By Jason Vaught
Manufacturer: Corsair Components, Inc.
Product Name: GLAIVE RGB Gaming Mouse
Model Number: CH-9302111-NA
UPC: 843591096126
Price As Tested: $59.99 (Amazon | NewEgg)Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Corsair.
What is the point in purchasing a gaming mouse over a regular office mouse? When you make the decision to invest in a quality gaming mouse, such as the Corsair GLAIVE RGB, it goes without saying that you will not only be using the mouse for gaming. With the features and responsiveness this mouse offers, it will easily become your “go to” mouse for all of your objectives.
If your hunt is for a very nice corded USB gaming mouse that meets and exceeds expectations, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article for Benchmark Reviews we dive deep into the Corsair GLAIVE RGB’s features. We’ll be testing DPI responsiveness, its customization, and real world everyday use for both gaming and other mouse intensive tasks such as Photoshop.
| Sensor | Custom PMW3367 gaming grade optical sensor, developed for CORSAIR with Pixart |
| Sensor Resolution | 100 – 16000 DPI, native, customizable at 1 DPI resolution steps |
| Color | Aluminum and Black (minor trim pieces only) |
| Backlight | 3 Zone RGB, plus blue LED DPI indicator |
| Buttons | 6 |
| Report Rate | Selectable 1000/500/250/125 Hz (USB) |
| On-Board Profiles | 1 |
| Dimensions | 125.8(L) x 91.5(W) x 44.6(H) mm / 4.95”(L) x 3.60”(W) x 1.75”(H) |
| Weight (w/o cable and accessories) | 122g / 0.27 lbs. |
| Cable | 1.8 Braided Fiber (USB) |
| Mouse Feet | Extra Large PTFE |
| CUE | Enabled |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
The Corsair GLAIVE RGB is marketed as an FPS gaming mouse that sports interchangeable grips, RGB lighting effects, CUE software support, and onboard memory (1 profile).
Here is what comes in the box. The Corsair GLAIVE RGB, quick start guide, warranty guide, two additional grips (Medium and Large) and a small soft pouch. As it has become the norm, Corsair did not include any software, opting for you to install the most current version from the Corsair website.
Above, you can see what each grip panel looks like when attached to the GLAIVE RGB, note how the middle one flairs out more than the rest, but the third one adds a thumb rest to the bottom. Corsair has truly strive to offer you the best fit for comfort and your particular gaming style.
Here we can see an alternate angle and comparison of the 3 grip panels. Smooth, textured and flared out, textured and thumb rest. Grips are held on with magnets and are interchangeable without tools. The only thing is that since it uses magnets, it does add a small amount of weight that some feather mouse users might take issue with. Personally I welcome the added weight.
Here is a shot of the left side of the mouse. You can see the strip of bright aluminum towards the front. This piece, as well as the piece it connects to on the bottom, are the only differentiating factors between the black and aluminum editions of this mouse. The two thumb buttons are large and textured on top for added grip.
Here we can see the right side of the mouse, it has a textured finish to help with grip and is not interchangeable like the left side. The grip has a slight rubbery feel to it, making for a nice rest for your ring/pinky finger(s).
Here we can see the oversized PTFE mouse feet, as well as the aluminum trim piece that is mentioned above. There is a texture to the bottom, purely for aesthetics, and of course a hole for the custom Pixart laser.
The Corsair GLAIVE RGB Gaming Mouse, model CH-9302111-NA, is presently available online for $59.99 (Amazon | NewEgg). Let’s take a closer look at some of the GLAIVE RGB’s aesthetics and ergonomics.
The GLAIVE RGB features multi-zone lighting, but the DPI indicators (above in blue) are not user changeable. Why this is I’m not sure, might be to keep cost down. This is, after all, a sub $70 customizable laser mouse, there has to be sacrifices somewhere. Still, it’s not an eyesore and makes for a nice reference as to what DPI setting you’re currently at. You also notice the smooth (stock) grip panel. Even while using the stock panel, the nice felt good in the palm of my hand.
Here we can see the medium sized, or more accurately described, the flared grip panel. It makes the overall grip thicker and flares out naturally at the front of the thumb. It also adds texture for improved grip and/or sweaty hands.
Here is my personal favorite, the thumb rest grip. This grip reminds me of the Logitech MX Masters, Cyborgs, and Logitech Proteus core mice. It’s comfortable and provides a sure grip without dragging your thumb.
Here we can see the mouse from the rear, it’s got a slanted, right handed, curve that aids in excellent ergonomics and really fills out your palm. this is a major plus for me personally as I tend to find a lot of mice too small.
Here is a shot of two of the RGB zones. Corsair refers the the lighting on the left and right of the mouse as one zone, the Corsair logo as a second zone, and the third zone is the front of the mouse (see below).
Here we can see the front zone lighting of the mouse. While this certainly looks nice from this angle, it really serves no purpose otherwise for aesthetics as you (the user) won’t see it much if at all.
The Corsair GLAIVE RGB integrates with Corsair’s already widely used configuration software called the “Corsair Utility Engine” or CUE. The CUE software helps you fully customize the feel of your mouse, even down to changing the X and Y axis DPIs independently of each other if so desired.
The actions section of the CUE software is where you program your macros and customize your buttons. Macros can be set to record delays, keyboard events, mouse clicks, mouse wheel scroll, and of course, mouse movement. However, since this is a FPS mouse and there are only two thumb buttons (unlike the Scimitar Pro’s 12 thumb buttons), you’re not likely to be recording or using macros, but you do have the option if you so desired.
The lighting effects section of the CUE software is where you adjust the lighting effects of the mouse. It comes preloaded with one default pattern, the rainbow pattern.
The DPI menu allows you to fine tune your DPI presets with 6 different levels of adjustment. The six different levels are color coded and can be turned on and off with a simple click of the switch to the left of each preset. This area is also where you can adjust the X and Y DPI independently of each other.
The performance section of the CUE software is where you can enable angle snapping, adjust the lift height, adjust the pointer speed, and enable pointer precision.
This section is the surface calibration area. By grabbing the small yellow corsair logo in the center of the on screen mousepad and dragging it in a quick circular motion, also while maintaining the speed indicator in the green zone, you can calibrate the mouse precisely to your surface/material of choice.
The final section is the general settings section. In this section you can adjust the brightness, polling rate and even clear the mouse’s onboard memory.
The best way to test a mouse is to simply use it. We’ve also tested the mouse with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. With the Corsair GLAIVE RGB Gaming Mouse having 3 interchangeable thumb grips, I expect maximum comfort from this mouse. The Corsair GLAIVE RGB was tested for an overall period of 30 hours with Star Citizen (Alpha), Tom Clancy’s The Division, and Photoshop CS6.
- Motherboard: MSI X99A SLI PLUS LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99
- System Memory: HyperX Savage 64GB (8x8GB)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 2011-v3
- Audio: On-board
- Video: 2 x XFX Double Dissipation R9-290X (4GB) (Crossfired) (1 card after-market water cooled)
- PSU: Seasonic 1200W Platinum
- Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2412M IPS 24″ x 3 @ 5760×1200
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
The Corsiar GLAIVE RGB performed very well during gameplay. The size and ergonomics of the mouse (specifically with the largest thumb rest) is near perfect for my hand. The shape of the mouse reminds me of the Logitech G500s. I experience no wrist pain, and the buttons were at a correct distance for comfort.
As for Photoshop, the easily adjustable DPI settings make it work very well for fine motor control when utilizing Photoshop tools.
The Corsair GLAIVE RGB can change its polling rate between 125 and 1000Hz. The max, 1000Hz, was used for all of my tests. According to our (Benchmark Reviews) polling tools, Direct Input Mouse Rate & Mouse Rate Checker, the GLAIVE RGB performed exactly as advertised on both USB 2.0 & 3.0.
The Corsair GLAIVE RGB is a fantastic gaming mouse. The interchangeable grips and it’s plethora of lighting options/colors, make this a great mouse for the price. It is a corded mouse, which if you ask some of my gaming buddies, is a big negative. But, for me, a corded mouse is preferred.
In terms of performance, the Corsair GLAIVE RGB performed at my expectations. It is, after all, a Corsair product, and one would be hard pressed to find a Corsair product that didn’t please. Would you use this for your regular, every day mouse? Sure, why not? Would you use this for your gaming mouse? Most definitely. The custom Pixart sensor is very accurate while forgiving for the occasional mouse lift (yes I’m one of those). It’s loud RGB lighting wouldn’t be appropriate at the job setting (it could be turned off), but would fit in perfectly in your fortress of solitude.
The appearance of the GLAIVE RGB is very attractive, it looks very comfortable and give you that palm filling experience. It has an ergonomic curve that can only be utilized by right handed people, but with it’s abundance of lighting around the mouse and the ability to customize the colors and patterns to your heart’s content, it’ll make you stand out for sure at your local LAN party.
The mouse seems solidly constructed, I hadn’t tried to destroy it, yet. In all seriousness, it does seem like it could handle being carried around in a book-bag as you go back and forth to gaming parties. The cord has a thick braid on a sturdy cord. The USB connector also has stress relieve and seems to be of a higher quality as well.
The Corsair GLAIVE RGB gaming mouse functions perfectly as a standard FPS/regular mouse and works very well for gaming as well as regular computing tasks. With the lighting turned off, it will look like any other mouse, so it could be used in a work environment.
As of May 2017, the GLAIVE RGB sells online for $59.99 (Amazon | NewEgg). For under $60, its a real steal. With it’s interchangeable thumb grips, RGB lighting, and the custom Pixart 16,000 dpi sensor, this mouse is an excellent choice for gamers who want great features for a very fair price.
I would recommend this mouse to any gamer who prefers RGB equipment and possibly already has a Corsair keyboard, as this would combine the software for both in to one program. FPS gamers specifically should like this mouse, and with the interchangeable grips, comfort for those gaming sessions shouldn’t be an issue. While I like a lot of buttons at my thumb’s disposal, most FPS gamers don’t want that, so the mouse fits this bill nicely.
+ Three different thumb rests to choose from for a custom fit
+ 3 zone RGB lighting
+ CUE Software integration
+ On-board memory
+ Custom Pixart Sensor
+ Excellent, ergonomic feel
+ 6 Buttons
+ Omron switches
+ Extra large PTFE mouse feet
– Corded (to some this is a con)
– DPI indicators don’t change color
– Non-adjustable weight
– Only two thumb buttons
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Performance: 9.50
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Appearance: 9.00
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Construction: 9.50
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Functionality: 9.50
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Value: 9.50
