Thoughts on small and lightweight mice

When it comes to peripherals, mice are an area that has gone through a tremendous paradigm shift in the past several years. They’ve become lighter and lighter, in direct reversal to the trend in the early 2000s where they offered weights with mice to increase their weight in hand. I had a few of those mice in fact, like the Logitech G5 and Corsair M65. They were, even without weights, dramatically heavier than the current swath of gaming mice that are pushing more and more weight-saving techniques to drop them to the sub-60-gram range now. And it’s something that is still polarising to gamers because different mice are best suited for different games. Heavier mice with a plethora of reprogrammable buttons are popular for MMORPGs and MOBAs whilst simple, ultralightweight mice are driven by the shooter segment.

For myself, my first lightweight mouse that was built from the ground up to be that way was the Glorious Model O. I’ve always gravitated towards that shape of mouse to begin with as I like symmetrical mice with side buttons and a tapered shape that isn’t too curved, but also not too flat. Since then, I’ve used numerous other lightweight mice and have enjoyed seeing wireless mice also become extremely lightweight. Right now, I switch between my Glorious Model O- wireless and a Razer Viper Ultimate. They both retain that shape that I love but both have their downsides.

For the Model O- I love the shape and feel but I’ve come to want a mouse with solid shell rather than the honeycomb design that is still so common in the ultralight market. They look neat and are great at cutting weight while still offering some fun RGB shenanigans, but they also are prone to becoming gummed up from dust and animal fur so much more quickly. I’ve never had the issue of my peripherals becoming particularly grungy from hand oils but even for someone like me they eventually build up on the mouse. I do appreciate that it’s relatively simple to use some picks to pop the rear of the shell off to more easily clean it but that still doesn’t fix that it becomes grungy again fairly quickly.

The Viper Ultimate on the other hand is a solid mouse. The shape is still that ambidextrous design, and it feels nice in my hand. But it’s also larger and heavier than the Model O-. They’re not too far off, at 65g for the Model O- and 74g for the Viper Ultimate, but even 9g is noticeable at about a 14% increase in weight. And while I do really like the rubber side grips, it is also noticeably larger than the Model O- as well, particularly in the width. Even though it’s only 3mm or so wider, it is distinct. Overall, though, I still come back to that mouse because it is a really nice mouse to use.

So, I’ve been waiting for what I thought might be my ideal mouse should Razer finally release it: a Viper Mini wireless or Viper Mini Ultimate, however they would end up branding it. It would be similar in size and weight to my Model O- but with a solid body. The Viper Mini Signature Edition looked to be a first step toward that end. It has the size down, but the mostly hollow body made of magnesium and paltry availability make it ridiculously expensive for a mouse at well over $200. That’s just not a viable, nor even reasonable option. I chalked it up to being another Razer ultra-premium product, a halo product more for brand recognition and to be seen used by esports pros more than just your average gamer.

Razer also introduced the Viper V2 Pro which lacked the rubber sides and RGB of the Ultimate but clearly focused on further weight reduction and improved components like their latest optical sensor. Again, it’s not really what I was looking for but I can easily see the appeal for it for many gamers. The rubber sides have always been a bit of a contentious design decision and RGB absolutely adds weight and reduces battery life. Nixing those in favour of saving weight and making it more regular makes sense as an option in their mouse lineup. Heck, had they simply shrunk it down to the Mini size and popped it out as the Viper Mini V2 Pro I might very well have been tempted to pick one up.

I haven’t been paying the closest attention to the peripheral world, more focused on keyboards really, but I’ve been occasionally keeping an eye out for any sort of smaller mice. For instance, I’d be curious about a Glorious Model O2-. I don’t know if I want another honeycomb type mouse but given how much I’ve liked their current O- wireless I’d definitely be tempted should they bring them out. They also briefly sold the Model O Pro which retained the light weight of the Model O but gave it a solid body shell. Again, had it been offered in a smaller size I would’ve been so much more interested in the mouse. There have been others, such as the Fnatic Bolt, HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2, Asus ROG Harpe Ace, and even the Corsair Katar Elite. Each has their strengths and weaknesses, but none have really wowed me.

Then, as of late, I’ve seen the Viper Mini has been mostly out of stock both at retailers and direct from Razer. I didn’t put much thought into it, maybe they were exceeding demand or maybe they were planning on a new revision. But then I check one day to see a new mouse on their site, two mice actually, the Cobra Pro and the Cobra. Honestly, I didn’t know where they fit into Razer’s lineup so I kind of ignored them as neither was what I was really looking for: a Viper Mini wireless. But, going back to research mice again and that’s when I found out that the Cobra line are the replacement for the Viper Mini line. There’s not going to be a Viper Mini wireless because the Viper lineup is the V2 Pro and the Viper 8KHz now. No more Ultimate, and no more Mini.

So, then what are they then? Well, the Viper Cobra is almost identical to the Viper Mini. Both are wired, small, ultralight mice with the Cobra getting a tiny 3g weight reduction. Even internally they are the same switches and sensors. They’re literally the same mouse with an updated shell. So, great option if I want to get a nice, wired mouse. And that’s the real rub, I don’t want another wired mouse. I’ve come to enjoy having a wireless mouse and don’t want to downgrade to a wire again. So, perhaps the Cobra Pro then?

I mean, on paper it sounds great. It’s similar size and shape to the Viper Mini, it has some admittedly beautiful RGB, is wireless, and even has those same rubber sides I love about the Viper Ultimate. It’s a newer sensor than what I have in my Viper Ultimate as well. It’s even compatible with their HyperPolling dongle to offer up to 4kHz polling, something that I’m not nearly pro enough to notice but is nice for those who want it. It even works over Bluetooth which could be nice to have for my laptop in a pinch. I mean, they even have a wireless charging puck with Qi charging dock which is similar to the charging dock that my Viper Ultimate uses.

But, that’s just it. It’s expensive, the mouse itself is $130 versus $40 for the Cobra. And those accessories? All sold separately unless you pay up front for the bundle. For instance, the bundle of mouse, puck, and wireless charger is $170, or whopping $200 if you decide to buy them separately. Want to get the HyperPolling adapter? That’s another $30. All kitted out you’d be talking $230 even with bundles. And that’s where the elephant is in the room: it’s no longer a lightweight mouse compared to its siblings. While the Cobra is down to a lithe 59g, and the Viper V2 Pro at 58g, the Cobra Pro is heavier than the Viper Ultimate at 77g versus 74g respectively. That’s frankly baffling to me. I could see it being heavier than the trimmed down Viper V2 Pro, maybe coming in right around 70g but to be a full 10% more than that? That’s just strange to me.

I’m just not sure where it fits into their lineup. It feels like they are trying so hard to not cannibalise sales between their Viper Mini Signature and the Viper V2 Pro that they just didn’t even try to keep the weight down. In fact, it seems like they increased the weight to further separate it from them. And that’s utterly bizarre for them to pull back from their recent streak of listening to their users to again ignoring them and producing a product that is pretty and flashy at a higher price and with poorer performance. It’s just a very strange choice. And I hate that it is still the most compelling option they offer for what I want in a mouse. And it’s especially frustrating because, despite there being so much competition, so many of those also fall short.

The reason I want a smaller mouse, but not a laptop focused one that is too small, is that I have smaller hands. In point of fact, I can get children’s gloves to save money for winter gear. That kind of small hands. So even when it’s a couple millimetres here and a couple there those reductions add up to being a more comfortable mouse for me. I know I’m on the smaller end of the bell curve and that always makes choices tighter but to see something get so close but fumble at the end is frankly disheartening, especially because of how much I have enjoyed my experience with my Viper and Viper Ultimate. And that’s where so many of the other mice I’ve looked at have also been so close but only offer a side-grade to the Viper Ultimate I already have.

Take the Corsair Katar Elite for instance. It’s smaller, is in the right weight class at 69g (nice), and even has RGB. But it has a shape more in line with the Logitech G305, another mouse I have for my MacBook Pro. And while the size is right, the shape is off. I like mice that curve in on the sides making the middle the narrowest part with the buttons and rear flaring back out again. I find that mice like that are most comfortable for me and ones that do the opposite, being widest in the middle, aren’t as comfortable for me. It’s such a minor detail but it makes such a large difference in usability for me.

The Fnatic Bolt is another option that is in a similar class, being even narrower in the middle but taller and ever so slightly longer. Again, it falls into the similar weight class at 67g. It looks to be a similar shape to the Model O- as well. Something that is fascinating to me though is that the white variant is 69g, a first for me to see a different colour ending up with a heavier weight listed on the spec sheet. It is a stronger option, but I fully admit I’m a bit biased in favour of brands I’ve had prior experience with over new ones, especially when I’ve had such good experiences as I’ve had with Logitech, Razer, Glorious, and Corsair.

The HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 is another I’ve looked at. Again, it’s lightweight at 61g and has a solid body. But it is also even wider than the Viper Ultimate with an even more pronounced middle hump. I don’t know how I’d feel about the more heavily recessed buttons either, as I like having smoother buttons with gentler sloping to them. It also appears to be much straighter along the sides, with a more subtle side indentation compared to the others, which when paired with it being wider means I feel leary of pulling the trigger on it as well.

There’s also the Asus ROG Harpe Ace. It’s by far the lightest of the mice I’ve seriously considered at a pillowy 54g, a full 11g lighter than my holed Model O- wireless. And while it is only marginally wider than the Model O-, it is almost 5mm taller and 8mm longer. Again, that is much closer in size to the Viper Ultimate which means I’m, again, making some upgrades but not in the form of comfort.

So, I end up looking back at the Cobra Pro again despite the shortcomings. As frustrating as it is, and as annoying as it is, the Cobra Pro is still one of the best options for my ergonomic needs. The weight is, essentially, a wash compared to the Viper Ultimate. I’d likely find the two extremely similar. The shape would be familiar and comfortable to me, and that goes a long way. And, yeah, familiarity with the software and overall feel are also plusses. But it just feels like it was so close to being what I wanted in a mouse only to slip up right at the end and that’s an absolute shame.