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Mouse Grip Styles: What Different Mouse Grips Are There? Which Is Best For You?

We check out different mouse grips to see what mouse grip style is best for you!

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When it comes to gaming, we are often quick to talk to you about what products you can use to improve your performance, or how to build the ultimate gaming PC. But, we don’t often mention how the way you use these products can make an impact. Today, we’re talking about different mouse grip styles and which is best for you. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, the different mouse grips can either help or hinder you. So, let’s dive right in!

Mouse Grip Styles: What Are The Different Mouse Grips?

When it comes to mouse grip styles, there are three mouse grips you can choose from; Palm, Claw, and Fingertip. Let’s take a closer look at what these grip styles are and how they differ.

Gaming Mouse Grip Styles

Until now, you might never have thought about how you grip your mouse – don’t worry, you’re not alone. For most of us, we naturally just grip our mouse without a second thought. But, if you want to improve your gaming, or if you’re thinking about trying to break into esports, then the mouse grip style you pick will make a huge difference.

Different Mouse Grip Styles: Palm Grip

First up we have the palm grip. This is probably the most common grip as it’s the one that most non-gamers will automatically use. You rest your entire hand on the body of the mouse, with your fingers on the two buttons and your thumb resting on one side. With this position, your arm does most of the work making it most suited to large gliding motions over precise movements.

Gaming Mouse Grip Styles Palm Grip

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Pros

  • Relaxed grip – great for long sessions
  • More control, especially for long gliding motions

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Cons

  • Less precise than other grip styles
  • Can cause arm/ shoulder strain

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Best Mouse For Palm Grip:

Razer DeathAdder V2 1

Razer DeathAdder V2

Sensor

Focus+ Optical (PWM 3399)

DPI

20,000

Weight

80g

Size (H x W x D)

(127 x 70 x 44mm)

Buttons

7

When it comes to the best mouse for palm grip, a larger body is usually preferred to accommodate more of your hand touching the mouse. For this, we recommend the Razer Deathadder V2 – one of our all-time favorite mice.

Different Mouse Grip Styles: Claw Grip

Next up, we have the claw grip. This is especially useful for speed and quick reactions, making it very popular for those playing games that require quick thinking – especially in esports. As you might be able to guess from the name, with this grip your hand looks like a claw holding on to the mouse. Your palm rests on the edge with your fingers arching up and resting on the buttons. By not resting your whole hand on the mouse as you do with the Palm grip, you’re placing less weight on the mouse, allowing for much faster movements.

Gaming Mouse Grip Styles Claw Grip

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Pros

  • Faster gliding action
  • More stability
  • Good middle-ground between Palm and Fingertip

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Cons

  • Less precision
  • Finger arch can cause strain much quicker

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Best Mouse For Claw Grip:

Logitech G Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse

Logitech G Pro

DPI

16,000

Sensor

HERO (optical)

Weight

80 Grams

Size

Medium (125 x 63 x 40 mm)

Battery Life

60 Hours

Color

Black

Buttons

7

For claw grip gamers, you need a mouse with a more low-profile hump to make sure your hand is as comfortable as possible. For claw grip fans, we recommend the Logitech G Pro Wireless.

Different Mouse Grip Styles: Fingertip Grip

Finally, we have the fingertip grip. This is probably the most difficult grip to master, but it does provide the fastest reaction times – if you can get it right. With this style, your palm does not touch the mouse, only your fingertips. With such minimum contact with the mouse, you’re able to make your movements as fast as possible.

Gaming Mouse Grip Styles Tip Grip

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Pros

  • Fast reaction times
  • Quicker mouse clicks

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Cons

  • Difficult grip style to master
  • Less agility

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Best Mouse For Fingertip Grip:

Endgame XM1

ENDGAME GEAR XM1 Gaming Mouse

DPI

16,000

Sensor

Optical (PWM 3389)

Weight

70g

Size

Medium (122 x 65 x 38 mm)

Color

Black, white

Buttons

6

If you want to make full use of the fingertip grip, then you need a lightweight gaming mouse to go with it. That’s why we recommend the Endgame Gear XM1.

What’s The Best Mouse Grip Style?

The best mouse grip style for you will all depend on how you’re using your mouse and what feels most comfortable. With MOBA games like League of Legends or Apex Legends, you need fast reactions and the ability to perform as many clicks per second as possible. For this, you’ll be better off with a claw or fingertip grip. But, switching to FPS games you’ll need more accuracy, so might have more success with a palm grip.

Ultimately, the best mouse grip style for you will be the one you feel most comfortable using. Getting to grips with different styles (ba-dum) can be tricky when you’re so used to what you know. If you want to improve your gaming through one of the different mouse grips, we recommend you start by trying out the Claw grip and see how that feels. It can very tricky to go from palm grip right to fingertip, so keep that in mind.

Final Word

So, there you have our comprehensive rundown of the different mouse grip styles. Let us know in the comments which style you prefer. If you also find yourself needing to switch your mouse to match your grip style, make sure to check out our roundups of the best gaming mice out there:

Product Specialist AT WEPC

Ben Atkins Chafer

Ben's interest in video games started as a result of his intense need to be better than his sister at something. It didn't work but it started a lifelong passion in gaming, which then evolved when he built his first PC. He completely botched it but it was fun and he hasn't stopped since. He's currently fighting an embittered battle to get even slightly competitive at Apex Legends. He has a particular interest in peripherals and loves messing around with his setup.

2 thoughts on “Mouse Grip Styles: What Different Mouse Grips Are There? Which Is Best For You?”

  1. So what’s my grip?

    My fingers may vary between lying on the M1/M2 buttons or just being fingertips, the ball of the hand rests at the high point of the mouse, and the heel of the hand lies on the gaming mat (or up in the air if I’m moving quick in a game). The center part (the palm, between the ball and the heel of the hand) is not resting on anything.

    It’s not fingertip in that it has the ball of the hand on the highest point of the mouse and it’s not claw or finger given your version of them involves palm contact with the back of the mouse.

    The only the ball to finger tips rest on the mouse. But I can’t manage the sharp crick in the fingers for a full fingertip hold.

    Hands heel-to -middle-finger-tip: 7.25″, hand width including thumb width: 5″, fingers are shorter than most, and thicker.

    It’s very hard to find a mouse that is bigger across the palm that doesn’t also want me to have longer fingers and/or adds a bunch of thumb buttons that my thumb presses multiples of.

    I feel left out by the mouse designers. It’s probably because most of them don’t do a lot of hard physical labour or weightlifting that tends to thicken up fingers and hand without lengthening anything…

    • Hey pal. I feel you there. I like using big mice nowadays and swap my grip from palm to some palm/claw hybrid depending if I’m casually moving my mouse and feel a different grip is better suited. It’s all muscle memory though mind you. The mice I like using or have used and liked are the Razer Naga Trinity, Corsair Scimitar (MMO) and the Logitech G502 for FPS games. Find something that works for you 🙂

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