Like many people in my industry i would presume would see the value in the tool they probably use the most in their day to day job. It is probably also the tool that is overlooked the most as well.
I am on the lookout for a new mouse, something with a much higher sensor than that of the mouse i’m using now. Currently i own a Logitech MX950, its good and have some great things about it but it also suffers greatly in some aspects.
In this article/review i’m going to discuss my opinions on whether a steelseries sensei mouse for web designers is a good option or not, what to look out for and who it is most suited for.
I will not be going into features, how many millions of colors it can the lcd can be customized to or anything like that, there are plenty of reviews out there that can give you this information.
Testing grounds
– Alienware m4r2
– Steelseries Sensei Mouse (latest firmware)
– Razer Goliathus mouse pad
The Sensei mouse is not an ergonomic mouse
Now i’m a big believer in ergonomic’s. Have you used an ambidextrous mouse before ? The Sensi mouse is infact just that. So what does it mean ? It is a fancy word used to basically say you can use it in your left hand or right hand.
The problem here is if you are used to an ergonomic mouse you will be sorely disappointed it is in now way more comfortable than an ergonomic mouse. PERIOD, no matter what other reviews say.
I did my research before i purchased this many reviews state that its comfortable to use. Now that i have purchased this and used it myself i couldn’t disagree more with them.
Any ambidextrous mouse will not be comfortable to use because it will not contour to your hands. If you’re planning on using a mouse for extended hours or for work purposes then you should not be looking at any ambidextrous mouse.
Another thing to note is that most if not all ambidextrous mice will have the same buttons on the left and the right hand side so in my case the back and forward buttons i use on the left side are also on the right side, and of course because i’m right handed they right side buttons interfere with my ‘pinky’ finger making accidental touches on the mice very common. 🙁
If your planning on using a mouse for extended hours or for work purposes then you should not be looking at any ambidextrous mouse.
Sensi mouse performance
The Sensi mouse does not fall short in performance, it is probably the best mouse i have used to date in terms of accuracy, precision.
The Sensi mouse of course was built for gamers but accuracy and precision is somthing designers, web designers, graphic designers need also.
What i found important and really liked about this mouse is the level of control you have using the software bundled with it, which mind you really does shit all over the Logitech setpoint software. I managed to tweak my settings to a beautiful level that allowed me to move my mouse slowly with the highest accuracy, no lag i ever saw.
Test this for yourself move the mouse real slow, you will see jitters to some extend and depending on how good your mouse is will depend on how much it will show these jitters.
Accuracy test
Here is a video showing the jitters with my Logitech MX950 vs the Sensei mouse. Please note that i could not record higher than 15fps, so the video itself is not really displaying exactly what i saw, but at least you will get some indication of a comparison between the two.
The thing to look out for is that the you will notice the Sensi mouse cursor when moved in a diagonal motion you will see less ‘stepping’ motion compared to the Logitech mouse. I recommend you watch it on Youtube in HD to get a better idea.
Logitech MX950 Accuracy Test
Steelseries Sensi Accuracy Test
I really did enjoy the smoothness of the mouse cursor moving from object to object on screen and especially when using something like Photoshop, Fireworks for design it really comes into its elements when you need pixel perfection.
Ambidextrous mouse for Web designers ?
So getting back to this left/right handed mouse thing. The fact is if your web designer who is right handed you are better of looking at a right handed mouse and if you’re left handed well i don’t think there is much option these days, i have not seen any left handed mice before, so this type of mouse is your best bet.
If you are a left handed designer, developer, web designer then there is no doubt i can recommend this mouse to you.
Options for right handed Web designers ?
Well, personally for now i have had to go back to the stylish and ergonomic feel of my Logitech MX950 mouse purely because i could simply not get used to the feel of the Sensi mouse, considering i would minimum 8 hours a day on the box it is not really an option to sacrifice a comfortable feel over performance.
I am now actively on the lookout for another performance gamer grade right handed mouse and some options are probably the Steelseries Rival (right handed mouse) or i could go for a Razer mouse maybe something like the Death Added. I may purchase both and give them a whirl and compare them.
