Endgame Gear OP1 8K wired gaming mouse review

When playing games with a wired gaming mouse, you expect to encounter a little drag from said wire. As much as light cables help reduce drag, it's generally an inevitability. But there are mouse designers out there, such as those at Endgame Gear, working to ease our suffering with gaming mice like the new OP1 8K.

See, when it comes to mice with ridiculous 8K polling rates, reducing drag wherever possible is imperative, because yanking your mouse around kind of undermines the concept of a smooth, speedy gaming mouse. Hit a snag mid-game and your rank could be in jeopardy. Thankfully, with the OP1 8K, Endgame Gear has set about reducing drag in a few different ways. 

The most obvious is the angle on the wired connection. Unlike most wired mice I've reviewed, the OP1 8K's braided cable actually snakes up out of the front of the mouse at an angle. Not only does it prevent the wire getting caught under the mouse when I'm flinging it around in the heat of battle, there's a little leeway before the cable actually hits the mouse pad too. More leeway means less drag; less drag means less frustration. It's a simple solution, but a much appreciated one. The Flex Cord 5.0 is nice and light, too.

Then there are the skates. The OP1 8K comes with a second set of skates for the bottom, so you can pick and choose which ones suit your playstyle and surface better. Out of the box, it's been pretty darn smooth on my soft mouse pad, thanks to how raised and silky these are, and I can swap them out if I want to use it on a glass surface.

Sensor: 26,000 DPI, Pixart PAW 3395
Polling rate: 8,000 Hz
Weight: 50.5 g
Size: 118 x 60 x 37 mm
Buttons: 6
Ergonomic: Claw grip
Price: $75 | £70 

Aside from the attempts to keep it moving around smoothly, the OP1 8K's looks are damn smooth, too. I got hold of the model with the lush, matte white finish, which is serving that stormtrooper aesthetic thanks to the black scroll wheel and side buttons. The Endgame Gear logo actually adds to the style as opposed to