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Bucking the trend for plastic gaming mice, the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro CF is made from a carbon fibre unibody, a unique material choice that comes at a £70 premium versus the the £90 Sabre V2 Pro MG and an even larger one versus the £57 original Corsair Sabre V2 Pro. Is it worth the extra money for competitive gamers? And the extra weight for ultra-light diehards?
Unfortunately, I don't think so - at least for most people. The design looks and feels incredible, and I'm sure that some enthusiasts would absolutely spend a bit more to get a mouse made with a material that is rare (if not completely unknown) to the space. However, for most people, the cheaper magnesium alloy design at £90 is a much better choice, especially as there's just a 1g weight difference between the two variants. The original plastic model is also substantially lighter, at 36g, and even cheaper at £57. There are plenty of great wireless ultra-light options on the market at a similar price too - including the Logitech Superlight 2, the Razer Viper V3 Pro and the Mchose Ultra K7.
However, the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro CF is still a fascinating mouse to use, and it's worth running through why I've been using it at my work and gaming PC for the past two months - which comes down to usability, comfort and vibes.
Usability is pretty easy to sum up. The original Sabre V2 Pro hits some impressive spec points, with up to 8000Hz polling, a high-end optical sensor and a 36g kerb weight, but its streamlined design eschews Bluetooth connectivity and a physical DPI switch. The CF, by contrast, is a mouse comes with Bluetooth support, a convenient switch to toggle between connectivity modes, and that DPI button, all of which make it easier to set up the mouse without software and use with non-gaming devices. That's kept the mouse on my desk for longer, as I've been able to use it to set up gaming handhelds, quickly swap onto new PC builds and take it alongside my work laptop.
You also get a nifty padded carrying case, which is a convenient way to bring the cable, transmitter and various grip tapes that the mouse comes with, while the Web Hub web app Corsair provides means no software install is needed. Most importantly though, battery life takes a major jump, from 70 hours at 1000Hz to 120 hours with the CF model - again, a huge boon to overall usability, given that there's no included charging dock here. Recharging is fast via USB-C too; I generally only use it wired for about an hour before it's ready to go for weeks more. Using it at 8000Hz for competitive purposes would reduce battery life significantly, and then I'd be more likely to want a docked solution.
The CF and MG variants are also slightly larger than the plastic version, measuring in at 123x64x39mm versus 119x63x38mm. The shape is also a touch different, sloping down more gradually and ending higher up on the front - and significantly so on the back. I find the CF model a bit comfier to use as a result, while the carbon fibre material also feels a little better suited to warmer weather - as Europe is currently experiencing (to my absolute horror). My hand size is 20x10cm, with a relaxed claw grip, for reference; smaller hand sizes might therefore prefer the smaller OG model.
The vibes argument is understandably more subjective, but the carbon fibre variant avoids the ventilated look of the magnesium version - which puts some people off who are worried by trypophobia or the prospect of spilling their drinks into it - while also being visually distinct from most mice on the market. Carbon fibre effect patterns aren't unknown in computer mice, of course, but the real deal feels solid in the hand too. There's no flex evident here whatsoever, a far cry from early ultra-lights. It's just a nice-looking mouse that feels as expensive as it is.
Ultimately though, the weight of that £160 price point just keeps crashing down. I wouldn't say that the Corsair is quite as capable as the more ground-breaking flagship mice, like the Razer Viper V4 Pro or the Logitech X2 SuperStrike, and I'd rather have either than this at the same price. That isn't to say that the CF is a bad mouse - far from it! - but it just costs too much to recommend.
Next up from me on gaming mice: the aforementioned Viper V4 Pro and a budget offering from Canyon Gaming. Stay tuned.