Performance -
To test the performance of the Level 10 Mouse we stacked it up against a Logitech G5 laser gaming mouse, the original Sentinel, the CM Storm Spawn and a few others. I played through several levels of Batman Arkham Asylum, Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty Black Ops 2 and Mass Effect 3. I played each of these for one hour using each mouse to gauge hand and wrist fatigue and also accuracy and ease of use. I then sat down for some detailed Photoshop CS5 editing. These tests would be using the eraser tool and the cloning tool to edit and clean up small details in images. Unfortunately as these tests are all subjective I can only offer you my experience with it at this time.
Gaming -
We are not going to lie to you here, the Level 10 M took a little bit of time to get used to… about 10 minutes to be exact. Right out of the box the Level 10M was not exactly right for my hand and style of use. It took a couple of adjustments to both height and tilt, but once it was dialed in it was an incredible experience. The Level 10M is so light that you almost feel like you are just moving your hand around on the pad, but it is also substantial enough that it does not feel sloppy. The placement of the buttons is great. On many multiple button mice these can be put in the way and cause you to accidentally activate a button when you did not want to. This was not the case on the Level 10M; the buttons are within easy reach, but not in accidental reach (right under your fingers). Our gaming time was very enjoyable, we setup a few macros for Black Ops 2 and for Arkham Asylum and found them simple to use. As a gaming mouse Thermaltake has hit this one out of the park as the Level 10M is like no other mouse we have ever used for gaming.
Photoshop Editing and Day-to-Day Use -
Photo and video editing require precise movement and good controls. It is not enough just to have a high DPI laser on your mouse; you must also make sure that the movements of the mouse are controlled and feel natural. We have run more than a few mice through our outline test (we use a mouse to outline a complex image and crop out the background) and most of them are not up to the task. Sure you can do it, but the results are not as good and you end up with cramps just to keep things controlled. With the Level 10M we had a much easier time with this test. It is not as good as a tablet and stylus, but it is closer than any other mouse we have used even right out of the box. Once we find tuned things (2400DPI Y-Axis 1600DPI X-Axis with a slow cursor speed) things got even better.
For Day-to-Day use the Level 10M is also great, you can setup the air through buttons to launch commonly used applications or establish macros to complete simple tasks with ease. It is probably one of the best mice that I have ever used.
Comfort -
Because the Level 10M can be adjusted to fit your hand there is almost no match on the market for comfort. I mentioned earlier that my favorite mouse was the CMStorm Spawn. This is a claw style mouse that has a wide body and low height. It is perfect for my larger hand. This mouse has finally been replaced by the Level 10M. Once I had everything dialed in it was like an extension of my hand and not something that I had to push around my desk. I was very pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use and how comfortable it was even after long periods of use.
