SteelSeries - Aerox 5 Wired

I present to you the Turtle Beach/Kone XP Air I recently decided I needed a better mouse, specifically for Deadlock, and set out to replace my Razer Basilisk v3 (a great mouse in its own right). I wanted more buttons on the side to map items because I really try to keep my fingers on WASD at all times. I ordered a handful of mice, looking for mice with additional side buttons that were NOT mmo mice. I landed on the Steel Series Aerox 5, Glorious Model I 2, and the TB/Kone XP Air. I looked at the Corsair Nightsword, ROG Spatha and ROG Chakram X, but decided not to pull the trigger on them for various reasons. The Aerox 5 was an instant no. It has this weird whammy bar on the side that you flick up and down (like the guitar hero controller) that looked neat in theory, but it was really stiff and hard to use in practice. The Glorious Model I 2 was amazing and I almost kept it. The buttons are easy to reach with your thumb and it has multiple swappable buttons if you want different shapes. The m1 click action was very crisp and its also very light. I loved it. But then I got the XP Air. This mouse has some drawbacks. The M1 click action stinks, it's gummy with long travel distance and it feels bad. It's heavy at 100 grams. But the buttons, oh my lord the buttons. The side array is so perfect for items/skills with the quad button layout and the thumb rest button is literally the game breaker and why I bought it. **I mapped the thumb rest button to parry and I am able to parry/counterspell literally everything.** If you are looking for a better experience with using your active items, I strongly strongly recommend the XP Air. Deadlock isn't a twitch shooter, so the gummy M1 isn't as big a deal as it would be in COD or Battlefield (and I used it during both battlefield weekends and the side buttons were amazing there too). If you can't get over the gummy M1, and you think it's too heavy, then the Model I 2 is a really amazing runner up. My next plan is to mod the XP Air with a lighter battery and to remove some of the plastic guts with a Dremel. I've seen guides online where you can get it down to about 70 grams. That's all, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Eh I prefer those 5 button side sorta mice. Can't stand keypad style. When I played MMO's more the aerox 5 was go to. Can even be used for other games in a pinch if you need. Sadly even those type of mice are more and more uncommon.

Lol I actually liked the flipper/ up-down rocker thing. I found it easy to use. And yep I tried a roccat xp too. In fact I still have it sitting in a box in a drawer lol. I didn't use it for long. I think I just preferred the shape, weight and coating of the aerox. I'm sure it was a good option for some but I've never really vibed with roccat mice in general unfortunately.

I’m being partial here but the Steelseries Aerox family might be good for that price range. Aerox 3, 5, and 9 - the higher the number the more side buttons. The mice are in the 60-90g weight range, and imo they’re seem to be on the bigger end. Acceptably light, has good software (windows) for button remapping, generally good build quality. I’m using the Aerox 9 and it’s great for gaming and work - imagine having F1-F12 at the reach of your thumb!

One easy thing to do is replace the side buttons with paddles that go up and down. Same form factor, same position, double the inputs. The Aerox 5 has a button like that. I also don't think that every mouse needs to accommodate every grip type and it's definitely possible to have more buttons without interfering. I used to daily a RAT MMO 7, it was great!

100% agree. It's baffling to me that there are dozens of lightweight mice that all seem to be tripping over each other to compete for the same market share. The G502X variants, Aerox 5, and Model I2 are the only "modern" mice that come to mind with 4-5 side-buttons, and they all have at least one major flaw (i.e., heavy or wired, weird paddle thing, Glorious, in that order). A superlight G502 would absolutely be killer in the space.

G502X has 3 thumb buttons, 2 LMB side buttons, and 3 wheel buttons. ASUS Chakram X Origin has 4 thumb buttons + 4 joystick buttons on left side + wheel Steelseries Aerox 5 has 5 thumb buttons + wheel

I feel that. The aerox 5 had ping wheel issues but I love love love steelseries. They've never let me down. Thats like one of their largest flaws. And that specific mice if what i need for fps so I was trying out other things. I just got my v4. I want to try the pro x2 superstrike when it comes out but thats not until jan-march of next year. Not to mention its a heavier (65g) mouse. Guess we will see if thats to benefit or not. 

id like to try the aerox 5 but wasnt a real fan of the scroll and clicks though the perfect amount of buttons and weight. i also dont know anything about the sensor they use, and have heard their software is something to be desired

Damn dude your hands are massive, maybe even bigger than mine. Ill give you the list of all of the mice I've tried. 1. Steel Series Aerox 5 - probably my favorite but it is expensive, I don't particularly like the software, It had an issue where it would disconnect randomly sometimes, and after a few years the scroll wheel stopped working. But the weight and button configuration are what are great about this one. It also has a comfortable shape for big hands. 2. Pulsar xlite v4 large - great mouse, great shape, i can almost palm it, I can if im feeling lazy, wide enough for a comfy finger tip grip that large hands pretty much have to use. I wish it had more side buttons but this is my current mouse that i replaced the Aerox with and I love it. I whole heartedly recommend giving this one a try. It has a simple software that just does what its supposed to and nothing else. The software also doesnt need to be running all the time. 3. Mionix Naos Pro - its almost perfect, its almost what i want it to be. if it were just a little taller i would be able to palm it. I think its a solid choice for xxl hands but its just not quite there, the pulsar is far lighter and has a better shape for fingertip grip. 4. Steel series rival - solid, heavy, you can actually add weights to make it heavier. back when i used this i didnt think i would like a light mouse. over all a good mouse with a good shape for large hands. 5. Logi G604 - great mouse, i dont think they make them anymore so they are hard to find/expensive. Scroll wheel is great. Probably about as close to an mx master as your gonna get. Has the weird shape where it gets skinnier where the ring and pinky finger rest so you end up dragging or sticking out your pinky. Lots of thumb buttons, did i mention i like that. 6. Roccat kone xp air - weird shape, almost looks like a left handed mouse but its not. i really like the button configuration but the shape just makes it uncomfortable for the ring and pinky finger, side buttons arent worth an uncomfortable grip 7. Logi G900 - meh one of the first "large" mice i aquired. Its too narrow to be comfortable for xxl hands. 8. Logi G502 - dont listen to anyone who recommends this mouse, its actually not really any smaller than any of the other mice here but the button placement is verry uncomfortable for xxl large hands. I think that about covers it other than I use an mxMaster 3 at work. I would still like for these all to be a little bigger but gaming mice don't get any bigger than this that i have found. TLDR I RECCOMEND THE PULSAR XLITE V4 LARGE Edit - I've held some of the razers at the store and i didn't particularly care for them.

Aerox 5 from Steel Series. It’s nice and big but so much smoother than the g502 and the button layout lets me choose where i want things to be. I only have 1/2 mapped but having the choice to put something where you want it to be vs where you have a button to program is so much nicer. Best button layout on a mouse by far

I just have my ss aerox 5 and a massive ESL mousemat, works wonders. Do you regularly switch between which mats and mice you use? I personally could not manage that, I have my little setup and it’s wonderful xd

Maybe check out the Turtle Beach Kone XP Air or the Steelseries Aerox 5 although, some of its buttons are hard to reach and also weird material choice of slippery glossy buttons with a flick up and down button some people love it but I hate it. I ended up settling with the Kone I also use the naga but its heavy and wanted something a bit lighter.

The Steel Series Rival 600 is misunderstood. I personally hate my Aerox 5, and I'm back using my Rival.

I actually can contribute here. I have the O2. Might be the worst mouse I’ve ever bought, and I bought it on release for 120$. It feels insanely cheap (even for an intentionally lightweight mouse), it has no external receiver, so if your PC is under your desk you’re shit out of luck. Oh and the battery lasts like 3d at the beginning but quickly degrades to more like 12h. I bought the Steelseries Aerox 5 as a cheaper, more reliable alternative and it’s been working great so far. External connector, well made software, and was discounted quite a bit.

I use the areox 5

Depends on budget but I’ll recommend the brand steel series. If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere there are options with wireless connection over 2.4 and Bluetooth which can give you better response or save you battery depending on your needs. I have an Aerox 5 which works great but I’m not a fan of cleaning it since it have a lot of holes. Maybe one of the Rival models will suit you.

Hi, I've owned a steelseries rival 710 then upgraded to the steelseries Aerox 5 but unfortunately the sensor died me out of the blue. Since then I'm using a Logitech G502 hero that was on discount on Amazon but I feel like it's too heavy. I'm getting the singularity from tekkusai as my first glasspad, should I change the mouse too or I'm fine with the G502? I've googled the ATK A9 you mentioned and it's pretty cheap, is it worth it or should I save up for something better?

I second this, I bought an aerox 5 and within a couple of months I got the scroll wheel issue, rma'd it for a new one, got the same issue again within 3 months, gave up and went back to my trusty razer DeathAdder, she has never let me down.

The steel series aerox 5 and 9 are pretty much the only options for multiple side buttons under 100 grams.

Idk man personally I dont mind heavier mice but after using them for a couple of hours my wrist start to hurt. I am a mechanical engineer who works on my computer for 8 hours a day, then when im done I usually game for a little. So for using a mouse for close to 12ish hours a day a heavier mouse is just not it. I currently use a 60 gram mouse and its amazing the aerox 5 by steelseries. And I had a second aerox 5 because it suddenly broke that I managed to fix by resoldering a new switch on it, that I de-shelled and turned it into a zero mouse clone sorta. And that'd also been an awsome mouse to use.

Steelseries Aerox 5. Have it since 5 years now. No problem. Good mouse. Didn't choose it specifically for PoE, though.

This will be kinda of hypocritical of me but SteelSeries has a good MMO-style mouse. ***BE WARNED however***: I've had two steelseries mice (Aerox 3 and 5) and both broke within 2 years. - The Aerox 3 had its right mouse button stop reading every click. - The Aerox 5 had its middle scroll wheel stop reading every notch. Mad irritating and eventually made me leave the brand to Asus gaming mice which I've really enjoyed. Now that said, I really liked the Aerox mice. They were comfortable, light, and felt good to use. Hot-Take, i even liked their software. SteelSeries has ***The Aerox 9*** which is specifically for MMO/MOBAs. It would be exactly what you're looking for, just be aware of the issues I had.

yeah, we got the Aerox 5 and the Model I 2 but those are about it. If a company released a lightweight(ish) 3 or 4 side button mouse, I would leap on it right away. For now, my Model I is being replaced by Viper V3 pro. My hand keeps going to side buttons that don't exist 😭

I'm using the aerox 5 and the grip is normal, no idea what you're talking about

My only complaint with the aerox is mine's wireless broke after ~4 months of use, and the scroll wheel got inconsistent pretty quick. Other than that I've really enjoyed it

Definitely won’t take a year man…. If you actually use maybe a couple days ? Idk I never really have an issue after a switch except for one time I had a Aerox 5 and the sensor felt a little off to me so I never used it again.

Aerox 5. 800dpi, 30 in game all.

It took me a long time to get off the naga. Do you ever consider the lightweight mmo mouse from steel series? I bought one and it’s actually not bad.

I searched recently and just broke down and bought a Logitech. All the other vertical mice I could find were no name Chinese stuff from Amazon. I’d love for someone to comment if there is a name brand, reliable one that has a good sensor like OP is asking. The Logitech is fine but it does not have the precision and feel of the steel series Aerox it replaced.

Scroll-wheel is indeed the weak point in the Aerox series. After my 4th one I decided to just go back to fps mice. They're so much further in development, MMO mice feel like they're stuck in 2015.

Im happy w my steelseries, it has some good button placements

Aerox, only cons: battery for wireless model doesnt last long

From my experience, anything that isn't hard plastic (steelseries aerox) gets gunky and sweaty easily. does the rapoo have issues with sweat and grime buildup, or is it easy enough to wipe off once every few days?

I did a post a few months back, I've tried every single MMO mouse, wired and wireless, I'm currently using the Razer Naga V2 Pro, before that the V1 Pro, just make sure you register for the warranty on the website and they've been really good at replacing them when things like scroll wheels start to jitter. I've had the SS Aerox, G502/G600, Scimitar, Redragon, a lot of the MMO mice come down to feel of the side buttons, of which the Naga is the best for my hand shape. Not too big but with different enough levels you can feel every unique button, the Corsair had every even column ridged, but it didn't feel great, Aerox was probably the worst for this, the g600 was somewhat okay but I found the slanted buttons a bit too slanted. Have always regretted anything other than a Naga, had an original Naga, then the WoW cataclysm edition Naga, then Naga Pros since. Whenever I get one RMAd I've tried a new mouse before opening the replacement Razer, and I've always felt the Razer was an improvement.

As someone who's had every iteration of MMO mouse, the cataclysm naga is the one I remember the most. Weirdly, my g600 lasted the least amount of time, I've gone through maybe 3 Nagas in my time, but I've used them for a decade, so not a massive shock. The aerox wasn't good, the corsair scimitar was not good. Razer have also been the best for warranties, even replacing a V1 Naga Pro with a V2 Naga Pro at my last return.

Steelseries aarox. Turn off RGB and it's a great gaming mouse

I have tried razer naga, corsair scimitar and steel series Aerox. My personal preference was the razer naga. All three have shit software that sometimes just won’t work or won’t save a keybind. Just ordered the redragon m908 off Amazon for $20 since a lot of people recommend it.

I have the steel series and like it a lot. I had the naga V2 and it is the single worst mouse I have ever used so I would avoid that one if I were you.

Sorry this is gonna be long response but your problem is something I have explored for a while and am passionate about lol. I agree it's pretty frustrating to find light mice with lots of buttons. I also love mice with 6+ buttons. Besides the aforementioned Aerox line (or even Rival 5) from Steelseries, there aren't a lot of options as they all start pushing 100g. An alternative is the corsair m65 which has tilt gestures, or the razer basilisk, but these mice are still 100g There are a couple things you can do to solve your problem though. One is software related, and the other is ergonomic modding related. Software can increase your binds, while modding can make mice (feel) lighter # Software: Use button shifting/layering in software to increase the number of buttons you have available. The only companies that I know of that do this is Logitech (G-shift), Razer (hypershift), Roccat (Easyshift) and fortunately your Glorious mouse (Layer Shift)! Try playing around in your glorious CORE software to enable layer shift and then you can effectively double/triple your binds # Modding: Mod your existing mouse (or one you like with lots of buttons) to improve ergonomics and grip strength. This in turn allows a stronger hold on your mouse thus making it feel lighter. This is pretty much what I did when all the mice I liked were heavy but had 8+ buttons lol For example, I too love my g600 and use it for a lot of stuff. I took it apart to solder new switches and i found out it has 2 metal plates inside to add weight (absolute blasphemy!). I took those out and it reduced the g600 by 30g, so now it's only about 100g, which is pretty light by my personal standards. Then I added grip tape to the sides and a wedge for my pinky, then switched out the stock cable for a paracord cable and now the g600 feels like a lightweight dream to use. Consider Clawmates by Struth Gaming for comfortable wedges to put on a mouse with lots of buttons. I use clawmates on a spatha X and razer basilisk for competitive FPS games and they feel plenty good to flick and track with, even with their heavy weights Hopefully all this info helps. Happy mouse searching/modding, pal! #

Only thing I would recommend is researching latency. Some mice have high latency to response time. But this caters to people who play competitive games. Other wise it’s difficult to tell the difference. If you play non competitively, I would just find a mouse that feels good, looks good with the setup and cost efficient. I forget what the top rated mouse is for low latency but I know the super light from Logitech is top 3 I believe. And the viper pro is up there as well. In my experience I would stay away from the steel series Aerox, i broke 3 of them in the course of a year and that’s with moderate use maybe 1-2 hours a day

I have tried most of the common recommendations (Corsair Scimitar, Red Dragon, Logigetch 600) and I've had the Razer one as well. They were all fine with some issues; Razer is shite quality and breaks consistantly, Logitech didn't have a wireless version, Scimitar was too unwieldy for me, Red Dragon's just kinda meh. I've been using the Steelseries Aerox for the past year or so and it's been amazing, easily my favorite MMO mouse I've ever used.

Honestly dont know about roccat much that you preferred, others i wouldnt buy, a friend of mine owns aerox and its a good one played plenty of games at his house so i might suggest this maybe..