Author Topic: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013  (Read 91683 times)

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Offline StrykerX

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[REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 16:21:27 »
Didn't see any threads on it so I thought I would post my experience. This won't be the most extensive review ever but hopefully it'll help anybody interested in purchasing a new mouse.

A brief history of myself: I am a former professional Counter-Strike: Source player that competed at the highest level. I was paid to fly out and compete on the invitation-only Championship Gaming Series that was on DirecTV at SXSW in Austin, Texas. I've won and placed top three at quite a few tournaments. My proudest accomplishments include winning Dell's College Gaming League and beating Team 3D (the second season CGS team) in a CEVO tournament.

Now that we got that out of the way...

I've used the following mice during the successful part of my career (in order leading up to what I was previously using): Logitech MX510, Logitech G5 *shudders*, Logitech MX518, Razer Deathadder, Razer Deathadder 3.5G.

Mostly everyone I knew back when I played either used a Deathadder, or an MX518. Lately, it seems like SteelSeries and Zowie have gained some market share, but they didn't have any back when I was playing professionally. I've never used any of their mice so I can't compare to them.

I loved my Deathadder. I've always felt the ergonomics of the mouse was perfect for my hand. I never was super comfortable with the shape of the Logitech MX518. It was something I got used to, but the second my hand was in a Deathadder it felt right. I believe it's because they designed it to be very similar to the Microsoft Intellimouse 3.0, which was a popular gaming mouse before gaming mice were a thing, and even for a while after that. That said, the Deathadder never felt cheap, nor did it feel extremely high quality.  When I got the newer 3.5G version, there was zero difference in feel or build quality, and an unnoticeable difference to performance (for me).

A wild Deathadder 2013 appears...



On first sight, the mouse looks identical to the previous editions. But the moment my hand gripped this mouse, I was in love. It just feels...amazing. They added rubber grips to the side and a subtle grippy texture to the entire mouse that gives the mouse an extremely high quality feel. The build quality certainly does feel a lot more improved. It's amazing how minor details can accomplish so much.



I installed Synapse 2.0 and I'm not sure what everybody is complaining about. Without on-board controls, of course you will need custom software to change DPI and other settings, and Razer made easy to install and well designed cloud based settings software. I also read that you can store your settings offline. I think people complain because they like to complain, but I see nothing wrong with the software and this is coming from somebody who used to have to take their equipment to many LAN tournaments.

I immediately disabled the pulsating logo as usual, but the green scroll wheel trim actually looks really nice. I put my DPI down to 400 (yes, I use really low DPI, like a lot of top CS players). My old Deathadder was at 450, so I had to use a DPI calculator to figure out what to change my in-game sensitivity to in order to compensate. It turned out to be perfect.  I used 400 DPI before was when I was using my MX518 so the change was easy.

I went into an ESEA pug to test out the mouse. I swear I'm not joking, but I got the three most insane headshots within a few seconds of playing. I think it may have been the placebo effect at first that made my aim feel ridiculously accurate. After playing longer, it didn't continue like that, but there was a noticeable difference in the tracking and it felt more smooth than ever before. It's advertised as using a 6400dpi 4G Optical Sensor (not sure if that insane DPI amount means anything considering I play with it set on 400), but if I remember correctly the old Deathadder used an Infrared sensor. But this mouse says 6400DPI 4G Infrared Sensor on the bottom, so maybe Infrared and Optical mean the same thing to them? I don't know enough about them, so somebody else can elaborate if they know. I won't claim that this sensor is so good that a bad player would now be good just by switching from their gaming mouse to this gaming mouse, we all know it takes much more than a good mouse. But I do feel more of a difference switching from the Deathadder 3.5G to the 2013 than I did from the original Deathadder to the Deathadder 3.5G. Also, I am using this mouse at 1000HZ and when I used 1000HZ on my old Deathadder it felt inaccurate, where as it feels perfect on this.

Conclusion

I know their mechanical keyboards get a lot of heat on here (trust me, I'm not a Razer fanboy, I just ordered a Filco), but there is no denying that this is a fantastic mouse. This is the best Deathadder yet, and I'm curious to know how it can even get any better.

Pros:
  • High-quality build that feels really solid
  • Rubber side grips and subtle grippy texture
  • Amazing sensor that gives you ultra-smooth tracking
  • 1000HZ that doesn't feel unstable

Cons:
  • $69 price tag
  • No on-board memory

I give it 5/5 stars.

Got mine from Amazon because it seemed to be on backorder on Razer's website.

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-DeathAdder-Essential-Ergonomic-RZ01-00840100-R3U1/dp/B00AAS888S
« Last Edit: Wed, 02 January 2013, 13:35:11 by StrykerX »

Offline vun

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Re: Deathadder 2013
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 16:48:47 »
The problem I have with the newer Razer mice is that they claim to have switched over to the bloated Synapse POS because onboard memory was apparently making their mice too expensive and they thought people wanted to be able to have 30+ profiles for each of their peripherals. And then they put out a couple of mice without onboard memory and they were easily more expensive than most of their previous products.
Also, when I tried to use Synapse with my 3.5G I don't think it'd let me set dpi and sensitivity independently, although I might remember incorrectly as I soon switched back to the legacy drivers.

As for the DA 2013; I really really want one as I love the shape but despise the shiny plastic on the older models. Not sure if I'll get one anytime soon, though, as it's noticeably more expensive than the old DA and doesn't even have onboard memory, which is something I would prefer in all my mice and Razer's reason for not using it is just plain silly.

I'll admit, though, that Razer gets a bit too much flak; their keyboards and, from what I've heard, headsets are overpriced pieces of terrible bling, but their mice are great and innovative, at least compared to Logitech who's pretty much been pushing the same shape for ages. Synapse, **** as it is, also gets slightly more flak than it deserves. It's not as bad as people make it out to be, but compared to the old Razer drivers it's so messy and unnecessary. I would be perfectly fine with Synapse if they'd just put onboard memory on their mice.

In short; I really want one due to the shape, materials and sensor, and your review doesn't make me want it any less. Razer makes great mice, but their business practices lately are putting me off their products.
Over here in Norway I haven't managed to find the 2013 for under $90, and at that price the lack of onboard memory could really be a deal-breaker for me.

My apologies if there are a few oversights in this post, I'm a bit pressed for time so I'll probably come back later and clarify whatever needs clarification. Just don't get the wrong impression from my grumpy wording though; your review was excellent.

Offline demik

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 16:55:45 »
ooo. i hope they do another black edition
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Offline okooko

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 16:59:02 »
Great review.

I've been using the Mamba non-4G for long time now (mostly for web browsing and wired when casually gaming) and I have to say, the feel of the mouse is great. Its contoured well and fits my hand almost perfectly. I mention this, as the Deathadder has the same shape just a lighter and wired version of the Mamba last time I check.

I've had pretty good experiences with Razer mice and would say that their mice are decent (if you see past the pricetag), but I cannot comment on their other products such as their keyboards especially and headsets also.
Having said that I have had some minor issues with my mice but its not annoying enough for me to change. (Mamba DPI setting resets when I turn it off, Orochi sometimes lags when you turn it on) both issues easily fixed and don't worry me at all.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: Deathadder 2013
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 17:05:56 »
The problem I have with the newer Razer mice is that they claim to have switched over to the bloated Synapse POS because onboard memory was apparently making their mice too expensive and they thought people wanted to be able to have 30+ profiles for each of their peripherals. And then they put out a couple of mice without onboard memory and they were easily more expensive than most of their previous products.
Also, when I tried to use Synapse with my 3.5G I don't think it'd let me set dpi and sensitivity independently, although I might remember incorrectly as I soon switched back to the legacy drivers.

As for the DA 2013; I really really want one as I love the shape but despise the shiny plastic on the older models. Not sure if I'll get one anytime soon, though, as it's noticeably more expensive than the old DA and doesn't even have onboard memory, which is something I would prefer in all my mice and Razer's reason for not using it is just plain silly.

I'll admit, though, that Razer gets a bit too much flak; their keyboards and, from what I've heard, headsets are overpriced pieces of terrible bling, but their mice are great and innovative, at least compared to Logitech who's pretty much been pushing the same shape for ages. Synapse, **** as it is, also gets slightly more flak than it deserves. It's not as bad as people make it out to be, but compared to the old Razer drivers it's so messy and unnecessary. I would be perfectly fine with Synapse if they'd just put onboard memory on their mice.

In short; I really want one due to the shape, materials and sensor, and your review doesn't make me want it any less. Razer makes great mice, but their business practices lately are putting me off their products.
Over here in Norway I haven't managed to find the 2013 for under $90, and at that price the lack of onboard memory could really be a deal-breaker for me.

My apologies if there are a few oversights in this post, I'm a bit pressed for time so I'll probably come back later and clarify whatever needs clarification. Just don't get the wrong impression from my grumpy wording though; your review was excellent.
Fair post. You're right about the lack of on-board memory. But the drivers don't bother me at all, and I'd only need on-board memory if I needed to use this mouse on another computer where I for some reason wouldn't be able to connect to the internet and download Synapse 2.0. And yes, no shiny plastic anymore!

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 17:35:46 »
I really like on-board memory as I have a collection of 13 mice so far that I switch between, both on this computer and on my laptop, so the less drivers I have to bother with the happier I am.
That's why I say Synapse gets too much hate; if you're only ever going to use the DA2013 on one computer then it's not much of an issue at all, but I still think it's unnecessary and silly when Razer say they chose to stop using on-board memory to make their mice cheaper, and then proceed to release more and more expensive mice. Sure, due to the lack of on-board memory they're not as expensive as they could have been, but they're still not cheaper than earlier models from what I've seen. I haven't done a whole lot of research on this, though, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Oh, and they also claimed that Synapse was better due to the fact that you could store unlimited profiles, but who the hell needs more profiles than what's available on most mice with onboard memory these days?

So yeah, the thing that bothers me most about this whole no on-board memory/Synapse deal is that it's so damn unnecessary.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 17:41:53 »
I really like on-board memory as I have a collection of 13 mice so far that I switch between, both on this computer and on my laptop, so the less drivers I have to bother with the happier I am.
That's why I say Synapse gets too much hate; if you're only ever going to use the DA2013 on one computer then it's not much of an issue at all, but I still think it's unnecessary and silly when Razer say they chose to stop using on-board memory to make their mice cheaper, and then proceed to release more and more expensive mice. Sure, due to the lack of on-board memory they're not as expensive as they could have been, but they're still not cheaper than earlier models from what I've seen. I haven't done a whole lot of research on this, though, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Oh, and they also claimed that Synapse was better due to the fact that you could store unlimited profiles, but who the hell needs more profiles than what's available on most mice with onboard memory these days?

So yeah, the thing that bothers me most about this whole no on-board memory/Synapse deal is that it's so damn unnecessary.
I completely understand. It does seem a bit ridiculous, but it will never effect my particular use-case. I'm a little curious why you switch between 13 mice, though.

Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 17:56:01 »
Thanks for the review, I've been doing some research into getting DA, hoping to pick one up when I return home from vacation.

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 18:00:26 »
I like variation, although I don't really switch between all 13 as some of them see fairly little use these days. I'll often use one mouse for some time, but one day I might sit down on my computer and find that it doesn't really feel that comfortable, so I'll switch to a mouse with a different shape. A lot of people here on GH collect keyboards, and while I do that myself to some degree I'm more of a mouse collector. I like collecting things I can actually use, as opposed to something like stamps or coins where you just keep them in a case or whatever. That's another part of why I like Razer; most of their models are unique and therefore far more interesting for a collector like me.

Supposedly changing up your mouse shapes also decreases the risk of RSI, which is never a bad thing.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 18:09:00 »
I like variation, although I don't really switch between all 13 as some of them see fairly little use these days. I'll often use one mouse for some time, but one day I might sit down on my computer and find that it doesn't really feel that comfortable, so I'll switch to a mouse with a different shape. A lot of people here on GH collect keyboards, and while I do that myself to some degree I'm more of a mouse collector. I like collecting things I can actually use, as opposed to something like stamps or coins where you just keep them in a case or whatever. That's another part of why I like Razer; most of their models are unique and therefore far more interesting for a collector like me.

Supposedly changing up your mouse shapes also decreases the risk of RSI, which is never a bad thing.
That is interesting. Thanks for the insight.

Offline sammsorensen

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #10 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 21:56:34 »
Did they change the build quality when compared to older models? The side buttons almost always break after extended use. I loved my deathadders.. But got tired of buying new ones every year for the same damn reason.

Honestly, razer products always seem to have pretty sub par build quality and i doubt their new deathadder is any different.
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Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #11 on: Sun, 30 December 2012, 22:18:50 »
To be honest, as much as I hate Razer, DA and IME 3.0 were my competitive scene mouse, I have been to few competition and won, but DA scrolls has died on me so much that I just stopped trusting them, currently using Steelseries Sensei, but the 2013 DeathAdder looks REALLY solid from your pictures. I might want to try them again..
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Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #12 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 01:24:38 »
Did they change the build quality when compared to older models? The side buttons almost always break after extended use. I loved my deathadders.. But got tired of buying new ones every year for the same damn reason.

Honestly, razer products always seem to have pretty sub par build quality and i doubt their new deathadder is any different.
Although I've never had the side button problem you're referencing, yes I would say the build quality of this mouse is superior to any previous Deathadder I've owned.

To be honest, as much as I hate Razer, DA and IME 3.0 were my competitive scene mouse, I have been to few competition and won, but DA scrolls has died on me so much that I just stopped trusting them, currently using Steelseries Sensei, but the 2013 DeathAdder looks REALLY solid from your pictures. I might want to try them again..
I highly recommend it, the scroll wheel feels even more solid in this version.

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 07:53:06 »
Did they change the build quality when compared to older models? The side buttons almost always break after extended use. I loved my deathadders.. But got tired of buying new ones every year for the same damn reason.

Honestly, razer products always seem to have pretty sub par build quality and i doubt their new deathadder is any different.
Although I've never had the side button problem you're referencing, yes I would say the build quality of this mouse is superior to any previous Deathadder I've owned.

To be honest, as much as I hate Razer, DA and IME 3.0 were my competitive scene mouse, I have been to few competition and won, but DA scrolls has died on me so much that I just stopped trusting them, currently using Steelseries Sensei, but the 2013 DeathAdder looks REALLY solid from your pictures. I might want to try them again..
I highly recommend it, the scroll wheel feels even more solid in this version.

I have a question.

Did they change the synapse? Or upgraded it? I really dislike the synapse 2.0, or pretty much the driver itself.
« Last Edit: Mon, 31 December 2012, 09:31:46 by akuJIWA »
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Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 10:23:45 »
Still Synapse 2.0

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 10:48:30 »
I have a question.

Did they change the synapse? Or upgraded it? I really dislike the synapse 2.0, or pretty much the driver itself.
Still Synapse 2.0, but I don't see why people hate it so much. Works perfectly.

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 11:00:12 »
I have a question.

Did they change the synapse? Or upgraded it? I really dislike the synapse 2.0, or pretty much the driver itself.
Still Synapse 2.0, but I don't see why people hate it so much. Works perfectly.
Like I said earlier, I think part of the reason it gets the hate is because it's unnecessary.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 13:15:25 »
I have a question.

Did they change the synapse? Or upgraded it? I really dislike the synapse 2.0, or pretty much the driver itself.
Still Synapse 2.0, but I don't see why people hate it so much. Works perfectly.
Like I said earlier, I think part of the reason it gets the hate is because it's unnecessary.
Well it's necessary since it has no on-board memory, but I agree that taking that out was unnecessary.

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #18 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 17:39:56 »
If this mouse had on-board memory, where I could set it at 400dpi and be done with it, drivers or not, then it'd be my perfect mouse.

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 17:43:47 »
I have a question.

Did they change the synapse? Or upgraded it? I really dislike the synapse 2.0, or pretty much the driver itself.
Still Synapse 2.0, but I don't see why people hate it so much. Works perfectly.
Like I said earlier, I think part of the reason it gets the hate is because it's unnecessary.
Well it's necessary since it has no on-board memory, but I agree that taking that out was unnecessary.

Still no on board memory huh.. hmm.
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Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 19:31:47 »
If this mouse had on-board memory, where I could set it at 400dpi and be done with it, drivers or not, then it'd be my perfect mouse.
I really don't understand why this is a deal-breaker to some people. Are you bringing this mouse to other computers a lot? Do you not want to run the drivers in the background (because we really just can't spare a few MB of RAM)? Pretty sure you can kill the process once you've set it and never use the drivers again on that computer. Just trying to understand why this bugs people so much.

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #21 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 19:43:24 »
If this mouse had on-board memory, where I could set it at 400dpi and be done with it, drivers or not, then it'd be my perfect mouse.
I really don't understand why this is a deal-breaker to some people. Are you bringing this mouse to other computers a lot? Do you not want to run the drivers in the background (because we really just can't spare a few MB of RAM)? Pretty sure you can kill the process once you've set it and never use the drivers again on that computer. Just trying to understand why this bugs people so much.

Personal preference I guess, I would prefer to plug my mouse in and ready to go.
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Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #22 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 20:21:22 »
Personal preference I guess, I would prefer to plug my mouse in and ready to go.
But why is a one time 3 minute inconvenience for you such a big issue?

People here are willing to lube up keyboards, fix things by soldering and more for imperfect Mechanical Keyboards, so why is a one-time tiny 3 minute inconvenience such a horror?

I'm just baffled, it seems so negligible to me. I feel like people just need something to complain about.

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #23 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 21:42:29 »
Personal preference I guess, I would prefer to plug my mouse in and ready to go.
But why is a one time 3 minute inconvenience for you such a big issue?

People here are willing to lube up keyboards, fix things by soldering and more for imperfect Mechanical Keyboards, so why is a one-time tiny 3 minute inconvenience such a horror?

I'm just baffled, it seems so negligible to me. I feel like people just need something to complain about.

One; do I need to lube, solder my keyboard when I go to cybercafe, tournaments, LAN party?
Two; not everyone is from America where download something would take 3 minutes, trust me, I've been to Malaysia cybercafe with the da and it took almost forever to download the driver.
Three; at the end of the day, its my money, it doesn't have the function I needed, hence I wouldn't get it.

I'm not trying to argue, but please understand there are people who argue with the sake of arguing, I just wants a certain function that I need, if it doesn't have it, there are still better options out there, no? I'm not a fan of any brand, the DA is the only mouse I would get from razer, but it has died on me so much that I just want to get away with it, but then again, the 2013 is really luring me over. Thanks for the review tho! Appreciate it.

Cheers.
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Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #24 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 23:08:03 »
Personal preference I guess, I would prefer to plug my mouse in and ready to go.
But why is a one time 3 minute inconvenience for you such a big issue?

People here are willing to lube up keyboards, fix things by soldering and more for imperfect Mechanical Keyboards, so why is a one-time tiny 3 minute inconvenience such a horror?

I'm just baffled, it seems so negligible to me. I feel like people just need something to complain about.

One; do I need to lube, solder my keyboard when I go to cybercafe, tournaments, LAN party?
Two; not everyone is from America where download something would take 3 minutes, trust me, I've been to Malaysia cybercafe with the da and it took almost forever to download the driver.
Three; at the end of the day, its my money, it doesn't have the function I needed, hence I wouldn't get it.

I'm not trying to argue, but please understand there are people who argue with the sake of arguing, I just wants a certain function that I need, if it doesn't have it, there are still better options out there, no? I'm not a fan of any brand, the DA is the only mouse I would get from razer, but it has died on me so much that I just want to get away with it, but then again, the 2013 is really luring me over. Thanks for the review tho! Appreciate it.

Cheers.
Not arguing for the sake of arguing, really just trying to understand why this frustrates so many people. I'm not a Razer fanboy by any means, I could care less if you buy their product. I just love this mouse. In fact, I would love to try a SteelSeries or Zowie mouse just to have something new to compare it to besides the previous DA and my MX518.

Your unique viewpoint about the Malaysia Cybercafe is insightful. If the internet is that bad there, how do you play on internet servers? Or do you just play other people locally? Maybe an option would be to keep the drivers on a flash drive. Yeah, I know, that's a big inconvenience. So you win, haha. Happy new year!

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #25 on: Mon, 31 December 2012, 23:48:53 »
Personal preference I guess, I would prefer to plug my mouse in and ready to go.
But why is a one time 3 minute inconvenience for you such a big issue?

People here are willing to lube up keyboards, fix things by soldering and more for imperfect Mechanical Keyboards, so why is a one-time tiny 3 minute inconvenience such a horror?

I'm just baffled, it seems so negligible to me. I feel like people just need something to complain about.

One; do I need to lube, solder my keyboard when I go to cybercafe, tournaments, LAN party?
Two; not everyone is from America where download something would take 3 minutes, trust me, I've been to Malaysia cybercafe with the da and it took almost forever to download the driver.
Three; at the end of the day, its my money, it doesn't have the function I needed, hence I wouldn't get it.

I'm not trying to argue, but please understand there are people who argue with the sake of arguing, I just wants a certain function that I need, if it doesn't have it, there are still better options out there, no? I'm not a fan of any brand, the DA is the only mouse I would get from razer, but it has died on me so much that I just want to get away with it, but then again, the 2013 is really luring me over. Thanks for the review tho! Appreciate it.

Cheers.
Not arguing for the sake of arguing, really just trying to understand why this frustrates so many people. I'm not a Razer fanboy by any means, I could care less if you buy their product. I just love this mouse. In fact, I would love to try a SteelSeries or Zowie mouse just to have something new to compare it to besides the previous DA and my MX518.

Your unique viewpoint about the Malaysia Cybercafe is insightful. If the internet is that bad there, how do you play on internet servers? Or do you just play other people locally? Maybe an option would be to keep the drivers on a flash drive. Yeah, I know, that's a big inconvenience. So you win, haha. Happy new year!

I play competitively on games like Dota 1/CS 1.6 where you don't really require internet that much, but it's still good enough for locally! And trust me, back in the days, when you bring a flashdrive or anything like that, they will be suspicious of you carrying hacking programs or whatever excuse they can find. -_- Glad nowadays it's a lot better.

But then, since moving to Australia, I have stopped going competitively and just playing for fun now! So maybe getting that DA 2013 would be a good idea.. but my SS is only 6 months old..
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Offline JPG

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #26 on: Tue, 01 January 2013, 00:53:02 »
Just for everyone's info, the optical sensor (if I am not wrong) is a second sensor to hlep detect when the mouse "leaves" the surface it's on. I also heard that it can be configured. I mention all that by memory from a video on the web, but I am pretty sure it's accurate.

I dunno how much it changes the gaming experience still.
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Offline dmbr

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #27 on: Tue, 01 January 2013, 05:31:54 »
Wait, so it has a laser sensor?

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #28 on: Tue, 01 January 2013, 06:53:44 »
Wait, so it has a laser sensor?

Optical iirc.
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Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #29 on: Tue, 01 January 2013, 08:21:01 »
Just for everyone's info, the optical sensor (if I am not wrong) is a second sensor to hlep detect when the mouse "leaves" the surface it's on. I also heard that it can be configured. I mention all that by memory from a video on the web, but I am pretty sure it's accurate.

I dunno how much it changes the gaming experience still.
Nope, the DA 2013 doesn't have the stupid dual sensor crap. Just a 6400 dpi optical sensor.

Offline Vintage

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #30 on: Tue, 01 January 2013, 13:04:28 »
Looks like some nice improvements. Too bad the price is up too.

Still too big for my hands though  :(
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Offline keymaster

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #31 on: Wed, 02 January 2013, 04:21:24 »
Great review, StrykerX.

I have the old DeathAdder model and like you, I swear by its precision in gaming (especially CS 1.6). I recommend it to anyone for gaming or leisure use. I used to have wrist straining with an MMO-style mouse, but I've never had any issues with the DeathAdder.

Offline gameaholic

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #32 on: Wed, 02 January 2013, 08:19:39 »
Nice review.  I'd like to hear your opinions on the new Logitech G400 - the successor to the 518.
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Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #33 on: Wed, 02 January 2013, 08:46:30 »
Nice review.  I'd like to hear your opinions on the new Logitech G400 - the successor to the 518.
There's not really much to say about it, after they fixed the sensor the G400 is incredibly good value for money. The software for it is fairly annoying though, but personally I have no problem using it without installing it as the preset dpi values work for me and I don't really use the side buttons that much.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #34 on: Wed, 02 January 2013, 13:34:06 »
Nice review.  I'd like to hear your opinions on the new Logitech G400 - the successor to the 518.
If somebody can get Logitech to send me one I'll be happy to review it :).

The MX518 was a great mouse. I won tournaments with it. But that shape has always been uncomfortable for my hand. It's something I got used to, but you remember how uncomfortable it was the moment you use something more ergonomic.

Great review, StrykerX.

I have the old DeathAdder model and like you, I swear by its precision in gaming (especially CS 1.6). I recommend it to anyone for gaming or leisure use. I used to have wrist straining with an MMO-style mouse, but I've never had any issues with the DeathAdder.
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Offline t2russo

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #35 on: Sat, 05 January 2013, 16:56:51 »
I ended up with a Black Edition DA and a Sensei, and I'm still torn up between the two.  I really like plug and play, as I do play in multiple locations regularly where I cannot install Synapse, but the shape of the DA is still king**** amongst palm grip.  All I want is a DA with pinky buttons and onboard profiles, dammit!

Offline Guillairmo

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #36 on: Sun, 06 January 2013, 20:00:36 »
This thread couldn't have appeared at a better time. So here's my deal: I went through the original Razer DA and it slowly died due to a horrible double click issue, so I decided to buy the new Razer DA 3.5G which I am using now, and it also is starting to crap out on me as I am having scroll issues (scrolling upwards on a page is frustrating as the mouse tends to go up 1 line and back down 3). I want to replace this Razer DA 3.5g now, and I already said to myself I would not risk another DA. But after reading this post I am reminded of how much I love the shape and feel of the DA. So my question to you is: Is the 2013 DA worth my time, or do you think I would have better luck searching elsewhere, i.e. a Sensei or a Feenix Nascita?

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #37 on: Mon, 07 January 2013, 00:30:10 »
This thread couldn't have appeared at a better time. So here's my deal: I went through the original Razer DA and it slowly died due to a horrible double click issue, so I decided to buy the new Razer DA 3.5G which I am using now, and it also is starting to crap out on me as I am having scroll issues (scrolling upwards on a page is frustrating as the mouse tends to go up 1 line and back down 3). I want to replace this Razer DA 3.5g now, and I already said to myself I would not risk another DA. But after reading this post I am reminded of how much I love the shape and feel of the DA. So my question to you is: Is the 2013 DA worth my time, or do you think I would have better luck searching elsewhere, i.e. a Sensei or a Feenix Nascita?
Don't get the Nascita, from what I've seen it's just some generic OEM mouse with some fancy marketing behind it. If you want that mouse, try finding another brand that sells it cheaper.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #38 on: Tue, 08 January 2013, 02:10:09 »
This thread couldn't have appeared at a better time. So here's my deal: I went through the original Razer DA and it slowly died due to a horrible double click issue, so I decided to buy the new Razer DA 3.5G which I am using now, and it also is starting to crap out on me as I am having scroll issues (scrolling upwards on a page is frustrating as the mouse tends to go up 1 line and back down 3). I want to replace this Razer DA 3.5g now, and I already said to myself I would not risk another DA. But after reading this post I am reminded of how much I love the shape and feel of the DA. So my question to you is: Is the 2013 DA worth my time, or do you think I would have better luck searching elsewhere, i.e. a Sensei or a Feenix Nascita?
Absolutely worth your time. I have more confidence in the quality of the 2013 than any other Deathadder mouse that I've used.

Offline KangarooZombies

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #39 on: Tue, 08 January 2013, 02:25:55 »
I may... get one of these, i like the look and i'm looking into a new mouse right now.
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Offline linkz

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #40 on: Tue, 08 January 2013, 09:48:28 »
I've been using many of the razer mouse. And I think they're much better than RAT and other fancy mouses.

Worth the price you're paying.

Offline mickd

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #41 on: Wed, 09 January 2013, 01:07:09 »
I personally use the DA Black Edition and have not had any major problems with it. It's a great mouse. The only thing that I don't like about it is that I've worn through the coating on the top of the mouse where your fingers rest for left and right clicking. Beneath the coating it's a bit texture-y rather than matte smooth.

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #42 on: Fri, 11 January 2013, 13:06:49 »
If this mouse had on-board memory, where I could set it at 400dpi and be done with it, drivers or not, then it'd be my perfect mouse.
I really don't understand why this is a deal-breaker to some people. Are you bringing this mouse to other computers a lot? Do you not want to run the drivers in the background (because we really just can't spare a few MB of RAM)? Pretty sure you can kill the process once you've set it and never use the drivers again on that computer. Just trying to understand why this bugs people so much.

I switch mice a lot, and my preferred setting is at 400 dpi. It just pisses me off that all my mice have different default DPIs.

Offline linkz

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #43 on: Sat, 12 January 2013, 09:00:48 »
I would be getting this once my old deathadder is unuseable, which seems like forever.
It's still functioning perfectly after all this year  :rolleyes:

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #44 on: Sun, 13 January 2013, 03:00:47 »
So this is indeed using optical sensor right?
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Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #45 on: Sun, 13 January 2013, 22:39:55 »
So this is indeed using optical sensor right?
Indeed it does.

Offline akuJIWA

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #46 on: Sun, 13 January 2013, 22:50:03 »
So this is indeed using optical sensor right?
Indeed it does.

Getting it soon! :p
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Offline link_tree

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #47 on: Mon, 14 January 2013, 03:00:23 »
I've been using a razer deathadder black edition for close to 3 years now and I definitely loved that thing but recently I decided to get a new mouse as the DA was worn out a little and I wanted to try new things. So I got myself a logitech G400 and boy do I love this mouse. I really like how it fits in my hand so nicely just like the DA and I don't know why but I think It feels a little bit more accurate but my mind could be deceiving me.
overall it was a great buy and it is a little bit cheaper then a DA.
My grip type is somewhat hybrid between claw and palm grips and both these mices have been working great for me.
« Last Edit: Mon, 14 January 2013, 03:03:35 by link_tree »

Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #48 on: Tue, 15 January 2013, 19:50:31 »
Thanks for the review StrykerX! I just got mine today and I'm loving it so far. Glad I went back to an optical mouse

Offline FoxWolf1

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #49 on: Tue, 15 January 2013, 23:11:54 »
I've always been surprised at how many fans these DeathAdders have...

I had one (in 1800dpi form), and it spent most of its (rather brief) life in a drawer, since I just couldn't get along with it. I found it to be very clumsy in terms of form factor-- too heavy, too large, not shaped in a way conducive to proper control-- poorly built (couldn't even glide properly, because the shell was warped in a way that caused one of the corners to scrape on the mousepad; nor did it last very long, as mentioned), and accompanied by software that not only had a hard time functioning, but which also screwed up the settings for other devices every time the mouse was plugged in. I had bought it to replace a cheap and ancient Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse, but wound up continuing to use the Basic Mouse until it died instead, after which I went for something completely different. Every now and then, I'd take out the DeathAdder to see if maybe I was being uncharitable, but it never got any better, and eventually it died. The whole experience left me quite completely decided that Razer would not be getting any more of my money in the future.

Always found it rather difficult to believe that the mouse I had is the same one (or a member of the same family, at least) that enjoys such wide acclaim.
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Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #50 on: Wed, 16 January 2013, 05:06:50 »
I've always been surprised at how many fans these DeathAdders have...

I had one (in 1800dpi form), and it spent most of its (rather brief) life in a drawer, since I just couldn't get along with it. I found it to be very clumsy in terms of form factor-- too heavy, too large, not shaped in a way conducive to proper control-- poorly built (couldn't even glide properly, because the shell was warped in a way that caused one of the corners to scrape on the mousepad; nor did it last very long, as mentioned), and accompanied by software that not only had a hard time functioning, but which also screwed up the settings for other devices every time the mouse was plugged in. I had bought it to replace a cheap and ancient Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse, but wound up continuing to use the Basic Mouse until it died instead, after which I went for something completely different. Every now and then, I'd take out the DeathAdder to see if maybe I was being uncharitable, but it never got any better, and eventually it died. The whole experience left me quite completely decided that Razer would not be getting any more of my money in the future.

Always found it rather difficult to believe that the mouse I had is the same one (or a member of the same family, at least) that enjoys such wide acclaim.
Well, most people don't experience the issues you've had, and as for the form factor part that is purely subjective. What screwed you over is not that the DA is bad in general, it's most likely Razer's ****ty QC, although the driver issue seems a bit odd. I've found that the Razer drivers are the drivers that interfere the least with other devices, although Logitech drivers are also pretty decent at that. Could be because you used the older DA, I haven't really heard a lot about it so the drivers for that could be worse than the newer ones, but the 3500dpi version has gotten praise pretty much everywhere.

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #51 on: Sun, 20 January 2013, 00:46:20 »
After using the Taipan, I'm excited to try the new 2013 DA out. I'm really, really liking this new rubberized texture that Razer is rocking. I feel like the DA 2013 might make me retire all my other mice.

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #52 on: Tue, 29 January 2013, 15:08:08 »
Just had mine delivered this afternoon. Holy crap this thing is awesome.

Everything I loved about the DeathAdder, but better.

Offline domoaligato

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #53 on: Wed, 30 January 2013, 18:20:18 »
I just bought this mouse and it is due to arrive by friday.
I have heard about the older deathadders using cheap switches for the left and right mouse buttons that lead to double clicking issues.
A coworker just told me that he cleans and lubes his switches in his 3.5g about every 2-3 months because he has had this issue.

Does anyone happen to know if they are using the same switches in this new 2013 version?

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #54 on: Wed, 30 January 2013, 20:58:59 »
I think they're using higher quality switches.

I actually prefer the click feel of the Taipan to the new DA, but the new DA is still very, very good.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #55 on: Sat, 09 February 2013, 12:36:37 »
I just bought this mouse and it is due to arrive by friday.
I have heard about the older deathadders using cheap switches for the left and right mouse buttons that lead to double clicking issues.
A coworker just told me that he cleans and lubes his switches in his 3.5g about every 2-3 months because he has had this issue.

Does anyone happen to know if they are using the same switches in this new 2013 version?
It's been a non-issue for me. Never had that problem. But the 2013 definitely feels higher quality.

Offline Stoogie

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #56 on: Fri, 22 February 2013, 01:01:36 »
ive used the original deathadder v1 since release, 6 years~? baught a 2013 edition because i can, tried it out, its exactly the same, apart from that its alot harder to pickup, the whole thing is made of cheaper plastic or rather plastic that has a matte finish, and because of this matte finish it is slippery as, i have big hands, i rarely sweat, i play claw style, i also pick up the mouse mainly with the sides of my palm inward gripping the outside edges of the back top part, u can do this very easily on the original deathadder cause it has a rubber coating, however u cant do it at all on the 2013 edition, also the rubber on the sides of the 2013 edition actually makes it harder to pick up with normal dry hands compared to the gloss plastic the original has, gloss plastic is alot more grippy if its not covered in so much sweat that its dripping off, and like i said i rarely sweat, so in other words would i recommend u upgrading? no because its way too difficult to pick up, i run at 400dpi, 6/11 windows 3-3.15 sens, hybrid wrist arm, 2.5 arm 3.5 wrist....

Offline balanar

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #57 on: Sun, 24 February 2013, 03:47:06 »
This might seem ridiculous but I am holding off getting the DA 2013 because it only has green lighting. I have a blue black theme going and this would clash with everything else. I was previously using a mamba which I donated to my bro but might end up getting another one because that worked beautifully.

On another note, has anyone been able to compare one of these with another popular mouse like the sensei?

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #58 on: Mon, 25 February 2013, 10:58:51 »
On another note, has anyone been able to compare one of these with another popular mouse like the sensei?

I have both. The Sensei is a rock solid mouse, but after using the Taipan and the DA 2013, I'm probably going to sell it and get a Sensei Raw. The glossy finish just isn't doin it for my sweaty hands :(

Offline S2000Gan

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #59 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 05:28:43 »
You forgot a con.
No RGB multicolor LED

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #60 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 06:41:54 »
You forgot a con.
No RGB multicolor LED
That's not really a con, it's lacking a visual luxury that has no impact on performance in any way, and I wouldn't be surprised if that feature would actually drive up the price somewhat, which would make the lack of this feature a pro for most people rather than a con.

Offline S2000Gan

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #61 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 06:52:03 »

That's not really a con, it's lacking a visual luxury that has no impact on performance in any way, and I wouldn't be surprised if that feature would actually drive up the price somewhat, which would make the lack of this feature a pro for most people rather than a con.
I could see that being true. I just think that if youre going to make an LED lit device you should offer more options (like the Ducky Shine keyboards)

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #62 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 07:00:19 »

That's not really a con, it's lacking a visual luxury that has no impact on performance in any way, and I wouldn't be surprised if that feature would actually drive up the price somewhat, which would make the lack of this feature a pro for most people rather than a con.
I could see that being true. I just think that if youre going to make an LED lit device you should offer more options (like the Ducky Shine keyboards)
Not necessarily; while I certainly like the ability to change LED colours as I please, I can also fully understand why a company would choose to not do this or only allow it on specific models; it's all about their image. Razer has gone "green" with their new mice, so most of them come with green backlighting. Not using multicolour LEDs mean cheaper products as well as keeping their image consistent, they can allow themselves to use multicolour on their higher end products because at that point the price issue is moot and the people buying them are often so invested in the brand already that they don't need to force the company colour onto them.

Or I'm reading too much into this and Razer are just cheap *******s, which could be the case judging by the decision to stop using onboard memory.

Offline S2000Gan

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #63 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 07:04:30 »

Not necessarily; while I certainly like the ability to change LED colours as I please, I can also fully understand why a company would choose to not do this or only allow it on specific models; it's all about their image. Razer has gone "green" with their new mice, so most of them come with green backlighting. Not using multicolour LEDs mean cheaper products as well as keeping their image consistent, they can allow themselves to use multicolour on their higher end products because at that point the price issue is moot and the people buying them are often so invested in the brand already that they don't need to force the company colour onto them.

Or I'm reading too much into this and Razer are just cheap *******s, which could be the case judging by the decision to stop using onboard memory.
I did notice that you cant even get the blue Black Widow Keyboards anymore. They Do seem to have gone green as far as LEDs go which I think suits them and should have been their standard lighting from the beginning (aside from special edition mice and keyboards)

Id just bugs me that the Mamba costs so much more than the deathadder when it is literally a deathadder with RGB LED and wireless.
The later not being of any real importance to me.

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #64 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 07:17:24 »

Not necessarily; while I certainly like the ability to change LED colours as I please, I can also fully understand why a company would choose to not do this or only allow it on specific models; it's all about their image. Razer has gone "green" with their new mice, so most of them come with green backlighting. Not using multicolour LEDs mean cheaper products as well as keeping their image consistent, they can allow themselves to use multicolour on their higher end products because at that point the price issue is moot and the people buying them are often so invested in the brand already that they don't need to force the company colour onto them.

Or I'm reading too much into this and Razer are just cheap *******s, which could be the case judging by the decision to stop using onboard memory.
I did notice that you cant even get the blue Black Widow Keyboards anymore. They Do seem to have gone green as far as LEDs go which I think suits them and should have been their standard lighting from the beginning (aside from special edition mice and keyboards)

Id just bugs me that the Mamba costs so much more than the deathadder when it is literally a deathadder with RGB LED and wireless.
The later not being of any real importance to me.
It's not just a DA with RGB LED's and wireless, it's also got a worse sensor and weighs significantly more due to the battery. I was stupid enough to buy a 1. gen Mamba for my laptop as I figured the wireless would come in handy, but I should've done some more research as the wireless system is far too cumbersome to even bother including.

Offline S2000Gan

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #65 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 07:21:22 »
LOL! Yeah The mamba is definitely not a mouse to use on anything other than a desktop. That wireless receiver seems pretty big.

Not to hate on Razer but EVERY Razer product any of my friends have bought have ALL failed.
My GFs Tron mouse disconnects and reconnects occasionally (Stops responding and Windows makes the sound for device unplugged and then for a new device and then it works again)
My friends Imperator stopped working after a little more than a year.
My friends Orca headphones stopped working after a little more than a year.
My friends Lycosa and my Lycosa have some weird issue with certain keys preventing other keys from being pressed. And his stopped working after a little more than a year. Mine still works but they key blocking was so annoying I stopped using it.
My friends Megladon headphones keep "crashing" randomly and stop working until he unplugs them and plugs them back in.
My friends Black Widow Keyboard seems to work well aside form the page down led which flickers once in a while.
And that's EVERY razer product I or my friends own.
« Last Edit: Thu, 28 February 2013, 07:29:23 by S2000Gan »

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #66 on: Thu, 28 February 2013, 07:38:13 »
Yeah, Razer are fairly notorious for their lack of QC.
Personally the worst I've gotten is a dead LED on my DA, but the replacement has shown no issues so far. The only Razer mouse I have had significant issues with is the Habu, which was a collaboration between Razer and Microsoft. That' was quickly sorted by opening it up and pushing a cable plug back in place.

Though I consider their mice the only competitive part of their products; there isn't much reason to get anything else by Razer as it's all beaten by the competition.

Offline Nedlinin

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #67 on: Wed, 06 March 2013, 18:19:27 »
great review thanks. i'm buying one

Offline daerid

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #68 on: Thu, 07 March 2013, 13:50:42 »
*shrug* I've owned pretty much every Razer mouse synce they came out with the Viper, and they've all been rock solid. My 1st gen DA had a squeaky mousewheel, so I shipped it back and they sent me two brand new ones.

Personally <3 razer mice and pads. Everything else I'm meh about.

Offline deSheol

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #69 on: Sat, 09 March 2013, 07:12:39 »
I just got it, but it's too light. So I'm going back to my Sensei, but I must say, it does feels like huge improvement.

Offline StrykerX

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #70 on: Wed, 13 March 2013, 13:29:04 »
great review thanks. i'm buying one
Now that the price is down, seems like a no brainer.

Offline Belfong

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #71 on: Sun, 01 September 2013, 01:59:30 »
Excellent review, thank you. I'm thinking if changing my 20 year old mechanical keyboard and having not much choices due to where I'm living now, I might end up with the Razer BW Ultimate 2013 and since I'm changing, I might as well change the mouse to DeathAdder 2013 also. Same green hue right? My only beef with the DA is the rubbery-like surface. I used to own a Razer Krait and after 2 years of using, the coating on the left mouse button began to peel. I could see the glossy plastic beneath the rubbery coating. It's ugly and icky and I wonder how the DA is after a few years. Does it peel?
 

Offline Phedran

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #72 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 00:06:33 »
Excellent review, thank you. I'm thinking if changing my 20 year old mechanical keyboard and having not much choices due to where I'm living now, I might end up with the Razer BW Ultimate 2013 and since I'm changing, I might as well change the mouse to DeathAdder 2013 also. Same green hue right? My only beef with the DA is the rubbery-like surface. I used to own a Razer Krait and after 2 years of using, the coating on the left mouse button began to peel. I could see the glossy plastic beneath the rubbery coating. It's ugly and icky and I wonder how the DA is after a few years. Does it peel?

I don't have the 2013 DA I have an older version, and I can tell you that the surface peeled on mine. That's actually the only reason I'm looking to replace mine because otherwise it's fine. Can't remember how many years I've had it.. four or five I'm guessing. Still, I'm considering purchasing a 2013 to replace it with so... *shrugs*

Offline Emospence

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #73 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 10:46:01 »
Tempted to give this a try - more or less decided Zowie FK is too small/narrow for me. I feel forced into a semi-claw grip from my usual fingertip.
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Offline Elrick

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #74 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 20:21:52 »
Tempted to give this a try - more or less decided Zowie FK is too small/narrow for me.

Have received this DeathAdder 2013 yesterday and I have only one word for it - Cheap-ass quality.  I have a large amount of mice in my possession and this latest rodent from Razer is just way below expectations.

First off - the plastic housing squeaks like an actual rodent when used and moved around the mouse pad.  The surface finish (spray-on rubber like paint) is so nasty you think it came out of a cereal box.

Amazing how a company like Razer have so many idiot Zealots screaming out loud - how brilliant it is, it's clearly NOT worth the money they're asking for.  The only good thing going with this design is that they swiped the precise configuration of an older Microsoft mouse and placed it's gawdy Green LED inside it's horribly thin ABS housing.

Nice to finally see what all the fuss was about, another wasted amount of money thrown onto another crap product made by Razer.  If anyone else out of China could copy this design and up the quality standard - they would easily beat Razer.

Definitely not worth buying, nothing to see or experience other than a little lighter wallet because the search for a better mouse is still on people.  I expect the Zowie brand of rodents are probably better quality than what Razer could ever produce in their lifetime.
« Last Edit: Thu, 19 September 2013, 20:25:34 by Elrick »

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #75 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 20:34:32 »
Tempted to give this a try - more or less decided Zowie FK is too small/narrow for me.

Have received this DeathAdder 2013 yesterday and I have only one word for it - Cheap-ass quality.  I have a large amount of mice in my possession and this latest rodent from Razer is just way below expectations.

First off - the plastic housing squeaks like an actual rodent when used and moved around the mouse pad.  The surface finish (spray-on rubber like paint) is so nasty you think it came out of a cereal box.

Amazing how a company like Razer have so many idiot Zealots screaming out loud - how brilliant it is, it's clearly NOT worth the money they're asking for.  The only good thing going with this design is that they swiped the precise configuration of an older Microsoft mouse and placed it's gawdy Green LED inside it's horribly thin ABS housing.

Nice to finally see what all the fuss was about, another wasted amount of money thrown onto another crap product made by Razer.  If anyone else out of China could copy this design and up the quality standard - they would easily beat Razer.

Definitely not worth buying, nothing to see or experience other than a little lighter wallet because the search for a better mouse is still on people.  I expect the Zowie brand of rodents are probably better quality that what Razer could ever produce in their lifetime.

If it's squeaky you should try RMAing it, since it shouldn't do that. Mine certainly doesn't.

In defence of the DA2013(not saying you're wrong, but somebody's gotta play devil's advocate);
The coating is way better than pretty much anything else apart from the newer Logitech mice, which use similar, if not the same, surface material. The old coating was absolute crap and would completely wear away in heavy traffic areas after just a day or two of use(heck, even a few hours of use would noticeably wear it). So far both my DA2013 and Naga2012 are showing pretty much no signs of wear whatsoever.
The surface in general is better than the old one, that shiny plastic was terrible and collected gunk like nobody's business.

The only issues I found were that the price tag was a tad high for such a basic mouse, and the scroll wheel is a bit loose.

Although the body does feel a bit weird compared to the old one, I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Idk what you were expecting though, if you want something that feels solid that often means heavy, which is exactly what many gamers don't want. I know the lightweight body might feel a bit shoddy, but it's necessary to keep weight down, which is pretty important for low-sens gamers like me.

Offline Belfong

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #76 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 20:43:27 »
My scroll wheel was not loose. In fact I find it too tight for fast scrolling. For games, yes, great for changing weapon. Not so great for scrolling long web pages.

And I still hate the rubbery coat of paint. I think it will peel. It feels like it. I just don't understand why they didn't go with the metallic paint that the cheapo Logitech wireless mouse is sporting!
 

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #77 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 20:47:30 »
My scroll wheel was not loose. In fact I find it too tight for fast scrolling. For games, yes, great for changing weapon. Not so great for scrolling long web pages.

And I still hate the rubbery coat of paint. I think it will peel. It feels like it. I just don't understand why they didn't go with the metallic paint that the cheapo Logitech wireless mouse is sporting!

I was thinking more sideways, it wiggles from side to side.
And I'm pretty sure the reason they went with the surface that they did is because it's durable and won't become **** if you've got sweaty palms one day.

Offline JPG

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #78 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 21:05:16 »
Tempted to give this a try - more or less decided Zowie FK is too small/narrow for me.

Have received this DeathAdder 2013 yesterday and I have only one word for it - Cheap-ass quality.  I have a large amount of mice in my possession and this latest rodent from Razer is just way below expectations.

First off - the plastic housing squeaks like an actual rodent when used and moved around the mouse pad.  The surface finish (spray-on rubber like paint) is so nasty you think it came out of a cereal box.

Amazing how a company like Razer have so many idiot Zealots screaming out loud - how brilliant it is, it's clearly NOT worth the money they're asking for.  The only good thing going with this design is that they swiped the precise configuration of an older Microsoft mouse and placed it's gawdy Green LED inside it's horribly thin ABS housing.

Nice to finally see what all the fuss was about, another wasted amount of money thrown onto another crap product made by Razer.  If anyone else out of China could copy this design and up the quality standard - they would easily beat Razer.

Definitely not worth buying, nothing to see or experience other than a little lighter wallet because the search for a better mouse is still on people.  I expect the Zowie brand of rodents are probably better quality than what Razer could ever produce in their lifetime.

Maybe you had a bad one, maybe this mouse is not for you, but I am far from a razer fanboy and yet my DA 2013 is the best mouse I used up to now, and I tried quite a few over the years. Probably wont be the most durable, but it is still in a perfect shape after near a year. Mine is not squiky at all. I like the finish, maybe not you, but I do. And the sensor and shape are amazing to me.
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Offline Elrick

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #79 on: Thu, 19 September 2013, 21:15:56 »
If it's squeaky you should try RMAing it, since it shouldn't do that. Mine certainly doesn't.

Well I have dealt with ratcheting bolts for the last four weeks and removing gearbox/housing mechanisms out of Caterpillars all day/night long.  So I'm covered in grease and oil/dirt nearly every day/night.

So when I arrived at home to find that the DA2013 was delivered, I got excited to see what all the fuss was about, but found out straight away when you hold that device it's so delicate and cheap it creaks and squeaks under my hand when used.  Granted I'm no delicate angel when it comes to using my keyboards/rodents but this current Razer product has just shocked me into realizing that they produce such poor quality rubbish compared to Logitech, Microsoft and even Mionix with their dodgey laser sensor, has a better quality finish than that of a DA2013.

Regarding getting an RMA, that would conclude that I would want another DA2013, which I now do not.  It just goes in the bottom desk draw into the REJECT pile of rodents that failed to live up to their/my expectations.
« Last Edit: Thu, 19 September 2013, 21:25:10 by Elrick »

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #80 on: Fri, 20 September 2013, 05:23:11 »
If it's squeaky you should try RMAing it, since it shouldn't do that. Mine certainly doesn't.

Well I have dealt with ratcheting bolts for the last four weeks and removing gearbox/housing mechanisms out of Caterpillars all day/night long.  So I'm covered in grease and oil/dirt nearly every day/night.

So when I arrived at home to find that the DA2013 was delivered, I got excited to see what all the fuss was about, but found out straight away when you hold that device it's so delicate and cheap it creaks and squeaks under my hand when used.  Granted I'm no delicate angel when it comes to using my keyboards/rodents but this current Razer product has just shocked me into realizing that they produce such poor quality rubbish compared to Logitech, Microsoft and even Mionix with their dodgey laser sensor, has a better quality finish than that of a DA2013.

Regarding getting an RMA, that would conclude that I would want another DA2013, which I now do not.  It just goes in the bottom desk draw into the REJECT pile of rodents that failed to live up to their/my expectations.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you there; Mionix are still way dodgier than this. Also, if it creaks and squeaks then you've probably gotten a bad one, mine feels rock solid no matter where and how I squeeze it.
And yeah, comparing it to Microsoft isn't a good move either, the IME 3.0, which I love, feels cheap and shoddy as all hell. Seriously, the IME 3.0 is the only mouse I own that feels cheaper than my Mionix.

So yeah, you might be done with it, but it seems like you're judging it based on a faulty product(which seems to be the biggest problem with buying Razer; poor QC).

Offline Elrick

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #81 on: Fri, 20 September 2013, 06:09:20 »
And yeah, comparing it to Microsoft isn't a good move either, the IME 3.0, which I love, feels cheap and shoddy as all hell. Seriously, the IME 3.0 is the only mouse I own that feels cheaper than my Mionix.

Right lets clear something up here immediately.  You keep referring to this infamous IME 3.0 BUT I am currently using a much older Microsoft Intellimouse Pro which is Made in Mexico (Not the Chinese Rubbish).

Of course this current model rodent is my all time fave.  The smooth plastic is easily tough as hell despite me squeezing it like a power grip on a wrench, yet no sound from the housing at all.  This baby was built for men to hold and use hence it is why it still reigns supreme as my ALL time favourite rodent, compared to all the so-called expensive junk, pretending to be computer mice.

The unfortunate thing is the rampant propaganda being pushed by the media (internet sites) glorifying rubbish as 1st RATE these days.  All the current available rodents being made and sold in stores are so poor in quality that it surprises me that everyone thinks that it's alright and we should put up with this rubbish on a daily basis.  If the companies want to produce such crap/horrible quality rodents, then they should drop the prices to reflect it's actual worth.

Pity no one here is going to custom build a mouse from scratch, in which it uses a quality housing with robust switches.  We spend a fortune on Custom Keyboards out of Korea yet no one wants to build a customized mouse, why is that?
« Last Edit: Fri, 20 September 2013, 06:18:24 by Elrick »

Offline vun

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #82 on: Fri, 20 September 2013, 06:21:16 »
And yeah, comparing it to Microsoft isn't a good move either, the IME 3.0, which I love, feels cheap and shoddy as all hell. Seriously, the IME 3.0 is the only mouse I own that feels cheaper than my Mionix.

Right lets clear something up here immediately.  You keep referring to this infamous IME 3.0 BUT I am currently using a much older Microsoft Intellimouse Pro which is Made in Mexico (Not the Chinese Rubbish).

Of course this current model rodent is my all time fave.  The smooth plastic is easily tough as hell despite me squeezing it like a power grip on a wrench, yet no sound from the housing at all.  This baby was built for men to hold and use hence it is why it still reigns supreme as my ALL time favourite rodent, compared to all the so-called expensive junk, pretending to be computer mice.

The unfortunate thing is the rampant propaganda being pushed by the media (internet sites) glorifying rubbish as 1st RATE these days.  All the current available rodents being made and sold in stores are so poor in quality that it surprises me that everyone thinks that it's alright and we should put up with this rubbish on a daily basis.  If the companies want to produce such crap/horrible quality rodents, then they should drop the prices to reflect it's actual worth.

I referred to the IME 3.0 as that is the latest of the actually good MS mice(no it's not infamous, wtf), the one you're referring to is ancient and just one of their mice, you specifically referred to MS as a brand in your previous post and not just a single MS mouse. I just wanted to point out that even at their best, MS isn't guaranteed to be quality.

And again; I don't really know how your experiences have been, but apart from some mice like the Naos and IME 3.0, most of the mice I've tried all feel pretty solid to me, including most newer Razer mice. If you really squeeze your mice that hard then I suggest that you do something about it as it can't possibly be good for your hand. I'd be interested in hearing what it is you feel is poor quality about most mice, not just the DA.

Edit:
Also, Damorgue is currently trying to build his own mouse, so there are people trying this. The reason it's not that common to see is because it's more complicated than a keyboard. If you want to build your own keyboard you just need a box for a case, a bunch of switches, a plate and a controller + wire and then lowpoly it up. Creating the most important part of a mouse, the shell, is far more complicated than the hollowed out box most keyboards require.

Edit2:
I don't know the economics of mice, but if you really think they're overcharging I suggest you hang out in IRC and ask Carter about it, I dunno how much he's allowed to tell you, but he should be able to tell you enough to give you an idea of how it works at least.
« Last Edit: Fri, 20 September 2013, 06:27:36 by vun »

Offline ObserverJLin

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #83 on: Sat, 18 January 2014, 09:17:19 »
Very good overview. What mousepad would you recommend with the DA2013?

Also may I ask what sensitivity you use in CS:Source with your 400dpi mouse sensitivity?

Thanks in advance.
« Last Edit: Sat, 18 January 2014, 09:19:40 by ObserverJLin »

Offline HellaFlush

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #84 on: Fri, 01 July 2016, 14:35:32 »
Hello, geekhack users! I got deathadder 2013. After desoldering old switches and soldering new ones left switch wouldn't contact with motherboard. Someone knows how to fix that? There was gold contacts for switch but they got damaged.

Offline tp4tissue

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #85 on: Fri, 01 July 2016, 21:23:33 »
Hello, geekhack users! I got deathadder 2013. After desoldering old switches and soldering new ones left switch wouldn't contact with motherboard. Someone knows how to fix that? There was gold contacts for switch but they got damaged.

It's not gold, it's copper.. hahahahaha

either follow the trace on the pcb, and bridge the two at the nearest solderpoint with regular copper wire,

OR, you can take a knife, lightly scratch the black lacquer off the pcb next to where you burned off the copper trace. Then take a little piece of wire and solder the pin to that exposed trace, you can solder to anything that is shiny gold colored..


Do you have a solder sucker ?


Make sure to read my D2F-01F soldering guide in my WMO ultimate link in my Signature below.

 

Offline HellaFlush

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #86 on: Sat, 02 July 2016, 06:29:04 »
Hello, geekhack users! I got deathadder 2013. After desoldering old switches and soldering new ones left switch wouldn't contact with motherboard. Someone knows how to fix that? There was gold contacts for switch but they got damaged.

It's not gold, it's copper.. hahahahaha

either follow the trace on the pcb, and bridge the two at the nearest solderpoint with regular copper wire,

OR, you can take a knife, lightly scratch the black lacquer off the pcb next to where you burned off the copper trace. Then take a little piece of wire and solder the pin to that exposed trace, you can solder to anything that is shiny gold colored..


Do you have a solder sucker ?


Make sure to read my D2F-01F soldering guide in my WMO ultimate link in my Signature below.

 
Big thanks for reply, i mean its gold color)) but its very thick so they just felt out of holes. I have solder sucker. So you mean ill need to scratch the black layer and solder copper wire and connect it with switch pin? If so ill try.
P.S. I can solder it to any trace?
« Last Edit: Sat, 02 July 2016, 07:40:36 by HellaFlush »

Offline YoshiCaps

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Re: [REVIEW] Razer Deathadder 2013
« Reply #87 on: Sat, 22 October 2016, 13:34:51 »
I don't like the deathadder's lack of buttons.
hi.