**This review based on Firmware Version 61 and after almost a year of heavy computing and PC gaming usage**
Hi, I'm Ryan, and I have a PC Mouse addiction.
Seriously! My first mouse ever was the original Microsoft Mouse 1.0 (no scroll wheel) that came with my Gateway 2000 computer sometime in the early 90's. Since then, I've use and tried hundreds and hundreds of mice. Yes, I am serious ... Hundreds. This includes every Logitech gaming mouse made, things like the original Kensington 8-Ball and Logitech FX Trackballs, the original Razer Boomslang and nearly every single Razer mouse after that, as well as nearly all off brands from Genius years ago through OCZ-Cooler Master-Cyborg-etc-etc today.
I even have a showcase shelf with my favorites through the years:
Original Microsoft Mouse serial-port connector
Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball
Logitech FX Trackball (Original)
Logitech Wingman Mouse (My most favorite mouse ever ... would pay a couple hundred of dollars to have someone Mod this to optical and add a scroll wheel)
Razer Boomslang (Love-Hate relationship here)
Logitech's Dual Optical MouseMan
Razer Krait (Original) Razer Naga (During my WoW days)
Razer Naga (Original)
OK, enough trip down memory lane. First, it is important to know that I use a hybrid Claw and Fingertip grip; NOT the more common palm grip most people use. Although I've used mice of all sizes and shapes, I find the most comfortable and usable ones being designed for Claw and/or Fingertip grips. Because of this, falling "in-love" with a mouse has been difficult; always presented with a huge selection of gaming, updated tech palm-grip mice and a small assortment of more basic, non-gaming, not-tech focused claw/fingertip mice.
Until recently, the Wingman Mouse was truly my only "Love". I resisted and resisted many years from upgrading this mouse; convincing myself that I didn't need a scroll wheel anyways and, later, that optical sensors were a fad. Alas, the time finally came when I realized I needed to move past the Wingman Mouse and on to something new. Since that time, I've found a few mice that I truly enjoyed and was happy to use; especially the Razer Naga during my World of Warcraft days. Sadly, there has been no more "True Love" (que Princess Bride clip ...)
Until Now
Yes, the CM Storm Spawn is, honestly, True Love for me and, likely, for many of you with Claw and/or Fingertip grips. The design is near perfection giving both the ring and pinky fingers placement AND grip to move the mouse. I can hold and move the Spawn using my thumb and ring finger or my thumb and pinky. But, why would I want to do that when the design so perfectly allows me to use my thumb and both ring and pinky for moving, lifting, and gripping? Combine that amazing grip with the Spawn's lightweight, slightly textured red coating, and durable, ideally placed on left and right rubber sides, and you have a design which equals True Love for me!
In performance, the mouse holds up and works amazing even without state-of-the-art sensors; which are of less importance in claw/fingertip grips as mouse movement covers far less space than palm grip's sweeping forearm movement. The top buttons have excellent travel distance, an audible but not annoyingly loud "click" when pushed, and, durable as after almost a year's worth of heavy computer and PC gaming usage the buttons perform as crisply as the day I got it. The two side buttons are also perfectly positioned above the thumb for easy access at any time (why do Mouse vendors so often get this placement wrong?). And, although the two side buttons are not as "crisp" to click as the top buttons, they are still near-perfect.
The Spawn has been partnered with a Razer Scarab mousepad and the tracking, precision, acceleration, and overall feel of cursor movement is as awesome as any mouse I've used. It also has not, for me, suffered any (not a one) tracking problems; cursor ghosting, erratic cursor jumping, nor direction specific tracking issues. It performs ideally and naturally whether I am working PowerPoint and Email on dual monitors or I am gaming (MMO to MOBA to FPS to Strategy to whatever). The mouse wheel, although nothing super-special, does feels good, scrolls nicely, and most importantly doesn't wiggle left-right.
The one area of "le sigh", and the sole "bad spot" of the Spawn, is the driver and driver support. The good news is that this mouse, unlike it's younger brother the Xornet, has on-board memory and once configured does not need the Spawn software loaded or running; even for Macro usage. However. the Macro capability is limited compared to other mice macro capabilities, like Logitech and Razer, but it does allow for basic keyboard recording. It does not allow for Macros to use mouse buttons or timed pauses, though. I've worked around this by using my Razer Blackwidow keyboard to record the more sophisticated macros, mapped them to an unused keyboard key within the intended game, and then mapped that macro keyboard key to a Spawn mouse button. Voila! Works perfectly!
Unfortunately, the res of the Spawn software continues to be limited in comparison to what is considered "good" game mice software today. First, since the day it launched, the Spawn software has a "glitch" with Google Chrome. If you want to "save" any changes in the Spawn control panel to the mouse, you must close all Chrome windows first. If you don't both the Spawn software and Chrome browsers will hang. Also, although the mouse does have three levels of DPI, they are not user adjustable but set at 3500, 1800, and 800 dpi. Lastly, the Spawn software does not have the capability to have multiple configuration profiles.
All these should have been fixed and updated, but alas CM has chosen to do very little updating of this mouse. For me, it is a small inconvenience as I can easily work around all the limitations via leveraging my Razer keyboards software. Your mileage may visit, though.
So, just like the people we Love, the Spawn has it weird quirks (software) but, in the end, it is definitely True Love. So much so that I simply couldn't bear the loss of her if she ever **sniff* died on me **sniff*. Therefore, I did what was necessary with my Spawn and cloned her! Yep, I purchased a second CM Storm spawn. It proudly sits as the newest member of my Mouse Shelf of Fame next to my Wingman; the Spawn remaining new, unopened and waiting for the day she is needed ...
... and, yes, I am actually considering getting a Third CM Storm Spawn "in case of an Apocalyptic mouse event"!
<3
RT
| Brand | Cooler Master |
|---|---|
| Item model number | SGM-2001-BLON1 |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Item Weight | 5 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 4.2 x 4 x 1.3 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 4.2 x 4 x 1.3 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Department | mouse |
| Manufacturer | Coolermaster |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B005TEPB74 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | September 1, 2011 |
