While many of us dream of having Arielle’s job, gaming all day and night, gaining early access to new releases and telling us just how much she loves or hates said games, a lot of us spend time at work, in an office, away from our beloved gaming rigs.
That means we’re on the go, away from home, probably using peripherals that aren’t our pricey, fine-tuned gaming gadgets.
Personally, I’ve got two different portable mice in my laptop bag that I can whip out at a coffee shop, or in the middle of a meeting, for some on-the-go work.
I’ve gone through quite a few of these mice, so finding one that feels good in the hand, gets the job done, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg are the main features I tend to look for when it comes to a mouse for that purpose.
Enter Volkano X, a premium range from a local brand that’s looking to provide all those features across their peripherals, and maybe even a little bit more.
Luckily for us, we know the guys at Volkano X, and we have been given one of each of their latest range to test out, and let you know if it’s worth parting with your hard-earned Rands in the midst of this economy.
This specific round-up will cover three of their AA battery mice, all priced well within budget, and each with its own unique features that differentiate it from the others.
I’m talking about the Volkano X Magma, Volkano X Lava, and the Volkano X Inferna.
But first, let’s cover everything that’s the same between them.
All of these mice are wireless, as a portable work mouse should be, with both Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz connections. It’s super handy to have both connection options as I can have it connected via Bluetooth to my regular work station, and then quickly pop a dongle into any other workstation should I need a quick mouse on the fly.
They all come with an AA battery in the box, another neat little feature, and it is said that they can all last up to 12 months on a single battery.
Obviously, I couldn’t realistically test that claim, but, generally speaking, AA battery-powered mice do have a run time longer than most Netflix franchises do these days, so I’d like to give Volkano X the benefit of the doubt here.
They all feature a DPI switch, allowing for different sensitivities, and are ergonomically designed, although each in its own way.
Another neat little throw-in is that each mouse comes with both a USB-C and USB-A connection option, making the 2.4GHz dongle even more versatile.
That, however, is where the similarities end.
Volkano X Magma
Price: R199
Weight: +- 100g with battery
Connectivity: BT | 2.4GHz
Get it here
The Magma is your typical portable laptop mouse. It retails at R199, making it more than affordable, and features a compact, stumpy shape.
It’s a shape I’m pretty used to, as my typical laptop mouse has the same one, with short finger buttons and a raised palm rest that feels comfortable to use on the go, in a boardroom, or even on the couch.
As well as the stumpy shape, it’s also ambidextrous, making it usable for both left and right-handed people. The scroll wheel has a smooth and tactile feeling, and beneath the mouse, you have the DPI switch and mode toggle switch.
DPI settings are somewhat limited, with 800, 1600 and 2400 being your only options, but that covers most of the bases, and we’re not talking about a gaming mouse here, so I’m perfectly ok with that.
Weight-wise, the Magma does have a bit of heft to it, especially because you need to have an AA battery inserted. In total, we’re looking at over 100g here.
The Magma comes in a stone blue, dull pink or plain black colour option, which also adds a little bit of overall flavour.
Honestly, there isn’t much else to talk about here.
It’s a simple mouse that feels solid, does the job I need it to and is affordable. Literally ticking all the boxes.
Volkano X Lava
Price: R299
Weight: +- 80g with battery
Connectivity: BT | 2.4GHz
Get it here
The Lava tries to take things a little more to the sleek side of portable laptop mice, with its slim, low-profile design, silent switches, and minimal button layout.
It retails for R299, meaning it still sits well within the budget, but the extra R100 over the Magma comes in with the slightly more premium vibe that Volkano X is trying to go for here.
The silent switches are a nice upgrade, but I’m not necessarily a fan of the shape. It feels a little too low profile and doesn’t have much of a palm rest to support my lazy hand. It is ambidextrous, though, so usable by both left and right-handed people.
The multi-function button on the bottom also controls the DPI switching and mode switching, which works perfectly well, but I much prefer the separate toggle switch on the Magma.
One thing the Lava does have over the Magma, for my personal taste, is that it comes in at around 80g. The lighter weight helps when you have to drag your mouse around a mousepad for work all day. There is also an increased DPI setting, with a maximum of 4000 DPI, which could help if you’re working on much larger screens.
If you’re one for that Apple Magic Mouse style design, and you need the silent switches in your workspace, then I’d go for the Lava over the Magma, but, for now, the Magma still feels like the ideal laptop mouse.
Volkano X Inferna
Price: R499
Weight: +- 110g with battery
Connectivity: 2x BT | 2.4GHz
Get it here
By this time, I had almost decided that the Magma would be my favourite pick from this round-up, but then the Inferna slid onto my mousepad and a literal “oooo” escaped my lips.
The Inferna is the most expensive of the bunch, retailing for R499, but that still feels well within budget when you start to consider a few of the features on offer.
Like the Lava, the Inferna has those silent switches, making it perfect for quieter workplaces, but it features a fuller design similar to the Magma. In fact, it almost looks more like a small gaming mouse with its design instead of a casual work mouse.
The Inferna also allows for increased productivity, featuring two thumb buttons on the left-hand side of the mouse, side-scroll buttons, and the option to unlock the scroll wheel for effortless free-wheeling through long documents.
It also has the option to connect to two different devices via Bluetooth, meaning you can easily hot swap between three different workstations with the click of a button.
We have the same DPI settings as the Lava here, with a maximum of 4000 DPI, but it sits as the heaviest overall, at around 110g with the battery inserted.
The Inferna also has a soft-touch coating on it, which feels quite comfortable in hand, but I worry about how long it will last.
While I would say left-handed folks could use the Inferna, the thumb buttons are only on one side of the mouse, which feels like it’s more right-hand favoured.
Each of these mice is designed with different users in mind. While I find the Inferna to be the best overall, with its assortment of features and being the most comfortable of the bunch, the Magma is the perfect mouse to toss into your laptop bag for some quick on-the-go working that costs less than a Coffee and Croissant at Rosebank.
The Lava might not be my ideal laptop mouse, but if you are a mouse user who enjoys that low-profile design, which offers a little bit more of a premium feel, it’s still a very affordable mouse that does exactly what it needs to.
So, next time you’re looking to replace your backpack mouse with something affordable, solid, and feature-rich, perhaps check out the Volkano X range.
There’s definitely an option here for both country and city mouse users.
If you want to check out even more of the Volkano X lineup, you can follow the link here.
