Corsair Glaive RGB Mouse Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. Testing4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

Corsair is back with a brand-new gaming mouse in the shape of the Glaive RGB. With a focus on ultimate comfort, the Glaive RGB actually comes bundled with three interchangeable thumb grips to give you the best experience possible. Priced at £69.99, is it worth the cash?

We have seen plenty of good mice from Corsair over the years, so there are definitely high hopes for the Glaive RGB. In this review, we go over everything you need to know about the Glaive before you spend your hard-earned cash on one.

Specification

• Colour: Black, with aluminum front bracket
• Resolution: 100 DPI – 16000 DPI, 1 DPI steps
• Sensor: Optical, Pixart PMW 3367
• Backlight: 3 Zone RGB
• Buttons: 6
• Polling Rate: Selectable, 1000Hz/500Hz/250Hz/125Hz
• On-Board Profiles: 1
• Mouse Feet: Large PTFE
• CUE (Software): Enabled
• Cable: 1.8m Braided Fiber
• Dimensions: 125.8(L) x 91.5(W) x 44.6(H) mm / 4.95”(L) x 3.60”(W) x 1.75”(H)
• Weight (w/o cable and accessories) 122g / 0.27 lbs.
• Warranty: Two years

The Corsair Glaive RGB ships in a black box, complete with the classic Corsair yellow accents. A large photo of the mouse itself dominates the front of the box.

Inside, we find two small booklets: one is a quick-start guide, the other is a warranty guide.

Aside from the mouse itself, we also get two replaceable thumb grips in the box, complete with a small draw-string pouch to store them in. We take a look at the mouse with these thumb grips installed further down the page.

Now, moving on the the Glaive itself. It is definitely a bigger mouse, measuring 125.8(L) x 91.5(W) x 44.6(H) mm. It has also been designed with comfort in-mind, and you can see that in the shape of the mouse – it is contoured and curved, so hopefully it will prove to be very comfy indeed.

Incidentally, the Corsair logo at the bottom of the mouse is one of 3 RGB zones, while the 5 ‘dashes' that run up the mouse are DPI stage indicator LEDs.

Taking a look at the sides of the Glaive, the left-hand side of the mouse is home to two side-buttons, but no sniper button. There is also a small LED strip visible just above these side buttons, and this is the second RGB lighting zone. We also get a look at the pre-installed thumb grip here – it is smooth, not textured, and curves slightly inwards.

On the right-hand side there are no buttons, but there is some textured rubber to help your fourth-finger grip.

Attaching the interchangeable thumb grips is very easy as they just snap into place using magnets. Both spares are textured, and one curves slightly outwards, while the other is much larger and provides a proper thumb rest.

At the front of the mouse we find the scroll wheel, and just behind that is a single DPI cycle button.

The very front of the mouse, underneath the scroll wheel and main buttons, is also interesting as it is actually the third of the RGB lighting zones. We take a look at some of the lighting on the next page.

Turning the mouse over, we get a look at the four  PTFE glide pads, as well as the optical sensor. The Glaive actually uses a custom Pixart PMW 3367 sensor, based on the class-leading PMW 3360, which we discuss on the next page.

Lastly, the USB cable is braided and measures 1.8m long.To test the Glaive, I used it as my daily driver for a week, giving me plenty of time to get an idea for how it feels and performs. During this time, I used it while performing a variety of different tasks, including gaming, photo editing and general usage.

First, let's look at the accompanying software – CUE.

Above you can see a gallery of the different pages CUE offers. On the whole, it gives control over everything we would expect, and continues to do so in a refined and easy-to-use package.

For example, the actions tab lets you re-assign mouse functions and record macros, while the RGB lighting is as sophisticated as we would expect from Corsair. Lastly, the mouse calibration tool is also very useful and intuitive, so it is a definite thumbs-up here.

The lighting is also worth looking at, and it is very successful. There are three distinct RGB lighting zones, which can be independently configured, or you can have the lighting synced across all three zones.

The very front zone, underneath the scroll wheel, is interesting as I have never seen LEDs positioned here before. In daylight, you simply can't see them as the shape of the mouse obviously blocks them off. In the dark, though, there is a definite glow at the front of the mouse which does look pretty cool.

I do have just one issue with the lighting, and you might have noticed it from the pictures above – the DPI indicator LEDs are blue-only, and it can clash with the RGB lighting. I do find this design choice a bit bemusing as we know Corsair is really big on ‘RGB all the things', but it left these LEDs as blue-only.

Moving on to the physical use of the mouse, I'll cut to the chase straight away: the Glaive is a real joy to use.

It is simply very comfortable, thanks to its contoured shape and soft-touch finish, while the replaceable thumb grips give users some extra control which is good to have. Personally, I stuck with the pre-installed thumb grip as I found it best suited my natural grip, but obviously this is subjective and you may well prefer one of the other grips.

I would say the shape of the Glaive does favour a palm grip – it is quite big and I found my hands would just rest naturally in its grooves – but a claw grip is also possible, it just feels less natural.

Elsewhere, the custom PMW 3367 sensor is definitely worth talking about. This is a sensor made specially for Corsair and it features a huge 16,000 maximum DPI setting, as opposed to the usual 12,000 DPI limit of the PMW 3360. The PMW 3367 also gives users extremely fine control over its sensitivity as the DPI can be adjusted in single increments, whereas most mice feature adjustment steps of 50 or 100 DPI.

Whether or not you would actually be able to tell the difference between 3000 and 3001 DPI is another matter, but it is still good to have this level of control over the sensor.

I also had no issues with tracking when using the Glaive, so gaming was perfect and I was able to edit my review photos with ease.All-in-all, I am very impressed with the Corsair Glaive RGB.

It offers a very comfortable, ergonomic shape and I found it to be just right for my right hand. I also really like the soft-touch finish as it provides good grip and looks smart.

One key feature of the mouse is its three interchangeable thumb grips. Two are textured, while the other is smooth, and all three are different shapes – so there is a very good chance one of them will suit you. Switching the thumb grips is also very easy as they attach with magnets.

As always, Corsair's RGB lighting is also very effective. Corsair has actually added in a new lighting zone at the very front of the mouse (as you can see above) and while I am not too sure of its real-world benefit, it looks cool at night so I am not complaining.

However, my only real issue with the lighting is that the DPI stage indicator LEDs aren't RGB, they're blue-only. This is a bit disappointing, especially considering Corsair has been a major driver of the RGB trend, but it is the only real issue I have with the Glaive.

Elsewhere, the custom-made PMW 3367 sensor performs very well (as we would expect) and it is probably most noteworthy as it offers extremely fine adjustment steps of just 1 DPI.

So, really, the Corsair Glaive RGB is a big success. It is a very comfortable, ergonomic mouse that does pretty much everything right. Its only issue (the blue-only LEDs) is comparatively minor, and other than that we just cannot fault it. Corsair has nailed it.

You can buy one for £69.99 inc. VAT from Overclockers UK HERE. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE. 

Pros

• Very comfy shape.
• Interchangeable thumb grips.
• Soft-touch finish looks and feels good.
• 3-zone RGB lighting.
• CUE is as good as ever.
• Custom PMW 3367 offers very fine control and tracks perfectly.

Cons

• DPI stage LED indicators are blue-only, not RGB.

KitGuru says: Corsair has nailed it with the Glaive RGB. It is comfortable, good-looking and a joy to use day-to-day.

Become a Patron!

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here