CM Storm Spawn - 3500 DPI Optical Gaming Mouse with Durable Omron Microswitches

Pros: - Very comfortable for the claw/fingertip grip - Highly accurate and precise sensor - Smooth efficiency - Top notch buttons and button placement - Simple and solid software - Custom polling rate settings via software

Cons: - No customizable DPI settings beyond the three presets: 800, 1800, 3500 - No braided cable - Stock firmware and LOD is bad / firmware must be updated for proper performance

Overall Review: I have been a long time user of the legendary Logitech mx518 mouse, and decided it was about time for an upgrade. After doing some browsing, I came across the CM Storm line of products. Truth be told, I found a good deal on the CM Storm Inferno first. To make a long story short, the Inferno was a cool mouse but very uncomfortable for me. Being a claw grip user, I needed something that fit my style - enter the Spawn. I ordered up one of these bad boys, returned the Inferno and the rest was history. It felt immediately comfortable for my claw/fingertip style grip, and the only thing that took a bit of getting used to was the higher DPI. When I say higher DPI, I mean the 1800 setting. I NEVER use the 3500 setting as it is just waaay too much, as on my old mx518 I would use around 1400-1500 tops. Once adapted, I immediately started noticing improvements in my game. Most notably, I used to be horrible with the "rail gun" in Quake multi-player games. If you are familiar with Quake, you know the rail gun to be a high precision, sniper type shot that requires dead on accuracy. Before writing this review, I just completely owned a server, with 14 impressive medals for what they consider to be impressive shots. I was never this accurate with the Logitech mx518 people, so this is tangible proof the Spawn can improve your game in FPS! The tracking quality with the latest firmware is top notch and feels smooth and deadly accurate. I loved my 518 folks, but it is now retired and I am a fan of the Spawn. You may be wondering, with such a glowing review, why the 4 stars instead of 5? Well, this mouses biggest shortcoming is its lack of custom DPI settings. You can switch between 800, 1800 and 3500 - period. While the 1800 and 800 settings have proven fine for me (once adapted), I would certainly like to have the option to set something between the two, or to even go lower than 800. This day and age, there is no excuse for not allowing such a feature in a mid-range gaming mouse. Even my aging 518 had it! Anyway, with that aside, this mouse is making me a believer more every day. The software is simple, straightforward and easy to use and allows for macros. You can also set your polling rate from 125hz to 1000hz. I prefer mine on 500hz. If you have an aging mouse, use a claw/fingertip grip and might be looking for a new answer in game - the Spawn may very well be that answer. IF you're a palm gripper i'd skip it, because it is fairly short and a bit on the wider side to specifically fit the claw style. If you do get it, just be sure to flash it to the latest firmware to improve your LOD (lift off distance) and get the most out of it. Its accurate, smooth, comfortable and deadly in the right hands. My night and day improvement with the rail gun in Quake is proof enough for me! The Spawn also pairs up very well with the Mionix Propus 380 mouse pad in my experience. Im no salesman; just telling you whats got me results lol.

Pros: Great claw grip mouse! Better than the Deathadder for claw/fingertip grippers (google it if you dont know). The Deathadder is a great mouse, but it's large (not a problem for me, I don't have small hands particularly) and meant for palm grip, which I am not. This mouse, while being small, certainly doesn't feel small if you are a claw gripper, it actually feels quite solid and large. The ring finger placement is also very comfortable, and I wonder how I ever went with out it. The (red) material has a wonderful velvety feel to it. Extremely accurate sensor, and multiple firmwares allow you to adjust the lift off distance (the height off the mat at which the mouse stops responding, ie if you pick up mouse a lot like if your mousepad isn't enough movement room). The multiple firmwares also change the DPI steppings. It's literally just the same Avago 3090 sensor and Omron buttons as the deathadder with different firmware.

Cons: There should be one that comes in blue, or a replacement shell available. The max DPI is going to be ~3600, so if you need super high DPI, then you would need something else.

Overall Review: No question, if you are a claw/palm gripper, get this instead of the Deathadder. This mouse is the same shell/body as the Xornet, but has a higher quality sensor and build quality.

Pros: This mouse is what I have been looking for; a claw grip that is stubby but wider. It is lightweight but not cheaply constructed. I have realized I do not need a million buttons. Just a few to perform some other duties. It seems the market has went wayside to put all efforts into mice that have a million buttons that for me result in incumbered use of the mouse. This is perfect!

Cons: None

Overall Review: The color is more rich and deep than in the pictures. It feels so good i can't keep my hand off of it.

Pros: - very comfortable, great for claw grips. I think it's greatest for a palm+claw mix - comfortable buttons as well, not too hard to depress, but not too easy to accidentally depress - very grippy, rubber sides - not too heavy, but not flimsy feeling (90g excluding cable weight) - smooth feet, had it 2 years and still pretty smooth (wash the mouse pad, though, every 3-6mo) - great avago adns 3090 sensor. you can get firmwares with lift-offs at 1.29mm or 4.88mm - decent software, similar to the deathadder legacy interface; has macros, configurable buttons, angle snapping, etc (put it at 1000Hz poll-rate the first thing you do) - good customer service, read other thoughts

Cons: - could have a braided cable, but not worth deducting an egg

Overall Review: I had this mouse go bad after 1.5 years, but I was still able to RMA it and it's working great again. It has a 2 year warranty, btw.

Pros: I purchased this mouse on sale for $35 USD and it's a great peripheral for the price. This is my first claw-grip mouse and adapting to the new grip was no problem at all. There are sort of set places for each of your fingers. The mouse is comfortable to hold, move, and lift due to its design and shape. Its dimensions and weight is just right for me, but of course your mileage may vary. The mouse's optical laser performs well and is accurate, even when you slightly lift the mouse to reposition it. The surface of the mouse is rather easy to clean with a dry or barely-damp cloth. The left & right mouse button, DPI switches, and middle click are very satisfying to press. Pros: - comfortable to hold, move, lift - excellent shape and design - good optical laser performance & accuracy - easy to clean/maintain - good quality switches in main buttons

Cons: I cannot say the same for quality the back and forward side button switches though - they feel somewhat cheap. The mouse's firmware can tend to misbehave if you click any of its buttons while your computer is off or booting, but that's easily avoidable. Cons: - cheap back & forward buttons - firmware may misbehave when computer is off/booting

Overall Review: Note that you can update your mouse firmware here: http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/mice/spawn/

Pros: The shape is just perfect for my hand, Grip is awesome for its rather small size. The finish is great, its quite light and easy to move. The buttons and scroll wheel all work perfectly and the onboard memory lets you save your settings if you use it on other computers. The DPS buttons makes adapting to games much easier. Overall a great mouse for its price range

Cons: The program to change button settings is rather limited, more so I found the original button placement optimal at least for my uses so the program ended up being rather useless.

Overall Review: Definitely a good mouse that anyone should give a look at

Pros: Let me first say that I like this mouse a lot. The size is perfect for medium-size hand claw-grips, with a nice softtouch style surface on the buttons. Once you find the right firmware update for your style (mainly having to do with lift), it can be dialed in nicely.

Cons: - Side, thumb buttons are quite cheap feeling, and don't depress well - see other notes

Overall Review: The first one I bought ended up being a big letdown; after about 3 weeks the left click started sticking in the down position, making it impossible to do anything with and super frustrating in games, as it happened more and more frequently. So I RMA'd it, and got a new one a couple weeks later that hasn't given me any issues, but beware of that.

Pros: This mouse was made for my hand. I'm a MAC guy and have tried every mouse configuration. I was looking for simple, programable buttons. I can now edit video, do word processing, input spreadsheets reclined with minimal keyboard strokes.

Cons: NO support for MAC. This is crazy. Thank Goodness for USB overdrive. $20 rebate took 2 months of persistance on my part to get CM Storm to get me what was promised. USB cord is heavy gage. Very robust and durable, but restrains movement if any obstacles are on the desk.

Overall Review: I love this mouse. After the $20 rebate, very happy.