You could be forgiven for at first mistaking the 700M gaming mouse for a model of a high-end sports car, as it’s most definitely not your father’s pointing device.

To start with, the 700M is certainly an attractive peripheral, with sleek, somewhat futuristic lines, a combination of black, silver and a hint of gold adding to the premium appearance. Additionally, its aluminium chassis grants the 700M a strong build quality, without making the mouse feel chunky or heavy. Indeed, at a mere 110 g by default, it’s actually very light; however, for those users who prefer heavier peripherals, four 4.5 g weights can be added onto the 700M if so desired.

Speed thrills

On the ergonomics front, I found that 700M fit very comfortably in my hand, with its plethora of customizable buttons (eight in total) within easy reach. Additionally, the palm rest, which is a separate (and replaceable) piece of the mouse, can be lowered or raised to suit different hand sizes, something I found was a welcome touch.

Although it is corded, this is of a decent length, but beyond this, there were three features in particular that stood out. The first of these is the ease with which one can adjust the mouse’s speed, in four step increments, using a dedicated button below the scroll wheel, all the way up to the speediest 8200 dpi (particularly suited for first person shooters, where the quickest response time is paramount).

Ready, set, fire

Additionally, I became a fan of the dedicated fire buttons and the sniper button, with the latter accounting for better aiming during games. Thirdly, the presence of its dedicated 32-bit ARM processor, and 512 KB of memory, means players can store up to three profiles on the mouse itself and take them from one computer to the next. Very nifty.

However, here is where Cougar’s offering really does roar – for these features, we expected a price point north of R1 300. Instead, the gaming mouse comes in below the R1 000 mark, with a RRP of R934. A rich feature set and beautiful, comfortable design made this mouse a winner and all too easy to recommend wholeheartedly.