Rapoo is a brand name that has surprised many gamers and computer owners, offering great solutions at great prices. Blending mixes of functionality and style, Rapoo mice and keyboard products have given lots of options to their customers without breaking the bank.
Now, Rapoo products have arrived in Canada exclusive to Best Buy. Here is a quick review of some of Rapoo’s wireless solutions and how you can bring them home starting today.
Rapoo 7800P Wireless Laser Mouse
The Rapoo 7800P Wireless Laser Mouse is the working mouse of my dreams. You see, while the majority of our meeting rooms have standard surfaces, we have a couple with glass overlaid and have to bring notebooks or keep pieces of paper handy in there at all times to function as mouse pads. I took the 7800P into meetings with me in this room for a couple of days and was surprised to see how well it worked on glass surfaces without the need for a mouse pads or a piece of paper buffering.
The mouse is no larger than the size of your normal mouse but its ergonomic shape means that you won’t be closing your hands in and gripping uncomfortably. With a venerable mix of fully customizable buttons and a tilting mouse-wheel, the Rapoo 7800P is a great option for the recreational gamer or in my case, the office professional that has all sorts of weird surfaces. I tested this on glass, composite, wood and even my couch and had no problems using it at all. Since this mouse is also a 5G solution, you won’t be jockeying for frequency with everybody around with their 2.4G mice or even with your wireless keyboard setup.
The only difficulty you may find is that while gaming, you may find that the higher DPI settings might not be able to keep up with the output you need it for. This is more likely to be a problem if you are more than a recreational gamer with fairly simple gaming needs.
Otherwise, this is a mouse that I would buy for my own needs and even for work time and time again.
Rapoo 7100P 5G Wireless Mouse
After the highs of the 7800P, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much more than simplicity out of the Rapoo 7100P Wireless Mouse.
It’s a far simpler looking mouse on the surface and is probably more designed for everyday internet browsing use.
That said, it’s got a lot of interesting features that you wouldn’t expect from a regular run-of-the-mill mouse and some that set it apart from its competition for sure. One of the things I like the most about this mouse is the invisible laser. Most wireless mice have some form of coloured sensor lighting at the bottom. The invisible laser on the 7100P means that you don’t have to be blinded in the dark when your mouse suddenly stops working and your immediate reaction is to flip the mouse up to take a look at the underside.
The Rapoo 7100P also takes an interesting approach to functionality from the case itself as well. We’re no strangers to mice padding at the bottom wearing out, causing sticky friction and leaving marks on your desktop. Rapoo has specifically designed this mouse to not require additional padding elements and has also created as dust-proof a case as possible in the process. None of this affects ease of use either. The 7100P feels just as smooth as any other side or bottom padded mouse that I’ve ever used.
One of the more unique things that I’ve seen about this mouse is that Rapoo openly allows its users to control the weight of this mouse. That sounds really weird to say but hear me out. You can place a single battery or two batteries into it and it will function the same. The only difference is end battery life. You will get 9 months of life out of a single battery and 18 months out of two batteries. Honestly, weight is really negligible when talking about the difference between one or two batteries, but it is a really interesting feature and something that I have never encountered before in a mouse.
Rapoo 1830 Keyboard and Mouse Combo
It’s time to look at a couple of Rapoo’s combo keyboard/mouse packs, starting with the 1830 Keyboard and Mouse combo. Both the keyboard and mouse are spill resistant, which is helpful for me in this household with a 3 year old and the fact that my laptop sits on the coffee table in our living room. This wireless combo did allow me to HDMI link to my TV while having a keyboard at the table and was definitely helpful knowing that I could break every rule I was taught growing up around having a snack or a drink near the computer. In all, the set has a radius of a 10 meter comfortable range, meaning that it’s a full 360 degree pickup area.
The keyboard itself has really soft functioning keys and felt really comfortable to type on. It’s also a decent sized keyboard while remaining really lightweight. There are function keys across the top for media players though I admit I didn’t utilize them much simply because I’ve never really taken advantage of them on any keyboard I’ve ever used. The mouse itself has a bit of a contour to it, made for comfortable navigation and use. While it wasn’t as comfortable as the 7800P mouse, I did find it to be better for my hands than the 7100P.
While the set functions off one USB dongle and is a 2.4G set rather than the 5G of the mice reviewed, I still had no issues with signal trouble or latency between the devices and my laptop.
Rapoo 8200P 5G Wireless Optical Keyboard & Mouse Combo
The Rapoo 8200P 5G Keyboard and Mouse Combo takes a lot of the features of the 1830 and beefs it up. The combo still features that same trusty spill resistance of its little brother but features a separate set of media buttons and a more traditional keyboard look and feel. The thing that I appreciated about the 8200P over the 1830 was that there are separate battery compartments for both the mouse and keyboard. Call me traditional or call me weird but I like my separate devices having separate battery lives. In this case, the mouse has a battery life of 12 months and the keyboard should last slightly longer.
One thing of note for you lefties is that I was wondering why this mouse had similar contours on both sides and then realized that the mouse is fully ambidextrous, so you’re able to set it up for left handed use as you see fit!
This is also a better build over the 1830 for gamers. You can switch your mouse between 500 and 1000 DPI at your heart’s content as well as take advantage of the similar tracking quality you can find from their mice like the 7100P and 7800P standalone mice.
After reviewing both, I have to say that I admit that for my needs, the 1830 was a more comfortable keyboard but only because, again, I don’t use media hotkeys very much in my day to day and preferred the generously sized space bar on the previous. Still, I believe that this combo is the much better option for fringe or dedicated gamers. You will get better mileage out of the presentation space of this keyboard than you would the 1830.
Rapoo 9060 Blade Series Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Combo
The Rapoo 9060 Blade Series combo wasn’t in my review pack here but I admit it’s one that I’ve been looking at well before they came to Canada and will take a closer look now that it’s available at Best Buy. I’ve been looking for a smaller and thinner keyboard to keep at the office and this is the answer to it. My fingers are really clumsy and keep slipping the trackpad on my laptop when I go from meeting to meeting. I’ve been looking for a lightweight solution to take into meetings with my laptop that doesn’t make me look like I’m carrying half my desk. Rapoo 9060, you’re the answer to those prayers.
This 2.4G wireless set features one of the thinnest keyboards I’ve ever seen. At it’s thinnest, it’s only 5.6mm thick and weighs next to nothing while retaining the same media function keys and a full numpad. What’s most impressive to me besides its modern, stylish look is that the battery life is an astounding 24 months! My current wireless mouse alone goes through 2 AA batteries twice a year and the entire mouse/keyboard combo will survive 4 times that!
This one has also just arrived at Best Buy.
With functionality catered to all audiences, sleek looks and a price point that won’t make you think twice, Rapoo products are now available at Best Buy. Check out the full range of Rapoo products now available.
