The best mouse I have ever used – CM MM720

Over the past few years we have seen quite a few new, ultra-light weight mice come onto the market, I myself use one for my gaming rig, as well as for work. My weapon of choice, the Cooler Master MM711 for my gaming rig and the MM710 for work. Since these lightweight mice have come out, I have preferred them over a heavier mouse. I have less wrist strain since switching over to a lightweight mouse and I have become more accurate in games as well. My main mouse, the MM711 weighs in at only 60 grams but I would prefer an even lighter mouse. 

Price

Well Cooler Master has heard my cry and launched the new MM720, now this is quite a fat boy, but don’t let that fool you, this weighs in at only 49 grams, that’s 11 grams lighter than the MM711. Now 11 grams might not sound like much, but that’s a 20% decrease in weight. That’s seriously impressive, especially considering this mouse is cheaper as well, only being $50 and at the time of doing this review it was on special for $45. Here in South Africa they retail for around R750. 

Design

Now white is a brave color to choose for a mouse, because hands are filthy and they don’t stay white very long, luckily you get a black version as well, and each color scheme can be chosen in either a glossy or matte finish. If the design looks familiar, it’s because the MM720 is designed after the Cooler Master Spawn that came out in 2011 and the redesign of that, the Xornet, which were both fan favorites and made really good claw grip mice and was also very comfy and ergonomic. 

So the shape has a shorter palm section, with the cooler master logo in the middle, and it almost looks like it’s just suspended in mid air, then you have a nice ringfinger rest on the right side. So sorry lefties but this one isn’t for you. The left and right click also has very nice indents to keep your fingers in place. Now because of the size of the mouse, and how your hand sits in it, you might lose some grip, so that’s another reason for the glossy finish, as it is apparently a bit more grippy than the matte finish. But luckily Cooler Master also includes some grip tape with the mouse, if you don’t want to opt for the glossy mouse. They are black though, so not sure if I would stick them on the white mouse.

RGB

Now we don’t live in 2011 anymore and this time around we have RGB. Like the MM711 you get a big RGB area in the palm rest section and then the scroll wheel as well. It would’ve been nice if they gave an option without the RGB to save even more weight, but at least it’s still almost half the weight of the original Spawn. Controlling all your RGB is the Cooler Master, MasterPlus+ software. Here you can select your DPI settings for each level, you can also switch off, some of the levels if you don’t use all 7. You can also change the switch reaction time and a bunch of other things. 

Weight

Now the weight reduction is thanks to the way they used the honeycomb cut outs on the mouse, so it’s now smaller but more holes. And also the plastic seems thinner than the MM711. The MM711 does creek a bit when pressing down on it hard where the new MM720 is very sturdy and doesn’t make any strange noises. 

Now some of you might think of all the dirt that will get stuck in the holes, on top of that you get dust going through the holes too. Luckily Cooler Master also thought of that and sprayed the PCB with a special dust and water resistant coating, which will help prevent accidental spills, dust bunnies and sweaty hands. The MM720 is certified for IP58 dust and water protection, meaning you can actually dunk the mouse in water to clean it off. However Cooler Master states that it might be better to just take care of your mouse from the start. But I just take an old toothbrush and some water to clean mine with.

Cord

The mouse cord is the same design from the MM710 and 711 and one of my favorite features. But to be completely honest, it feels heavier, maybe because the mouse is so much lighter, but the older cable was very flexible and extremely light, where this one feels stiffer and harder, the old design you barely noticed the cable but I would almost suggest a bungee for the MM720. Which is very unfortunate as the old cable is one of my favorite features of the MM711. 

Switches

Something new is the switches used on the MM720, the left and right click are now actually a MK optical micro switch and not conventional mechanical switches, they are rated for up to 70 million clicks. Which means much better durability and also more accurate clicks. Now the button is a bit wiggly but nothing that was too bothersome, the clicks were also light, but not too light that you would miss click and the travel distance was very good as well. You won’t miss any shots with this mouse that’s for sure. We couldn’t really tell the difference between the optical and mechanical switches, but they did feel a tiny bit lighter. You also get two side buttons which you can program whichever way you want. They are positioned very well, and are actually very smooth and comfortable to press, being a little stiffer than the left and right click but still not too stiff. The scroll wheel is kind of a see through rubber, with clear and accurate steps.

Underneath

Another one of my favorite features, which they luckily didn’t break, was the glider feet. They still use the same PTFE material for these which makes the mouse feel like it’s floating. The MM720 has one big one at the front and a smaller one towards the back. They also include additional feet if you do want to change them in a couple years time.

The mouse sensor used was an old trusted friend of ours and probably still one of the best ones available. The PixArt PWM 3389, with 7 levels of DPI, a 400ips tracking speed and a polling rate of 1000Hz. You also have a lift of distance of about 2mm and 50g mouse acceleration. Now it might not have an 8000Hz polling rate and or something crazy like that, but in retrospect the 1000Hz polling rate will be more than enough. Sensors have become so good anyways that it’s more about comfort and usability on a mouse than anything else. 

Gaming

Gaming was very enjoyable, I had no miss clicks or missed any shots and it was easy to achieve some flick shots with the lightness of the mouse. Even after gaming for very long sessions I had no wrist strain, my arm also didn’t feel fatigued or tired. That’s the main purpose of a lightweight mouse, to make gaming enjoyable and easy and that’s what the MM720 accomplishes. It’s very smooth and you barely notice that you have a mouse in your hand. 

Conclusion

To end it off, the MM720 is one of my favorite mice currently available, it’s extremely comfortable and very very light. But that’s if you enjoy light mice, if you haven’t used a lighter mouse yet, maybe try one out first if possible. But for those who enjoy light mice, this is one to buy. I will probably swap my MM711 out for the MM720, it’s really that good. Especially considering the price point here in South Africa, at R750 there aren’t a lot of great options for mice.