[section_title title=Mice]Mice
Awarded By – Charlie
Design – Mionix Naos 7000
There aren’t many products that get an Editor’s Choice award from me, and when they do it’s because they have replaced whatever similar product I was using before as my go-to. That was precisely the case with the Naos 7000, when I took it out the box it really was love at first touch. For those with large hands the Naos shell just cannot be beaten in my opinion, the support for the third and fourth fingers is superb, the height is spot on, the skirt to support your thumb is just right and the thumb buttons are large and easily pressed. It’s an ergonomic masterpiece.
Combine that with what is in my opinion the best sensor on the market, the Pixart 3310, with its acceleration, jitter and snapping free operation and a fine assortment of OMRON/TTC switches and you have a real winner. It even looks good too thanks to the stealthy black soft touch coating and the colour customizable lighting. For me, I can’t see myself using another mouse for a long time; unless Mionix bless us with a new Naos 7000 that has a DPI indicator.
Performance – Zowie FK1
The Zowie FK1 was my first introduction to the Pixart 3310 optical sensor, and what a mighty fine introduction it was too! The FK1 still stands as my only winner of a Platinum award to date, and it earns that accolade by flawlessly executing the Zowie design mantra of making a no nonsense competitive grade product that does the business instead of just looking like it does.
The classic what I like to call IntelliMouse esque claw grip ergonomics paired with a Pixart 3310 (itself complimented by what is undoubtedly the best firmware I’ve found it paired with) the FK1 is a lean mean fragging machine, some may lament the Huano switches but I really like them and the non-kink rubberised cable is definitely the way forward too.
When it comes to claw grip mice the FK1 sets the standard that other manufacturers should be striving for, it is a fantastic example of engineers giving two fingers to the marketing department and I love it all the more because of that.
Value – Logitech G402
When it came time to choose a mouse for best value, it took me all of two seconds to decide. When I reviewed this superb mouse back in August it was going for around the £50 mark and even then I considered it well priced. These days you can grab one on Amazon for £37 which is a complete steal!
The G402 has those classic ergonomics we all love but a raised profile on the right-hand side adds some much-needed support and makes it even more comfortable, I easily consider the G402 to be the second most comfortable palm grip mouse I have used, trumped only by the Naos. The G402 also has a sublime sensor which uses what can only be described as witchcraft to track perfectly at up to the region of 10 m/s; which is just crazy, though that is a bit of marketing-y because if your arm is moving that quick it’s probably not attached to your body.
A great low weight and a nice assortment of switches with solid build quality round out a superb package, if you are looking for a palm grip mouse but don’t want to make the jump to the £50 price range the G402 should be right at the top of your list, it’s a gem.
Overall – Mionix Naos 7000
I’ll try not to gush any more than I already have about the Naos 7000, but it really is a benchmark product when it comes to palm grip mice. In the last couple of months I have tested a lot of mice and none of them have came closer to perfection for me than the Naos. The FK1 is a delight, but I’m not a claw gripper so for me it doesn’t match the awesomeness of the Naos.
The Naos 7000 is the comfy pair of slippers I always come back to, there is no question for me that it deserves the title of Best Mouse of 2014 and unless they bring out a new one with a DPI indicator I can’t see it being dethroned anytime soon.
