Recently, I tested several computer mice. As good as they were, none of them had that crucial game-breaking trait he needed: a fan.
Luckily, there’s Marsback’s Zephyr Pro ‘RGB Sweat-Proof Gaming Mouse’, which features a built-in fan. Yes, you read that right.
When Marsback approached me about this revolutionary new computer mouse, I knew I had to give it a try. My notoriously sweaty palms have dampened all the mice I have used. I thought, I hoped, that the Zephyr Pro was different. And the jokes aside, it was actually kind of nice to have a fan blowing air into my palm while I was playing.
But, it didn’t really stop the sweat. Maybe my hands were a little less damp than with a fanless mouse, but they certainly weren’t dry. When I started testing the Zephyr Pro, I was impressed by how quiet it was with the fan running. However, after a few days of use, the fan started to make a little noise; It wasn’t very loud, but it could get annoying after a while. You may also feel a slight vibration on the mouse at times. On their own, these aren’t big issues, but they do raise some concerns about durability and longevity.
The Zephyr Pro is a pretty standard mouse if you ignore the fan
Fan aside, the Zephyr Pro is a pretty decent mouse too. It has nice RGB lighting, courtesy of a strip of light around the bottom of the mouse. The mouse wheel also turns on and there is a small RGB light pad under the fan that makes the interior of the Zephyr Pro shine as well.
Along with dope RGB, the Zephyr Pro offers its standard assortment of mouse freebies. There are thumb buttons on the side, a clickable scroll wheel, a button to cycle through the DPI settings, and a cloth cable instead of rubber.
At the bottom there are two PTFE footrests for smooth gliding and two buttons flanking the sensor: one for adjusting the lighting and one for the fan. The illumination button allows you to toggle between different light patterns or turn lights off completely. The fan button, unfortunately, does not change the speed of the fan. Pressing and holding the button will turn off the fan.
In the time I was using the mouse, the buttons were wonderfully clickable and it was comfortable. The Zephyr Pro is a bit heavier than the Cooler Master mouse I tested before, but at 69g the Zephyr Pro is still quite light.
Unfortunately, the Zephyr Pro wasn’t that impressive on the software side. The Marsback controller software includes most of the standard options, such as DPI adjustment, polling rate, and options to change lighting. But overall, the software didn’t look or feel particularly polished. However, once I configured my settings, I was able to largely ignore it.
It is worth it if you really like the fan.
Overall, I like the Zephyr Pro, but I’m not sure it makes sense to everyone. If you have sweaty palms like I do, it’s a decent mouse that will keep your hand cool with the fan, but it definitely doesn’t solve your sweat problem. Beyond the fan, the Zephyr Pro offers nothing more than what most mice do.
What makes the Zephyr Pro a bit more difficult for Canadians to sell is that it is not available from any Canadian retailer. You won’t find it on Amazon, Best Buy, or Canada Computers. While you can order it on the Marsback website, you will pay USD, which makes the mouse a bit more expensive. Marsback currently has it on sale for $ 59 USD (about $ 74.57 CAD), which is fine, but a bit pricey just to get a basic gaming mouse with a fan.
However, Marsback lists the normal price at $ 99 USD (about $ 125.13 CAD), which is quite a bit more. If you really like the idea of having a mouse with a fan, I’d say try grabbing the Zephyr Pro while it’s still on sale (Marsback pointed out to me that the sale would go on until the end of September). For those who disagree with the fan, you probably better save your money and get something else.