No doubt.
I adored my G7, and I’d still be using one were it not for this.
my mouse, CM Storm Inferno. Represent!
It’s tall at the button end, which is a bit unusual. mouse surface is hard plastic, matte, not smooth/shiny. scroll wheel spins with low resistance, and does not tilt. lots of programmable buttons in weird places, but not as many as some MMO mice. Some buttons purposely harder to press than others.
I was just about to post my impressions of all three mice: G500, Deathadder, and Sensei, and accidentally hit the thumb button on the Sensei while trying to describe how it feels. This, of course, defaults to “back” so I just lost the whole post.
The short version: the G500 has the worst feel of the three, except for the awesome free-spinning scroll wheel. It also requires separate drivers, so my plan to run just the Logitech Gaming Software and no additional drivers for keyboard, wheel, and mice wasn;t going to work.
The Deathadder is more comfortable for me than the G500, and slides better, but the scroll wheel is too stiff–maybe good for FPSs, likely bad for everything else. It has the biggest thumb buttons and lightest action for left and right clicks, but overall wasn’t as comfortable as the Sensei. Unlike the G500 and Sensei changing DPI requires a software install, and the default setting is too sensitive.
The Sensei has the best feel–hopefully the plastic holds up over a few years. The main buttons are too stiff, but I like the two thumb buttons (they could be a touch larger). It and the Deathadder both move more fluidly than the G500, which is grippier (I have a plastic laminate on my desk, which is just about perfect for a mouse surface). I’ll try each for another day or so, but I’m pretty sure I prefer the Sensei. Not shaped quite as well as my Ikari, but the surface should be easier to clean, and perhaps wear better.
I haven’t tried a CoolerMaster mouse (my Best Buy doesn’t carry them), but maybe I should just buy one and set up a mouse review site.
Let me add more description about my CM Storm Inferno. The main and thumb buttons need a nice light touch to activate. The 2 thin buttons towards the outside of the main buttons are slightly stiffer…I don`t currently use them. The mouse button is too stiff. The mouse scroll wheel itself is wide and grippy, and the scroll movement has very little resistance. Not totally smooth scrolling. Scroll wheel does not support left-right cllicks.
The “hump” of this mouse is set a bit closer to the wrist than the other mice. I think the effect is to tilt your hand slightly higher.
The mouse customization program downloads the setting into the mouse. I can then unplug the mouse and use it on another computer. The mouse can keep 2 or 3 sets of custom settings, as well as a default setting that never changes.
Lastly, this mouse breathes.
Thanks for the little mini review of all 3;
I was very happy with the feel of a Corsair M60 mouse I owned, until I tried to be a power user with the software – had to return it to the store and get a Always-online-DRM’ed Razr instead :)
The G500 works fine under Win7 for me with no extra drivers…
“Required” to custom-program all the buttons. Can you do that without an extra driver in Windows 7? (I haven’t installed drivers for any of these yet–just evaluating the feel.)
I prefer the feel of the G500 and the other logitech mouses like it. Which is probably why I go back to them. I have tried others but they never felt right to me.
Arise! I have to replace my trusty, ancient Logitech MX510, which is failing. I am considering the R.A.T. 7, Steelseries Sensei (raw), Logitech G700s, and Razer Ouroboros. Most of these I cannot demo locally. I have a Razer Orochi I use with a laptop which I’ve grown to dislike because the small size turns out to make my hand ache after a while, which is in part why I’m leaning towards the ergonomic models which can change shape and weight (RAT7 and Ouroboros). In general comfort trumps performance, and I don’t need a zillion buttons, although a clickable wheel is a must. I don’t care whether or not it’s wireless. Any strong recommendations or warnings?
Just get a G500, assuming that you liked the shape of the 510. It’s the same, but better.
Second that. Very happy with my G500.
Well, against advice I’ve ordered all of: the Sensei, the RAT7, and the Deathadder. The favourite will become my new home mouse, the runner-up my new office mouse, and the last my new laptop mouse. I will post again with impressions of the three.
Actually, I’m quite curious to read your impressions. I use a Sensei RAW, and quite like it. But then again, I’m repping SteelSeries in Canada, so I’m kinda biased…
I love my Razer Abyssus. It’s just a simple 3-button wired mouse (wheel is clickable), but damn is the precision on it extrodinary. I am no Major League Gaming pro or anything when it comes to FPS games, but I do markedly better in them when I’m using my system with the Abyssus. It’s got little toggle switches on the bottom to change sensitivity (450/1800/3500dpi) and polling rates (125/1000Hz) on the fly without tweaking software. Best of all is the price, you can get a mirror finish Abyssus for $35 at New Egg, or a matte black one for $32.
The Ouroboros is certainly sexy. But if you don’t need wireless or the side trigger buttons, the Abyssus is a very nice gaming mouse for 1/3 of the price.
I’ve got a Sensei Raw and love it. I needed a relatively “flat” mouse (small hump) due to some very suboptimal chair height-desk height interaction going on in my apartment that makes “tall” mice really fuck with my wrist after a couple of hours. It’s responsive, sleek, and you can turn off the annoying LED with a desktop app–and the setting carries over if you move it to a new PC. Cable’s nice quality, too. It isn’t too heavy and probably isn’t made of adamantium, but in terms of a better-than-$20 gaming-esque mouse, it makes me super happy.
Plus, SS sponsors a bunch of sweet esports organizations, so I tweeted ‘em when I kept it to help keep them sponsorship $$s flowin’! :D
All three arrived this morning. Obviously I haven’t tested them extensively, but here are some initial impressions after playing around with them for a few hours (all prices in Canadian dollars):
Common feature: all three have braided cables, which are better-looking and less prone to tangles than rubber cables.
Steelseries Sensei Raw. Price paid: $60. The winner thus far. At first seems cheap because it’s very, very light, but it has soft-touch rubberized coating which feels pleasant, and it fits nicely in my hand (as a “claw” gripper). Excellent tracking. Simple easy to access two-position DPI switch with an LED indicator. The forward and back buttons are well-positioned and have good feedback. Can turn off the LED-lit Steelseries logo on the palmrest, and after having done so this one has the most elegant appearance of the three.
Saitek R.A.T. 7, Price paid: $66 (*). Second place. Great appeal to your inner 12 year old. Despite being made by Mad Catz, it feels like a quality product. I like the pinky rest (I attached the biggest of the three it ships with) and the ability to change its height, width, and length, but after fiddling for a while it still doesn’t quite feel as good in the hand in as the Sensei, it’s not organic enough. This may change as I play more with the many, many ways it can be adjusted. Best on-mouse sensitivity adjustment of the three: the “sniper” button on the thumb rest works well and is easy to hit, and there are also four DPI settings that can be changed on-mouse, with a small LED indicating which one is selected. You can also choose one of three profiles on-mouse, with a LED changing colour to indicate which one is selected. Tracks well when sweeping the cursor around a screen, but I find it difficult to make small, precise moves. This may be because I am used to having some acceleration, but the folks at Saitek obnoxiously refuse to allow me to have any acceleration because apparently professional gamers don’t like it (http://www.cyborggaming.com/blog/post/2010/06/04/So-what-is-Mouse-Acceleration.aspx#continue). I am not a professional gamer, and I want acceleration so I can move around my 5120x1440 desktop rapidly and still make precise small movements. The forward-back buttons are by far the worst of the three, small and not well-placed. Unique scroll-wheel partially offsets that downside.
Razer Deathadder 2013 Essential. Price paid: $60. Third place. Disappointed in this one, given its reputation. Its shape is roughly as comfortable as the Sensei, and I like the right-handers only curvature, but it’s made out of very cheap-feeling plastic and in general its aesthetics are inferior to the other two. The cheap plastic does have a rough finish which gives it good traction, but it still doesn’t feel nice. Tracks well. No way to adjust sensitivity or DPI on the mouse. Best forward-back buttons of the three, large, well-placed, and clicky. The green glowy lights under the wheel and palmrest, which make it look like a peripheral for the original XBox, can be turned off.
(*) Bargain note for Canadians: the RAT 7 is $110 at most major retailers. It’s currently on sale for $75 at Canada Computers, and Memory Express honoured the price match plus 25% of the difference, netting out to a good deal at $66.
Any reason why you didn’t go with Logitech? I had a G500 that I bought about two years ago, and one of the buttons started to give. Called Logitech & they shipped a brand new one to me. They’ve done this before with my … dunno, MX700 (older rechargeable mouse) as well: no questions, just take a new one. I’m pretty loyal to the company as a result. Never had an issue. Saitek/Razer/Steelseries, I have no idea what their customer service is like.
An interesting thread.
I’ve been playing PC Games since 1990 (and before that, on the Amstrad and C64 and Amiga). I’ve experienced a lot of hardware over the years. Most of it doesn’t last long. Remember having to always turn over your mouse and clean that little ball that always got dirty and eventually you just gave up trying to clean it one more time and just got a new mouse instead?
And then in 2000 I bought the last mouse I’d ever buy. An Microsoft Intellimouse. 5 buttons, laser, so no need to worry about a ball. I’ve had so many components fail on me. Hard drives, motherboards, power supplies, memory sticks, monitors, keyboards. But through it all, I’ve had this same mouse. The one piece of hardware I never have to worry about. I wish all computer hardware was this good.
I’ve been using the G9 and now the Logitech G9x for a long time. Still love it. I prefer the shape to the G500.
I’m still on my first G500, and really like it. I also have a G700 that I don’t use much anymore, because recharging it all the time is a pain (wish it had a cradle, like the awesome one that came with the original Logitech Performance MX mouse).