80 OCTOBER 2019|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE 380
GOINGGREEN,WHEREcomputers are
concerned, usually comes down to limiting
usage and installing more energy-efficient
components. Environmental concerns rarely
affect the more general construction of PCs
and PC parts, which is why the SG-MU1055-N
is such an interesting little mouse.
The entire outer shell –from the main
bodywork to the left- and right-click buttons
and the segmented base –ismade of bamboo.
Anyone wanting to cut down on their plastic
usage,and subsequent waste, should take
note: this mouse is almost unique in that
most of it will compost and biodegrade,not
to mention the fact that less plastic needs to
be produced in the first place.
SECOND NATURE
Thereare otherbenefits to the plant-based
design, too. At £14, the SG-MU1055-N costs a
relative pittance,and is by farthe cheapest
mouse of the seven here,but it doesn’t feel
like it. The smooth finish borders on luxurious,
and since bamboo is stronger than plastic,
there’s absolutely no bending, flexing or
creaking, as you’d get from most cheap mice.
It also looks pretty,with the fibre layers
forming subtle concentric circles from the top
to the bottom. According to its packaging, the
SG-MU1055-N is ‘handmade’, but we suspect
more along the lines of handmade by aworker
in afactory than an artisan in aworkshop.
More generally,itsimply feels nice in the
hand. Despitethe toughness, it’s not overly
hard or harsh, and like the Rapoo MT550, it’s
compact without being tootiny.The topcurve
is positioned more towards the centre than
the rear,soitmakes up forthe lack of true
palm grip support with acomfortable shape
forlaying your fingers flat. The symmetrical
shape makes it just as suitable forleft-handed
users as right-handed ones, too.
Sadly,while there is an elegant simplicity to
how the SG-MU1055-N looks, there’s only so
much disguising the fact that the functionality
of this mouse is as basic as can be.Itconnects
via aUSB cable,which is very much not made
of renewable resources, and its list of inputs
amounts to just two main buttons, the scroll
wheel and the latter’s integrated middle-click.
There aren’t even any side buttons, which
SENGU SG-MU1055-N
★★★★★
£14•From http://www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
Madefrombamboo,theSG-MU1055-Nis
botheco-friendlyandextremelyaffordable,
althoughthatcheapnessbringscutbacks
could charitably be
said to help the
SG-MU1055-N’s
ambidextrous credentials,
but will quickly get frustrating
if you’re already used to having
them at your thumb tips. Losing the
ability to quickly skip back and forward
when navigating is an inconvenience
that’s not to be underestimated; we felt
considerably slowed down by having to
manually click on navigation icons instead.
Part of why this is so unfortunateisthat
the fewbuttons you do get are surprisingly
decent; Sengu hasn’t just put abamboo shell
on topofsome sub-par mechanisms. The
left- and right-click switches have asatisfyingly
chunkyaction, and the scroll wheel –iflooser
than we’d like –isaccurateand easy to use.
DOTAND COLD
There is one component that could be better,
however,and it’s abig one: the sensor.For the
most part, this behaves as well as abudget
optical sensor could be expected to,but it’s
also set at alowly 800dpi. Even if that’s good
enough foralaptop screen or small desktop
monitor,onlarger,higher-resolution screens,
it’s neither as fast nor precise as amouse
running at 1,600dpi or higher.
More worryingly,weoccasionally noticed
the cursor wobbling slightly at the end of a
mouse movement –never enough to cause a
full-on misclick, but enough to suggest the
sensor might be the victim of corner-cutting.
There’s no wayofchanging the dpi, either,
as there’s neither an onboard switching button
nor any accompanying software.That also
means the personalisation features it’s easy to
take forgranted on more expensive mice –
remapped buttons, native macro support and
the like –are absent from the SG-MU1055-N.
Going back to the physical design, the
ergonomic strengths we’ve mentioned aren’t
diminished, although there are some
shortcomings as well. Both the leftand right
edges are angled almost straight downwards,
so there are no concave spaces foryour
thumb,ring or little finger to sit, let alone
any proper protruding rests.
Furthermore,even the most casual
environmentalist will notethat forall its
biodegradable bamboo,the SG-MU1055-N is
still filled with conventional electric
components. It’s impossible to have amouse,
or any kind of powered PC peripheral, that’s
made entirely out of renewable material.
SHOOTSAND LEAVES
That said, it is asmall step towards greater
sustainability,and the more pleasantly tactile
nature of bamboo compared to plastic still
applies. This is one of afew reasons why the
SG-MU1055-N manages to cling on as anifty
budget option, even with its lack of features
and low-resolution sensor.
Forone thing, neither of these problems
is remotely rare,oreven particularly
unexpected, forasub-£20 mouse.The only
thing that really stings is the lack of side
buttons, but again, they’re acommon
omission on dirt-cheap mice.
In fact, since its faults are shared with its
closest rivals but its biggest benefits –the
materials, attractive aesthetics and strong
build quality –are much more exclusive,the
SG-MU1055-N ends up being one of the best
mice we’ve used at around this price point.
It’s still merely OK compared to what you can
get for£30 or so,but it’s not abad choice if
you absolutely have to keep costs down and
want to do your bit forthe planet.
Sincebamboo is stronger than plastic, there’s no bending,
flexing or creaking, as you’dget from mostcheap mice
MICE
