse, avoid the white ones. While it was fine on my black Everglide with the Unreal Tournament logo on it, the original white Everglide pad renders optical mice completely unusable - play too much Quake 3 with an optical mouse and a white Everglide pad and you'll spend half your time rail gunning the floor.
Finally, Everglide recently announced a new and highly improved version of their Everglide pads that will be replacing the old versions as soon as they run out of stock of the old ones. Unfortunately I couldn't get hold of one of these but as soon as I do I'll be updating this article with a look at them or writing a separate article comparing the old with the new.