Mad Catz R.A.T.7 Gaming Mouse for PC and Mac

I recently came off of a razer mamba that worked great but just got worn down and needed to be retired. I thought about maybe getting another one of those, but I decided id give this R.A.T a try. I have to say I am absolutely impressed with the customization of this mouse. I have it set up so perfectly to fit my hand and the profile setup and customization software is a breeze to use. My only real complaint comes with the extra pieces that come with the unit.... The palm piece that comes with the rubber grip and the ring finger rest that comes with the rubber grip are both flat red plastic and are NOT painted to match the mouse. This was very disappointing because i could have seen myself using those attachments but not at the expense of the aesthetics of this beautiful mouse. Still that aside I don't think ive ever owned a mouse this comfortable and this robust with features and options. If you want a top of the line gaming mouse this is definitely the one you want. Youll turn heads at LAN parties with its beauty and blow holes in heads in game with its precision.

OK.... I read through a fair amount of reviews for the R.A.T. 7, prior to purchasing. I ran into a lot of complaints about tracking loss and dysfunctional settings/design. As well, I saw a few complaints about the overall quality.I am now a little over 3 months into using this Mouse, and I am overall very pleased with it. I have not encountered any of the tracking issues to date. The feel, control and button assign-ability work great for my gaming needs. I am a moderate gamer; leaving my only assumption regarding tracking issues, to be related to an extreme level of gaming and use. For this, I would say, with any electronic device there will always be a degree of failure. Electronics are a fickle thing, and I go into them with the expectation of potential failure. I took the complaints with a grain of salt. So far, so good on this model for me though.I am a big fan of programming buttons to simplify controls used in a game (to each their own). This model has three settings for programming, and they are extremely easy to figure out. The three settings and instant selector button allow be to move between my profiles, even in game. Remembering to activate the Profiles before starting any game is the hardest part (not really).Having extra customization pieces is handy for setting the mouse up to fit the most comfortable feel for most, if not all, users. Once the mouse is set up, it the other pieces cease to have further use, other than spare parts in the event of damage. I would hate to think the price of the mouse is affected by these extra pieces.The design is rugged, and fits good in my hand. I prefer a heavy mouse, so I keep it at max weight, and find the steel bottom helps add just that little bit more that I like. The only physical defect I have encountered, and have from the start, regards the left thumb angle setting. The screw meant to hold it in place is no where near strong enough to brace it against collapsing. It does not close completely, but as I prefer it at its widest setting, I find myself constantly moving it back out by pulling on it throughout a game. The back slide setting lets me adjust on the fly, as I find my preference for depth on the mouse differs from game to game, and even between game modes. The Pinky Plate, as I call it, is GREAT. As I stated, I prefer a wide base mouse, so this little gem lets me rest my full hand on the mouse and reduces over gripping.Programmable buttons are great, but with a caveat. Not including LMB and RMB, the RAT 7 allows me to customize 8 Features. This is counting the Left and Right Roll on the Thumb Scroll. I find the Thumb Scroll Programmed buttons, do not always function as I programmed them in game (Game Specific BF 3 & BF 4). Not sure of the reason for this. The RAT 7, also does not allow me to create file assigned to a game... or at least I still haven't figured it out :-(. Luckily the profile selector works mid game.I also have a Perixx MX2000II which does allow me to program all buttons, including the DPI Selector. The Perixx aslo allows the assignment of up to four profiles, rather than three directly to a game. You start a game, and it knows what setting to use.The RAT does not allow for the reassignment of the DPI selector, I am sure for good reason, but it is one setting I find I never change, once it is set up in the main settings. I would prefer if I could use those two buttons for something in game as a selection or action. Again; a moderate gamer here, so if you are one who games non stop, and utilize all the nuances of DPI changes, Snipe Target DPI Instant buttons and never shortcut a mouse to remove the need to hit numbers, and other "stray" keys, then more power to you.My original though was to go with the MMO 7 model, but I thought I might be biting off more of a mouse than I would need. I don;t dabble in DOTA, WOW or any MMOs so there you go. In hind sight, the additional program buttons would be nice, but I am confident in my purchase of the RAT 7.My final thought on it is the pricing. At the time of purchase, it was on sale for $59.99 and I had a credit on account of $30.00 + $5.00 off for something else. Walked away with it for shorter change than the sticker price, so it owes me nothing. Would I pay $99.99....? NO WAY, but I wouldn't spend THAT on ANY mouse. Would I have paid $69.99 for the mouse? More than likely, but I would have been more apprehensive and might even hold its performance more critical. As with anything, having a good tool makes anything easier and more enjoyable.There you have it. That is my take at least. Would I buy another one...? Sure would. :-)

Let me begin to say this:I love my RAT5. It was a great mice. Bought it at a discount, and it is the most comfortable gaming mouse that I have ever used. The quality is great in terms of innovation and comfortability. However, Yes, the quality of the material or the way it is built makes this mouse one of the worst I have ever seen. It occasionally crap out on me due to software issue. If the mouse laser or the track pad is dirty, the mouse tracking system will not work well. After two years of gaming, the mouse died.Now, I have tried a range of mouse. None of them are as comfortable/customization as this. Therefore, i gave RAT7 a chance. The pinky rest is fantastic, so is the additional customization compared to RAT5. It is indeed a better version. Just hope that it will last. If it doesnt, i will not be buying Mad Catz mouse again.Simple summary:- Great comfort- Great customization- Great tracking- Worst build- Might crap out occasionally- Usually dies in 2 years---Update---Still loving this. I have tried other gaming mouses, and i guess i'm spoiled by this mouse. NONE of the other mouse just feel the same or comfortable. We need some real competition against Mad Catz please. Gamers/coders/pc users use mouse every day. Comfortability is the key. I have upgraded from 4 stars to 5 stars.----Update2---Just to confirm that this mouse is still working with no issues. It has been almost 2 years now. The only times that the sensor acts up is when dust or hair got into the laser part. That usually means I need to clean my desk. So far, I am very happy with the result. Prob. will buy another white one soon since I'm sick of other cheap chinese mouse.