The initial announcement of the G-Wolves HSK was shrouded in mystery. All we knew was that it was a 39g mouse but the reveal of the shape itself was a bit of a surprise to the mouse enthusiast community. Unconventional is an understatement but the HSK is single-focused on delivering a unique experience for fingertip grippers. I’ve been using the HSK for a week and I’m excited to bring you my review with some of my thoughts after time spent with this mouse.
I was sent this mouse for review by Vessel Gaming and it’s a sample not a retail version of the mouse. Keep in mind this will not affect my review in any way.
Dimensions (L x W x H)
84x60x36mm
Weight 37g
Packaging and Presentation
G-Wolves mice are always a treat to unbox and despite this being a sample copy, they still delivered that premium unboxing feeling with their standard tin box. This didn’t come with any of the extras you’d usually see from G-Wolves but the cleaning brush was present.
Design and Build Quality
The first thing you notice about the mouse is just how tiny it is in terms of length. Many reviewers have mentioned how it looks like a normal mouse with the back half cut off. In-hand it feels less dramatic than that description might entail. This comes at the sacrifice of any side buttons but the back hump makes this mouse quite comfortable for fingertip grip. I don’t think it’s feasible to claw grip this mouse for most users but it’s concentration on fingertip grip will make it a shape some will love and other gamers won’t be able to main. Simply put we haven’t seen a mouse with this drastic of a shape since the MK1.
Besides the obvious small dimensions of the mouse, my first impressions were quite positive. It feels really solid in hand, and despite being really light it didn’t creak, flex or have any sort of scrollwheel or sensor rattle. The coating feels like really smooth plastic and it doesn’t have any grain to it. That being said it wasn’t slippery like the GPW coating and felt a bit more premium than the coating on my Hati-S.
Buttons & Scroll Wheel
The clicks were probably one of my favorite things about this mousee. There is barely any pre-travel and the post travel is greatly reduced from past G-Wolves Mice. If you click and hold M1/M2 with more pressure you can get a bit of side play but its less than on my Hati-S which I was surprised by. Lack of side buttons is definetly noticeable omission but I understand why they removed them to make more space for your fingertip grip and also due to the fact that slapping side buttons on this design could throw off your aim given how easy it is to move and microadjust this mouse. That being said I don’t really rely on them too much in-game but I did find I missed them due to habit.
20M omron switches feel both light and crispy, and I could really spam click well with those, something I’ve been missing on some recent mice. The clicks do take a bit of getting used to due to their steep angle, they feel a bit different than most lower profile mice. Given how short the mouse is, the entire back of the mouse ramps up in high quickly and as such you’ll find yourself clicking down onto a steeper angle. Not a minus but something you might have to get used to over a couple days.
The scrollwheel looks and feels similar to the one on the Glorious Model O but the tensioning feels a bit stiffer. It’s also a bit more stiff of a scroll than the Hati-S in my opinion. The quality of the wheel itself feels great and the middle click is crispy and requires a moderate amount of pressure to push in.
Shape, Performance and Software
As a claw gripper, I thought I’d have to adjust more fingertipping the HSK but I found it pretty easy to adjust. This is the kind of mouse you’ll need to put a bit of time into mastering but that being said, I did hit some pretty nutty flicks with it. It’s especially good for one-tapping and quick transfers to targets. The one downside is that I wasn’t as reliable spraying with it and trying to control my sprays with such a light small mouse was occasionally a challenge. For CS:GO/Valorant I probably hit some shots I normally woulda missed but also missed some easy shots I normally would have hit. It took a few hours in-game to improve on my spray control and get used to how fast this mouse feet due to just how lightweight it is. I recommend some gamers can turn down their in-game sensitivity in order to maximize their comfort with the mouse. It’s a bit easy to over-aim when you first get this mouse given how extremely light it is but the shape does make it very easy to microadjust quickly.
Sensor and Skates
The HSK uses 4 small feet, which have a similar look to the Glorious mouse feet. The were smooth for me out the box and a decent thickness. They are better than average but if you’re nitpicky you might want to wait for aftermarket replacements which might be a bit better rounded. I thought they were quick and responsive and I was satisfied with them and would happy just using this mouse stock.
The HSK uses the PixArt 3389 sensor which is top of the line and my favorite sensor. No LOD issues with this mouse and it tracked perfectly on a variety of surfaces feeling snappy and accurate. You can adjust the DPI right on the mouse but software is available for changing the polling rate and playing around with the LOD.
Cable
The cable is also above average compared to the competition. It feels a tiny bit lighter than the one on the Hati-S but unfortunately is not removable like the one on that mouse. Paracording will definetly elevate the HSK but its optional and not a must to get the most out of the mouse.
Conclusion
The HSK build quality and QC feels like a step up from past G-Wolves offerings. Not much to nitpick but the shape will be a love it or hate it affair for gamers. I found the HSK a really fun mouse to use but I can’t recommend this mouse for everyone due to its very specific shape and lack of side buttons. I think if you have a smaller to medium hand size and only fingertip grip you can play great with this mouse. If you have a lot of mice already, this is definetly a great addition to a collection but it might not be great for novices who are still finding their ideal shape.
Pros
- Impressive build quality for a tiny mouse
- Clicks very tactile, crisp and reliable
- Better cord and skates than average
Cons
- Lack of side buttons
- Shape will make it hard for claw grippers or palm grippers to use effectively
Bottom Line
The HSK is not for everyone. Get this mouse if you’re confident the shape will work well with your playstyle or you’re looking to add something fun and interesting to an already built up collection.
Rating
8.5/10
Where to buy the G-Wolves HSK