There are two ways to judge something: either by itself or in comparison to others of its kind. Taken by itself, the Dream Machines DM6 Holey S is not a bad mouse. PixArt's PMW3389 sensor, low click latency, good buttons across the board, low weight, decent mouse feet, and a flexible cable—the DM6 Holey S checks a lot of boxes. And if the DM6 Holey S were the only lightweight right-handed ergonomic mouse around this price point on the market, I wouldn't mind its flaws, of which there are quite a few. First, 1000 Hz polling is highly unstable on my unit. Both 125 Hz and 500 Hz work fine, but 1000 Hz periodically drops to 500 Hz. Accordingly, it's pretty much a must to stick to 500 Hz on the Holey S. While that is no doubt annoying, many people voluntarily choose 500 Hz over 1000 Hz to this day, so it's not that big of a deal, either. Second, CPI deviation is quite high, though that can be rectified rather easily using the software. Third, the coating is highly susceptible to fingerprints and oil marks in general. What's worse, those are permanent, resulting in a rather unsightly view over time. Lastly, build quality is a bit spotty as well, with some creaking here and there, and rattling from two loose buttons at the bottom of the mouse.

The real problem with the DM6 Holey S, however, is that for just $10 more, one could get the Glorious Model D, which has a similar shape, similar weight, and similar cable, but none of the issues mentioned above, including a properly functioning 1000 Hz polling rate. And for those willing to spend a bit more, the Mountain Makalu 67 for $59.99 outperforms the DM6 Holey S in pretty much every aspect. I haven't tested the regular DM6 Holey with PixArt's PMW3360 instead of the PMW3389, so I can't really comment on it, but provided 1000 Hz polling is stable on that one, it might be worth a look for those on a budget, as $32.99 is a fair price. Furthermore, the DM6 Holey Duo promises to be a worthwhile alternative as well, bringing wireless to a highly competitive price point of just $49.99. But as it stands right now, and despite not being a bad mouse on its own, the DM6 Holey S fails to leave an impression on today's highly competitive market.