With the M.O.J.O. M1, Mad Catz introduced a new mouse last year with which the company follows the trend of particularly light mice. In order to save weight, the plastic cover of the M.O.J.O. M1 is designed as a cage in many places, which brings the company’s total weight to just 70 grams.
Away from the low weight, Mad Catz offers a pretty standard package for the M.O.J.O. M1 a fairly standard package: The former high-end Pixart PWM 3360 sensor works inside, which should still cover most demands with its maximum resolution of 12,000 DPI. In addition, there is RGB lighting and the typical two additional keys, while Mad Catz’ own Dakota switches are used under the main keys.
At the time of testing, the M.O.J.O. M1 around 50 Euros, currently the price is € 190.40 *. Our following test will show whether the mouse is a good offer for this price, and where the strengths and weaknesses of the device lie.
Specifications (manufacturer specifications)
| Sensor: | Pixart PMW 3360 |
| DPI: | 12,000 |
| Max. Speed: | 250 IPS |
| Max. Acceleration: | 50g |
| Sampling rate: | 1,000 Hz |
| Switches: | Dakota, 60 million clicks |
| Keys: | 6 (2x main keys, 1x mouse wheel, 1x DPI, 2x additional) |
| Lighting: | RGB |
| Weight: | 70 g |
| Weight (measured): | 69.9 g |
| Dimensions (W x H x D): | 79.3 x 39 x 120 mm |
| Price | € 190.40 * |
Scope of delivery
When it comes to accessories, Mad Catz limits the M.O.J.O.. M1 to a short manual, a slip of paper with warranty information, and a total of six stickers with the manufacturer’s logo. This puts the mouse on par with many competing products, because apart from the occasional replacement element or additional weights, which would be completely out of place here, further accessories are rarely found on mice.
Design and workmanship
When it comes to the case design of the M.O.J.O. M1, Mad Catz remains true to established conventions: the mouse is strictly designed for right-handers and accordingly has two of the three additional buttons placed on the left side, so that they can be easily operated with the thumb. For this, a curved tray is accommodated at the same time, which enlarges the case and thus increases the mouse’s weight a bit, but increases the operating comfort in return.
On the other side of the mouse, as well as on the back, the case doesn’t have any further protrusions. The little finger and the ring finger are therefore simply placed against the side of the case.
When it comes to the surface design, the M.O.J.O. M1, like many other lightweight mice, relies on “holes” in the case to save plastic and thus weight. The openings are located on the sides as well as in the center of the mouse’s back. The rear part of the mouse, where the wrist usually rests, is covered with smooth plastic though, so the mouse feels “normal” here. Nice addition for geeks: The circuit board, on which the sensor and the LED are located, can be seen well through the cutouts.
As already indicated, the Mad Catz M.O.J.O. M1 is largely made of matte black plastic. The only exceptions to this are the rubberized mouse wheel, the usual glide pads on the bottom of the mouse, and the three additional buttons, which are made of high-gloss plastic.
Visually and haptically, the case of the mouse is flawless. The individual case parts are firmly and stably connected, the device is torsion-resistant and doesn’t creak even under load. We also liked the feel of the mouse: The materials used are pleasant to hold. Whether you like the smooth surface of the additional keys is a matter of taste – we didn’t mind it.
Technique, practice and lighting
For the M.O.J.O.. M1, Mad Catz relies on Pixart’s old blockbuster PMW3360 sensor, which resolves at up to 12,000 DPI and can still cover common demands well. In contrast to many competing products, however, you are limited in using the sensor because Mad Catz does not provide any software for the mouse and thus no further control over the sensor.
Thus, you have to do without adjusting the lift-off distance, the resolution adjustment accurate to 100 DPI and the optional Angle Snapping of the PMW 3360, and make do with the default settings. In these, Angle Snapping is disabled, and the toggle button on the back of the mouse lets you choose between the fairly common resolutions of 800, 1,600, 3,200, and 12,000. Apart from these restrictions, the implementation of the sensor is well done: We could not discover imprecise inputs, delays or other conspicuities in the test.
The illumination is also limited by the missing software: The RGB LED installed inside the mouse wanders with its hue along the color wheel and unfortunately cannot be further adjusted. The brightness is also fixed.
When it comes to the switches, Mad Catz once again promises to use the in-house Dakota switches, which, according to the company, are suitable for 60 million clicks and should also offer a particularly fast response time. The latter should at best be in the measurable rather than the perceptible range, but we can at least make a statement about the click feeling. In our eyes, this is one of the mouse’s strengths: All main and additional keys of the M.O.J.O. M1 have a very pleasant, crisp pressure point.
The keys are also easy to reach, and we were generally impressed by the mouse’s ergonomics: The M.O.J.O. M1 feels quite good in our hands. M1 lies quite well in our hand, and that in all usual grip techniques. For large hands, a resting option for the little finger would probably have increased the comfort a bit more, but that should be irrelevant for most users.
The low weight of the mouse also makes a noticeable difference in our eyes, although the advantage of this is of course to be weighed up individually. Whether a particularly light mouse appeals to you, or a heavier one, which possibly even has additional weights, is something only everyone can decide for themselves.
Conclusion
With the M.O.J.O.. M1, Mad Catz has released a mouse that is successful in many aspects. The currently € 190.40 * expensive mouse [test time: €50] has done well in terms of stability and build quality despite its low weight of only 70 grams. Mad Catz has chosen a middle ground and accepted a slightly higher weight in some places for a more “normal” design of the mouse – for example, the smooth mouse back.
The ergonomics and the Dakota switches installed in the mouse could also convince us in the test: The M.O.J.O. M1 lies well in the hand, all buttons are easy to reach and also have a very pleasant click feeling. This surprised us positively, especially with the additional keys.
The new product from Mad Catz can convince in many core disciplines, but the company has unfortunately put obstacles in its own way with the missing software, in our eyes. We could have done without a polling rate setting or a macro function, but if a mouse already has a Pixart PMW-3360 and an RGB LED installed, then you will probably want to set them more precisely in many cases. Mad Catz could make the mouse even more suitable for the masses with a second revision or software.
All in all, the decision to buy the M.O.J.O.. M1 is probably, as so often, a matter of taste. In this weight class and at a similar price, there are few comparable products anyway, which alone makes the mouse attractive. If you can also live with the lack of adjustment options for the sensor and the illumination, the M1 is certainly a good choice – because apart from these points, it is very well done.
Mad Catz M.O.J.O. M1
Workmanship
Features
Ergonomics
Value for money
83/100
A well-implemented mouse with some quirks.
