Pros: - Reliable (going on 4-5 years)
- customizable
- pinky rest
- High DPI
- Responsive
- Heavy

Cons: - the Pinky Rest's nylon pad is less than a milometer too high (causes wobble on a level surface)
- No inherent function on the side scroll to actually side scroll, this is helpful in Photoshop and the like.
- software is trash
- to use it on Linux you need to remap some stuff (it works with VMs however)
- hard to clean
- Mad Catz

Other Thoughts: I have a Cyborg Version of the Rat 7, you know the original before Mad Catz bought them and destroyed a good thing. it was a good thing that i followed when this thing was going to be released and bought it before Mad Catz had a chance to ruin it. doing this has paid of tremendously. this thing has worked for 4 years or more, and shows no signs of slowing down. the only issue i have run into is the nylon slidey pads need to be replaced. specifically the top 2. now this thing does have other small issues out side of general ware in tear. the first is the software (last time i checked) was terrible. ugly hard to navigate and felt... bad in general. i didn't like it. then there is the pinky rest. i put that on because well it is use full with the way i hold the mouse. it keeps my finger off the table or steamer trunk or desk, whatever i am using at the time, because of its low profile. the pinky rest was designed to where it is less than a milometer too short or when it is put on is crocked, either way it causes some wobble. the third was the Linux issues, while there is a workaround i shouldn't have to modify the way the mouse maps to the machine to make it so that the left click can actually select windows. this was annoying... and not really wanted. Forth, is more of an annoyance than anything, the second scroll wheel on the mouse, does not by default scroll horizontally, nor is there an easy way to program it to do so. even with the software that is pretty much trash., this was the main reason i thought this.

so what are it'g good parts? well it works and has kept working for as long as i have had it. i love this thing. out of all the mice on the market this is my favorite, i just wish i could buy another without worrying that Mad Catz has made it so that it is complete and udder trash worth 50 bucks and some gimics, instead of being actually useful and worth the 100 you pay for it. i can customize the weight.. though really wish i could make it a bit heavier... and it is really comfortable to use. i can't really go into deep as to why you should get it cause, i don't think you should get a new one, find an early one second hand or new, get it. i highly recommend you get the early ones. i have not had a chance to use one of the newer ones, but they seem to be living up to my expectations. they aren't worth the money.

so i said that i have had this mouse for over 4 years now if not 5, and it still works. I'm kinda superseded myself, in terms of how i treat it at times. going home for a week, throw it into a box... need to move my keyboard, forget it is plugged into it. hello dangling mouse... not to mention how many times i just grab it by the cord... the thing looks pretty disgusting... i have kinda stopped being "obsessive" about how clean i keep it and my desk. not to mention that it is really hard to clean to begin with. while it isn't "i don't take care of my stuff, and eat and do other things around them" it, is not that far off. its old, and it needs to be cleaned. so yeah.

should you by a new one? no... I don't trust Mad Catz read the other reviews, mine is mainly intend to be a review on an original model.
should you try to get an older one? yeah go for it if you can find one, just don't get one that is branded as Mad Catz. you one one branded as Cyborg.

Pros: Looks cool
Natural button placement
Excellent matte texture

Cons: I've had this mouse for over a year. The biggest annoyance by far is the right click button. It is so sensitive that it can be depressed just from the weight of my middle finger. For the longest time, I thought I just bought a lemon and I jammed a business card in the mouse to give it some support. A year later now, and my nephew has the same mouse which has the same issue.

Other Thoughts: Also, this mouse comes with a lot of bells and whistles that are meant to give it a variety of customization. While the mouse looks different going from one extreme to the other, it does not feel different in the hand. Especially disappointing for people that use a palm style grip.

Pros: 1. Style. Let's be real here, you are interested in this mouse because it looks like nothing else.

2. Ergonomics. The adjustable features really help this mouse work for your grip.

3. Flexibility. Between the aforementioned grip adjustments and the weight management, there shouldn't be a way to not make this mouse work for you. The integrated Allen wrench is smart.

4. Features. From the DPI adjustment to the precision aim button, there are a lot of nice goodies on this mouse. The thumb scroll is great.

Cons: 1. Durability. The internet back button came off.

Other Thoughts: 1. My main issue with prolonged use of the mouse is the hex nut which my thumb constantly feels. It's bothersome for me.

2. I'm not a FPS gamer, so I'd rather have a wireless mouse, although the braided cord rarely bunches for me.

Pros: The mouse is pretty good when it last, it seems to last longer than a logitech MX518, as the right mouse button on that mouse broke while the same mouse button still works for the RAT 7. And with adjustable weights you can customize the mouse pretty much to your liking

Cons: durability. I owned this mouse for a little over a year, and it used to have problems where sometimes the mouse would just die and I gotta unplug and replug the usb, this happens on a semi-regular basis(every 2/3 monthish). But when the mouse finally died that was when the optical drive decides to act up and start having a party on my computer screen.

Given the short time span this mouse has unless you are willing to shell out $90 for maybe a year or so, there are better mouse out there.

Other Thoughts: you can get a similar or better mouse for cheaper. I dont like this mouse because it only lasted maybe a year? Or even shorter.

Pros: This mouse has a very interesting design. It's pretty modular, you can remove weight, swap out certain pieces for others, (for example, replacing the matte/rubberized palm rest with a glossy/smooth palm rest). It has a fantastic on-the-fly DPI and profile changer right on the mouse itself, along with a sidebutton dedicated to lowering the DPI for 'precision' aim.

It's a really cool mouse overall.

Cons: I've had 3 of these mice since 2011 and every one of them has failed on me. The first one stopped working completely, I unplugged it and put it in my drawer as I was going on vacation, come back, and it was dead in the water. I couldn't get it to light up or anything, tried on multiple ports and computers.

The next one had issues with the buttons. The side buttons for forward/back browser control broke off completely after 4 months of use. Replaced it soon after as I use that often.

Third one started failing to register clicks/registering duplicate clicks. It impacted me very quickly so I had to trash it and call it a loss.

Other Thoughts: First mouse was used for just a bit over 1 year, the second, 6 months, the other 2 years.

I wouldn't exactly recommend this product, as simply put, it seems to be made of cheap materials.

Pros: I love this mouse. I have two of them one for work and one for home. This mouse has not been without quirks.. I have had the two for about 4 years. I have owned several mice over the past 20 years and this one serves me well.

Cons: Patients required.. X and Y axis issue has come up,and Left click comes as a double click, but a simple smack on the desk fixes it.

Linux has issues but an entry in the Xorg.conf fixes any issue I have had.

Other Thoughts: KVM settings can be temperamental, and dont bother with drivers. I have never gotten as much time out of a mouse. M$ mouse die after 1 or 2 years. Logitec epic fail for me.

Pros: - Durable (I've had this mouse for 3 years)
- Highly customizable
- Worth the money paid
- Mouse sensitivity

Cons: - The sensor is highly sensitive to debris on the twin-eyed laser (read other thoughts)

Other Thoughts: I've had this mouse for 3 years, and it is still running just like it was when it was new.

There is an issue with the two sensors being highly sensitive to debris, however. The mouse performed great for the first 6 months, then the cursor would sometimes stick on the x or y axis. I first thought it was a driver that needed to be updated, and I updated it, but the issue didn't go away. The mouse getting stuck didn't really hamper my game play, so I dealt with it for the next 2 years.

2 Years later, the mouse just stopped moving all together, but the button were still able to register its clicks. So, I thought either the sensor went bad or it needed to be cleaned, somehow. I read a forum saying to clean the sensor with a q-tip, and sure enough, the jitterbugging, sticking and non-movement is now gone.

I've been cleaning the sensors (allowing the q-tip to touch the sensor) with a dry q-tip on a monthly basis, and the problem has not returned.

I had to write this review, because it made me so happy to know that I don't have to shell out money for a different mouse, and I hope I am able to help someone else.

Pros: Cool design

Cons: I have had 2 of them and button on both went bad so that would tell you that it has cheap bottons a 100 dollar mouse sould last more then year!!!

Pros: VERY modular, you can move pretty much anything to fit your hand. Lots of buttons, and the rubbery material on the plastic feels good.

Cons: Won't last. Within a year of mild use the optical sensor began to act up, making this mouse unusable in gaming situations and frustrating for everything else.

Other Thoughts: The adjustments don't allow you to account for every mouse shape. If you're like me and like a shorter mouse with a large center bulge, this mouse won't be as comfortable as you hope.

It seems Mad Catz has quality issues for a lot of it's products. I won't be buying from them again.

Pros: Nice and heavy, love the layout and ability to change parts and pieces.. I am VERY picky and this would work in one configuration or another for everyone

Cons: Mouse wheel broke, the center "Spindle" witch rests on the mouse wheel press button broke off. First one i sent back for replacement with a distributor. 2nd RAT7 it had the same failure but I repaired it 2 different times, once by super gluing it back together and the 2nd time buy rebuilding it using polymold witch worked fantastic but the mouse wheel failed on the other side, so it ended up not tracking mouse wheel up or down. At that point i gave up and looked at a different mouse as much as i hated to because it was a fantastic design it was poor quality of materials like plastic in heavy wear areas like the mouse wheel that made me change my mind. Some of the other buttons were kinda "Slack" after a year of use and not as firm to rebound.

Other Thoughts: Needs a thicker/stronger plastic used on the mousewheel or metal. its the major con of this mouse is durability. I am a easygoing gamer not a button masher and it still broke with avg usage.