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Roccat Arvo and Apuri Review

Apuri Testing and Conclusion

Published: 4th May 2010 | Source: Roccat | Price: £28.99 & £46.99 | Author: Bryan Waters

Roccat Arvo and Apuri

Testing and Conclusion

Roccat Apuri Mouse Bungee

Testing the Apuri is easiest and shortest so we'll start there. After all with a USB adaptor and a cable holder as long as it recognises your device, that's the USB part dealt with. And sure enough it does. There is also enough power that it glows and can handle bluetooth adaptors, pendrives and the like without the AC adaptor should you desire more portability or to save a few pence on your electricity bill.

The bungee part is harder to quantify. At first glance it seems almost useless. After all how difficult is it to control your cable. But actually once you use it you wonder how you ever lived without it. Although the mounting point doesn't rotate the arm itself is flexible enough that the lack of rotation isn't a factor at all.

The main thing here is the feel. Until you've pushed your cable in, and it holds it so tightly that in a fortnight of extensive testing I haven't had to remount the cable at all, you don't realise how often you move your cable around. Whether you're lifting your mouse to bring the cable back on the desk, or move it around the various detritus that your desk accumulates, to not have to do so is a joy.

It truly makes a wired mouse feel wireless. I used a wireless mouse myself for years before finally converting to a gaming mouse and it definitely brings that feeling back.

Of course there has to be downsides. The Roccat Apuri has only three. Two of them are small things you can easily adapt to, or are easily fixed by Roccat, and the last one is quite a big thing. Firstly is the placing of the USB and AC Adaptor cables. As a result of the triangular design these have a habit of wanting to be at the rear rather than the side and therefore turning the Apuri. The second problem, which is tied into that, is that the feet aren't quite as sticky as I'd like. Don't get me wrong it doesn't slide about, but I've had to move it maybe three or four times in the last couple of weeks solely because the side ports pull it slightly and the feet don't hold it.

Sadly the most important fault is the price. Currently on Scan for £28 it's quite expensive for what it is. 4 USB port hubs certainly don't cost anywhere near that and the bungee is brilliant, but 30 quids worth of brilliant? That's a tough call indeed. It absolutely improves the experience of using a wired mouse and if, like me, you really find the cable an irritation then it's almost worth it for that alone. If you're short of USB ports and want a very very well built, amazing looking, USB hub that has an extra trick up its sleeve then it's as high a recommendation as a USB hub is likely to get.

But it's still £30. Give it grippier feet and maybe, as it's part of the SDMS range, the same colour changes the Kova has and it's spot on. As it stands, it's the flashiest and best built USB hub, the mouse bungee is brilliant, and if you're really stuck what to spend your overtime on it's worth a second look.

Pros
- Great design
- The Bungee makes a genuine difference
- Robust

Mediocre
- It's so hard to catergorise that it seems difficult to put a price on
- The feet need to be grippier

Cons
- It will appear at the bottom of your "to buy" list. But shouldn't.

Let's have a look at the Arvo keyboard now.