SteelSeriesSensei
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I have the normal Sensei, I believe the MLG version uses the Avago A9800 sensor whereas the other models have the A9500, although compared to the Naos 5k I have had no issue whatsoever with the sensor in my Sensei.
Like the G600 this also has a surface that doesn't show wear, which is not all that important, but it's a nice change from all the rubberised mice that start to show wear during the first few hours of use.
Kinzu
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I bought a Kinzu on a whim as it was rather cheap, but along with the Mamba this is probably the only other mouse that I regret buying.
Too small for me and not a very good sensor, though the Kinzu v2 should have an improved sensor, so if you have small hands it's probably worth checking out at least.
SaitekRAT 7
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Now this is a controversial one, it's got the infamous PTE sensor in it, the first generation had a particularly unreliable sensor, but they got an upgrade a while back and now they have a more reliable sensor.
Apart from the sensor this is a very unique mouse in that you can adjust quite a bit of it to your liking with swappable parts and whatnot, but this makes it a bit heavier than most mice even without weights on.
For casual gaming I have found this to be a great mouse, in part due to the software which is the only mouse software I've seen so far that lets you latch keys, which is great for games where you might want to toggle certain things, like crouch, right mouse button for MMOs etc.
I would be wary about buying a RAT, though, they are cool, yes, but the fact that they're so adjustable also means there's more that can go wrong.
I had to RMA my 1. gen RAT 7 due to the sensor failing, but the 2. gen I got as a replacement has been working great so far.
All in all the RAT is an exciting mouse, but can be prone to failure, so I would recommend buying from a source where you can easliy RMA. It's also fairly heavy, large and clunky, at least the 7, 9 and MMO, not sure about the 3, so keep that in mind.
MionixNaos 5000
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First off I would only recommend the Naos range of mice to mid-high sensitivity users, they have a superb palm shape, but it is not optimal for lifting, so if you lift the mouse a lot I would not recommend them.
Secondly, I have had a fairly poor experience with the implementation of the A9500 sensor in the 5000 model, it's very touchy and jitters easily unlike any other mouse with the same sensor I've seen so far. It can be eliminated, or at least mostly, by tinkering with lift-off distance and whatnot, but no other mouse I’ve had has required this much tinkering to get it to play nice.
Overall build quality is good, but the LEDs and the areas they shine through looks very cheap, again it's on the shoddy end of the scale.
The feel of the mouse buttons is also worth noting, not as being superior or inferior, but noticeably different.
All in all I can't give the 5000 a shining recommendation, might be worth checking out, but unless you NEED that extra dpi I would suggest the 3200 instead.
CM StormXornet
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Now this is a real treat, quite possibly the cheapest mouse I have and yet it is one of the best. I would, however, recommend considering the Spawn over the Xornet as the Spawn has higher quality internals, but the Spawn hasn't been available here for months, so I had to settle for a Xornet.
I do like the Xornet; it has a fantastic shape, sensor is good, no apparent flaws in build quality and a very pleasant price for such a package.
FuncMS-3
- pics to come -
*note: there is a new revision of the MS-3 out, it's mostly the same but with a few improvements, like cable protection where it enters the mouse.
Hands down the best purchase I ever made; got it on massdrop for $30 which is amazing value. It does use a 9500 sensor, but the pros of the mouse easily outweigh the cons for me.
I really like the big flat palm shape, with rest for both ringfinger an pinky done well. Mice like the Mionix Naos were too small and flat, but the MS-3 gets the shape right.
It's also got a nice amount of buttons spread around nicely, it's got just about enough buttons for most games, and they're all placed well.
My one main complaint is the software. It's not too bad, but it isn't very powerful either. And if you're not careful when changing profiles or move the mouse when applying new changes you risk the buttons becoming unresponsive. Then you'll need to replug the mouse. Not something I've run into very often, but if you change profiles using mouse buttons often then it might be a problem.
The macro part of the software is very basic, you don't get much choice in how the macro works. You can't make a left click macro and have it repeat while the button is held down, for instance. Nor can you make a toggle macro, where the macro starts playing when you press the button and stops when you press it again.
You also can't assign separate profiles for games, which bothers me quite a bit since it's got a decent number of buttons, meaning there isn't much chance of the same mapping working in several games. And the software only has 3 profiles, so unless you only play one or two games you'll need to be prepared to remap often.
The coating is also the old rubberized stuff that wears off after a few hours of use. Not too impressive, but it does feel fairly solid.
It has become one of my favourite mice thanks to the shape and button layout, so I'm expecting it to see far more use in the future.
TT EsportsLevel 10 M
- pics to come -
This mouse is noteworthy because it's designed by BMW Designworks USA, although it does look like there are some forced elements on it.
The best way to describe the looks of this mouse would be "interesting", it's not outright pretty, but it's not all that ugly either. It would look a lot better with some proper side buttons and without the lights, a slight redesign on the front would also be nice.
The good part is that this mouse has onboard memory with storage for several profiles, which is nice because you'll want to rid yourself of the software as soon as possible. Not only does the software take up 60mb, well over half of that is taken up by ****ty videos that supposedly showcase the features of the mouse, but the videos are 90% logos and music, with a few seconds of actually showing the mouse.
It also looks like the software was designed by a 12 year old who just discovered photoshop, and used every terrible tutorial from self-proclaimed gfx-sites out there.
You can adjust the height and tilt angle of the black top, which is quite nice. At first glance it might look ambidextrous, but it is designed around right hand use. It's actually fairly comfortable as well
Other pointing devices
KensingtonSlimBlade
My first, and so far, only trackball. As the name would suggest it's got a fairly low profile, which I think is fantastic, and the twist-to-scroll thing it has is also very nice, although this is a more controversial feature. Some prefer the scrolling to be separate, but I find that being able to simply twist the ball to scroll is very convenient.
Build quality is also fairly solid, although the sound and feel of the click is a bit cheap, so I would recommend swapping the microswitches.
Another gripe I have is with the software, since you can't adjust trackball sensitivity, all it does is mess with windows sensitivity.
I've heard that some find it to have a bit too low dpi, so if you're used to very high dpi then it may be worth looking at CST trackballs instead. Personally I found the dpi to be a bit too high at first but got used to it after some weeks of use.
CSTLTrac
Much better build quality than the Slimblade, switches don't feel like junk. While the overall design of the Slimblade is better looking, the all-black LTrac does fit better on my desk with all the other black peripherals despite the design being mostly function over form and isn't all that pretty.
For me, though, it's all downhill from there unfortunately.
Now, a lot of these issues are things that might not be an issue for other people, but I've found the LTrac to be a downgrade for my setup.
First off; I use both a trackball and mouse at the same time, with the trackball to the left of the keyboard. This means I prefer swapping left and right click on the trackball.
The CST software, which seems to be an old version of X-Mouse Button Control, just hijacks all inputs, so when you assign left click to right mouse button, this happens to all pointing devices. That's not a good thing. There's also no chording support and one button less than on my Slimblade, so until I add buttons to my CST(which is not a user-friendly procedure) I've got 3 less buttons to work with. Which sucks since I was using those for media controls on my Slimblade.
Second; it's taller than the Slimblade, so it's a bit more awkward to rest the hand on, and the scroll wheel is all the way back, which some prefer, but for me this means I have to move my entire hand just to scroll.
Third; you need to open it up to get the ball out, which is a pain in the ass compared to the Slimblade where the ball lifts out and you can clean the ball, bearings and sensors without having to unscrew anything.
All in all, it's a downgrade in functionality but a fairly decent step up in terms of build quality.
I don't regret the purchase; it's still a good trackball and while it's less functional than the Slimblade, it's more enjoyable to use. And a lot of these concerns are moot if you intend to either not remap the keys or don't have other pointing devices plugged in.
Next up I'll try adding keys to it, I've got some spare MX switches I can wire up, but the main problem is knowing exactly how to wire them and what to put them in, so I'll need to figure that out.
WacomIntuos3
A graphics tablet I would say is a must for anyone working with something like CAD, photography, graphic design etc.
Not sure if I'd recommend it as a permanent replacement for a mouse, but I find that it is invaluable when working with photography, drawing/painting and graphic design. Some may find it difficult getting used to having to draw somewhere you're not looking and having the result show up someplace else, but it doesn't take long to get used to, and if you've got the cash you could always get a Cintiq.
Although if you are getting a tablet; get wacom. There really isn't any competition, it would be nice if there was, but atm wacom is really the best option for good tablets.
Mousepads I have used
Not priority atm, will elaborate on these later
SteelSeries QcK+ and QcK Heavy
Decent cloth, available in all sorts of sizes and easily available. The QcK series is a solid range of pads, you can't really go wrong with one as they're decent value and easy to get. The padding on the Heavy and Mass is very comfortable, so far my Heavy is probably the most comfortable pad I've used.
SteelSeries Experience I-2, or IceMat if you want to call it by its original real, and far more sensible, name.
My favourite pad so far, it's got a matte surface giving it a glide somewhere between cloth and hard pad. Feels a bit satin-like.
However, it requires frequent cleaning and doesn't play nice with all older laser sensors, but no major issues.
Since it's made of glass it also feels colder than cloth if it sits in a cold room, so it can be uncomfortable at first when you sit down. But when it gets warmed up a little it just feels amazing.
Also looks very pretty.
Razer Goliathus Extended
Speed
Very slick cloth, stitched edges to prevent fraying, glide is like a smoother QcK. Not much else to say, it’s a decent deskmat.
Control
Much rougher surface for a more controlled glide, seems like it’s pretty good quality.
Might consider doing what someone else here on GH did(pretty sure it was kawa); put thick QcK pads under the Goliathus for better padding.
Razer Manticor
Not had this for too long so these are early impressions; overall a very good pad. The glide is good, quick comparison seems like it has more friction than a QcK.
Very sleek look as well; matte black coating with a small black-on-black Razer logo in the corner. So far no gunk buildup or anything, but I can't really say much on how well it handles wear yet.
Has rubber underneath to prevent it from sliding around, that's working great so far.
So far the only downside has been temperature; it can get cold, which isn't really comfortable. It's usually warm around my desk, but when I open the window the pad tends to cool down and get somewhat uncomfortable.
SteelSeries 5L
This is a funky pad; it's built up in several layers to make a cloth/plastic hybrid pad. I'm not quite sure what the layers are atm, I will look up and add later, but I think the surface is resin-soaked cloth or something.
My second favourite pad, coming in just behind the I-2, haven't found any pads that feel like it yet. Mine is so worn now that I don't dare use it much more, and finding a new one is impossible.
Not really too fond of SS atm; they've stopped production of all their interesting pads in favour of pumping out more QcK pads. Even the I-2 is gone. Bring back the I-2 and 5L and I will buy a stack of each.
Cooler Master alu pad
Got this with a case once, I don't know what they coated the surface with, but it is an amazing pad. Sadly it's too small to use with mid-low sens, so it hasn't seen use in a while.
Mionix Ensis 320
Coated alu pad. The coating is really nice and smooth, although the glide isn't as slippery as some plastic pads. It's still a hard pad, so the glide is fairly smooth.
While I was really happy with the pad at first, it didn't really take long before it started getting dirty and ugly. The glide is still ok, and it's easy to wash, but it seems to have gotten fairly scratched up as well.
It's a decent pad, but ultimately not worth the money unless you can get it on sale, which is the reason I picked it up.