R.A.T. 7/9 vs. Razer Mamba

[wilson6488]

Hey everyone!

I'm looking for feedback from people who have used/owned either the R.A.T. 7/9, the Razer Mamba, or preferably BOTH!!!

I'm taking advantage of Best Buy's 14 day return policy to try out mice until I find the "right one" for me.

I currently have the R.A.T. 7, and I'm very impressed. It's comfortable, the programming is simple, and I'm particularly attached to the thumb and pinky rests that keep my fingers off the mouse pad. However, the Razer Mamba looks extremely tempting!! Mainly because it looks soo comfortable. I have big hands, and in the past I have been more of a "palmer" of the mouse. The R.A.T. 7 has me "clawing" it, but I'm adjusting well.

So anyways, my main question is this: Which mouse is more comfortable (for those of you that have tried both)?

I don't need feedback about the R.A.T. 7/9 (or any other mouse for that matter), but for those of you that have ONLY tried the Mamba, please give me your impressions.

Thank you for your time!

 

[ssddx]

i believe that the razer mamba is the same overall shape as the deathadder.

overall i would say it is comfortable and easy to use. some people have complained about it being too big for their hands but for my average sized hands it works well. the only thing of note is that a software disk might not be included. the file size for the installer is small so this was a non-issue for me.

 

[wilson6488]

Unfortunately I haven't tried/held a deathadder, and Best Buy doesn't have the Deathadder or Mamba out for display

I'm not worried about the installer, my PC can handle it!

 

[wilson6488]

Ok, so I went ahead and traded in the R.A.T. 7 for a Mamba, and I have to say, they are BOTH very exceptional mice!!

Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons I found with each mouse:

R.A.T. 7
(pros)
-As I mentioned earlier, the thumb and pinkie rests are awesome!
-The horizontal scroll bar is great, particularly for any in-game action that you might be "button mashing", becuase you can scroll that bar WAY faster than you could ever click a button.
-The headshot button is a nice addition, however after experimenting with it, I didn't feel like it was something I HAD to have.
-Cheaper than the Mamba!
-Everytime you resatart your computer, you have to re-open the programming software and activate your profile
-You can't change the function of the headshot button or the dpi adjuster (which might have been a nice touch)
(other thoughts)
-All the buttons have very loud audible clicks (which could be good or bad), and they're a little on the stiff side to click them (but not enough to make it a con).

RAZER MAMBA
(pros)
-ALL the buttons are programmable!
-Has rubber grips on the sides, and a "soft-touch" material for the majority of the surface area.
(cons)
-Price
-Can be difficult to switch the Mamba into wired charging mode, but I found that with a little practice, I can do it quite quickly!

TO CONCLUDE:
Both mice are very good picks. Both are easy to pick up, and both glide well, and are extremely responsive. I think I'm going to stick with the Mamba though! The reason being, that for my mouse grip style (large hand, palmer) I find the Mamba to be just a little more comfortable (but not by much). If you're more of a "clawer" you'd probably like the R.A.T., but who knows, everyone's different. I like not having to re-open the UI for my mouse EVERY time. I find that the buttons are nicer to press (imo) and hold down. Once again, it's just my preference but I like that it's a lighter mouse (even with all weights removed the R.A.T. 7 is still a fairly heavy mouse). With a difference of only $30 I think I will keep the Mamba for the above reasons, and 'cause it's my first wireless mouse

So that's my 2 cents. I hope someone finds this helpful out there! Feel free to post questions here about either mouse and I'll get back to it ASAP.

Thank you!

 

[CharlesCheeseman]

Ok, so I went ahead and traded in the R.A.T. 7 for a Mamba, and I have to say, they are BOTH very exceptional mice!!

Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons I found with each mouse:

R.A.T. 7
(pros)
-As I mentioned earlier, the thumb and pinkie rests are awesome!
-The horizontal scroll bar is great, particularly for any in-game action that you might be "button mashing", becuase you can scroll that bar WAY faster than you could ever click a button.
-The headshot button is a nice addition, however after experimenting with it, I didn't feel like it was something I HAD to have.
-Cheaper than the Mamba!
-Everytime you resatart your computer, you have to re-open the programming software and activate your profile
-You can't change the function of the headshot button or the dpi adjuster (which might have been a nice touch)
(other thoughts)
-All the buttons have very loud audible clicks (which could be good or bad), and they're a little on the stiff side to click them (but not enough to make it a con).

RAZER MAMBA
(pros)
-ALL the buttons are programmable!
-Has rubber grips on the sides, and a "soft-touch" material for the majority of the surface area.
(cons)
-Price
-Can be difficult to switch the Mamba into wired charging mode, but I found that with a little practice, I can do it quite quickly!

TO CONCLUDE:
Both mice are very good picks. Both are easy to pick up, and both glide well, and are extremely responsive. I think I'm going to stick with the Mamba though! The reason being, that for my mouse grip style (large hand, palmer) I find the Mamba to be just a little more comfortable (but not by much). If you're more of a "clawer" you'd probably like the R.A.T., but who knows, everyone's different. I like not having to re-open the UI for my mouse EVERY time. I find that the buttons are nicer to press (imo) and hold down. Once again, it's just my preference but I like that it's a lighter mouse (even with all weights removed the R.A.T. 7 is still a fairly heavy mouse). With a difference of only $30 I think I will keep the Mamba for the above reasons, and 'cause it's my first wireless mouse

So that's my 2 cents. I hope someone finds this helpful out there! Feel free to post questions here about either mouse and I'll get back to it ASAP.

Thank you!

I have the Deathadder which is basically, from my understanding, a wired Mamba with a few less buttons. I love how responsive the mouse is and I was thinking about switching to the Mamba; however, I'm not exactly sure if the awful software is the same.

I found with the Deathadder that when I switch profiles of the mouse the mouse actually disconnects and reconnects which is very disrupting. What I found even more frustrating was that when I simply changed my DPI settings, my mouse stops working for a moment while it changes DPI. Have you found this to be an issue at all with the Mamba? Thanks for the response.

 

[ssddx]

the razer software works as required for me. when swapping profiles/dpi there might be a little jump if i'm moving the mouse but nothing unexpected. then again, i change using the software window and not through a mouse-button. razer deathadder.

 

[wilson6488]

In answer to your question CharlesChees, when I swtich the dpi setting (or any setting for that matter) from the RAZER UI, there is a period of a few seconds where the mouse becomes unusable while it switches configuration. Personally, I've never used the on-the-fly dpi buttons, because I find it to be a waste of buttons, and I prefer to setup macros for those 2 buttons so I can use them in games! So what I did, was TRY it out! It works fine! I can't seem to notice any delay/skip/interruption of any kind, even if I spam up and down through the 5 stages.

After having this mouse for just a couple of days, I decided to make this "the mouse for me". It's lightning fast, comfortable, and stylish. $130 is pricy, but I couldn't imagine EVER going back to anything sub-par! Besides, I got mine at Best-Buy with a protection plan for $15, so if anything goes wrong with it in a 2 year period, I'm covered

So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Peace

 

[fakey]

From 2 months experience with rat7 before i made the change to mamba i noted that:

Rat7:

(-): heavy, god its so heavy even without weight
(-): not very ergo.. the palm rest pad seemed to be leaning on the wrong side /| instead of following ur hand's natural shape |\
(-): placement of the horizontal scroll is a bit odd for ppl with slightly bigger hands.
(-): software is pretty bland. dunno why even when registered the mouse still show up as plug-play usb and is detected each time window starts
(-): software lacks basic binding function... ie. zoom in/zoom out, i had to do it by recording mouse action and that was suggested by madcatz support
(-): colour of the dpi display doesn't match with profile..its annoying having two different colours
(-): precision button is hard to press, takes too much force to press it down...its a concern because overtime it'll cause ur moveable thumb piece to become misaligned
(-): metal scraped a little on the mousepad; probably due to the heaviness of mouse
(-): pinky rest is poorly designed. its nice to have but would like it to have its own teflon to glide better
(-): philip twin eye laser sensor is a bit too twitchy for my taste; with music on low the cursor moves with the beats hah

(+): looks cool
(+): hardware customizability is amazing
(+): metal parts....good and bad..adds a nice heft from a purely authentic standpoint
(+): braided cable; low friction...should be industry standard imo
(+): scroll wheel is pretty good, offers just the right resistance, good scrolling action

---------

I have been using deathadder/g500 before i got the rat7 with eventual shift to mamba.

Mamba:


(-): switching between wired and wireless is nerve wrecking..until i read the manual and figured out I should be holding the eject button the whole way until the cable is taken out.
(-): no option for glowing logo on the back of the mouse like deathadder...
(-): no multi-led like naga epic...
(-): delay mentioned by others when switching between profiles
(-): battery life not as long as I'd hoped. usually usage bring it to 1 bar at the end of day....6-7 hours on comp.
(-): base design looks nice...but i'd rather it be designed so the mouse can cradle more easily to recharge like logitech performance series

(+): looks awesome..especially when it pulses at night while charging
(+): mouse scroll is superb
(+): buttons are responsive but not overly clicky
(+): rubber surface makes holding good..tho it tend to induce sweating of palm (in my case at least)
(+): dpi on the fly is effortless..does not lag
(+): dpi placement easier to reach than rat 7
(+): not as heavy..hence reduce fatigue during prolonged starcraft 2 session
(+): scroll wheel click is good..doesnt feel like i'll break the wheel if used reguarly

hope this helps...

at time of writing mamba is around 130 and rat7 is around 120 here in westcoast canada

for the price I'd go with mamba.. imo rat7 would be a good buy at 70-80 price range because its shortcomings. Mamba is still overpriced but at $95 with promo it was an okay buy for me. If madcatz takes the time to address some of issues I think the next mouse from them would be a big hit. Like OP had said in his review, Mamba is more for palm grip then Rat7 which has a slightly hybrid grip (tho mostly claw). If you are a palmer than get the mamba.

For those looking to get alternatives:

deathadder 3G is pretty much the same as mamba as above poster had mentioned
g500 is a decent palmer though the button placement is questionable
g9x is a good claw griper

and for those who want ergo heres my video review of Evoluent vertical mouse 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tepsz3moGDc

 

[wilson6488]

Best answer selected by wilson6488.

 

[wilson6488]

I've had my Mamba for almost a year now and I still LOVE IT!!!

My only complaints are:

1. Dispite being extremely OCD about having only clean hands touch my computer, the rubber grips on the sides of the Mamba have absorbed oil from hands and it won't come off. I clean my mouse regularly, but the rubber grips retain the oil.

2. Switching between profiles is still a pain...the connection to the mouse is lost for a period of about 20-30 seconds sometimes.

Other than that, I can't complain. I hope this helps some of you potential buyers out there!

Thanks again!