Glorious Model O Review

Introduction

In the early months of 2019, the Glorious PC Gaming Race company released a mouse that has changed the industry for the better, delivering a mouse with a good shape, excellent weight, top optical sensor, a flexible cable, high-quality materials and buttons, at a price point that’s likely to remain exceedingly competitive. It has since made other mouse companies push the industry’s standards, which made 2019 a very tough year in which to choose a top tier mouse. Whilst Finalmouse was the first company to begin the trend of making “ultralight” mice, glorious has taken the trend to the mass market, mainly due to the price to performance ratio that this mouse offers. 

Whilst Glorious is a relatively new challenger in the mouse space, their first attempt has been an outstanding success and sets the tone for the range of products that glorious will release in the future. That’s right, you guessed it because you clicked on this video, we are going to be reviewing the Glorious Model O. It is worth pointing out that my version of the mouse is the Matte white, the pre-purchased launch edition of the model O, so it has a couple of slight differences compared to the newer versions that they have released, all of which will be outlined in this video.

Shape

The shape is a medium-sized ambidextrous design, we have a flat top, with comfort grooves on the side of the mouse and on the buttons. And a front profile that sits your fingers close to the mousemat. The shape is intended for a fingertip grip and excels in this category as one of the best fingertip shapes, putting it up there with other designs focusing on this grip, such as the Steelseries Sensei and the FK series of mice. 

The mouse has very flat sides on the front, and whilst l did not have any issues keeping my pinkie and ring fingers in place when lifting the mouse on my matte copy, the glossy version could prove a little too slippery, l do not have a glossy copy of the mouse to hand so take this with a pinch of salt. The rear hump design can be a little unwelcoming if you are a palm grip user, however, with a small enough hand, the mouse can fill the entirety of your palm, and the slightly longer length of the mouse does allow for some good control when palming the mouse, however, my advice would be if you have a smaller hand, always go for the smaller mouse.

Dimensions and weight.

The model o has some very familiar dimensions if you’re an FK user, the shape on the model o is heavily based off of the Zowie FK1 and only deviates from this design in a few areas. We get the same length of 128mm from the front to rear, which can be found on the FK1. The front grip measures in at 61mm and is 26mm tall, middle grip comes in at 59mm and sits at 37.5mm at the highest point, lastly, the Rear hump widens to 66mm and gradually slopes downwards towards the mouse mat. 

There are only millimetres in the difference between this mouse and the FK1, both of which feel very similar in the hand. The best way to approach the model O is to think of an FK1 that’s shed a layer of skin and feels marginally smaller. The shape, however, is where the similarities end, as the model O is considerably lighter and weighs in at 67 grams for the matte copies and 68g for the glossy, compared to 88g for the FK1. This is extremely lightweight and was very difficult to manage at first, even browsing windows on dpi as low as 400 felt very sensitive.

Many have made the comparison between the Model O to the Razer Viper Ultimate, and whilst I intend to save some of this discussion for the viper’s review, the two mice look very similar, yet feel very different in the hand. The hump on the back of the model O feels slightly larger than the Viper, and is very comparable to the Zowie FK1, the grip width on these mice feel identical, however, the Model O flares more towards the rear, giving you the impression that it’s the larger mouse. Whilst The front buttons sit at almost equal height, the comfort grooves on the model O are definitely larger and make the mouse feel more raised in comparison. On a final note, the Model O is convincingly longer from end to end.

Which would I recommend with an 18 x 9 hand size?

There’s no clear winner and our preference will be the deciding factor.  Based purely off shape alone, the model O may suit your needs with its extra length and rounded out proportions, whilst those who prefer a slightly smaller shape and shorter length will want to look towards the Razer Viper. #

Buttons feet and features.

The Model O is intended for right-handed users, and it reflects this by having a lack of side buttons for lefties. They’re considerably small however, they provide a solid click with minimal pretravel. The top buttons are separated from the rear shell and are using omerons as the switch, again, very clicky and tactile. No complaints from me. We also have a DPI button underneath the scroll wheel, it’s very small so it’s difficult to click accidentally, however, Glorious does offer some very straightforward software which can be used to turn it off. The underside of the mouse also includes a small DPI light which you can use to figure out which DPI setting that you are on. 

Glorious has also included a slightly raised tip for the cable, meaning that it will not drag across your mousemat, it’s a very welcome change and it’s a trend that I’m glad that Glorious has picked up on, speaking of cable, the model O comes with the “ascended” cable, it’s not quite got the flexibility of a paracord, however, it is still a massive improvement compared to a standard rubber cable. The cable on my copy is the slightly older version, and the only real difference is that this one is slightly looser than the new one and feels more like a shoelace, than a cable. 

We have got some RGB on the mouse, it’s worth noting the white models of this mouse will reflect the lighting more than the black ones and can give off a really cool effect. The scroll wheel on the model O is buttery smooth and silent. middle clicks are rather firm, but nothing l would call an issue. On the bottom of the mouse, you will find a Pixart 3360 sensor, so there’s little room for improvement here, sensor implementation is perfect, there does appear to be some grooves around the sensor itself; however, I’m not sure what the purpose of this is, if you have any ideas, let me know in the comments!

One thing I do want to mention is that the Model O has a series amount of modding potential, Glorious has recently started shipping custom coloured paracords which are extremely easy to install and requires zero heat-shrinking,  you can remove the branding very easily on the white copies by sanding down the sides for a clean aesthetic, the RGB strips can be removed very easily, saving yourself about 8 – 10grams, you can shell swap the model o to get a white/black theme, or head to swiftshells.com (not sponsored) to grab a different colour entirely. Wanna make it wireless? No problem, grab yourself a g305 PCB and whack that in there. Literally, the sky is your limit with this mouse, you will struggle to find a mouse in the same price point that has the same level of accessible mods and versatility.

Glorious’s software is very intuitive, allowing for 3 different mouse profiles, Dpi/polling rate and Lift-off distance adjustment and debounce time. DPI Indicator lights can also be reconfigured which is a nice touch. Button settings also have some interesting features such as a “Fire key”, allowing you click up to 100 times per second, as well as media controls and macros. RGB can also be changed with some notable settings being the “Glorious Mode” which cycles clours from the top to the bottom of the mouse, and the “Rave Mode” which if left on the highest speed setting can make your mouse look like it’s having a seizure.

Build Quality

Side button clicks are solid, same with Mouse one and two. Omerons are great for players looking for a sharp click with a snappy sound and are considered to be some of the best switches on the market. Shell strength, is solid overall, with weaknesses only to be found on the bottom plate, everywhere else on the mouse feels solid, perhaps with the exception of the side panels. As with all honeycomb mice, the shell will expose the mouse’s internals, however, sweat and debris should not affect the lifespan of the mouse as the PCB’s are coated. 

Button wobble is present on the mouse 1 and 2, however, it should not affect you whilst you’re in-game. The older copies of the Glorious model O are also notorious for being able to activate mouse 4 by pinching the shell. I do not consider this to be a major downside, as it requires a purposeful amount of pressure to activate and will not be an issue when using the mouse in-game. 

How does the mouse feel in-game?

At first, I did not like the model o and L struggled to use it in-game. The first six months of owning the mouse, It spent a lot of its time in the box. And I found this frustrating as the features of the mice made it a very solid choice for FPS games, L could never really work out why I couldn’t click with it. l found it hard to adjust to since I was used to heavier mice, however, over time once l lowered my sens and picked up other lightweights such as the Viper ultimate and the XM1, l thought it was worth trying the mouse once more to see if I can use it. And just like that, I found myself more used to the weight and began preferring it over heavier counterparts. 

70grams is, at least from my perspective, as low as you should need to go, it offers a good balance of being easy to manoeuvre around and lift, whilst not being too light to suffer from over flicking or being unable to make fine adjustments, any lower and you would simply need to begin changing your sensitivities to counteract the weight of the mouse. Similar to how the length of the FK series allows you to make fine adjustments, the same can be said for the model O, allowing you to pivot your wrist and feel more confident taking shots you feel that you would normally miss. 

I have been spoiled with my viper ultimate for benefitting from wireless tech, however, I used the model o’s outdated flex cable with no bungee, and I honestly didn’t myself missing the wireless that much. I am letting my opinion bleed into this section of the review, however, If your head is in the game and you’re focused on playing, a good wire can be as unobtrusive as a wireless mouse. I have always said that the Zowie feet were top tier, as they use 2 large strips, instead of four individual feet. Glorious’s implementation of the feet is very solid and I have no issues with the glide, even when pushing the mouse firmly into the pad.

What do l like about the mouse / what would l change

There’s a lot to like about this mouse, and if you’re someone that’s interested in picking up a lightweight mouse without needing to compromise on overall size to achieve a lighter weight, then the Model O could your endgame, it’s definitely worth experimenting with if you’re familiar with the FK shapes and are looking for an upgrade. I don’t normally mention price in my reviews, however, the mouse is feature-rich and performs extremely well for the money you pay for it. That being said, lighter mice may not be to your preference and will require some time to break in if you’re used to anything that’s 80 grams or heavier. 

If you take away the nuances like side click issues and the wobbly mouse buttons, this mouse is still tier-one and I expect it to stay on top, especially if glorious releases an updated version, or even a wireless copy. I’ve said it once but I’m going to say it again, Glorious deserves all the praise their due for their fist mouse being this successful and competitive. If this review picks up some speed then I may even consider picking up a model D or even an O – and doing a followup review. L;m gonna leave a poll in the link below to let you guys choose which mouse L review next, L look forward to seeing what you guys choose, but until then, take care and ill see you in the next video!