Cougar caged

As a PC gamer, my most important piece of hardware is undoubtedly my mouse. For me, a good click device has to be accurate, durable, and of course, comfortable. At first glance, the Cougar 700M looks anything but that, almost alien – awkward to hold and flimsy, which, hardware, aside, would translate into horrendous accuracy. Also, it looks like it could turn into Optimus Prime at any second. Sadly, it doesn’t tick any boxes for being an undercover Transformer. As a gaming mouse though? It ticks everything twice.

It’s the eye of the Cougar

I have zero experience with the Cougar brand, and I was in two minds about the 700M. Resting in its packaging, it looked incredibly complicated. Adjustable parts, lots of extra buttons… it almost looked like it was “too much” of a gaming mouse. Holding it in my hand though changed everything.

It’s surprisingly comfortable and ergonomic (assuming you’re not a lefty). Your thumb gets a rubber side for grip, whilst your palm gets a little platform to rest on – the bottom of which has a little thumbscrew for fine tuning its position. I thought it would be gimmicky, but it makes a world of difference. The OCD in me resulted in non stop twiddling, trying to find that pinpoint position of comfort. Once found, I swallowed any doubts I had about the mouse being an awkward design. The 700M also comes with a smaller “sport” grip. I tried it out, but found the larger one to be more comfortable.

The mouse certainly isn’t short of buttons. There’s one for adjusting the DPI, allowing gamers to select one of 4 customisable speeds depending on what title they are currently playing. There are two side buttons too, perfect for back and forward on browsing, or whatever else you assign them to in-game.

Cougar

There’s another located just below both, called the sniper button. It sits at a 45° angle, meaning you push down to use it instead of pressing towards the mouse. The idea behind the design is that by pushing down, you don’t accidentally move the mouse left or right. I understand its purpose on paper, I just don’t see the need for it. How hard can one press something to move the mouse itself? Still, I won’t say no to an extra button.

The last extra clickable point is called the fire button. It’s meant to be an alternate to your left-click, requiring a lot less effort to push down, thus improving reaction time (in theory). It seems so silly, yet I found myself using it instead of the traditional left button. One downside is that it might not be comfortable for regular use for those with smaller hands or shorter fingers.

Moving onto the weight of the mouse, it’s quite light by default. As you’d expect with hardware of this nature though, there are weights which let you fine-tune it somewhat. I personally prefer a lighter mouse, yet I found myself chucking in all the teeny weights and enjoying it more that way. It just feels better heavier for some reason.

Lastly, the cable spits out of the mouse from what’s meant to look like the barrel of a gun. It’s an awesome design really, although it is odd having the cable sit on the left side instead of the centre. It’s for good reason though, because the centre has a customisable light instead. Its a neat addition, not overbearing or over-the-top-flashy at all.

Cougar 700M

It’s the thrill of the click

I hate adjusting to a new mouse. It always takes me a while to really feel like I’m gaming how I normally do. Somehow, this wasn’t the case with the 700M. I don’t know if it was dumb luck when I fiddled with the settings first time, but the transition from my old mouse to new wasn’t painful by any means. It almost felt like an evolution of sorts.

In fact, I tried using my old mouse again at some stage during the review. Let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye anymore. Needless to say, I was chuffed with the performance of the 700M overall. Granted, my KD ratio didn’t go up in titles like Dota 2 or Counter-Strike (or anything inbetween), yet the movement and input provided by the 8200 dpi sensor was as accurate as I could ever hope it to be.

If you like customisation, you really won’t be disappointed either. You can download the Cougar UIX gaming software which really opens up any options you might have in mind. You can customise each of the 8 keys and save their uses across three different profiles. These profiles are saved onto the mouse itself. It’ll work however you’ve set it up across any PC you plug it in to.

Software

My only real irritation during the review came from the small gap between the sniper and extra side buttons where your thumb is meant to rest. It’s a tad smalI, meaning I sometimes pushed the extra buttons unintentionally when picking up the mouse or moving it frantically. It became real annoying going back or forth on a webpage by accident, or reloading or zooming in by mistake (resulting in unnecessary deaths). Whatever the next iteration of this 700M is, I hope they make a little more room for large thumbed people like myself.

Another concern is the palm rest. At  a glance it does look flimsy, yet it somehow feels solid. There were no real concerns during the review period, I just worry that extended (or agro) use of the mouse will result in that little supporting platform snapping or being crushed. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to test this without beating the mouse up. It’s beautiful, I couldn’t bring myself to do it! That being said, I did go out of my way to place extra pressure with my palm, and it held up perfectly fine. I do genuinely fear that gamers who like to slam their mouse in anger will wear down that support in no time at all though.

GRRRR

Risin’ up to the challenge of the rivals

  • Dimension: 127(L) x 83(W) x 38(H) mm
  • Weight adjusting: 4pcs x 4.5g
  • Weight: 130g
  • Sensor: ADNS-9800 Laser gaming sensor
  • Resolution: 8200 DPI
  • Processor: 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0
  • Polling rate: 1000Hz / 1ms
  • On-board memory: 512KB
  • Material: Aluminum / Plastic
  • Programmable buttons: 8
  • Switching: OMRON gaming switch
  • Profile LED backlight: 16.8 million colors
  • Frame rate: 12000 FPS
  • Maximum tracking speed: 150 IPS
  • Maximum acceleration: 30G
  • Interface: Golden-plated USB plug
  • Cable length: 1.8m braided
  • RRP: R900-1000

Non-rocky mouse pad

In somewhat related news, I received a Cougar Speed Gaming Pad with the 700M too. It’s freaking huge, measuring in at 450 x 400 x 4mm. It’s almost big enough to roll up and swat away any annoying gamers you may encounter at your next LAN.

The surface is smooth, almost texture free. It is a speed pad after all, which means your mouse will fly across it with ease. There’s also enough room for an entire country on it – perfect for those gamers who have their sensitivity set to a turtle pace.

After weeks of use, the clean black surface is still mostly dust free. The 700M (and any other mouse really) was perfectly at home on it.

SPEED

In Sum

I won’t mince my words – I’m in love with the 700M. As I mentioned earlier, I can barely hold my old mouse now. It just doesn’t feel the same… it doesn’t feel right. If you’re in the market for a new gaming mouse (and have a solid budget), I would highly recommend this gorgeous piece of hardware. Its design might not appeal to everybody, but from my side, it looks spectacular, and has the performance and extras to match.

When the courier comes to collect it, I’m going to say my house burnt down. They can’t have it back… ever.

Last Updated: December 15, 2014

Cougar 700M
At nearly a grand, the Cougar 700M is expensive. It comes packed with everything a gamer would need though. It looks good, is comfortable and accurate, and doesn’t skimp on features and extras by any means. There are some minor concerns, but it would turn any gamer’s mousepad into a happy home.
Rad

30 Comments

  1. tl;dr as soon as I got to the superior-handed people being discriminated against, again.

    It ain’t easy being lefty.

    Reply

    • Quo Vadis?

      December 15, 2014 at 14:41

      Tell me about it *sigh*

      Reply

      • David Muller

        December 15, 2014 at 14:46

        Yep

        Reply

        • b1nd3r

          December 15, 2014 at 16:44

          I felt a pass of wind and the minority cry out, Something no1 will ever care about was said…..

          Reply

    • Admiral Chief BellatorMachina

      December 15, 2014 at 14:57

      You are a lefty?

      That explains quite a lot

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        December 15, 2014 at 15:03

        I know, it’s a pretty simple answer to the age old question people are always so afraid to ask – why I’m just better than they are. 😀

        Reply

        • maariyathomas313

          December 15, 2014 at 15:53

          I­­­’v­­­­­e b­­­e­­­e­­n m­­­a­­k­i­­­n­­­g 8­­­­­­­­­­5 d­­­o­­­l­­­l­­a­­r­­s e­­­v­­e­r­­­y h­­­o­­u­­­r s­­­­i­­­n­­c­e i s­­­­­t­­­a­r­t­­­ed t­­­­­­o f­­­­­r­­­­e­e­­l­­a­­n­c­­e o­­­n­­l­i­n­­e s­­i­­­x m­­o­n­­­t­­­­h­s a­­­­­g­­o… W­h­­­­­a­t i d­­­­­­­o i­­­­­s t­­­­o s­­­­­i­­­­t a­­­­t h­­­o­­­m­e f­­­o­­­­­r f­­­­­e­­­w h­­o­u­­­­r­s e­­­­­­a­­c­­­h d­­­a­­­y a­­n­­­­­d d­­­­o s­­­­i­­­­­m­p­l­e w­­­o­­r­­k i g­­­­­e­­­­t f­­­r­­­o­­­m t­­­h­­­­i­­­s c­­­­o­­m­­­­p­a­­­n­­­y t­­­­h­­­­­a­­­t i s­­­t­­u­­­m­b­­­l­e­d u­­p­­o­­­n o­­n­l­­i­­­n­­e… I a­­­­­­m v­­­e­­­r­y e­­­­x­­c­­i­­t­e­d t­­­­­­o s­­­­­­h­­a­­­­r­­e t­­­h­­i­­s t­­­­o y­­­o­­u… I­­­­­t­’s a­­­­­n a­­­w­­e­s­­o­­m­e s­­­i­­­d­­­e j­­o­­­­b t­­­­o h­­­­a­­­v­­­­­­e

          ———> w.a?ch.??/BP85dO

          Reply

  2. Raptor Rants A Lot

    December 15, 2014 at 14:48

    Seriously? Am I the ONLY one who looks at these and doesn’t think “Rip off of R.A.T gaming mice” ?

    Reply

    • hairyknees

      December 15, 2014 at 14:51

      I can see why people would say that. Put one from each brand next to each other though and you can see their differences 🙂

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        December 15, 2014 at 14:53

        Exactly, they look different. Stop being racist raptor!

        Reply

        • Raptor Rants A Lot

          December 15, 2014 at 14:56

          lool

          Reply

        • Admiral Chief BellatorMachina

          December 15, 2014 at 14:56

          LACIST LAPTOL

          Reply

      • Raptor Rants A Lot

        December 15, 2014 at 14:56

        They look different yes. But the overall shape etc is the same. The open gaps, side thumb rests etc are all very, very close

        Reply

    • Matthew Holliday

      December 15, 2014 at 14:59

      not sure its fair to say RAT has the exclusive rights to modular design, but i hear what you’re saying.
      never was a fan of the RAT brand.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief BellatorMachina

        December 15, 2014 at 15:00

        So, you don’t give a rat’s ass?

        Reply

  3. Admiral Chief BellatorMachina

    December 15, 2014 at 14:56

    I’d like to give it a shot

    Reply

  4. Rags

    December 15, 2014 at 14:58

    So much gimmicks these days. That gap is exactly where I rest my hand on the mouse. wtf? At least it has 16m light colours to make up for the ergonomics. That’s like buying shoes with no heels.

    Reply

  5. oVg elfroot slayer

    December 15, 2014 at 14:59

    For the master race.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief BellatorMachina

      December 15, 2014 at 15:01

      LOL

      Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      December 15, 2014 at 15:01

      hehe – that’s quite tame compared to what else you can get.

      Reply

    • Matthew Holliday

      December 15, 2014 at 15:16

      • oVg elfroot slayer

        December 15, 2014 at 15:21

        FLIP. I love the blur in the background. Something that 2012 Watchdogs showed off but could not achieve in 2014.

        Infamous Second Son nailed it. It is very affective. I also noticed it TLOU Remastered when aiming, if the reticule went over something in the foreground like a wire, the background would blur out.

        Reply

  6. Matthew Holliday

    December 15, 2014 at 15:02

    same shape as the majority of the recent corsair mouses/mice/whatever, was really tempted to get the most recent raptor, it makes the most sense when it comes to the claw grip and is a darn sight cheaper than the razer or steelseries alternative.
    if theyr going for the claw grip, that palm rest is actually pretty useless.
    its a pretty mouse, but its not for me.

    Reply

    • hairyknees

      December 15, 2014 at 15:35

      I think that’s what the smaller palm rest might be for (for those who claw grip)

      Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        December 15, 2014 at 16:33

        yeah, but why have that palm rest at all?
        claw grips generally favour higher sensitivity, so my hand is resting on the mousepad, not even touching the palm rest.
        an adjustable palm rest for a claw grip mouse seems a bit redundant.

        Reply

        • hairyknees

          December 15, 2014 at 16:34

          Well you could always remove the palm rest then 😛 no need to have it if you’re not going to use it. But yeah, never saw the point of a smaller rest.

          Reply

  7. Sageville

    December 15, 2014 at 15:10

    Looks suspiciously like my R.A.T. mouse (which I declare to be frikken awesome)

    Reply

  8. ?0?/

    January 9, 2015 at 03:10

    “I have zero experience when it comes to the cougar”

    YODA! Where’s Yoda?

    Reply

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