Pros: It's lasted me over 3 months so far in terms of hardware. Has just the buttons I need & nothing more. It's physical design works good for my hands too.

Cons: The software, I've been all over their forums & it seems no one is experiencing the same issue I am. Besides the fact that only 1 person on those forums even bothered to consult me. Every once in a while, sometimes multiple times a day the DPI button stops working. No I really don't think it's an issue with the physical mouse itself, because without CUE the saved DPI profiles within the mouse work flawlessly. The only solutions to this I've found basically turn the mouse on & off. Whether that be restarting your PC (most inconvenient), to forcing firmware update or even just changing the polling rates back & forth. I'd happily use the mouse without the glitchy software but unfortunately the red LED light is just too bright. I know most might just RMA it & hope the next worked but the thing is. What if I do that & they can't find anything wrong, thus sending it back & forcing me to fork out more for shipping? No thanks.

Other Thoughts: Don't buy it unless you've got the money to potentially waste. This is why I've always tried staying away from mice with software. There's just too much that can wrong but unfortunately companies force us to buy mice like this in order to get the durability gamer's need.

Pros: It's comfortable to use.

Cons: Can't tell the DPI level or which increment it is set at by looking at the mouse nor can you adjust the DPI level up or down with a physical button (can only cycle through in one direction).

Other Thoughts: On Linux (as of kernel 4.4rc1; affects 4.3 also), in order to avoid a USB error (timeout initializing reports) and delayed initialization, you'll need to add "usbhid.quirks=0x1B1C:0x1B22:0x20000000" to your kernel boot options (this skips the reports initialization). Aside from this, the mouse functions normally under Linux. This seems to be a common occurrence among Corsair USB devices.

Pros: First Id like to say I bought this mouse because of it's simple design and sleek look along with its a Corsair and I have never had any issues with their products.

Now onto the Pros:

1 - Great optical sensor, it is sharp and has limited wobble at higher DPI settings.

2 - Since my hands aren't big this mouse fits me well and I have more range of movement from the wrist due to it being a smaller than most other gaming mice.

3 - The main buttons have good feedback and a nice click to them imo.

Cons: Now for the Con and its only a minor nuisance to me but still... the scroll wheel and button could be looked at for slight improvement.

When I scroll down the mouse has one spot in the rotation where it stutters back up forcing me to go through it again if that makes sense, this does not happen when scrolling up however. Second it is a bit too loose/soft in it's feedback while rotating and the click is a bit too stiff.

Other Thoughts: Overall this is a good mouse and I can live with the quirk mine has but others may take issue with it if they got it.

Pros: Everything about this mouse is a work of art, starting with the box. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to components, the box and packaging is a good indication of the quality inside. This is a quality mouse. The mouse is very accurate with the ability to change DPI on the fly. The mouse if very light but plastic casing is very high quality. The center scroll wheel has a good feel to it and responds well. The sides are textured rubber so the mouse feels good when gripped. I thought the mouse was a little small, but after using it, it had a surprisingly good ergonomic feel.

The mouse does not have side buttons - but all I found those good for was back and forward browsing web pages. I really don't care for the side buttons because I end up pressing them when I really don't want to. The middle DPI button took a little getting used to but once I got the hang of it, it worked very well. The downloadable Corsair utility gives you full control of buttons and features.

I fired up Steam and played a few games using the mouse and keyboard. I thought the mouse was more than adequate -- very responsive with no lag. I also used the mouse to edit some web graphics and with the ability to change the DPI on the fly; as well as the accuracy, I did not even need my pen and tablet. Even though I do not have much gaming time with my workload, I would definitely buy and recommend this mouse for gaming and applications.

This highly accurate 8000 DPI mouse is a bargain at the current price.

Cons: I really don't care for lighted logo, but not really a con. It's not wireless, but then again, not a big deal. I have not found a wireless mouse with response and accuracy and only use wireless on my laptop. So again, not really a con unless your are looking for wireless.

Other Thoughts: I have a lot of hardware - toys to play with and I seldom get excited over a new product. I am a software developer but have been a hardware geek since the 8086 days. I have to tell you, I was impressed and excited about this mouse. I have bought several dozen mice and each one has had something I did not like. Mice and keyboards always seem to frustrate me. These are now sitting in a box and I have the Corsair on my development box. Works great with Visual Studio and even some light editing of graphics for the web pages. To put it simply, this mouse just does what I expect a mouse to do and it does it well.

Pros: It’s obviously a well-built mouse. It feels really nice in your hand, with the sides of the mouse being baby-soft rubber. Click pressure is just about right, and the mouse is extremely responsive. It works great on many surfaces that most mice have trouble with (like glass, smooth plastic, etc.). The mouse actually lights up which younger players will appreciate, and this feature is easily toggled in the software. The “on-the-fly” DPI adjustment worked great and is a nice feature.

Cons: The biggest con is that it has a wire. Finding the driver on the corsair website could have been easier. This is not really a knock on corsair or the mouse, but it was a little hard to figure out which options in the mouse software override the mouse settings in control panel. The mouse does not have side buttons, probably a non-issue for serious gamers who this mouse is aimed at.

Other Thoughts: I asked both my kids (15 and 17) to try it out as a test. One plays LOL practically every waking moment. I figured this would be a good test in real world conditions, since LOL uses mouse movement and clicks all the time, and accuracy is important. The problem for both of my kids, and one they could not get passed despite all the great features and accuracy, is the cord. It ended up back on my desk within hours. They would prefer a less accurate wireless mouse over a top-flight corded mouse. I even tried placing the mouse in such a manner on their desks that the cord was as free moving as possible, but they still didn’t want to use it. If it’s possible to build a mouse like this that works wirelessly, my kids would eat it up, as would I.

Pros: The mouse feels sturdy, yet lightweight. You can tell the mouse was well thought out from materials, design, features, etc. to meet a decent price point. The left and right mouse buttons are easily pressed while still giving an audible click. Luckily this did not have any problems that would make any either button easily pressed by mistake. The grip is well done, it feels just right, comfortable. Long use did not cause my palms to sweat, despite this being somewhat common for me with other mice. I am really enjoying the scroll wheel, the texture and resistance is right where I like it to be.
The mouse looks good without drawing too much attention or looking gaudy. The light can be turned off as well if it becomes a problem.

Cons: The light is a tad bright, even in well lit room while looking at my monitor, it's hard to completely ignore the light from the mouse. Thankfully this can be turned off and isn't a problem, however if it is something you value it may be a bit off putting since there isn't really any adjustments to be made.
One other problem, which won't be for a while but I could see it coming down the road, is the mouse wheel texture. The texture is great and has nice grip, don't get me wrong, but I see potential for these large crevices to attract dirt, oils, etc. and eventually require cleaning before it degrades the mouse wheel.

Other Thoughts: Originally, I was going to say this mouse was WAY too small for me and I would have trouble adjusting to this mouse. Feeling it in my hand right out of the box, I felt I was in for a bad time. I was completely wrong, after having swapped out my mouse for this one and got the chance to feel it on the desk, I felt really at home surprisingly. I lost out on some buttons and extra features having swapped, but I'm surprised how well this actually worked for me. I'm not really aching to swap back to my old mouse, although I don't feel this one is a full replacement due to the loss of buttons I use for RTS/MOBA games, since I've taken a break from those games I don't have any rush to switch. I'm going to consider buying a higher tier version of this mouse for the extra buttons though.

Pros: Lightweight. Seems like solid construction. Overall, I’d say that this mouse is put together well for the price. The rubber areas on the sides provide decent grip. If your hands are on the smaller size I’d say that this fits well in hand (my giant man hands were a bit big for it). Even if your hands are large, the buttons are placed well enough and the grips provide enough purchase.

The main two buttons have very light click action but not so light that they are accidentally pressed when resting your fingers on them. The middle mouse button (scroll wheel click) is firm but easy to activate, just about the right force to prevent scrolling when clicking it. Scroll wheel has a nice rubber grip on it as well for easy scrolling even if your hand gets a little damp. Overall, the mouse performs well on surfaces like a countertop surface, cloth mousepad, and plastic mousepads. It slides well across my Nova Raider pad currently at my desk as well. The optic sensor of the mouse appears to be quite active and even works alright if you happen to lift it up, or run off the edge of your mousepad while gaming.

The Corsair software for the mouse provides a decent level of programming for the mouse despite its overall limited features in the way of buttons etc. One big benefit was that it allowed me to turn off the LED light on the mouse (which was too bright for my tastes).

Cons: Well, it was a bit small for my giant hands. Not a huge thing if you happen to have normal sized hands, but my long fingers kind of felt cramped up when clicking a lot. The cord is kind of flimsy and holds its packaging shape a lot more than I’d like. It took a lot of working to get it straight and preventing it from dragging the mouse forward on my desk when not in use.

This may not be a big thing to most, but I found the materials on the bottom of the mouse to be very cheap grey plastic. It isn’t very pleasant to look at, but I suppose that’s why they put it on the bottom of the mouse. Overall, it doesn’t detract from the way it looks on your desk.

The Red LED is only one color and terribly bright. I was relieved that the software let me turn the light off. However, you should know that, if you plan on turning it off, it will only be off when the computer is fully booted up and the software is running. The mouse itself doesn’t really have memory for that setting, unfortunately.

There aren’t any side buttons for, say forward and back on webpages or the like. I really found myself missing this. Also, the scroll wheel doesn’t have “side scroll” buttons which kind of leaves you wanting for at least a back button somewhere. You can reprogram the DPI switching button in the software should you decide that you need at least one other navigation button and don’t really switch your DPI settings.

Other Thoughts: Side by side with my other mouse I found myself going back to it, so I suppose that tells you something (either I’m a creature of habit, or I like it better).

It seems like the DPI button activates periodically on my mouse and changes but I’ve yet to confirm whether I’m hitting it or if it’s a software/computer reboots at night kind of problem so that’s sort of out of the pros and cons for now.


All in all, if you don't care about nav buttons, this mouse is well built and performs adequately for gaming or any other steady hand type work.

Pros: Mouse is very light and smooth moving in the hand.
It's ambidextrous, so lefties and righties will both be at home here.
Red light is nice and easy. Not obtrusive or too aggressive, especially at night.
Scroll wheel has a good click and is nicely textured, although the folds may accumulate excess dirt over time
On-the-fly adjustable DPI button works as expected and isn't in a place where you accidentally change things.
Semi-rubberized, textured sides provide good grip for movements.
Corsair's drivers and/or software are not necessary for basic use. This mouse works just fine out of the box in Windows 7 and Windows 10.

Cons: It's a bit too small for me. I prefer a larger mouse. This is more of what I consider borderline-mobility sized.
Edges on the front edge of the mouse (where the cord comes out) are a bit too aggressive for me. If you have long fingers and accidentally reach over the front lip, you have a thin, hard line to hit your finger pad off of.
No extra buttons. I've gotten in the habit of using my old mouse's forward and back buttons for multiple things, including web browsing.
Scroll wheel button-click is a bit hard for me. May wear in over time, but I need to push down with what I consider to be a bit more force than I prefer.

Other Thoughts: Overall this is a good feeling and responding mouse at an attractive price point. I'd say it's a buy if you're in the market, don't mind a bit of a smaller mouse (compared to big mice), and don't need any supplemental buttons other than the standard right/left mouse buttons.

Pros: The cord is not braided, it's a cosmetic drawback, however a potential advantage because braided cords are less flexible and more likely to restrict movement.
The palm rest and sides feel indestructible. I can't say the same about the buttons, But it feels like you could park a yacht on this mouse without it breaking.
For me, the most important thing about a mouse is how it feels and responds to my movements.
I play a number of competitive shooters including counter strike source and quake 3 arena. I take my mouse pretty seriously and have even done modding to several of my mice to try and improve them. twitch-like movements and instantaneous reflexes are essential in those games which is why i prefer a light mouse. it says 85 grams ultra light weight on the box. It's not the lightest mouse i own, but it's 2nd place out of the 12 different mice i have now. The lightest is a 12 year old logitech m-bj58 which weighs 65 grams.

The Katar has a interesting design, it almost appears to be a hybrid between the older optical mice and a laser mouse, It has a optical LED light. but a modern looking 8000dpi sensor. because of this design and the way mice work i decided to test it on different surfaces, it works very well on mouse pads, cloth and matte surface's. however it has problems on glass and shiny surfaces. This was expected because its optical.

Optical and laser mice both work by rapidly taking photographs of the mousepad surface called frames, and it compares them to determine where and how far the mouse has moved. Contrary to what most people assume, Optical mice are actually superior for consistent results on a textured surface, such as a mousepad.

Laser mice were created because optical mice had problems tracking on certain surfaces such as glass, smooth plastics or even glossy magazine covers. A laser mouse uses a smaller and more focused beam of light and can penetrate deeper into the texture of a surface. This allows it to track better on surfaces with less variety, like glossy and reflective surfaces. However, it's taking a photograph of a much smaller area of the mousepad, it's like a optic sensor, but zoomed in way more, and things like hair, dust, food particles, and mousepad fibers, look far bigger to a laser sensor and are more likely to cause bigger errors in tracking, and more often.
Optic sensors take a larger photograph and can often track right over that stuff without making a mistake because the debris looks small by comparison to the rest of the photograph.

Laser mice track better in extreme precision scientific tests. however real gamers don't have a super clean gaming surface, they have a used mousepad with frayed mouse fibers, dirt, food crumbs and embedded skin cells, sweat, and whatever else. unfortunately dust and fibers like to collect on the mouse sensor and can make portions of the photograph unreadable and leave an even smaller tracking area overall. dirt is the bane of laser mice. i often find myself blowing at the laser or trying to work a q-tip into the sensor of my laser mice when it's not tracking right, I rarely have to do that with a optical mouse. For mobile gamers, and on-the-go whatever surface available people, a laser mouse might be more convenient. But for competitive gaming on a mousepad, stick with an optical sensor. That old logitech i mentioned has been my go-to Quake3 mouse for as long as i have been gaming. I like it more than my sensi, ouroboros, and g500. I might need to spend a bit more time with the Katar to become used to its difference in weight, but it might become my new favorite gaming mouse. mouse.

Cons: The lighted logo is a bit bright.

Other Thoughts: One thing which i cannot review about a mouse is the processor and software inside which compares the photographs or "frames" and determines the movement of the mouse. You simply just have to try it and see if you like the way it feels, this is why i have so many mice laying around. This mouse seems to have all the right features. It could potentially be the last mouse i ever need. It says it has no acceleration. This is a great thing. Acceleration is bad for first person shooters, because instead of moving relative to the distance traveled, It instead accelerates and moves an additional distance based on your speed. Overall i am impressed with this mouse. It has all the right pro's and no observable cons. I am having a hard time coming up with things that could be better. I have big hands and if it were a little bit larger that might be nice. But for $40. This is a great mouse and i would have no doubts about taking it to a FPS tournament.

Pros: Packaging well made to protect mouse during shipping and simple to get to mouse and accompanying paperwork the first thing I did was go to website they sent me to for download but the mouse was not there under gaming mice so used their search and it took me to www.corsair.com/en-us/katar-optical-gaming-mouse there I got the current utility engine for this mouse. It is a zip file with PDF and installer package easy enough to install then use to setup mouse for preferences. Mouse has great movement response and is adjustable with either the utility engine or the button on the mouse. Can set the buttons to whatever configuration you want, the main advantage to this over other gaming mice is that it has fewer buttons to try and remember when in middle of a dungeon you don’t need to get confused as to which button does what like so many mice that have more buttons. I got it setup for my preference inside of 2 minutes and using it. Nice solid USB plug that looks like it will take more aggressive use than standard connectors and wire is better than many other mice out there. SPEED DPI is 400 800 2000 4000 6000 all can be sat with the mouse button or set in software engine but easy to change on the fly as needed for more accurate movement in combat and such. For standard webbing need set at 2000DPI for most comfortable usage in gaming it does of course depend on type of gaming you’re doing. Cord on mine is 70” long so have plenty of room to sit back from computer in a reclining type chair if that is what you want.

Cons: I do not find anything wrong with this mouse for basic gaming

Other Thoughts: System
ASUS Sabertooth 990FX
AMD FX-6100
GSKILL Ripjaws 16GB 2x8GB
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer
Antec 550W PSU
Lite-on Blu-ray Burner
Koutech USB 3 card reader
EVGA 01G-P3-1370-RX GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
ASUS 23" monitor (Bottom)
ASUS 23" monitor (Top)
ADATA 240GB SSD
Windows 10 Professional 64bit