Mionix Castor Overview

Right from the onset, it’s clear that the Castor has a slightly new direction. While the Mionix boxes have always been pretty simple, the Castor ratchets it up a notch.

The whole thing folds out to display the molded shells that protect the Castor during shipping. A message from the CEO is prominently displayed in the middle. This won’t be the last time you see the word craftsmanship. Sandwiched between two formed shells, the Castor sits cradled in a removable insert with the two meter cable tucked underneath.

Other than the Castor itself, Mionix includes a Quick Start Guide and Warranty Information guide in the box. A set of stickers complete the package.

The Mionix Castor is an average-sized gaming mouse, with a right-hand oriented grip. It’s not quite five inches long (and just over two and a half inches wide – 122.46mm x 70.42mm), which is just a little smaller than something like a DeathAdder. The overall shell shape should support a wide range of hand sizes. A single DPI toggle button (which is programmable like the others) sits just behind the scroll wheel.

The bottom of this mouse is devoid of the serial/model/FCC/etc. markings common to many gaming mice, fitting nicely with Mionix’s clean, efficient approach to design. Two large teflon pads bracket the 10,000 DPI optical sensor (a Pixart PMW-3310) in the center of the Castor, with the Mionix logo and another craftsmanship comment the only other features in view.

The left side of the Castor is dominated by the first major cosmetic change to a Mionix mouse yet – a rubber grip pad. The texture isn’t extreme, and does a good job overall keeping traction high.

The right side is featureless except for the subtle ring and pinky finger grooves. The mouse itself isn’t very tall (just over an inch and a half / 40.16mm), making it fit right in with most other mice.

The scroll wheel is pretty standard fare for Mionix, although I think I’ve been spoiled by Roccat’s “Titan” scroll wheels lately. The version here seems to do its job well enough even if a little more tactile feedback would be welcome. There is virtually zero horizontal play on the scroll wheel itself; while horizontal scrolling isn’t a feature on most gaming mice, the middle click / scroll wheel button on many models tend to cause a bit of a wiggle – as we’ll see later, Mionix takes a slightly different approach that lends a bit of horizontal stability to their wheel.

The unique grip shape of the Castor is what claims to accommodate palm, claw, and fingertip grip users. At first touch, it seems Mionix is on the right track – as with many mice though, a marathon gaming session can highlight comfort issues that may not be apparent with the first few minutes of use. Does the Castor live up to the claims of “one grip comfort” for all users? Let’s take a detailed look at some more features, then get to the testing.