Taking a closer look at the Sentinel Advance we see that it’s got the basic mouse shape we are all used too. The Sentinel’s shape is generally a long oval shape that is slightly wider at the back end. The curve across the top is slight and sits well inside your palm. You will notice the color of the mouse mouse is a matte black finish. This colors has a bit of grip too it so it is easy to hold onto even after you’ve been playing for a while. You should also note that the shape isn’t an ambidextrous design so the mouse is strictly for Righties. This is most noticeable with the inside curved shape with thumb buttons on the left inside. Below the buttons the mouse has a very pronounced lip that your thumb will rest on during gaming. This shape is very comfortable during gaming but I find the thumb buttons to be a little high. This is really just splitting hairs with a good design and you should easily become accustomed to the shape.
Moving around to the other side there is an ever so slight lip there as well. This is perfect placement for you last two fingers to rest and also grip when moving the mouse. The overall shape of the mouse is very comfortable and is well suited to those who prefer to palm mice while playing.
Looking to the other buttons and their features we see the two regular left and right buttons as well as the scroll wheel. These act just like you would expect with the scroll wheel giving light feedblack clicks when scrolling. The other three buttons are for changing profiles and setting of the mouse specifically. The forward most button at the front tip will allow you to move through the five available spots for profile creation. Inside the CM storm control panel which we will look at later. You will be able to tweak many different features of the mouse and set them inside a profile. This button will allow you to move through these saved profiles. The buttons on the other side of the scroll wheel are for the custom DPI settings that each profile allows the user to create. The top right one will move the DPI up to the next setting and the left moves the settings down. All of these profiles are saved to the Sentinels internal memory and will travel around with the mouse.
Moving to the bottom we see a bit more how the overall oval shape is enlarged toward the back. This is exaggerated at the bottom as the mouse flares out a bit on the sides. At the front inside bottom you can see two cut out areas that house the forward lighting on the mouse. This is a very cool and innovative feature that shoots light forward from the mouse giving your mousepad a nice lighting feature int the dark. Towards the middle we see the Dual Laser sensor that tracks movement of the X and Y axis independently. These optical lasers track at an incredible 5600 DPI and of course can be custom configured independently to fit your needs. Finally at the very bottom of the mouse you have a cover that opens up and has weights inside. The sentinel comes with five 4.5G weights that are laid inside of foam making a total of 22.5g of added weight. You are able to remove these weights to make the Sentinel lighter but unfortunately at there are no heavier weights if you want an even heavier feel to your mouse. Also once you remove these weights you are on your own to keep track of them as the Sentinel doesn’t include a carrying case for storage of the weights once removed.
( photo from CM )
Finally looking at the cable for the mouse I was plesantly suprised to see a nice braided cable with a gold connector. The cable is fairly long at around 5′ in length so you should should have enough for most every situation. Speaking of cable the Sentinel Advance also comes with this nifty Bracket that can be screwed into an available add on slot in your PC. This brackets allows you to wind a bit of the cable through it before attaching it to the case giving your mouse a bit of security when being left alone at your desk or during LAN’s. A thief would have to be able to take off your case door and remove the bracket to be able to swipe the mouse. A great security measure for all but the most determined of thieves. With mice starting to get a bit pricey it’s very Awesome for Cooler Master to come up with this simple security measure, Kudos.
