# Griffin PowerMate

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/griffin-powermate/

5 people recommended Griffin PowerMate in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 12 months, in 1 thread. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

5 of the 5 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Griffin PowerMate driver for modern macOS”.

**Verdict:** A USB dial people use as a fidget toy or synth controller. Caveat: it may not start after restart.

Summary written by Claude from 5 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Fidget tool for idle hands (1 comment in the sample): "PowerMate was the ultimate fidget tool when not scrolling, editing, etc." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48102720))
- Mounted on synth hardware (1 comment in the sample): "I have two of these, near-permanently affixed to my Zynthian" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48105220))
- Pulsing light when idle (1 comment in the sample): "the real one doesn't init on restart, so I have to open it to get the throbbing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48114761))

## What people warn about

- Kernel panic when pressed during sleep (1 comment in the sample): "if the button got pressed while my Mac was asleep, it immediately woke up and kernel panicked" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48103073))

## What people recommend instead

- [Elgato Stream Deck](https://hackerapproved.com/p/elgato-stream-deck/): 12 recommend, 2 mixed, 6 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://incipio.com/pages/griffintechnology)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Griffin PowerMate", https://hackerapproved.com/p/griffin-powermate/ (5 recommend, 1 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.