Test Bench 1.5: Changelog

What's Changed?

With this update, we're introducing new tests to evaluate a mouse's Main Button. These tests provide in-depth actuation data and information about a mouse's main switches. We've also adjusted how we evaluate the Work usage score.

Test Group	Description
Main Button	This new test group provides actuation data and information about the main button switches.
Scoring Changes	We've adjusted how we calculate our Work usage score.

On this page, we'll look at these new changes and how they can help you find the right mouse for your needs. If you want to know more about our research and development process with this update—including investigations into actuation abnormalities, mouse construction, debounce, and more. Check out our R&D article.

New Tests

Main Button

This is what the new Main Button test group looks like in one of our reviews.

An example of the new Main Button test group in the review for the Pulsar X2 Wireless.

This new box comprises four individual elements:

Main Button Actuation Graph
Tactile Force and Displacement Graph
Switch Type
Switch Model

We'll examine each element individually below.

Main Button Actuation Graph

Put simply, this graph shows you how a mouse's main button feels. It shows how much force is required to activate the main mouse button. The tactile point (which is the point just before a button actuates) is indicated on the graph. This graph is generated by pressing the main mouse button 1 cm from the front. We'll touch on this idea more with our next test, the Tactile Force Displacement Graph.

An example of the Main Button Actuation Graph from the review of the Vaxee XE.

Tactile Force Displacement Graph

This second graph shows tactile force and button displacement information tested at different distances from the front of the main button. While the Actuation Graph above shows actuation data when pressing the mouse button 1 cm from the front of the button, the Tactile Force Displacement Graph below shows data when the button is pressed at four separate locations: 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, and 4 cm from the front of the button. This information is important because, depending on the size of your hand and your preferred grip type, you'll click a mouse button at different places on different mice—which impacts how the button feels.

Tactile Force and Displacement Graph from the review of the Vaxee XE

An example of the Tactile Force Displacement Graph from the review of the Vaxee XE

Switch Type

This test identifies the switch technology used to activate the main button. Generally, most mice use either Mechanical or Optical switches. Some people prefer the satisfying tactile feeling of more traditional mechanical switches, while optical switches typically offer better long-term durability and some potential performance benefits since they don't require traditional debouncing. Ultimately, the best switch type depends on your preferences and what you need from your mouse.

Switch Model

This test identifies the switch model used for a mouse's main buttons. This information can be useful if there's a particular brand, switch model family, or even individual switch model you like or would like to learn more about. Like with switch types, finding the best switch model depends on your individual preferences. Also, it's important to note that even though two different mice may use the same switch, many other factors can make the click experience feel quite different. Once more, we investigate this idea more deeply in the full R&D article that you can check out here.

Note that you can include all of the new tests introduced with this update when creating a custom table using our custom table tool. We've created a sample table with our new tests below, But you can experiment with this tool and add the most important tests to you.

A custom table showing the new tests introduced in Test Bench 1.5.

Other Changes

Scoring Changes - Work Usage

With this update, we've adjusted how the Work usage score is calculated. We've added Wireless Versatility to the list of elements we consider when calculating our scores because it's an important feature many people look for when choosing a mouse for work.

We've also slightly reduced the overall weight assigned to Build Quality, Scroll Wheel, and Thumb Wheel scores. Note that the "Scroll Wheel" and "Thumb Wheel" components are now named "Scroll Wheel Type" and "Thumb Wheel Type," respectively. We've changed the names of these components to hopefully clarify what they're evaluating.

Here's what the old scoring looked like:

OLD

Update 1.4 Work usage scoring

In contrast, here's what the new scoring looks like:

NEW

Update 1.5 Work usage scoring

Let Us Know What You Think!

Your feedback is instrumental in making improvements to our testing. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions about this or any future updates, reach out to us in the forums.

97 Mice Updated

We have retested popular models. The test results for the following models have been converted to the new testing methodology. However, the text might be inconsistent with the new results.