CM Storm Skorpion

Type: Peripheral - Mouse Bungee
Brand: Cooler Master CM Storm
Price: £9.99
Purchased From: Ebuyer.com
Overall Review: 4/5

I first saw one of these strange little contraptions at Insomnia 51 Gaming convention, and the only thought that went through my head was "What in hell's name is that useless thing?". Despite not even trying it I vowed that never in my life would I purchase anything so pointless.

I'll have a milkshake to go with that slice of humble pie please.

I've recently built myself a new desk for my gaming setup, but encountered quickly a problem with the mouse cable snagging on the edge of the aluminium worktop. I reasoned I needed something to hold my mouse cable in place and not let it get too cosy with the razor sharp metal. To my horror it hit me like a freight train that the exact thing I was describing was one of these items I had lambasted and vilified a matter of weeks before: a mouse bungee.

The general idea is that the cable from your corded mouse is pushed into and gripped by a rubber arm which is mounted on a sturdy weighted base. When the mouse is moved, the rubber arm twists and moves with it providing an even tension on the cable and stopping it from snagging on anything.

The CM Storm Skorpion has a black moulded rubber arm, which is attached to a three-legged rigid plastic body. The body is weighted by an iron core, which coupled with rubber feet on each of the legs is designed to stop the Skorpion skidding about during enthusiastic gameplay. 

Taking it out of the box, it feels very well made and thought through. A lot of attention has been paid to the details in the rubber and plastic mouldings that add to give the Skorpion a great look. It definitely won't fall apart on you any time soon. The base has the CM Storm logo in red against the black plastic, which is an effective little aesthetic touch. The cable for my mouse pushed in easily to the arm and the rubber grips it firmly, but repositioning is quick and simple. 

The base is fairly heavy, though not quite as substantial as I was expecting. Even with the rubber feet on the legs, I can actually slide it easily about on my desktop without a huge amount of force. However with the mouse cable position tweaked to it's optimum for my setup, the amount of lateral force that actually gets exerted on it isn't enough to dislodge it.

In use, I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I never noticed how much drag there was on my mouse cable until this little widget has all but removed it. My mouse glides effortlessly in any direction I please with no stress on the cable whatsoever. My teeth no longer clench at the sound of a braided cable slowly but surely shearing in two! 

For easy transport to LAN parties and the such, the Skorpion can break down into smaller components. The three legs can unclip from the central body, and the rubber arm can be slid off it's connector. I gave disassembly a go for a picture, and found I actually needed a screwdriver to prise the clips slightly to remove the legs. I'm sure over time the plastic would wear slightly making removal easier, but I'm not sure how this will affect the overall stability once assembled. I'd say probably worth just removing the top arm and just being careful with where in your rucksack of cables and peripherals you stuff it. 

So in summary, despite how much I wanted to dislike the whole mouse bungee as a gaming peripheral, the CM Storm Skorpion has definitely changed my view of them. It's turned out to be a pretty nifty bit of kit, and in my opinion if you have the space for it on your desk then go for it. Looks awesome, works fantastically, all's good.