Sandberg Xterminator Mouse 10000 DPI

[testman78]

Introduction

Sandberg has been around for many years, but their mouse department is still quite young. They keep improving their older mice while releasing entirely new products too, and they do it well, considering user feedback and community opinions. They have surprised me many times before with their relatively cheap, yet high quality peripherals. I have previously reviewed their two mice, the Eliminator and Sniper. This time, I will present you the Xterminator 10000 DPI. Its specifications show to have the potential to easily be a nice product.



For a bit of a hint, let's take a look at those all important Technical Specifications shall we.




Packaging & Contents

Sandberg has an easily recognizable package design in which the half side of each box is entirely blue, while all others are mainly black. On the front there is a large photo of the unit. The overall design is eye-catching and definitely something that would be a nice looking gift.



At the rear of the box we see a description of the product printed in many languages right above the contents and specifications lists.



With the front flap open you can now have a clear view of the mouse.



Inside the box you get a disc (software).




A Closer Look & Performance

So, at first glance, it's just a mouse, not symmetrical, not very heavy, but massive. The design is nothing too fancy, but nor is it too simple. The buttons have some very subtle comfort grooves too. There are no rattling parts whatsoever, and the mouse feet are aligned well by default. This mouse weighs about 140 g with a few centimeters of cable. This means that it is a bit heavy for its size, but again, weight is a personal preference. For a palm grip, it's more suited for larger hands. Smaller hands may find it a bit awkward due to the placement of the top buttons.



The top surface of the Xterminator is covered in a matte black coating. Thankfully, it does not seem to collect any fingerprints, nor does it get grimy easily. The scroll wheel is definitely among the best I have ever had the chance to try. The wheel itself is out of a great rubberized, non-textured material that provides a perfect grip, so no accidental slips should occur. The encoder is very tactile, yet the scrolling through the notches is still relatively light. There is absolutely no play between the notches- scrolling through these is just perfect. There is RGB backlight, it works, glowing logo and stripes. It flashes or glows statically. Everything is quite adequately configured in the application.



The Xterminator has textured rubberized side grips. These feel niceI and i had no issues with losing my grip on these side panels at all, so I can say it does the job rather well.



Moving to the buttons, the Xterminator impressed me. With 8 buttons in total, including the normal left, right and middle buttons, the Xterminator allows for plenty of programmable keys. All of these have default macros, from moving forward or back on web browsers to changing between your DPI settings. One of the nice things to note is the separate "double click" button under the thumb. It has objectively better clicks than some of the more expensive mice in general. The main buttons have no unnecessary pre-travel before actuation, and their post travel is absolutely negligible. The right click has slightly more tension than the left click, which is often the case with ergonomic mice. The clicks are nice and tactile, and very spammable. There is no mushy feeling whatsoever however, they are bit stiff for my taste (I prefer very light clicks). Also, they have a slightly sharper sound than usual.



The device comes with a 1.8 meters braided cable.



The mouse is built-in heavy iron plate. Sandberg quickly realized that a good mice should be equipped with good sensors. The one used in the Xterminator is the PixArt PMW3325. This sensor can get as high as 10,000 DPI. There are two buttons at the bottom of the mouse, where you can fiddle around with the basic settings. The button on the left turns off the lights, while the one on the right can set the mouse speed. As for working on different surfaces, I tested only the classic wooden lacquered table. Not mirrored, but quite smooth. The mouse feet are not bad, but not spectacular either. They are quite mediocre, but the glide is smooth and even. They just have a bit too much friction, and their edges should be rounded down vertically a bit more to avoid a scratchy glide with thick and soft cloth mouse pads.




Software

The Xterminator uses Sandberg's software. This program could be really nice with some tweaking, but in its current state, it really isn't something I can call super.




There is control of mouse sensitivity in different modes, there are settings for the color of the backlight, there are even macros that you can adjust. And you can change the values ​​of all buttons.





Final Thoughts

I have to say I was quite impressed by the Xterminator Mouse 10000 DPI. Although it is not an expensive mouse at all, it can easily compete with the high-end models. I think it is safe to say that the shape is a gap-filler in the market. Due to its dimensions, it will mainly be comfortable for users with a medium to large hands. The build quality is very good. There is just no way to properly test durability, but due to the used materials, I can safely say that the Xterminator is built to last. With switches rated for 5 million clicks and a sturdy shell like this, it can easily serve its user for long years with proper use. Sensor-wise, the Xterminator has nothing to be ashamed of since the sensor does a wonderful job. No input lag and no malfunctions of any kind, it works just flawlessly. The maximum resolution is 10,000 DPI, so I can't see a situation where that should not be enough. The buttons are just great on this mouse- the main ones lack any unnecessary travel. They feel nice and tactile with a medium tension. All other buttons feel fantastic too, and the scroll wheel is one of the best I have ever had the chance to try. As for the mouse feet, I have seen better ones in my mouse-testing days, but I have seen way worse too. They are mediocre when it comes to friction, but have a nice and even glide. The cable braiding is very pleasant and you can bend the cable to stay in position and the connector is reassuringly sturdy. Even less costly mice can get nice-looking RGB lighting nowadays, and the Xterminator is a great example. I find the 140 grams it weighs (it has a metal plate inside it for sturdiness) bothersome- a mouse with these dimensions should weigh less as it can feel pretty sluggish otherwise. I wouldn't call this a deal breaker though.



With the Xterminator Mouse 10000 DPI as part of the latest lineup of gaming mice, Sandberg is hitting the mid-range market again with a quality product. With the excellent performance and quality of the Xterminator, along with quite a sensible price point of around USD 46 at the time of writing, this mouse is really giving other brands some serious competition. Sandberg does have a strong reputation and also includes a 5 years warranty which covers your device if something happens during regular intended use of the mouse.