The Razer Basilisk is a great gaming mouse that has excellent customization options, whether you're looking to play around with the sensitivity settings or the RGB lighting. Its design is sleek and suits most people, but small hands might have trouble reaching the side sniper button. It won't be a great travel option due to its size and cable, and isn't light enough for ultra-light gaming, but it's a great option for gamers who are looking for a mouse with great ergonomics and a very low wired latency.
Our Verdict
Good for the office. It has great ergonomics, although people with small hands might feel uncomfortable with the claw and fingertip grips. It's a very well-built mouse and it has a few programmable buttons that you can set in its software. The mouse is fully compatible with Windows and macOS thanks to its on-board memory.
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Very low wired latency.
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Excellent performance; customizable.
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Ergonomics design suitable for most.
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Rigid cable that keeps kinks.
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Not recommended for small hands with claw or fingertip grip.
Good for video games like FPS. It has a fairly low click latency, but it's a heavy mouse. You can set the mouse sensitivity to suit your preference, switch between CPI settings, and even set a hold sniper button for a preset sensitivity. The mouse's performance is excellent and is suitable for pretty much everyone, other than small hands with a claw or fingertip grips. On the upside, its wired latency is very low and the mouse feels responsive.
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Very low wired latency.
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Excellent performance; customizable.
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Ergonomics design suitable for most.
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Rigid cable that keeps kinks.
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Not recommended for small hands with claw or fingertip grip.
Great for MMOs. The mouse has great performance that's customizable to your preference. It also has a few programmable buttons, but not as many as some dedicated MMO mice. It might also feel a bit awkward to hold if you have small hands when using a claw or fingertip grip.
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Very low wired latency.
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Excellent performance; customizable.
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Ergonomics design suitable for most.
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Rigid cable that keeps kinks.
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Not recommended for small hands with claw or fingertip grip.
Mediocre for ultra-light gaming. The mouse's performance is excellent, but it's on the heavier side. There are definitely plenty of lighter options than this mouse if you're looking for the lightest possible.
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Very low wired latency.
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Excellent performance; customizable.
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Ergonomics design suitable for most.
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Rigid cable that keeps kinks.
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Not recommended for small hands with claw or fingertip grip.
Bad for traveling. The mouse is pretty big and is always-wired, which isn't ideal to work with a laptop on a plane.
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Very low wired latency.
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Excellent performance; customizable.
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Ergonomics design suitable for most.
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Rigid cable that keeps kinks.
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Not recommended for small hands with claw or fingertip grip.
- 7.5 Office/Multimedia
- 7.4 Video Games (FPS)
- 7.9 Video Games (MMO)
- 6.4 Ultra-Light Gaming
- 4.9 Travel
- Updated Oct 15, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Dec 20, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated Dec 11, 2019: Review published.
Compared To Other Mice
The Razer Basilisk is a great gaming mouse that is fairly affordable. It's a bit heavy and very well-built but is quite wide. It's amazing for a palm grip, but unfortunately, this wired-only mouse has a mediocre cable. On the upside, it has very low latency and even more competitive gamers won't notice any delay. See our recommendations for the best wired mouse, the best gaming mouse, and the best mouse. If you're interested in Razer products, also check out the best Razer mice.
The Logitech G502 HERO and the Razer Basilisk are both great wired gaming mice. While they're both right-handed mice, the Razer is more suitable for those with small hands, as it may be tougher to reach all the buttons on the Logitech. On the other hand, the Logitech has a better cable and more programmable buttons. Logitech's software is also fully compatible with both Windows and macOS.
The Razer Viper is overall a better mouse than the Razer Basilisk, but the Basilisk might be a better choice if you're right-handed and prefer using a palm grip. The Viper has an ambidextrous design that is noticeably lighter, and it has a lower click latency and a better cable. On the other hand, the Basilisk is suitable for all hand sizes when using a palm grip thanks to its ergo-shaped design with a thumb rest on its left side.
The Razer Basilisk is slightly heavier than the Razer DeathAdder Elite and has a different shape. While they're both designed for right-handed use, the Basilisk has a thumb rest on its left side. They both are suitable for every hand size in every grip type, except small hands for claw or fingertip. The latency of both mice is very low, though the Basilisk is a little lower. The Basilisk also has one more programmable button than the Elite and on-board memory, so you can maintain your customization settings if you switch PCs.
The Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed is a slightly better mouse than the Razer Basilisk. The X is a wireless mouse that has a lower click latency. On the other hand, the regular Basilisk has an extra programmable button and better sensor performance.
The Razer DeathAdder V2 performs better than the Razer Basilisk, especially for gaming. The V2 is fairly lightweight and has remarkable feet that glide smoothly. Its sensor has a wider CPI range and is a bit more consistent, whether you’re moving the mouse slowly or quickly. It also has a much lower click latency. That said, the Basilisk has one more button on the side and a thumb rest, which some people may find more comfortable. However, it’s somewhat heavy, and its cable isn’t very flexible, so it may create drag on your desk.
The Razer Basilisk and the Razer Mamba Elite are both great wired gaming mice that are very similar. While they're both right-handed mice, the Basilisk might be slightly more comfortable due to its thumb rest on the left side. Both mice are suitable for all hand sizes in a palm grip and all hand sizes except small for both claw and fingertip grip. The Basilisk has one additional programmable side button, but the Mamba Elite has an L/R tilt on its scroll wheel.
The Razer Viper Mini is a better gaming mouse than the Razer Basilisk. The Mini is significantly lighter and somewhat smaller. It has an ambidextrous design that's very well suited for any hand size using a fingertip grip. It also has better feet, and its click latency is much lower, giving you a very responsive gaming experience. That said, the Basilisk has a right-handed design and a thumb rest that make it feel a little more comfortable overall. Its shape is more universal, and most hand sizes shouldn't struggle to use it with any grip type. It also has a wider CPI range that you can adjust more precisely, and its lift-off distance is lower. It has three side buttons while the Mini only has two.
The Razer Basilisk V2 is a nice improvement over the first Razer Basilisk. It's lighter, has a better cable that's lightweight and doesn't keep kinks, and its wired click-latency is lower as well. If your budget allows it, there's no real reason to go for the first version over the V2.
The Razer Basilisk Ultimate is a better gaming mouse than the original Razer Basilisk. While the Basilisk is a wired-only mouse, you can use the Ultimate wired or wireless, and it has very low click latency either way. They both have a similar design, with the same right-handed ergonomic slant. Both mice have a scroll wheel you can unlock for free-scrolling, but only the Ultimate's scroll wheel has L/R tilt inputs as well.
The Razer Basilisk and the Razer Mamba Wireless are somewhat similar, though the Mamba is a bit more versatile as you can use it wired or wirelessly. Both mice are about the same size and weight, with great build quality and amazing comfort. They are well-suited for a palm or a claw grip for most hand sizes, but only people with extra-large hands can use the Mamba with a fingertip grip. The Mamba also has slightly better click latency, though both mice use the same sensor. That said, the Basilisk has one more side button.
The Razer Naga Trinity and the Razer Basilisk are both great wired gaming mice. The Naga has a unique design with three optional side panels to give you 2, 6, or 12 additional side buttons. On the other hand, the Basilisk has three side buttons. However, if you have small hands, you will likely be better off with the Basilisk, as the Naga is larger and may be tough to get a comfortable fit. In terms of performance, they both have a wide, customizable CPI range and a very low latency, which is great.
The Razer Basilisk is a decent wired-only gaming mouse, while the Razer Atheris is a great wireless option for people on the go. The Basilisk has a right-handed design with a thumb rest. It feels much more comfortable to use, and most hand sizes can use it with any grip type. Its sensor has a wider CPI range that you can adjust more precisely and a lower lift-off distance. On the other hand, the Atheris is quite a bit smaller and is best suited for a fingertip grip. You can use it over Bluetooth or with its USB receiver.
The Razer Basilisk and the Logitech G604 LIGHTSPEED are very different mice. The Razer is a decent, wired-only FPS gaming mouse. It's lighter than the Logitech, and it's particularly well-suited for a palm grip, though people with medium or large hands can also use it with a claw or a fingertip grip. On the other hand, you can only use the Logitech wirelessly. It's an excellent choice for MMO gaming, with six side buttons and 29 programmable inputs. It's also versatile enough to use for work or while traveling. It has a better sensor with a wider CPI range, a lot less CPI variation, and better click latency.
The SteelSeries Rival 310 is a better wired gaming mouse than the Razer Basilisk. The SteelSeries is lighter-weight and slightly more comfortable thanks to its slanted, ergonomic shape. It's also fully compatible with both Windows and macOS, while the Razer is only partially compatible with Mac devices. However, while the click latency is slightly lower on the SteelSeries, the Razer has a wider adjustable CPI range, a lower lift-off distance, and more programmable buttons.
The Razer Basilisk is a predecessor of the Razer Basilisk Essential. They have the same right-handed ergonomic shape, but the Basilisk has an RGB zone on its scroll wheel, an extra CPI switching button, and a different pattern on the side grips. Otherwise, the Basilisk performs better overall thanks to its wider CPI range, more precisely adjustable CPI, lower lift-off distance, and lower click latency. Also, it has onboard memory, which the Essential lacks.
The Razer Basilisk and the Razer DeathAdder Essential are wired gaming mice with different designs, but the Basilisk performs better overall. It has a wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, and a lower lift-off distance. It also has onboard memory and more programmable buttons. Also, the Basilisk is more versatile since it has a thumb rest, and its scroll wheel can unlock for free scrolling, which is great if you want to use it for office use.
Test Results
The Razer Basilisk has a gaming look, but with fewer buttons than the Razer Naga Trinity on its side. It has a simpler design with only two side buttons and a sniper button, with some RGB lighting on the mouse wheel and manufacturer logo on the back of the mouse.
The Razer Basilisk is a bulky mouse that won't fit inside most laptop cases. The always-wired design is also not very travel-friendly due to the dangling cable.
There's no way to reduce the weight of the Razer Basilisk, and it's on the heavier side, too. If you'd like a strip-down version of this mouse that's slightly lighter, check out the Razer Basilisk Essential.
The build quality of the Razer Basilisk gaming mouse is great. The mouse is entirely made out of hard plastic that doesn't feel cheap. There are no loose or wobbling parts. Unfortunately, the feet are average, rubbery pieces, but they still slide well enough for most people.
The ergonomics of the Razer Basilisk are very good for right-handed people. It has a comfortable shape with a thumb-rest and the three side buttons are easy to press.
When using a palm grip, everyone should be able to use the Razer Basilisk comfortably, without any difficulty reaching all buttons.
Small hands might have trouble reaching the sniper button when using the claw grip.
Due to the larger design of the mouse, people with small hands using a fingertip grip might have trouble keeping a good control on the mouse when trying to reach the side sniper button.
The Razer Basilisk is wired-only and can't be used wirelessly. Instead, check out the Razer Basilisk Ultimate or the Basilisk X Hyperspeed if you prefer a wireless design.
This is a typical Razer cable. It's braided and strong, although it isn't flexible. It keeps a lot of kinks from being stored and drags on your desk. If you want a similar mouse that has a much better and less rigid cable, check out the Razer DeathAdder V2, though it doesn't feature the same slanted, ergonomic design.
This mouse offers a few buttons that are all programmable. You can also save different button layouts in the software and switch between them directly on the mouse. Also, on top of having a CPI switch button, you can have a set value on the sniper buttons, which allows you to have a specific mouse sensitivity for as long as you're holding that button. You can even reprogram the scroll wheel up and down.
The mouse wheel of the Razer Basilisk is pretty standard. It has RGB lighting and is incremented, which offers good scrolling feedback. However, it can't be tilted like the Razer Naga Trinity, nor can it be unlocked for free scrolling like office mice. If you're interested in a similar gaming mouse that has tilt buttons and unlocks for free scrolling, check out the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum.
The wired latency for the Razer Basilisk is low, which should be suitable for most gamers that want a responsive mouse.
The Razer Synapse 3 software is a good tool to customize your mouse. You can save multiple profiles for your mouse, and even calibrate it with your Razer mouse mat, which we didn't test. The mouse also on-board memory, which means it still has your preferred settings saved if you use it on a different computer.