Glorious Model O.
Glorious is probably one of those companies you’ve never heard of. But you should really know who they are now, because the Glorious Model O may just be one of PICTURES GLORIOUS the best gaming mice I’ve ever used. Mind you, this is a company that has never made a mouse before, so this is a truly impressive debut.
The Model O is basically what would happen if the Finalmouse Air58 and Zowie FK1 had a baby together. The similarities to the Air58 are unmistakable, with the same honeycomb shell and lightweight, flexible cable.
However, given that the size and shape are nearly the same as the FK1, it’s also a bit flatter than the Air58, so you’ll like it if you prefer low-profile designs.
This is a medium-sized mouse that will suit both palm and claw grips, although it definitely favors larger hands if you want to go with the latter grip style. My hands measure just 16.5cm from palm to fingertip, so the palm grip is the one that works best for me. Of course, your mileage may vary, but I think the mouse has a comfortable, ambidextrous shape that should work for most people.
Like the Air58, one of the biggest selling points of the Model O is how light it is. At 67g for the matte version (68g for the glossy), the mouse is 9g heavier than the Air58. The reason for this is obvious – while the Air58 has perforated sides, the Model O has solid side grips where it stamped its branding.
A color-coded LED indicator at the bottom shows you what DPI stage you’re on.
However, the difference in handling is minuscule, and the 67g Model O still feels much more nimble than even the Logitech G Pro Wireless, which by the way is already super light at 80g. And compared to the 99g Logitech G304, which has been my daily mouse for a while now, the difference is even starker. I get that some people prefer heavier mice because they think it affords better control, but I fall firmly into the camp where lighter is always better, especially in games that require you to constantly flick to targets.
The Model O is equipped with four G-Skates mouse feet, and replacements are readily available on their website. I have no complaints about the feet, and they glide smoothly over my cloth pad. More importantly, build quality is excellent, and there don’t seem to be any issues despite the honeycomb shell. Even after pressing down on the sides and back of the mouse, there’s no discernible flexing or creaking. I’m also happy to see that Glorious chose to separate the mouse buttons from the main shell, which is better both in terms of more consistent experience when clicking and durability as well. The honeycomb design exposes the internal circuit boards of the mouse though, so you don’t want to spill anything on it.
The scroll wheel has clearly defined notches and deep grooves.
The cable, that Glorious calls the Ascended Cord, kind of looks like a paracord cable. Either way, the fabric is really flexible and there’s almost zero drag. In fact, it’s so light that I don’t think you’ll need to use a mouse bungie with this mouse. The sensor is a Pixart PMW3360 optical sensor, which is still one of the best sensors around right now. It has no jitter or acceleration, and a low lift-off distance of around 1mm. I was also unable to make the sensor spinout even while swiping really fast, so you should have no issues even if you game at low sensitivities.
The Model O can be configured with values between 400 and 12,000DPI, with software that lets you save up to six DPI stages. It has a DPI button below the scroll wheel with a color-coded indicator to see what DPI stage you’re on. This feature has been present on Zowie mice for a while now, and it’s another example of Glorious learning from what the competition is doing.
Finally, the mouse comes with built-in RGB lighting, and Glorious says this is the lightest RGB mouse you can get today. You can also pick from a selection of eight different lighting presets. The default is Glorious Mode, which is basically the company’s name for a spectrum cycling effect. The LEDs are fairly bright and vivid, and the mouse has lighting trails along its sides and the scroll wheel.
CONCLUSION
An affordable gaming mouse that’s lightweight, well-built, and boasts of a flawless sensor.
AT A GLANCE
SENSOR 12,000DPI PMW3360
WEIGHT 67g
DIMENSIONS 128 x 66 x 37.5mm
PRICE $119
