Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Laser Mouse 5600 DPI

The Razer Mamba is a wired and wireless capable laser mouse released by the Razer company. I was lucky enough to grab one during a Woot sale for $75 shipped with a retail price of $120. It has served me well the last year.


I did not receive the mouse in this beautiful case. Since it was from Woot, I received it in a plain brown box. Everything was there though, and worked perfectly, I just didn't get that awesome display case looking enclosure.

The following images are as of November 11, 2011. This item was purchase July 18, 2010. So it has been in battle for more than a year.


Shown are the mouse, the dock and the cable. As you can see, the Mamba has been through a lot. Yes that is the rubber coating peeling off. Sooner or later I'm sure I'm going to just exfoliate the whole thing. More images of the damage will sprinkled through this review.


Forgive me for the dust and debris. I had taken the pictures and it slipped my mind. Anyway, the prongs required to make contact for the charging to occur are shown. It was not easy to dock at first. I kept fumbling and missing the base and contacts. With a little practice I can just toss it on. You can hear a little metal tap when it is properly docked. It is not latched on so you simply pull it off when you need it.

This is my favorite part of the Mamba. Rather than having to fumble through batteries after batteries in the midst of war, it can be charged over and over with a nice little dock for a clean look or shoved into the cable for a more direct approach. Sure other wireless mice can be hooked straight into the computer also, but very few have an aesthetically pleasing charging dock.


Just a couple more shots of the mamba. Once docked, it can be placed to the very rear of the table leaving more room in front for activities.


The cable can be completely removed from both accessories. Here it is all by its lonesome self.



On one end we have the regular USB cable while on the other end, we have some kind of mini USB plug. It is encased in a plastic shell that securely locks into the mouse or the dock. To remove it from the dock, you simple pull on it while removing it from the mouse requires a little finesse. There is a little spring loaded slide lock next to the power switch under the mouse. It needs to be slid and held while you pull out the cable. You'll get used to it.


Let's take a closer look at the braiding. Just like those found on several Logitech mice, these also have the cloth-like material. Luckily, it is wireless so the wire does not move around too much. My Logitech G5 with the same material eventually unraveled the cloth due to the continuous movement and rubbing on the table. It was my fault due to the setup though, so Logitech isn't to blame.


Here is the dock hooked up to the PC with the Mamba. Let's take a closer look.


Yup, that's closer. As you can see, given the plastic casing's weird shape, it fits perfectly in and is very secure. But how does it hook up to the mouse you say? Let's go!


Before the penetration ...


Inserted. Locked in until you decide you want it out. I can't begin to tell you how much this has saved me during gaming sessions. After hours of wireless fun, and not noticing the battery life indicator on the side, I am in the middle of a gunfight for my life when the Mamba gives out. Oh no you say? No worries, BAM, straight into the cable and I eventually lose anyway.


Here is the underside. The power switch is up top with the locking mechanism below next to the connection button. It has been a while since I used it, but if I remember correctly, I pressed the button on the dock and the button on the mouse for them to sync.


The battery indicator can be seen on the left side. Let us compare it with my frayed Logitech G5.


We have the G5 to the left and the Mamba to the right. Don't mind that cable. That is the cloth material I mentioned earlier that started to tear and unravel.


I believe that is the G5's actual paint job. So the Mamba has actually decayed much worse.


The cables are pretty much the same. We have the G5 on the left and the Mamba on the right. The Mamba feels more tighter but that may be because the G5 cable has torn. Not much of a comparison with broken parts but there you have it.


Here is the torn cable. Yes, it is a sad sight for such a worthy mouse. Let's go look at how bad the damage is on the Mamba.


That side padding is also coming off. I look back at how much we've gone through, and it really doesn't look as bad as this mouse does. Maybe it is due to sweaty hands or the crazy weather in my non-insulated room. It doesn't bother me much though. It still functions properly.

What I did not mention yet is the infamous wheel squeak that eventually infests the mouse. I thought I would not be susceptible, but it happened. It is caused by some plastic on plastic action and if I took it apart, all I had to do is lube it. But I never have the will and dedication to fix it, so it's just there, squeaking along. I don't notice it anymore, but it may bother some people.

Conclusion: It was a good long year for the Razer Mamba and I. The damage is all superficial so that's cool. As terrible as it looks, it has worked perfectly since day one. No hiccups with the motion and a breeze to switch from wired to wireless. I have heard countless amounts of people mentioning how terrible wireless is for gaming. Honestly, I did not notice a difference. It may be due to the fact that I am not a professional gamer in need of the utmost precision, but I do require some. And if I had noticed it as much as everyone has, I'm sure I would have replaced the mouse.

With a retail price of about $120, it may not stand up to people's expectations. When I spend 120 bones, I expect 120 bones worth of quality. Who would pay $120 for a mouse that will eventually start squeaking? Well, besides buying an actual pet mouse I guess. Then I hope it squeaks. But that's a different scenario. I got this at a price of $75 shipped so it was a pretty good deal for me even with the aesthetic downfalls. I guess what I am trying to say is wait for it to go on sale. Then it should be worth it.

Sadly, I did not mess with the configuration software so I do not have any first hand experience. It is used for programming macros and light settings, but I didn't need any of it. Hopefully others have tried it and made this mouse that much more enjoyable. Once the Razer Mamba 2012 goes on sale, I'm sure I will pick it up just for the light combinations. White lights you say? Sold!