Conclusion:

The aesthetics of the Tesoro Gandiva H1L laser gaming mouse are the first thing that grabbed my attention, and despite the solid performance of the device, they are the first thing I would like to comment on in the conclusion. The body is plastic, but the finish on the upper surfaces looks like brushed metal. Couple this finish with the way the pieces are cut and assembled and it looks like you have something that has been crafted out of aluminum or steel. But, at 135 grams, about the weight of a typical gaming mouse, you probably wouldn't be ale to have this look / weight with actual metal.

The mouse has all the features and customizable buttons that you would expect in a gaming mouse, and then some. While many mice offer on the fly DPI adjustment, this is the first I have used that offers 5 settings, all of which can be fine tuned from within the software - including separate X and Y values for each setting. Additionally, I was very fond of the scroll wheel design, as the size, texture, and central groove made it very easy to keep my finger in place and actuate the wheel with a good deal of precision.



One of the many customizations available with the Gandiva H1L involves the LED lighting. Using the utility software you can change the lighting around the scroll wheel and in the logo image on the palm rest. This adds a cool personal touch to the mouse, but it seemed odd to me that the bulk of the lighting remained blue, and I would have liked it better if you could change all of the coloring to suit your personal taste. While the utility software was comprehensive and generally easy to understand, the section that handled the LED color options wasn't very detailed and resulted in a bit of trial and error in order to figure it out.

I have looked at several other reviews of this mouse, and none commented on the issue I had with the build quality... That is, the right mouse button was a bit loose/wobbly, and the scroll wheel was not only loose/wobbly, but it also squeaked a bit when used. Just resting your finger on the right mouse button is enough to make it move a bit, and the 'squee' from the wheel gets annoying despite being barely audible. Since no one else commented on issues like this, I am willing to chock them up to an isolated incident, but if I happened to have bought one of these retail I would have sent it straight back for an exchange.

Shopping for the Gandiva H1L proves to be a tricky task. I found it on eBay and on Amazon.com, but the Amazon.com listing was through a third party and they were out of stock. None of the major US based online retailers seemed to have the Gandiva H1L, or many Tesoro products at all. Amazon.com and Newegg have some of the keyboards. The eBay listings I saw are the only reference for price I could find in the USA, and at around $80 this is quite an expensive mouse. I have seen indications on other sites that the MSRP is around $60, but I can't find anyone selling it for that price. $80 is definitely way too much, and $60 is even getting up there for a mouse of this caliber. If you ignore the review sample's wobbly button and scroll wheel, it is a very good mouse, but I wouldn't spend $80 on it and would do some serious comparison shopping before spending $60.

In the end, the Tesoro Gandiva H1L laser gaming mouse earns the Bigbruin.com "Gaming Approved" award.



Pros:

» Unique aesthetics
» Highly customizable
» Scroll wheel shape and texture make it comfortable and easy to actuate
» 5 user customizable, on the fly DPI settings
» Glides nicely and is well supported on your mousing surface

Cons:

» Hard to find in the USA and the price is fairly high when you do find it
» Build quality issues:
   » Right mouse button is a bit wobbly/loose
   » Scroll wheel is squeaky and a bit wobbly/loose

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