Griffin PowerMate
Macro pad in Keyboards & input
A USB dial people use as a fidget toy or synth controller. Caveat: it may not start after restart.
5 people recommended Griffin PowerMate in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
5 of the 5 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Griffin PowerMate driver for modern macOS”.
Summary written by Claude from 5 comments.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 1
The record
Recommended in 1 of 12 months
In 1 different thread.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 1 threadNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- 5 of its 5 recommenders came from one threadNeeds half or less, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 5 of the 7 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fidget tool for idle hands
“PowerMate was the ultimate fidget tool when not scrolling, editing, etc.”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Griffin PowerMate driver for modern macOS” Mounted on synth hardware
“I have two of these, near-permanently affixed to my Zynthian”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Griffin PowerMate driver for modern macOS” Pulsing light when idle
“the real one doesn't init on restart, so I have to open it to get the throbbing”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Griffin PowerMate driver for modern macOS”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Kernel panic when pressed during sleep
“if the button got pressed while my Mac was asleep, it immediately woke up and kernel panicked”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Griffin PowerMate driver for modern macOS”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgato Stream Deck | 12 | 2 | 6 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Griffin PowerMateThis page | 5 | 1 | 1 | 83% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 7 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the real one doesn't init on restart, so I have to open it to get the throbbing”
“I have two of these, near-permanently affixed to my Zynthian”
“if the button got pressed while my Mac was asleep, it immediately woke up and kernel panicked”
“PowerMate was the ultimate fidget tool when not scrolling, editing, etc.”
“I feel like I'm 15 years younger”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.