Two clicks in the same button
I finally have the SLX on my desk, in the gorgeous blueish purple Nightfall colour.
This is an exciting release! Surprisingly, we are seeing a serious amount of innovation in the mouse space and 2026 is shaping up to be a year of a bunch of innovations and new tech.
Finalmouse goes a different route than Logitech, with a hybrid switch that registers two clicks at the same time, one mechanical and one analog.
I wrote about the SLX Nightfall when it launched in May, and it sold out in minutes.
Disclaimer
Finalmouse sent me this mouse. They have no say in my opinions or what I write, and they have not seen these words before publishing.
The SLX is also the first product where I was contacted cold with a press release, which in itself is worth celebrating. So I am celebrating this momentous moment… well by writing these words. So with work, in other words.
The problem with the TMR clicks
The real news is the hybrid switches in the Finalmouse SLX.
They combine a traditional mechanical click from a Huano switch with a TMR sensor.
That is a good thing in principle, but the problem is that the TMR sensor can register an analog click before you have registered the mechanical one.
Picture this: you rest your index finger on the button, then press it by accident. With aggressive settings, the sensor registers the click before you get the click sound and the bounce from the button itself.
That means the button can register BEFORE you have heard and felt the mechanical click. That can be a bit of a mindfuck and might take some getting used to.
The Superstrike X2 and X3 solve this differently. There, the haptic click lands exactly where you press, but again you lose the classic switch. Neither solution is perfect and it shows me that mouse brands are trying to figure out how they can get us valuable customers to buy their stuff.
I run TMR Analog on the default settings myself, marked with a star in Xpanel. If you would rather have the pure mechanical click, you can turn TMR-DS off completely.
Nightfall and its design
As far as I know, the Nightfall colourway was made in a limited run of 10,000 units. The other colourways, like Achilles, launch today, October 26.
The front of the box is a picture of the Pillars of Creation. A very cool motif in its own right.
The colour is purple or deep blue, and it covers the whole mouse, including the side buttons, the scroll wheel and the underside.
In the middle of the back there is a grey symbol that reminds me of The Witcher, even if I can’t put my finger on where that association comes from.
The Nightfall colour is blue-purple all the way to the side buttons, with the symbol in the middle. / Credit: kaytomas.com
A hard carbon shell
The build quality feels extremely high. If I try to twist the shell with all my might, I can’t, and I don’t see any of the gaps of the mouse move. It is rock solid.
No wonder, the SLX is made from a carbon fibre supercomposite in three parts, held together by 15 graphite-coated titanium screws. In the press release, Finalmouse bragged that this is the same stuff used in aerospace - maybe that is why they put the Pillars of Creation on the box?
The hexagon pattern on the underside, with four skates and the Starlight X logo. / Credit: kaytomas.com
Finalmouse does carry on the tradition of claiming a lower weight than what I measure, though. On my coffee scale it comes in at 41.5 grams, while the documentation says 38 grams. Stop doing this!
The coffee scale says 41.5 grams. Finalmouse says 38. / Credit: kaytomas.com
The surface is matte, but it can turn a little shiny after some use. It is very comfortable to rest your fingers on.
In use
This quick look comes out fast, and I have only had the mouse in use for a few days.
I think it is very nice to use, a good shape in a sensible size.
When I use it, I end up in a classic claw grip, with my fingertips and the upper part of my palm touching the mouse. It is very comfortable.
Everything happens in the browser
You configure the mouse at xpanel.finalmouse.com. There is nothing to install, but as always you need a browser with WebHID support.
With Finalmouse you don’t set the polling rate directly. Instead, they use their own Perfect Polling™ system, which is supposed to deliver 8000 Hz while saving battery.
My guess is there is some secret sauce going on here, but that doesn’t matter to me. And if you ask me, this is a better solution than letting users set 8000 Hz in an endless chase for bigger and better numbers. I think hiding this from the user is the best thing you can do.
Profiles, DPI, TMR-DS, bhop mode and firmware, all in Xpanel in the browser. / Screenshot: Finalmouse Xpanel
Bhop mode for up, down or both
Bhop mode on the scroll wheel can be turned on for up, down or both. I believe that is a first for me. I switch weapons with the scroll wheel, and when I get really stressed in a game, I flinch and bump into just about everything on the wheel. Bhop makes that better, but it doesn’t fix everything.
The puck
The puck is sturdy, bigger than the one Logitech uses, but a bit smaller than Razer’s. Five LEDs on the front show the battery level, and the colour can be set per profile.
I also like that the puck is solid and weighs 30 grams making it stay in place when you move stuff around on your desk.
The mouse with the puck and the braided cable. The battery LEDs sit on the front of the puck. / Credit: kaytomas.com
Beautiful, but I still have to make friends with the click
The SLX strikes me as a mouse of insane quality, well executed and beautiful to look at. I like the bold design.
But whether I can get comfortable with the TMR sensor in hardcore dad gaming is the question I need to come back to. I also haven’t had it long enough to say anything about battery life.
I will keep testing and come back with my thoughts, so stay tuned dear reader!
