Endgame Gear OP1 8k Mouse Review

This mouse has a simple design similar to that of other recent Endgame Gear models. It has a matte plastic finish and is available in black or white colorways. There's no RGB lighting, but there's an LED CPI indicator light on the bottom of the mouse. This indicator isn't visible when not illuminated.

Because of the slightly reflective quality of the plastic finish on this mouse, we applied an aerosol spray that adds small white particles visible in the scan but not present on the mouse out of the box.

This is only cosmetic and helps ensure we can capture a readable scan but doesn't affect the accuracy of the measurements.

This mouse is small and has a low profile shape, making it relatively easy to carry. However, the cable isn't detachable (without opening the mouse), making it more unwieldy to transport.

This mouse has excellent build quality. All materials feel high quality, and the body is made of matte plastic with a slightly chalky-feeling "dry grip" coating. The body doesn't creak or flex noticeably anywhere, and there are no loose parts or rattling sounds if you shake the mouse.

This mouse is remarkably lightweight, and the weight is well-centered, making it easy to move quickly and accurately.

The Endgame Gear OP1 8k has a narrow, symmetrical shape with a low profile hump towards the back of the body. It has flat sides that widen slightly toward the back of the mouse. Its shape accommodates most grip types if you have smaller hands, but it's best suited for claw and fingertip grip types. If you have larger hands, you'll likely find it too small for a palm or relaxed claw grip.

This is a wired-only model that doesn't connect wirelessly. If you're interested in a wireless model in the same lineup, check out the Endgame Gear OP1we.

The Endgame Gear OP1 8k has a lightweight, flexible, paracord-like cable that glides smoothly across desks and mousepads. However, it retains some minor permanent kinks from its packaging. The cable leading from the mouse is angled slightly upwards to minimize drag.

While the cable is functionally non-detachable, it's relatively easy to remove if you disassemble your mouse. Endgame Gear sells replacement cords on their website.

This mouse's feet glide smoothly on mousepads and desks. They make faint scratching sounds when gliding directly on a desk, but this doesn't impact the gliding performance.

The mouse includes an alternative set of larger feet and an additional skate that fits around the sensor. We performed supplemental tests with the larger mouse feet and the extra sensor skate installed and found this configuration improved the already superb gliding experience.

We tested the gliding experience on a SteelSeries QcK Medium cloth mousepad, but you may want to experiment with both sizes if you have a softer or harder mousepad.

Endgame Gear sells replacement feet on their website, and third-party replacement feet are also available.

• Alternative set of larger mouse feet/additional sensor ring foot
• Adhesive side grips
• Philips head screwdriver
• Rubber cable tie
• User documentation

The Endgame Gear OP1 8k uses Kailh GX SPDT (single-pole double-throw) switches with top and bottom contacts. These switches are designed to provide incredibly low latency while limiting potential accidental double-clicking.

Using the configuration software, you can toggle SPDT switch modes between GX Speed, GX Safe, and OFF.

GX Speed mode provides the lowest possible click latency performance. Its click detection starts when the contact plate separates away from the top contact, whereas, with the SPDT setting OFF (and with most other mechanical switches), the click detection starts when the contact plate hits the bottom contact.

GX Safe mode will be just as fast as the OFF setting but adds extra hardware debounce to guard against potential double-clicking events. You can reference a description and visual illustration from Endgame Gear's public Discord channel on what these settings do here.

This mouse's main buttons have a swappable design, so you can change or replace switches without needing to solder them. For an additional purchase, Endgame Gear provides two ways to do this:

The first option is a Universal Switch Pack, which includes two switch PCBs with universal sockets. This option is designed to be more temporary, making it easy to test multiple switch options to see which you like best. You can see the Universal Switch Pack on the Endgame Gear website.

The second option is an OP1 switch pack. This is designed to be a longer-term option if you know which switches you want to use. Each switch pack includes a set of two switches that are soldered to a switch PCB. Endgame Gear sells a variety of switch options, including lighter, heavier, and silent switch options, on their website here.

You can reprogram all buttons on the Endgame Gear OP1 8k except for the left-click button and the 'mode' button, which cycles between CPI settings on the bottom of the mouse.

The Endgame Gear OP1 8k has exceptionally low and consistent click latency, providing an extremely responsive in-game experience for gaming in any genre.

The above measurements are on the latest stable firmware version as of the time of writing (v1.09). We also performed supplementary testing on the newest beta firmware (v1.15) publicly available on Endgame Gear's Discord server.

On beta firmware, we recorded identical average click latency results of 0.6 ms

We tested this mouse at its maximum polling rate of 8000Hz, with SPDT settings for the left-click button set to GX Speed Mode and the Slamclick Filter off.

The Endgame Gear OP1 8k's sensor accuracy is excellent. It precisely and consistently tracks your in-game movements.

However, this mouse has a somewhat higher than expected degree of precision errors between speeds and individual CPI settings.

To clarify, this doesn't impact your performance in-game at all if you generally stick with a single CPI setting and don't frequently rotate between using other gaming mice.

These values don't indicate a significant issue with the sensor. Still, they may temporarily affect your muscle memory if you regularly switch between multiple CPI settings or frequently switch between other gaming mice.

We tested this mouse at its maximum polling rate of 8000Hz and with Motion Sync off.

This mouse delivers remarkable sensor latency performance. The sensor reacts extremely quickly when you move your mouse, and these movements closely match the timing of the cursor movements you see on-screen.

The above measurements are on the latest stable firmware version as of the time of writing (v1.09). We also performed supplementary testing on the newest beta firmware (v1.15) publicly available on Endgame Gear's Discord server.

On beta firmware, we recorded very similar sensor latency with only marginally higher (0.2–0.5 ms) averaged sensor latency results.

• Delay To Start Of Movement: 11.9 ms
• Delay At Half Movement: 1.8 ms
• Delay To End Of Movement: 2.2 ms

We conducted all tests using the maximum polling rate of 8000Hz and with Motion Sync off.

The available polling rate options are 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz, and 8000Hz. You can adjust various sensor settings in the software, including CPI, Motion Sync, and lift-off distance.

This mouse has a grooved scroll wheel with a very grippy rubber coating. It operates reasonably quietly and has smooth but well-defined steps. The scroll button provides a satisfyingly tactile click. We also noted during testing that you can actuate the scroll button if you press it sideways to the right.

The left-and right-click buttons, as well as the side buttons, are fairly loud. Additionally, the right-click button makes a slightly higher-pitched noise on the unit we bought and tested.

If you're concerned about the volume of the main buttons, Endgame Gear sells silent OP1 switches on their site. For more details, see the Main Button section above.

The Endgame Gear's OP18K has visually straightforward configuration software. Unlike many of the larger gaming brands, which typically have bloated configuration software that uses considerable system resources and requires frequent updates, the Endgame Gear OP1 8k Configuration Tool is a lightweight .exe executable file.

The software allows you to change a range of settings, including button assignment, CPI, and lift-off distance. You can also save your custom settings to the onboard memory, so you don't need the software running in the background.

More advanced sensor options include a toggle for Motion Sync, a slam click filter that can help prevent unintended inputs if you frequently lift and reposition your mouse during gameplay, and SPDT settings. For more details about SPDT settings, see the Main Button section above.

All default button functions work in Windows and macOS, but the software is only available for Windows.