Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series Gaming Mouse Review
The original reductive subtitle for this review was “It’s like the SteelSeries Prime+ mouse, only good!” but I think that’s a disservice to what Corsair has accomplished here.
This $60 wired gaming mouse hits all the popular highlights that serious gaming consumers currently demand, and it’s one of the best mice I’ve ever used. It has a large comfy ergonomic shape but it weighs just 74g so it whips around like a tiny model full of holes. It has true 8,000hz polling available and a response in-game that feels quick. It has powerful RGB lighting, a soft flexible cable, and thumb buttons that sit perfectly against my thumb for easy actuation.
And it has Corsair’s new Quickstrike buttons, designed to minimize the gap between the plastic and the underlying mechanical switch for precise actuations every time. These feel fast and awesome in-game, but they’re also the source of the only complaint I can lob at this mouse.
Read on to find out why I think you should still give this mouse a chance in spite of its small button problem.
Note: I bought this mouse at retail myself with my own money. I don’t receive a kick back if you buy one, and Corsair didn’t ask me to review it. None of my articles contain affiliate links as I don’t believe in the practice. You can read my full reviews policy right here.
The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series sells for $59.99 (official site here). In the box, you get the mouse itself with its permanently attached cloth-covered cable and some instructions. You’ll need to download and install Corsair’s iCUE software to enable full lighting control and turn on the 8,000hz polling mode. This mode works best plugged in to a USB 3.0 port and it does take a little extra CPU power, but the mouse still functions great at its standard 1000hz speed.
If you want to go even cheaper, there’s a non-RGB version for ten dollars less. Corsair also recently launched a $109.99 dollar wireless version, and after spending a week with this mouse I ordered it immediately and look forward to reviewing it once it’s here.
The 74g shell of the Sabre RGB is perfectly balanced, with no signs of cheapness or flex on my personal copy. The SteelSeries Prime+ I reviewed recently is lighter, but it feels heavier thanks to a forward-heavy design caused by its new robust magnetic optical switches. The Sabre feels wonderful in the hand, and although it has an ergonomic right-handed design, the curves are subtle and sleek. It’s perfect for all grip styles as long as you don’t mind a larger overall mouse.
Tracking-wise, this mouse has one of the best PixArt sensors Corsair offers in a mouse: the 3392. It goes up to 18,000DPI and I had zero issues with in-game movement, lift-off distance, or dropouts. It’s a marked improvement from the ancient sensor in the last Corsair mouse I reviewed, the Harpoon Wireless.
I also love the feel of the “Quickstrike” buttons here — but they’ve got a small wobble problem. When you’re not using the mouse, if you give it a shake you’ll hear them clacking around. And when my fingers are resting on top, they both have an unnerving amount of side-to-side play and wiggle. This tiny movement is noticeable enough that I briefly searched around to see if others experienced it, and indeed I found it mentioned in several reviews, so it must just be a side effect of the way the buttons are built.
Most mechanical mouse buttons consist of the plastic button itself, a spring underneath for the pressing action, and a mechanical switch that actuates the click. Corsair tried to minimize the distance to near-zero between the plastic button and the actual switch underneath, and the results are impressive. The mouse has a snappy, enjoyable response to the buttons that doesn’t quite feel as good as the buttons on the Prime+, but is still an improvement over others I’ve tried. And if you’re a zero debounce fan, yes, you can turn on that function in the software and speed up the buttons even more.
The thumb buttons are flawless, with an excellent mid-thumb position and a satisfying click action. They’re big too, avoiding the actuation issues that come along with small thin buttons like those on the SteelSeries Rival 3, or the weird angular ones on the Corsair Harpoon. When I put my hand on the mouse, my thumb naturally pops into the perfect position to hit both buttons, and I love that. It’s how all gaming mice should be designed.
At the front of the thumb area is a small group of lights that display which DPI profile you’re using. You can toggle between settings with the small button under the wheel, which is also remappable to other functions. This button is almost too hard to hit during play due to its flush design with the frame, but that’s better than pressing it accidentally.
The mouse wheel has prominent rotation notches with a slightly loud clicking as you scroll faster. It’s louder than the wheel on the G Pro Wireless, but about as satisfying to click down. The coating is mostly matte, with a smooth feel that I find more pleasant to touch than the rough coating on the Harpoon. There are some small strips of gloss plastic around the edges some might not like, but I think they’re fine.
While the feet on the bottom aren’t “pure” white PTFE, they’re still large and smooth, with no noticeable drag on my cloth mouse pads. If you want to replace the feet, they have small notches at the top for easy removal. The cable is also excellent, with a true paracord-like feel and plenty of give and flex. I routed it across my desk carelessly and still suffered from zero cable drag, which is great. The RGB lighting is bright and vibrant, with lighting zones around the wheel and inside the Corsair logo that are fully customizable with the layers system inside iCUE.
My average-sized hand fits perfectly around this mouse. I can use it for hours without any pain or discomfort, and I love absolutely everything about the way its built and the way it feels to use — except for the slight wobble to the buttons when I’m resting my hand on it. If the main buttons were anchored down a bit better, this mouse would be flawless for gaming in my opinion, but as it is it’s still an exceptional choice for $60 and my new first recommendation if you’re looking for a wired gaming mouse.
I can’t wait to try out the wireless version and post a review of it soon. Corsair’s Slipstream wireless has impressed me in the past with its fast response times and properly-working multi pairing function. If the wireless version of this mouse has tighter buttons it stands a strong chance of becoming my new personal favorite mouse. But even if it doesn’t, I’m so glad I took a shot in the dark and tried this.
Everyone is chasing smaller designs right now, but the Sabre proves that a larger and more ergonomic shape can hit all the right feature notes while still weighing less than you’d expect. I’m still so impressed by how light this mouse is even after using it for a week. It’s a true top tier effort from Corsair that’s refreshingly free of all the sharp angles and weird sci-fi nightmare design aspects they’re fond of.
