Pulsar X3 CrazyLight Mini review

I was a little resistant to picking up the Pulsar X3 CrazyLight Mini because of the last part of its name: 'Mini.' My previous experience with a Mini mouse was with the X2H CrazyLight Mini, and that one did not gel well with my grip style at all. Although that was mostly because the 'H' designates a large rear-weighted hump, which is lacking in this X3. The X2H CrazyLight Mini is also a symmetrical, ambidextrous design, whereas this X3 is a right-handed ergonomic one—though note that there is a mirrored version, too, for all you lefties.

All of that is to say, the experience is very different this time around. In fact, I've been quite surprised to find that the X3 CrazyLight Mini's shape really suits my grip. It makes sense, I guess, as I've often described my grip as a kind of "hybrid palm-claw" or "relaxed claw" grip, and lo, what do I find on the front of the mouse packaging? "For palm and relaxed claw grip." Perfect.

Pulsar also describes it as an "ergo hump" style mouse, and I can see why. It does have a hump to it, which is very centrally aligned across its length, but lopsided across the width. This, plus the curvature for your thumb along the left side, makes it more ergonomic than an ambidextrous-styled mouse. If you've ever used a Logitech G703, you'll know what this is like, as it has the same kind of twist to it, but the Pulsar is a little smaller.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how much of a difference this slope and curvature makes. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise, though, as it was only recently that I was listening to some ergonomics experts at Logitech explain how such slight differences can make your hand, wrist, and arm sit more naturally. I think what's happening here is the X3 CrazyLight Mini lets the right side of your hand slope down a little more than usual, which puts it in more of a natural resting position.

At any rate, I've been very impressed by how comfortable it feels to hold and use this mouse. I think it's the comfiest one I've used to date, excluding full-on vertical ergo mice. That said, do remember that your mileage will vary depending on your hand size and grip style. For my relaxed claw grip it's incredibly comfortable, but it'll be a no-go for fingertip grippers, and might not be the best for aggressive claw grippers, either. The Mini version is great even for regular-sized hands, too—mine are 19 x 10 cm—and I'd hesitate to go any bigger.

Everything else about the mouse feels great, too. The matte finish is smooth and hasn't caused any problems beyond picking up some fingerprints, which tends to happen with black mice. The optical switches are some of the best I've heard and felt, requiring a relatively light actuation and with very little pre- or post-travel. There's also zero left-right wobble on the left and right mouse buttons. The scroll wheel is ideal for my tastes, too, as I've found it nice and easy to scroll-jump in Counter-Strike 2, and it still manages to feel firm enough that there's little risk of landing between the bumps.

The stock skates are white PTFE and glide across cloth pads with ease, although they are quite thin, so you might have to replace them a little sooner than compared to other mice. But that thinness (along with the staple CrazyLight underside holes) presumably helps with the weight, which is very light—just 45 g according to my scales.

Pulsar claims it's 43 g with up to 1 g variation, and my scales show my model sitting slightly outside this range, but I can't really complain: 45 g is plenty light. It's not quite the ultra-light weight of the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro, but given how solid, sturdy, premium, and comfy the mouse feels, I'll take those extra few grams. It's still pretty damn light.

You can also cut a gram or two by removing the default skates and throwing on some of the included dot skates, which are primarily for use on a glass pad. One thing to note here is that you might struggle to get the dots spread out in such a way as to prevent wobble, thanks to the funky lopsidedness of the mouse and the skate areas. I managed it eventually, but it took some fiddling and more dots than I'd have liked (eight, rather than the four or six I usually aim for).

The dot skates themselves are fine once they're worn in, but I prefer something a little smoother and less scratchy-sounding, such as X-Raypad Obsidians. I'll probably switch over to some of those.

This mouse is a great performer, and is similar to the X2 CrazyLight Medium that I tested as they both use the same XS-1 flagship sensor. The sensor itself is pretty flawless, based on my testing in aim trainers and CS2, but connecting over wireless does introduce some measurable inconsistencies, as you can see from my MouseTester results.

This has been the case with almost every wireless mouse I've tested, although, just as with the X2 CrazyLight's wireless connection, the X3 CrazyLight Mini's wireless seems to introduce more inconsistencies than some other mice. I haven't noticed this affecting anything in-game, though, so I'm hesitant to let it affect my judgment too much. I'd feel more secure with better wireless connectivity, but I haven't seen it actually affect anything in practice.

I've been pleasantly surprised to discover Pulsar's online Bibimbap software, too. Previously, I'd just been using the local app, which is fine, but nowhere near as good as its browser-based one. The latter looks better and even has more features, such as the ability to adjust sensor rotation, meaning I can ditch RawAccel for that purpose—woohoo! It's good that you get the option of both local and web-based software, as this means you don't have to clog your PC up, but equally you have something to use if there's a problem with your internet or the online servers.

Battery life is just fine, offering a few days of juice at 1 kHz polling when using the mouse daily for work and some gaming in the evenings. There could definitely be some improvement here, but maybe not without upping the weight. In light of such a potential trade-off, I'm fine with it.

Ultimately, though, you're not going to be getting this mouse for its battery life, nor for its software; You'll be getting it for the combination of its shape and lightweight but quality design. If, like me, you have a relaxed claw grip and a regular-sized hand, I have zero hesitation in recommending it.

The combination of comfort from the ergo shape, and the satisfying feel of its clicks, scrolls, and overall finish, plus the light weight and slippery skates, has made this the most enjoyable mouse I've used in a very long time. That's so much so that I'm considering switching to it full-time, in lieu of the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike's revolutionary clicks. And given how much I love that latter squeaker, that's quite a feat for the Pulsar to achieve.