Anker Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse Review

Become the next gaming legend. The Anker 5000 DPI Precision Gaming Mouse puts unrivaled control of the battlefield in the palm of your hand. Fits like a glove.Engineered for maximum fit and comfort, the Anker 5000 DPI Gaming Mouse conforms snugly to the contours of your hand. Smooth over-body grooves keep your fingers comfortably

Anker Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse with Features

• Operating System: Windows
• with 5000 DPI,
• 11 Programmable Button,
• Weight Tuning Cartridge,
• Omron Micro Switches

Have always had need for multi-button programmable
mouse for engineering & programming work activities. Was
previously using Logitech G700 but button response was
quite stiff and mouse was quite heavy cause it not only
had a battery for cordless use, but is also contained the
battery charger inside (no docking module). For a full
8-hour shift of use, that weight and stiff buttons
adds up to "get something else".

Read lots of reviews then decided to give this a try. That
was very good pick! Top main buttons and upper side buttons
on this mouse are exceptional..low resistance with tactile
feedback, very precision feel, Lower thumb and right side
button do require a little more force but still quite
acceptable. Side-to-side wheel buttons are firm enough
to prevent accidental click when wheeling. The wheel
has distinct low force tics, nice shape profile, correct
size, and a positive feel texture. Over all mouse is
perfectly sized and shaped for extremely comfortable
ergo fit for medium size hands. DPI rocker button behind
the wheel seems intentionally stiff which is nice, but its
location so far behind the wheel is a major oversight.
It would be MUCH more functional located in front of the
wheel.

A major concern for me related to the programmable
capabilities. The Anker-5k software is intuitive enough
to figure out in short order without tech docs, and is
very functional. Was able to assign "Ctrl-DblClick-
Ctrl-C" to button for frequently used engineering
CAD/CAM application. User names for button macros are
very limited in length making descriptive names nearly
impossible to use. Would be nice if software provided
acceleration on wheel motion like regular mouse motion.
That would allow setting wheel to 1-click/1-line mode
and still be able to advance many pages with single
rapid wheel move. That functionality is often needed
when writing program source code. (Amazingly, Microsoft
mouse driver software provides that ability, but it
only works with their mice).

Braided cord had enough working length to reach the
tower PC on the floor next to my left leg, and the
cord was fairly easy to straighten (which is a major
issue to keep things orderly around the workstation).
Blinking light has no function for me in engineering
application, but I could see how it might be helpful
to quickly identify which of 5-profiles is being used.
I also like that profiles can be easily saved to external
file for safe backup. Finally, the mouse weight was OK
for me right out of the box for engineering work though
I would have preferred it was slightly lighter. It
does come with extra weights. And the gliding motion
on mouse pad feels like the least amount of resistance
you can have and still sense feedback... prefect! The
connected-dot line graphics are silly bling and I think
projects a lower quality product image than it really is.

Besides this being exceptionally well designed at a
quality level comparable to any of the major brands, this
was the BEST VALUE at $33. If you could find another mouse
this good, its likely going to cost significantly more
to have a major name brand logo on it. I actually prefer
going with the "indie" status of the Anker-5k.

My wish list is 1-move the DPI button in front of the wheel,
2-move the lower thumb button forward and more to the side
so pressing it is more of a gripping action rather than
pushing down, and, 3-add wheel acceleration to software.

I would recommend this mouse for technical/engineering
applications where functionality, comfortable ergo design,
and quality are not optional.

NOTE - REVISED 07-13-2013. After a couple of weeks of use,
lowered to 4-stars. The current location of the lower
thumb button and the DPI rocker really detract from a lot
more functionality than I originally thought. It would be
a 5-star if they fixed that. Also, at $33 they had little
competition, but at $50, there's many other alternatives
I would have to look at. I think it would be best if they
dominate the $33 field rather than get greedy and invite
potential customers to shop for other products at $50. Read more ›

By ProgDrummer, Amazon Purchase.