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Wallhack M-001 Review: When Fun Overrides Specs
Batteries. They're not typically thought of as a significant source of innovation. Most companies have spent the last few years removing mice in favor of more lightweight designs.
That's what's made the return of the replaceable and rechargeable battery surprising—something I once thought to be a lost technology from a bygone era. A few companies have recently realized that the ability to pop out and replace your battery in seconds is a great way to extend mouse life without needing to increase battery size or efficiency.
From the handful of mice I’ve tested with hot-swappable batteries so far, Wallhack does it best. The mouse is designed around the function’s ease-of-use, and everything else comes together to make a mouse that feels not only competitive for gaming, but also well thought-out and satisfying to use in everyday life.
The M-001’s shape is a standard right-handed, symmetrical design. This means the mouse’s left and right sides are shaped identically, but only the left side has thumb buttons. There are two main buttons, two side buttons, a standard ratcheting scroll wheel, and a power switch on the underside.
With a length of 120 mm, the M-001 is slightly shorter than contemporaries like the Razer Viper V4 Pro (125 mm) and Logitech Pro Superstrike X2 (127 mm). The overall width and height are comparable, at 63.5-mm tall and a 39-mm wide. The largest difference is the profile of the mouse: The front end sits significantly lower than other mice, and the rear has a more significant hump, which creates a more angled shape overall. When using a palm grip, this puts your hand at a slightly more aggressive forwards angle, with your palm sitting higher and your fingers pointing more downwards. It’s a slight difference, but I found this angle to be better for quick movements compared to a more “flat” design. However, like most shape-related choices, this is ultimately down to individual preference. (To compare mouse sizes, I typically use a website like eloshapes)
The two main buttons are lightly sculpted, with subtle concavity for fingers to comfortably rest in. Similarly, there is a subtle taper at the bottom center of the mouse which makes lifting and moving easier. The side buttons use a simple, rounded shape placed just above the taper, making it easy to rock your thumb upwards to press them without getting in the way. They’re just elevated enough that the buttons don’t recess into the shell when pressed. The only shape-related issue I had was the scroll wheel, which is a good bit more elevated than other mice. This isn’t a huge issue, and I adapted to it after a few hours of use, but it’s something I could see being off-putting for users accustomed to a lower-profile scroll wheel.
The most important part of this mouse’s construction is the magnesium shell, which provides significantly more rigidity than the plastic shells used on most mice. Because of this, the mouse feels incredibly sturdy and solid. The metal shell also gives the mouse a cool, slick feeling underneath your fingertips, which I prefer to the matte plastic feeling that most mice have.
Despite using metal, it only weighs 53.6 grams, making the M-001 quite light by most standards, It still falls slightly behind the Viper V4 Pro’s 50.3 grams and lags way behind Corsair’s superlight, 36-gram Sabre V2 Pro Ultralight. But the M-001 is incredibly solid, with none of the flexibility or flimsiness that most plastic mice have. When compared to other magnesium mice like the AngryMiao Infinity .97 or Corsair’s magnesium-shelled Sabre, the M-001 has an entirely solid upper shell without any cutouts or holes, which feels much better for regular use with a multitude of grip styles (plus, it’s much less likely to have dust, dead skin, or anything else build up inside of it). While the full magnesium shell increases weight, it’s a worthwhile trade-off for a smooth and rigid shape.
It’s also worth noting that some of Wallhack’s promotional material depicts the mo