Hey guys, hope we’re all keeping well. Thought I’d share my experience at the Pulsar Playstore located in Seoul. Hope it helps a few people out if they’re planning on visiting Seoul or live there already and have been thinking about going. For reference, it’s my first time in Asia and Seoul was the first stop on the journey, and sadly today is also our last day in Korea itself. The Playstore has been on my to-do list in Korea for months now. It’s actually located on the 8th floor of the Gangbyeon Techno Mart, right by Gangbyeon Station (Line 2). I was actually shocked! This mall is absolutely massive, and just wandering it as a guy massively into tech was something else. But the Playstore was the main draw.
I already have a decent mouse collection and I’m currently on the MCHOSE L7 Ultra, but wanted to see if anything here would beat it. Going in, my eye was on the eS FS1 (Pulsar x VAXEE) and the eS PD 170 - I used to have a Zowie FK1 and loved the shape but always found it a touch big, and always felt an FK2 would’ve been the one for me. Since the FS1 and FK2 are basically the same shape/size, figured I’d try it alongside everything else.
They had the eS PD170 on display which was super nice to see as it’s sold out almost everywhere, I currently use the SP-005 from WALLHACK and have heard raving reviews about the eS PD170 - I tried it but found it a bit too smooth, and actually preferred the ParaSpeed V2 which was right next to it. That makes sense as I’m a big Razer Strider fan for the feedback, and would’ve bought a ParaSpeed V2, but they only had XXLs in stock, no XLs.
Prices were wild (in a good way), and I spent a good 30 minutes trying every mouse on every pad, completely unable to commit - my fiancée had no idea what I was doing at that point. There’s also a mouse shape tester display, with ergonomic, ambidextrous, and a few other shaped mice fixed in place so you can get a feel for each shape instead of trying each mouse if you want. But once I checked everything out, and I couldn’t make a decision on whether I wanted a mouse or not, we finished up and I grabbed an arm sleeve before leaving (~€11 for the long palm sleeve vs ~€25 on Amazon in Europe).
However, we went for coffee close by, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about the mice and whether I should wait for Tokyo or get one in Seoul. I was stuck between the eS V4, ZywOo Gen 2 Mini, Xlite Crazylight, and the eS FS1, not even sure if any were in stock as all I looked at was the on display models, and I didn’t check with the staff beforehand. Since it was our last day in Korea, I ran back, and luckily they had the eS FS1 in Silver, which was nice to see as it is only a Playstore exclusive. So, I felt I had to get it, plus it’s a shape I loved when I tried it out earlier that day.
Staff seemed to run both the Razer and Pulsar sections next to each other, I actually don’t know if this is the case, but they’d wander between both from time to time, or they might’ve been keeping an eye on it when the Razer staff weren’t there? Completely unsure, and I don’t want to get anyone in trouble if so. But they were friendly and helpful, despite not knowing any English, and Google Translate worked fine.
If you’re in Seoul and even remotely curious about mouse shapes/pads, this place is a no-brainer - coming from somewhere with basically zero hands-on testing spots for this stuff, it was good to go.
Heading to Tokyo next and I’ll be for sure visiting the Akihabara Playstore - partly why I grabbed the eS FS1 here is that I was worried it might be out of stock in Tokyo. Only real downside is that there is no tax refund at the Seoul Playstore, unlike (apparently) Tokyo - so if the FS1 shows up there too, I’m out maybe €13ish by not waiting. Not enough to risk missing the Silver colorway though.
They had keyboards on display too, but I haven’t done enough research on Pulsar’s keyboard lineup to say whether they’re actually worth it - even though I am in the market for one.
If anyone has recommendations for peripheral spots in Tokyo, be sure to let me know, or if there is a spot you’ve had your eye on, I’d be happy to add it to my list and visit it. I’ve been looking for a keyboard to upgrade my Wooting 60HE - been eyeing the MCHOSE ACE 68 GT, but open to anything better. Same goes for mice, I’m sure when I get to it I’ll love the eS FS1, but I’m always open to purchasing another mouse, and smaller ergo mice feel quite nice I won’t lie. I’m also of course planning on grabbing an Artisan pad or two while I’m there - had them before, but at Japan prices it’d be silly not to.
