The Sharkoon FireGlider Review: Low Price, High Value

Published: April 13, 2015 1:00 PM /

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Sharkoon Mouse Box

The FireGlider is a wired ergonomic gaming mouse from Sharkoon, a German company that's been making various gaming-related computer hardware since 2003. The Sharkoon FireGlider has been on the market for a few years, but has largely flown under the radar due to the company's lack of recognition compared to bigger brands like Logitech or Razer. I saw that it was very inexpensive and had excellent customer reviews, so I picked one up. Being the saint that I am, I'll be reviewing the FireGlider to see whether or not it's a cheap alternative to more expensive mice or if you really do get what you pay for. The mouse I purchased is decorated with a tribal flame design, though I've seen a flat black and water-transfer flame design as well on other sites.

I'm sorry, Jarred. I'm afraid I can't click that.
I'm sorry, Jarred. I'm afraid I can't click that.

Right off the bat, the box it comes in is nice without being complicated. You get a velco-latched door on the front of the cardboard box that you can pull back to reveal a clear plastic vacuum-seal with the mouse inside. Getting the box open wasn't too difficult, and there are no pesky zip ties or twisty ties to fiddle with before you can get the mouse out of the packaging. Along with the mouse, you get a little travel pouch with the driver disk and some spare mouse skates inside, which I really think more companies need to provide. One twisty tie keeps the USB cable all nice and folded up and once you get that off you're ready to go.

Looking at the Sharkoon FireGlider itself, I don't feel like I was ripped-off at all. It's a fairly chunky piece of equipment with seven buttons and a very nice braided cable. There's also a twist-off door on the underside that houses a set of adjustable weights. I prefer a heavy mouse so I'm not going to bother taking any out permanently, but they pop in and out easily and can be stored in the pouch that comes with the mouse if you'd like a lighter feel. The left side of the mouse has a rubber grip with a ribbed texture that feels reasonably comfortable on the thumb, and the left and right mouse buttons are contoured to the shape of the middle and index fingers.

Not huge on the tribal design, but I'm enjoying the thumb grip.
Not huge on the tribal design, but I'm enjoying the thumb grip.

The wheel on the Sharkoon FireGlider has an extremely fine horizontal groove pattern that I can't say I'm too fond of. It's not bad, but I'd prefer a regular old mouse wheel. Right next to the wheel on the left side is a small button with a few plastic bumps on it to make sure you can find it. Immediately behind the wheel is a clear plastic button with a sort of spherical shape to it, and just to the left of the left mouse button are two additional buttons.

The left and right click are very clear and responsive, and all of the additional buttons have nice strong clicks as well, as opposed to the dull, rubbery button-presses that some mice have. The skates on the mouse are hard plastic, but I haven't had any issue with it slip-sliding around on my mouse pad. I've not had any issue reaching the buttons on the mouse, except for the little bumpy one next to the wheel that's starting to seem like it's pushed a bit too far forward for my grip.

The maximum DPI on the Sharkoon FireGlider is 3600, and the maximum report rate is 1000hz, with several intervals below that to choose from. With all of the weights, the mouse comes in at 135 grams, and removing them cuts the weight down to 118 grams. The laser sensor in the mouse is an Agilent ADNS-6010 and the braided USB cable measures in at 1.8 meters(5'10) in length.

A look at the FireGlider's no-nonsense adjustable weights.
A look at the FireGlider's no-nonsense adjustable weights.

The software that comes bundled with the Sharkoon FireGlider installed in no time and while I probably won't use it much, it's got a lot of in-depth settings that can be used to tweak the mouse to your liking, as well as a copy of the manual in .pdf format. The English in the software is pretty bad, but it's not bad enough that I couldn't understand what it was trying to tell me. Of the seven buttons on the FireGlider, six can be reprogrammed. The clear spherical button I mentioned earlier is used to cycle through the five profiles built in to the mouse, all of which can be customized. Which profile you have selected is indicated by a light in the mouse that shines up through the clear button. Each profile can be configured with its own button setup, DPI setting, and report rate. In addition, the mouse is equipped with onboard memory, so your settings will work regardless of the computer you're using the mouse with.

Overall, the Sharkoon FireGlider is a damn good bargain. I paid a paltry sum of $29.99 for it before shipping and handling, and I can confidently say that I'll be getting more than my money's worth out of it. It doesn't have three hundred programmable buttons or modular thumb rest technology, but if you're not a person who's worried about having only the newest products or the biggest brand names on your peripherals, the FireGlider may just be the perfect mouse for you. If you want to get your hands on one, I purchased mine here, from Newegg. You can also get it here using our Amazon affiliate link!

*This mouse was purchased by the reviewer and reviewed on a PC running Windows 7

Review Summary

7.5

The Sharkoon FireGlider is an inexpensive mouse that still manages to provide both good build quality and some nice utility for gaming.

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I hate video games. Fun is terrible. Longtime fan of Opie, Anthony, and Jim Norton, The Ron & Fez Show, and stand-up comedy. I'm into gunpla,… More about Jarred