Don’t fear the sensibly-priced gaming mouse, baby
Listen, we said sensibly priced, not
bargainous. $82.7 might still be a fair whack compared to the price you got on
that Microsoft IntelliMouse you’ve been clicking away on since 1999, but in the
case of CM Storm’s Reaper that $82.7 buys you pretty much everything you’d want
– certainly everything you need – in a desktop rodent.
We digress. The Reaper’s build quality
is on a par with Corsair’s rugged M65 Vengeance, which is marginally more
expensive to boot. Like the Corsair, it’s built around an aluminium chassis
with a plastic shell, rubberised left and right buttons and an aluminium palm
panel. Startlingly bright white LEDs light the Reaper above the metal plate and
between the sturdy scrolling wheel and the braided cord.
The
Reaper’s build quality is on a par with Corsair’s rugged M65 Vengeance, which
is marginally more expensive to boot.
The only aspect of its visual design
we’re not enamoured with is the rugby player’s tribal tattoo adorning the
aluminium plate. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, as they say, but whoever
they are they probably don’t have an aluminium mural of Gavin Henson’s shoulder
in mind when they say it. It’s worth noting though that this plate can be
removed, so anyone who got gold stars in design & technology can build a
custom version for themselves.
A fairly standard eightbutton layout
finishes off the body, with DPI sensitivity switches located below the mouse
wheel and three thumb buttons: the usual forward and back navigation buttons
and an oversized one placed ergonomically beneath your thumb pad. It’s these
thumb keys in particular that impress, finished to a standard that surpasses
the M65 Vengeance. The scrolling wheel can’t be set to freewheel like Logitech
models, but you can’t have it all.
It’s
worth noting though that this plate can be removed, so anyone who got gold stars
in design & technology can build a custom version for themselves.
Laser Light
The Reaper’s 8,200 DPI Avago sensor
matches that build standard with some responsive and reliable tracking, too. At
its most sensitive, it was almost too much for us to handle, and we usually set
our sensitivity so high that friends and coworkers are regularly embarrassed by
their spasmodic cursor flailing when trying to use our PC.
The PTFE feet make for a smooth,
gliding action across your mouse mat that’s complimented well by its relatively
heavy weighting . If you’re into tweaking DPI settings (or setting up macros
and game-specific control profiles, for that matter), there’s a fugly but very
functional software suite available to really take ownership of the Reaper’s features.
If not, it works just fine out of the box and the default sensitivity notches
will suit almost any user.
There are only a few gaming mice we’d
consider worth buying below this price point – specifically the Mad Catz
R.A.T.5. and Shogun Bros Ballista MK.1. – and none of the three have a must-buy
feature over the others, unless you have freakish palm dimensions (opt for the
adjustable R.A.T.) or an LED fetish (Ballista it is).
However, when you start scavenging
deeper down into the bargain bin you’ll start making tradeoffs that you’ll soon
regret.
The
Reaper’s 8,200 DPI Avago sensor matches that build standard with some
responsive and reliable tracking, too.
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Vital Statistics ·
Price: $82.7 ·
Manufacturer: CM
Storm ·
Buttons: Eight ·
DPI: 8,200 ·
Cable: 1.8m
braided ·
Sensor: Avago
9800 ·
Build:
Aluminium/plastic/rubber
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