There are numerous “cookie-cutter” mice on the market that, despite being produced by various companies, all share the same designs and functionalities but differ only slightly in terms of color or sensor specifications. We therefore paid attention when Razer unveiled the Viper Mini Signature Edition (SE), a wireless mouse that seemed to have forgotten to put on clothes.

According to Razer, the “exoskeleton” chassis of the Viper Mini SE is made of magnesium alloy. Dark gray lines form a web-like pattern and large, gaping holes across the mouse’s palm. Razer has taken the honeycomb concept to the nth degree, drilling holes into the mouse’s body to lighten it. The Viper Mini SE, on the other hand, has holes that are so large that it appears as though you could stick your finger through them, in contrast to the normal honeycomb mouse, like the Glorious Model I, which has many more smaller holes.

I had my doubts about the mouse’s endurance at first glance. Despite what Razer states, I still believe that a mouse with 18 holes is more likely to break than one without any. Although larger holes should be easier to clean with an air blower than a honeycomb mouse topped with more, smaller apertures, larger openings might nevertheless trap dust and other dirt.

The mouse comes with a three-year guarantee, which is one year longer than Razer typically offers for mice. We’ll be interested to see how the Viper Mini SE performs in evaluations and long-term experiences, especially among power users like gamers who have a propensity to use their mice violently.

If you look at things positively, the cavernous mouse can help the hand resting on top of it maintain its composure. More ventilation and reduced hand-to-electronics contact may help users’ hands clam up less frequently during prolonged periods of intense use. However, unlike Marsback’s Zephyr, Razer didn’t go as far as to incorporate a cooling fan within the mouse.

The Viper Mini SE is Razer’s lightest mouse thanks to its large holes. With the same form factor and nearly equal dimensions, it weighs 1.73 ounces, which is around 30% less than the Viper Mini (2.15 ounces). However, it still isn’t the lightest mouse available. For instance, the MM720 from Cooler Master weighs 0.11 pounds as well, and mice as light as 1.48 ounces have been offered by Finalmouse.

It would have been wonderful if Razer had added buttons to the mouse’s right side so it could be completely ambidextrous, like the Razer Viper Ultimate, with the weight savings obtained.

Magnesium alloy was chosen by Razer for the mouse because it possessed the ideal “strength-to-weight ratio.” It claimed that plastic had a negligible weight savings and was less durable when there were drilled holes in it. Additionally, although being stronger, lighter, and more durable, titanium faced manufacturing restrictions. Finally, Razer was unable to use carbon fiber in the creation of the Viper Mini SE due to fabrication restrictions and a larger weight than plastic.

The mouse is built in China, claims a press release from Razer “with an exoskeleton that is injection-molded, CNC-machined, and polished. After passivation, which lessens the exoskeleton shell’s susceptibility to corrosion, it is painted and put together. Each product is thoroughly tested at every stage.”

The Razer Viper Mini SE is aimed at gamers who want a mouse that is as simple to move around their desk as possible. However, users of increasingly high-resolution monitors and multi-screen setups, as well as those who experience arm or hand fatigue while mousing, may find value in a lightweight mouse with a high dots-per-inch (DPI) specification (up to 30,000 DPI in the case of the Viper Mini SE).

This is not the chassis you want if you want a lot of chassis for your money. The wireless accessory will be released on February 11 and will be extremely expensive at $280.