Published: October 4, 2013 | Source: CM Storm | Author: Bryan Waters

CM Storm Reaper Gaming Mouse Review

Conclusion

One of the downsides to reviewing a series of products such as the CM Storm Aluminium range is that, because each one leads to the next, sometimes you can have an initial opinion that proves not to be the case. Or perhaps you have expectations that aren’t obviously met. For example, one of the things we really like about the Mech and the Pulse-R is that the combination of white lighting and aluminium looks excellent as standard, but because it’s removable the potential for customisation is high. We all like to tune things to our own preferences, and being able to just take the aluminium off and spray it or powder coat it without worrying about masking or a complicated disassemble is a boon. So we were rather miffed that the Reaper didn’t have this feature. It isn’t mentioned in the blurb, or the manual, or on the box or.. anywhere. Thankfully once we’d finished testing the Reaper and so were more inclined to take it apart without the problem of a spring disappearing or forcing it apart, we discovered that a rubber grommet on the underside which led to a screw which enabled the removal of the metal plate.

If we didn’t know that it was part of a series that had removable fascia then we’d never have looked for it, such is the poor job CM Storm have done in revealing this part of the Reaper or explaining how it’s done. The manual was probably written by the same person who can’t spell switch properly on the specification sheet.

With that out of the way the rest of the Reaper testing was a joy. For a start you have the Avago 9800 sensor. To say this is the current king of sensors is to almost understate things, such is its ubiquity. It’s incredibly responsive, capable of dealing with anything from an armgasm swipe in anger to a gentle creeping of your crosshairs towards the target. The gentle creeping of crosshairs, or indeed a paintbrush, is made easier by the clutch button. We first saw this on the Corsair M60 and we’re glad to see it reappear on a CM Storm product. Having the ability to lower the DPI of the mouse at a click is a real pleasure, and much simpler than swapping up and down profiles.

All of the buttons on the Reaper use the outstanding Omron switches too, so you get a reassuring click of quality and durability with every press. The scroll wheel is a hefty number, feeling like it’s hewn from a solid piece of aluminium. It probably is. The lighting is nice and bright, whilst remaining unobtrusive and neutral enough to free your creativity should you want to paint the palm rest. The big low friction feet keep you in the game at all times, especially when combined with the Speed-RX mousepad, and the software is simple to use with a small footprint.

At around Â£54 the Reaper is right in the sweet spot for such a high specification mouse. The only downsides we can find are very minor indeed, namely the lack of clarity regarding the removal of the aluminium palm rest and the lack of any profile/DPI indicators. It’s comfortable, well built, has the best switches and sensor on the market and comes at a great price. It’s the best of the excellent ‘Aluminium’ triumvirate, which is high praise indeed. Unquestionably a Gold Award.

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