Review: R.A.T 7

Lyzon

United Kingdom440 Posts

April 08 2011 07:02 GMT

This review is of the R.A.T 7 by a fellow TL member.

Introduction

Well there's not much of a story behind this one. I wanted a new mouse and the R.A.T 7 by Madcatz / Saitek caught my eye. After weeks of researching and looking at reviews, I finally decided to go for it. The reviews themselves were not THAT detailed and didn't present (for me) the most important part of a mouse purchase. Dimensions!

So this was originally going to be just a short review with the dimensions of the mouse with it adjusted and such but after getting carried away with the picture taking, I decided to make a decent review of the mouse.

Now before I start, let me state: I am no pro gamer, I am Diamond 2v2 and don't play 1v1. I play SC2 because it is fun and do not actively try and improve my skills but do browse through strategies and build orders. So you are not getting a pro gamers perspective but rather the average gamer who is attracted by funky looks and exorbitant price tags :D

The Box

I was going to do an unboxing... but because I only decided to write a review a few days after using the mouse, I didn't feel like packing it all up again just to unpack it. So instead I took some pictures of the box and what comes with it. Unlike most reviews, I want to pack this one with more photos and less writing so here's some eye candy:

[image loading]

Contents

Installation CD with drivers and software
Warranty sheet
Products slip (advertises what else they sell
Customise slip (shows how to customise the mouse

The Mouse
Ok time for the mouse itself. It is made out of matte black rubbery plastic. It is grippy but at the same time doesn't feel slimy or greasy. Overall I think it suites the mouse. I would describe the mouse more but instead lets have some pictures:

[image loading]

After about 10-15 minutes adjusting the mouse, I eventually got it to feel right in my hand. Despite its looks, it is really comfortable.

I haven't tried this mouse on any other surface apart from my mouse mat so I cannot comment on how it feels on anything apart from this cloth mouse mat. The mouse glides very well and does not get stuck or feel like its being dragged back. Its smooth and without any weights it feels fairly light.

The Buttons
So what about the buttons? Well there are quite alot on this one. The only mice I have ever used have had two buttons so anything more then that seems alot but once you get used to it, everything feels natural. So heres the button list:

Left mouse button
Right mouse button
Center wheel click
DPI up/down rocker switch (Below center wheel)
Mode selector (left of left mouse button)
Sniper button (left side of mouse) [Slows down DPI by adjustable percentage)
Forward and Backward buttons (left side of mouse) [Defaults to forward and back on browser]
Thumb Grip left and right scroll wheel [Forgot what that defaults to]

All buttons, DPI settings and Modes are adjustable in the included software. But for now, some pictures:
[image loading]

The Software
When you first plug in the mouse (Which is USB only, no PS/2 adapter is supplied), Windows 7 (and I assume other OS's) will automatically detect the mouse as the R.A.T 7 and install generic mouse drivers for it. The DPI buttons do nothing at this point however the internet forward and back buttons seem to be mapped as keyboard media buttons because these will work in a browser with generic drivers.

Once you install the supplied drivers and program from the disc, you can launch the profile editor:

[image loading]

This program allows you to set the DPI per mode, Sniper button slowdown percentage and program what every button except the left and right buttons do. This includes adding keyboard macros to each button and you are allowed 3 modes / profiles which you can then switch through using the mode button.

[image loading]

You have 4 DPI modes you can play around with and you can set the DPI for the X and Y axis independantly of each other. By default each mode is set so the DPI increases per mode until it hits the mode 4 which by default is set to 5600DPI; the max for this mouse.

The rocker switch below the center wheel basically switches between these 4 customisable mdoes.

Unfortunately, the Precision Aim percentage (sniper button) is global accross the 4 modes and cannot be customised per mode. I guess its not that big a deal as you can just set one mode to a very low DPI.

[image loading]

As you can see, you can customise those buttons with macros and keypresses as well as advanced commands (which I have not shown as I dont know how to use them). You have 3 modes you can enable at any time and the Mode button switches through them. There is no visual indicator on the mouse as to which mode you are currently in. You can save the modes as files so you can theoretically have as many as you want but only 3 active at a time. Once you save your profile, just click the activate profile for it to load.

The last section of the program is the support part which just presents you with a few handly links:

[image loading]

Customisability
If you want the R.A.T 7, then theres no doubt you will customise it before it feels right in your hand. Lets start off with what you can customise:

You can move the palm rest forwards and backwards, there is also a raised palmrest and one with a different texture included with the mouse
The right side of the mouse can me removed and switched with a textured side or an extended side which is designed to hold your pinky to stop it tragging along the mouse mat
You can add up to 5 included weights to the mouse (unfortunately I do not have weight measuring equiptment which works below Kilograms so I cannot measure the weight of the weights or the mouse)
The left side panel of the mouse (where the sniper button is) can be slid forward and backwards as well as opened out to the side

I did not take pictures of every customisable action as I didnt want to spoil the fun so I just took pictures of the weights and the pinky grip:

[image loading]

Everything can be customised by the included HEX tool on the mouse. The HEX tool can be seen in the third weight pic, it screws in to the mouse so you will not lose it. I forgot to take a picture of the tool on its own, forgive me.

Dimensions
Now for the part of the review which is the reason behind me writing it. The following are the dimensions of the mouse with the palm rest closed and open all the way:

Width: 96mm / 3.77"
Length (Palm rest closed, tool protrusion not counted): 109mm / 4.29"
Length (Palm rest fully open): 122mm / 4.80"
Height (Normal palm rest): 37mm / 1.45"
Height (Tall palm rest): 43mm / 1.69"

Action Shots
Oooo, my favourite part of any review

Conclusion
The R.A.T 7 (From an average gamer / webdesigner / programmers P.O.V) is a lovely mouse to use. Once you customise it to fit your hand to how you want it, you will be amazed at how nice it can feel even if it looks like Optimus Prime on a bad day. The looks are what attracted it to me but after talking to some others, it seems to be a love hate thing... well I ended up loving the looks. The buttons on the mouse once programmed to what you want them to do can make the mouse very useful, no doubt with some of the advanced commands you could propbably program the mouse to pull off the perfect 4gate opening with one mouse push but I digress. For me, once I programmed every mouse to control Winamp, it scored 10/10 in programability.

The sensitivity of the mouse (Coming from a MS Wireless Optical Mouse 2.0 user) is insane. At max (5600DPI) I can move across two 1080p monitors in under an inch. How anyone can use this setting on any mouse is beyond me

But the ability to fine tune the DPI settings with different modes is very useful itself. The Precision Aim (Sniper) button for me is VERY useful, specially when in PhotoShop selecting elements by the pixel. No doubt this will be useful when pulling of the perfect sniper headshot on (insert FPS game here).

The pros for this mouse:

Well implemented physical customisability, never before seen in any mouse except R.A.T 5 and 3
Variety of customisable buttons and modes
Fine control over DPI including separate axis editing
Comes included with alot of spare parts such as weights and different palm rests and sides

The cons I found about this mouse:

The sniper button can only be changed for the entire mouse and not per DPI profile, a small oversight it seems
You cannot fine tune the palmrest position, there are 4 notches to choose from so you cannot make micro adjustments like with other parts of the mouse
You cannot move the right panel of the mouse back and forward unlike the left side
It is a very expensive mouse. Cost me £70 / $115; I could only justify it because its sooo pretty :D and ima sucker for good looking peripherals

Well there you have it, my first EVER review of anything just for TL. I hope you enjoyed it and please be kind, its my first time ;D

Edit: Accidentally put the pinkygrip picture twice instead of the weights, fixed

Irreversal

United States75 Posts

April 08 2011 07:18 GMT

I really liked this review, Saw this at Best Buy and was really turned off by the price. I'll stick to my Razer Deathadder. Anyways, well done on your review. 5/5

yawnoC

United States3704 Posts

April 08 2011 07:26 GMT

Solid review.
The pictures were great.
I always thought the mouse looked ridiculous whenever I saw a picture of it nice to know it is at least functional.

SladeR

Canada61 Posts

April 08 2011 07:34 GMT

I believe the information in this thread should be relevant to your review.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=204027
"

(The RAT7 mouse which uses a "theoretically" more advanced sensor than the G9x's was not included at the time of the test; later tests showed that it has compatiblity issues with many surfaces and G9x actually outperformed it by a large margin)

.
For the price, the rat does not perform like other specialized gaming mice. You are merely paying a large premium for the ability to customize your mouse (so unless you are a doctor ergonomics aren't something you should be toying with)

duk3

United States807 Posts

April 08 2011 07:35 GMT

Good review, the mouse looks really awesome but weird with all the measurements and the adjustable sections.

enemy2010

Germany1972 Posts

April 08 2011 07:47 GMT

Am I the only one who thinks this mouse looks totally awesome and loves this cyborg-ish style? o.O

Nice Review/Test!

SMaD

Spain137 Posts

April 08 2011 08:34 GMT

Great detailed review. Good job!

The truth is that this mouse looks pretty awesome with all its costumizable options (it reminds me of robocop lol). I'd buy it if it wasn't so expensive :D

djcube

United States985 Posts

April 08 2011 08:45 GMT

Lol crazy review and crazy looking product. That thing looks like it'll eat your hand alive.

Didn't see any mention of the weight, but it looks kind of heavy; it seems pretty cool for a non-sc2 mouse.

Askr

Germany139 Posts

April 08 2011 08:56 GMT

nice review, well done.

but i'd never ever buy that mouse ^^ not because of the technics or something, but:

there are so many rough edges and ridges, that the mouse would look terrible after like 2 weeks for me. after heavy mouse usage (e.g. playing games the whole day, working in PS etc.) my mouse get's kinda dirty. sweat and dead skin cells accumulate on the mouse and from some sort of "dirt"
and with all these edges on that mouse, it would be everywhere and look strange xD

atm i'm using a MX518 which has a very smooth and closed surface, so it's no problem cleaning it from time to time. but with this mouse ... ^^

VTArlock

United States1763 Posts

April 08 2011 09:20 GMT

#10

What an amazing review! I really appreciate all the hard work you put into it. It seems like a bit much for starcraft 2 but I can see how nice it would be for other games such as MMO's and FPS games. Ill stick with my Logitech mx518 for now...and a few more years because I have an unopened one in my closet lol.
5/5 sir Great job. Im glad you enjoy the mouse and it does look rather cool.

Xapti

Canada2473 Posts

April 08 2011 10:51 GMT

#11

EXCELLENT review!

This is a really great review, got to be better than any input device review I've ever seen.
As a web designer, you could make it even better on your own website, but that's not really necessary, just saying that it's better than most/all other reviews, even though it's posted on a forum with very limited formatting options.

Something small you may have neglected to mentiont: In another review for a RAT mouse, I heard that all buttons are re-programmable EXCEPT the sniper button— it's a small detail though, and they could have even been wrong? (maybe driver update changed that or something).

This mouse or the Mionix Naos are the two mouses I've been the most interested in. Unfortunately, I'm a really cheap guy and both these mice are very expensive. I think the RAT5 is a bit cheaper, but I can't remember if it is missing anything important, and is still too expensive for me anyway.

Leeto

United States1320 Posts

April 08 2011 15:07 GMT

#12

I gotta say, that mouse looks more like a spaceship than a computer input device.
Great review!

Legatus Lanius

2135 Posts

April 08 2011 15:35 GMT

#13

i dont get the deal with the ultra sensitivity crap. when you can move across two 1080 resolution monitors in an inch, how the hell are you supposed to move slightly to the left or right on the screen without your cursor zooming away?

Ropid

Germany3557 Posts

April 08 2011 16:01 GMT

#14

On April 09 2011 00:35 Legatus Lanius wrote:
i dont get the deal with the ultra sensitivity crap. when you can move across two 1080 resolution monitors in an inch, how the hell are you supposed to move slightly to the left or right on the screen without your cursor zooming away?

Myself, I'm also someone like you, that uses a mouse with a comparably low sensitivity setting. But I can still see how a very high sensitivity can be used. I suppose it's very important that the mouse in no way sticks to the mouse-pad, when you are starting movement, so that you do not jump over pixels when you only want to do very small mouse pointer movements. That's the hardware part; for the human part of the equation, when you think of tasks like surgery, dismantling and assembling mechanical wrist watches, or what a goldsmith does, there are definitely people that can do accurate small movements without trembling in their hands and fingers.

FinBenton

Finland870 Posts

April 08 2011 16:07 GMT

#15

With super hi sensitivity you can set mousespeed lower in the game which theoretically increases your mouse accuracy.

honed

Canada482 Posts

April 09 2011 00:52 GMT

#16

Nice keyboard

Troxior

United States168 Posts

April 09 2011 02:13 GMT

#17

This review is outstanding and as an owner of the RAT7 I think it touched on all the necessary points. I use it on a setup very much like the users except with the pinky rest and the raised palm rest.
Once you've spent the time to adjust it to your liking its well worth the time. I play brood war actually and although Im a very new player and only run with about 115 APM in game it works fantastically for me. I never have any issues with it and I can easily adjust DPI if I so need to.
Overall I think that people are very harsh to judge this mouse and are mean. Personally, I've never tired of its looks and have yet to find any major problems that make me think it wasn't worth the price.

P.S. Another good note is that the mouse itself might feel plasticy still is surprisingly durable, and that the box which has all the peripherals can double as a very convenient cord holder!

Lyzon

United Kingdom440 Posts

April 14 2011 17:28 GMT

#18

Hey all, sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the positive feedback for my review :D I might do some more soon. Yea there were a few mistakes I made, the Sniper button, DPI and Mode buttons can not be reprogrammed although my review may have given off that impression.

If there are any other questions about the mouse that I may have forgot to cover, post here and I will answer

meep

United States1699 Posts

April 14 2011 23:10 GMT

#19

AMAZING review, this mouse is pretty bad ass just from the looks of it.

A friend of mine was considering this, I'll let him see this thread.