The lack of Bluetooth connectivity is, presumably, for weight savings, but it makes this mouse inconvenient as a travel option. The lack of rigidity already makes traveling with it seem unwise. It’s meant to be kept on a desk.
The mouse has a total of five buttons: The left and right clicks, the middle click, and the two side buttons, which are mapped to “forward” and “back” by default. There are five built-in sensitivity presets, ranging from 400 to 2,000 dpi. These presets can be adjusted, and the number of presets can be decreased. With the default button maps, you can cycle through the presets by holding down the right click and back button for three seconds. The scroll wheel will flash three times to indicate that the setting has changed. It’s a little convoluted. More importantly, the dpi switch only works if the rear side button is mapped to the “back” key. When I remapped this button to anything else, the combination didn’t work.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
Corsair recently unveiled its in-browser Web Hub utility, replacing its iCue software for peripheral management. It’s a vast improvement, being easier to navigate and less issue-prone than its predecessor. With the utility, you can easily adjust settings like polling rate, dpi, and button mapping. However, a mouse this simple really doesn’t have much to adjust. I quickly remapped the side buttons, cranked the polling rate to 8,000 Hz, and never needed to use the software again (outside of testing). The only catch is that in-browser management means you need an internet connection, though maybe you have bigger issues if that’s the case.
The Sabre v2 Pro also includes rubberized “grip tape” stickers, applied to the primary buttons and either side of the mouse. These can improve grip and only increase weight by half a gram, but they don’t make a massive difference in functionality unless you have particularly sweaty hands. More than anything else, it makes the mouse feel softer and provides some added comfort. However, I found that the tape was limited-use. After removing and reapplying it a couple of times, the edges started to peek back when holding the mouse.
By Any Means Necessary
Photograph: Henri Robbins
This mouse has an ethos of lightness at any cost. It weighs practically nothing, to the point that it feels surreal when you’re holding it. You can easily flex the plastic by squeezing either side of the mouse, and pressing from the top and bottom too hard will cause one of the side buttons to actuate. Pressing hard on the mouse from any side causes a small creaking noise to emit from the shell.
