We’d like to thank Christopher for giving us a chance to review this product.
There are aftermarket parts for everything these days, but how often do you think about giving your mouse a bit of style and added functionality? Let’s talk facts: The mouse is an essential element for any computer. Size, shape and style may change but one thing you can count on is that everybody uses their hands when they move the mouse. Now, the problem with hands is that they tend to get sweaty when stuck to a piece of plastic for an extended period of time, which tends to make the mouse slippery and generally kind of disgusting. Of course, this depends on what you use your computer for (word processing tends to be less sweaty than gaming for example) and how sweaty a human being you are in general.
This is where the Mouse Grips come in. These pieces of neoprene can be peeled off and stuck to your mouse for added traction and sweat absorption. That’s right; you can turn your mouse into a sweat sponge! I know that doesn’t sound terribly appealing but trust me, it’s a great idea to improve your grip (I’m talking to you gamers out there). So, let’s put these Mouse Grips to the test and see how they perform.
First impressions count for a lot and the first thing l thought when l saw the mouse grips was...Wow, That’s a lot of neoprene! This is one time when more is definitely better. Many times with these products you get 4 or 5 pieces to place strategically on your mouse. In this case you get 33 different pieces, in 7 different shapes, of black neoprene to play with for 14.95 USD. This is great for 2 reasons:
1) You can be as creative with the sticker placement as you want. Since everyone tends to place
their hand differently on the mouse (not to mention the variety of mouse sizes and shapes on the market these days) it’s nice to have enough stickers to not only cover any areas you might have on the mouse but also do it while expressing your own style. You can be sure that no matter how generic the mouse you use, with Mouse Pads no one will have one that looks exactly like yours.
2) Honestly, the idea of having something on your mouse to soak up sweat sounds good until you start
thinking about where the sweat is going. After a while those stickers are going to start looking,
feeling and possibly smelling kind of bad. Not a problem. With the Mouse Grip you can just pull
them off and put on new ones (you have 33 pieces after all).
I really liked the fact that l could place the stickers anywhere l wanted on the mouse. I may not be the most creative guy on the team but that doesn’t mean l don’t like to have options. If you go to the Mouse Grips website: www.mousegrips.com you can see pictures of how different people used the Mouse Grips to personalize their mouse (and perhaps give you inspiration when designing your own layout).
So, let’s get down to the installation. The package comes with very limited instructions but come on, they’re stickers! How detailed a set of instructions do you want? Open package, pull sticker off of sheet, place on mouse, repeat until satisfied. If you don’t like the end result, just pull the stickers off and do it again. A little planning wouldn’t hurt though. You can save yourself some time if you make sure your mouse is nice and clean before you put the stickers on (this goes back to the whole sweaty, oily hand issue) and if you give some thought to how your hand rests on the mouse. I know you may have a really cool idea on how place these things but think of your mouse like a pair of shoes. Do you want comfortable of flashy? Of course with the number of different sized pieces included in a package, there is no reason, with a little thought, that you can’t have both. This is my end result and it is really comfortable.
Once the installation was complete l decided it was time to get down to business....which actually consisted of a marathon gaming session (you really have to love this job!). At the end of the day, when all was said and done the Mouse Grips really came through. I never lost traction with the mouse and my hand was nice and dry. As long as l don’t think about where the sweat is going I’m a happy guy.
Overall, l was really impressed. Mixing form with function, the Mouse Grips really came through. At under $15 USD it’s a great little mod to give your mouse that personalized touch.
Pros:
• a variety of shapes and pieces (33 pieces in 7 shapes to be exact)
• Under $15 USD
• Easy to install
• Improves your grip
• Keeps your hand sweat-free
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