MSRP: £50.00
What are the Speedlink Axon Mouse and Fieris Mousepad?
The humble computer mouse is probably the device you use most often when surfing the net or gaming. It’s also a device that if you have one that doesn’t suit you it can be extremely annoying. The same goes with a mousepad. Most of us I’m sure use one that came free somewhere but, and this may come as a shock, some people actually do pay for a mousepad.
However Speedlink have got you covered with two devices – firstly there's the Axon Silent and Antibacterial Mouse priced at around £18. This has 6 buttons, 5 of which are silent and includes an antibacterial coating which kills up to 99% of bacteria. The typical office mouse reportedly carries three times more germs than a toilet seat, so if you find that shocking, this mouse might be for you.
Secondly there's the Fieris Illuminated USB Gaming Mousepad, priced at around £32, which includes a red illuminated light strip, 4 layer construction and ultra-precise and smooth textile surface to give the best performance for gaming. Read on to see if the mouse makes us germ free and the mousepad turns us into a gaming legend...
However Speedlink have got you covered with two devices – firstly there's the Axon Silent and Antibacterial Mouse priced at around £18. This has 6 buttons, 5 of which are silent and includes an antibacterial coating which kills up to 99% of bacteria. The typical office mouse reportedly carries three times more germs than a toilet seat, so if you find that shocking, this mouse might be for you.
Secondly there's the Fieris Illuminated USB Gaming Mousepad, priced at around £32, which includes a red illuminated light strip, 4 layer construction and ultra-precise and smooth textile surface to give the best performance for gaming. Read on to see if the mouse makes us germ free and the mousepad turns us into a gaming legend...
Axon Design and Specification
The Axon is an all-black wired mouse with an ergonomic design to it. It’s a right-handed design so lefties are again left out in the cold. The surface is rubberised and has an antibacterial coating. This claims to kill up to 99% of bacteria and has been confirmed to kill E.coli and other horrible sounding bugs. So if you game or work in a bit of a pigsty, then this is the mouse for you!
At £18 it’s a no frills mouse using an optical sensor, 6 non-programmable buttons, one of which is a DPI switch and has no customisable features or LED lighting. The 1.5m cable is non-braided and the mouse is very lightweight coming in at just 76g.
Axon Features and Software
There is no software or drivers to download, it’s a driverless installation and will be ready to use after just a few seconds of plugging it in. There are no customisable buttons or lighting here. You just plug it in, start using it and, as a result, become 99% more germ free! Truly Plug and Play.
There are 6 buttons in total. The silent ones are the left, right, the two web browser forward and back buttons and the DPI switch. The middle scroll wheel is silent to use but the button on it has the standard click noise to it. The buttons can’t be customised unfortunately so they are as they come. This tends to sway this mouse more to office use or casual gaming as it lacks the features that a more serious gamer would require such as macros and programmable buttons.
Via the DPI switch, the optical sensor DPI can be adjusted in 4 increments up to 2,800 DPI. These are fixed adjustments and can’t be altered on the mouse. Although if it doesn’t quite suit your range, you can tweak the speeds via the Windows control panel. No lighting save for the extremely bright red optical light to the base.
Via the DPI switch, the optical sensor DPI can be adjusted in 4 increments up to 2,800 DPI. These are fixed adjustments and can’t be altered on the mouse. Although if it doesn’t quite suit your range, you can tweak the speeds via the Windows control panel. No lighting save for the extremely bright red optical light to the base.
How does the Axon Mouse feel?
At just £18 this is a basic mouse but with the addition of the antibacterial coating and the silent buttons. Despite it being basic, the ergonomic feel to it is immediately noticeable. Providing you aren’t a leftie or have gigantic hands then your palm and fingers will fit very comfortably around it. The two browser buttons on the left side are easily accessible via your thumb and there is a partial thumb rest too. The buttons are all responsive and work as expected, with just the scroll wheel button being slightly harder to click than the rest of the buttons.
The antibacterial coating is only noticeable by the faint chemical smell that your hands have once you’ve been using it. The silent buttons, especially the left and right mouse buttons do take some getting used to. The traditional click to these buttons on a standard mouse tells you that you have pressed the mouse button and expect an action to happen on screen. With no sound at all initially we were pressing the mouse buttons at least twice as not only are they silent but you don’t get that tactile feel to the press. We quickly got used to it, although that unusual feeling never really went away.
The antibacterial coating is only noticeable by the faint chemical smell that your hands have once you’ve been using it. The silent buttons, especially the left and right mouse buttons do take some getting used to. The traditional click to these buttons on a standard mouse tells you that you have pressed the mouse button and expect an action to happen on screen. With no sound at all initially we were pressing the mouse buttons at least twice as not only are they silent but you don’t get that tactile feel to the press. We quickly got used to it, although that unusual feeling never really went away.
Fieris Design and Specification
The Fieris is a USB mousepad designed for the gamer. It’s all black with a red illuminated strip around all 4 sides that gives a nice red glow. The mousepad is made up of 4 layers which are claimed to give quick and precise mouse movements. These are a non-slip foam rubber base, the illumination layer, then a ‘silky-soft’ foam layer and finally the top ‘gliding-optimised’ surface.
It’s a generous size too coming in at 355mm x 255mm and just 4mm thick. So depending on your gaming surface, if you have to fit it landscape or portrait it should be large enough to give a good useable area. Although at £32 for a mousepad that's something you should at the very least expect. The 1.5m USB cable provided is all red and connects to the mini USB port on the mousepad.
It’s a generous size too coming in at 355mm x 255mm and just 4mm thick. So depending on your gaming surface, if you have to fit it landscape or portrait it should be large enough to give a good useable area. Although at £32 for a mousepad that's something you should at the very least expect. The 1.5m USB cable provided is all red and connects to the mini USB port on the mousepad.
Fieris Features and Feel
The mousepad does have a very nice look and feel to it. It has a soft foamlike feel to touch and the top surface really helps the mouse to glide across with no restrictions. Sadly it didn’t turn us into a gaming legend, it would take considerably more than a gaming mousepad to do that, but it did allow us to concentrate on our gaming and was very comfortable to use as well.
As with the Axon Mouse, there is no software to download for the mousepad, the USB cable is purely to power the red light strip, which can’t be altered to any other colour.
As with the Axon Mouse, there is no software to download for the mousepad, the USB cable is purely to power the red light strip, which can’t be altered to any other colour.
Conclusion
Pros
- Comfortable to use mouse
- Ergonomic design
- Antibacterial coating
- Silent operation
- Nice lighting effect on mousepad
- Comfortable and responsive feel to mousepad
Cons
- Silent buttons may not be to everyone's liking
- No programmable buttons or features
- Right handed use only
- Mousepad is too expensive
Speedlink Axon Mouse and Fieris Gaming Mousepad Review
Should I buy the Axon Antibacterial Silent Mouse?
At £18 for a basic wired 6 button mouse, the Axon does have a lot to prove. The two core features being the antibacterial coating and the silent buttons. Together with the ergonomic design it creates a comfortable and ultimately healthy experience. If mouse clicks annoy you or a work colleague, or if you're someone that has a very dirty work area, then this mouse could be the solution here.It’s not really a gaming mouse as it lacks any customisable features and the buttons cannot be altered. But it does have a DPI switch, a useful forward and back browser buttons and is completely plug and play.
There are many alternatives available at a similar price or lower, some with an antibacterial coating but without silent buttons and others with silent buttons but without the additional buttons. However only the Axon appears to tick all the boxes of a silent, antibacterial mouse with additional buttons. It’s one definitely to consider if you are looking to replace your office or home mouse.
Should I buy the Fieris Illuminated Gaming Mousepad?
The Fieris Gaming Mousepad at £32 does look very nice with the sleek red glow and has a great feel to it with the 4 layer design and has a very comfortable and responsive top layer. Whether it will make you a gaming god is another question entirely, but it certainly won’t hinder your climb to the top.But, at £32 it is too expensive. It’s not that widely available so hopefully if it hits a few more online retailers the price may come down. The lighting is great, but if it’s a choice between a gaming mousepad such as the many available between £6 and £18, or paying another £14 for one with red lighting, we know what we would choose.
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