The Zowie Vs Razer debate

[Carnage]

So im currently in the market for a new gaming mouse my logitech g3 has served me well for a long time ((my first decent gaming mouse)) but its starting to slowly seem like its getting less and less stable with age i just got a new keyboard and its for a new mouse. Im currently looking at the zowie AM vs Deathadder from what ive seen it seems like alot of good reviews are out there on the deathadder and alot of bad about zowie. But from what ive heard about basic razer products is that most of them arent of the best quality i will be using this mouse mainly for casual internet browsing and heavy gaming ((primarily starcraft 2)) so im wondering whats everyone's opinions.

From what ive seen people are saying zowie has awful customer support, the dpi bugs at max speed, the 3 options of dpi is also awful, But if im correct ((correct me if im wrong)) the zowie uses better more will built switches and sensors then the deathadders so how does everybody weigh in on this id like to here your 2 cents

[The_Beast]

I wouldn't use a razer product if it was given to me, much less pay for one with any form of currency (even Vietnamese dongs)


but that's just me

[Carnage]

You see that's what i was thinking but from the reviews ive read zowie seems to be getting bashed on and the deathadders glorified to be amazing even though i think razer products are trash.

[DaClownie]

I wouldn't use a razer product if it was given to me, much less pay for one with any form of currency (even Vietnamese dongs)


but that's just me

See, all that being said... The Razer Deathadder has what is regarded as one of the finest sensors available for a mouse, it's overall VERY reliable, and it's comfortable as all hell. If you install the Razer Synapse software, you can also disable any LEDs that you find gawdy. The price for it is also very reasonable, being available for as little as $25-30 USD used. Brand new, it's a great deal as well.

[Rafen]

I have a razer deathadder. The mouse is very comfortable for long gaming sessions and has great tracking. If I had to purchase a mouse all over again I would be getting one of the Roccat mice. They are comfortable and are very well made and cost about the same price as a new deathadder.

[FoxWolf1]

I had a razer deathadder. The shell was improperly made, causing it to scrape terribly against the mousepad, drivers were glitchy and screwed up the settings for other devices every time the DeathAdder was plugged in, and, as a fingertip grip user, I just couldn't get used to the shape and weight of it. The sensor may or may not have lived up to its reputation; I was too busy being pissed off at the thing to pay much attention to the nuances of its tracking abilities. A few months in, I took it apart, and, somewhat to my relief, it did not survive the process.

[DaClownie]

I had a razer deathadder. The shell was improperly made, causing it to scrape terribly against the mousepad, drivers were glitchy and screwed up the settings for other devices every time the DeathAdder was plugged in, and, as a fingertip grip user, I just couldn't get used to the shape and weight of it. The sensor may or may not have lived up to its reputation; I was too busy being pissed off at the thing to pay much attention to the nuances of its tracking abilities. A few months in, I took it apart, and, somewhat to my relief, it did not survive the process.

Your experience is opposite of the norm. I'm not sticking up for Razer as a whole. I own one of their keyboards (Blackwidow) because I grabbed it for $50 shipped on Overclock.net. I have their mouse because I got it used for $30 on overclock.net and was tired of using crappy mice. Both products worked amazingly well. The deathadder has been in my possession for about 2 years, and the previous owner had it for a year before me. Still kicking like the day I got it.

[Carnage]

This is what i mean -.- every other post here is RAZERS GARBAGE or RAZERS GREAT it would seem like

[chocobunny]

Never had a Zowie product but I've had my share of Razer stuffs:

Diamondback 3g - bought for $25 from a friend who used it for about a month before getting a Deathadder.  Other than the discolored translucent rubber sides, it's still going strong 3 years later.
Blackwidow - paid $60, bowed in the middle and it would wobble with light pressure (like using it to type).  I "fixed it" by applying some layers of duct tape to the corner that wasn't making contact with the desk.
Original Naga - got it as a birthday gift, some of the buttons on the side keypad still don't work even after updates to Synapse/firmware
Craptacular Tron mouse - bought for $30 on sale to give as a gift to my nephew...tracking/acceleration were completely wonky in that the cursor would randomly jump to a corner of the screen.  Tried taping the sensor to see if it was mouse lift issues, swabbed sensor with isopropyl alcohol, and tried almost every combination of adjustments in the settings but to no avail.

I've just had some pretty crappy experiences with their products with the only diamond in the turd pile being the Diamondback 3g.  That Deathadder that my friend bought is still functioning perfectly fine as well.  It's understandable for products to have issues over time with normal use.  But the issues I've had were within the first week of ownership.  Also, none of these products were refurbs. 

As a personal preference, I'll probably avoid Razer in the future until there are notable improvements in build quality.  Its those stupid aesthetically pleasing LED lights and agreeable sales prices that cloud my judgement. :/

[Rafen]

I did have a problem once with a driver for the deathadder. I got a BSOD so I just rolled it back and waited for a new driver to come out. This happens all the time with different companies, so I don't think this is what makes Razer bad. ATI has this problem with graphic card drivers and people just roll them back it's not that the card is crap it's just the software that goes with it.

[Carnage]

So i see well i decided on the death adder and ive got to say so far it feels MUCH better then my old logitech g3 the only issue is i want to cut off that stupid little led on it, and i really wish it had the thing zowie has where it does not assist / auto read what it thinks or how it thinks your going to move it but besides for that its by far a improvement from the old g3 i was using

the thing i really didnt like about zowie was i was going to have to order it online and returns are a hassle that way, i heard there customer support is just trash, and i didnt like how its dpi and other options where all pre-set and u only had minimal choices to adjust anything

[Rafen]

So i see well i decided on the death adder and ive got to say so far it feels MUCH better then my old logitech g3 the only issue is i want to cut off that stupid little led on it, and i really wish it had the thing zowie has where it does not assist / auto read what it thinks or how it thinks your going to move it but besides for that its by far a improvement from the old g3 i was using

the thing i really didnt like about zowie was i was going to have to order it online and returns are a hassle that way, i heard there customer support is just trash, and i didnt like how its dpi and other options where all pre-set and u only had minimal choices to adjust anything

I removed mine. I just removed he screws that are located on the bottom of the mouse and cut the led off. The thing was super bright when I was trying to sleep if I had my computer on.

[DaClownie]

Install the Razer software and disable the LEDs.

[Rafen]

Install the Razer software and disable the LEDs.

That wouldn't shut mine off that's  why I hate to cut the LED out. I think there was something wrong with the software because I never had a problem with the mouse.

[DaClownie]

Install the Razer software and disable the LEDs.

That wouldn't shut mine off that's  why I hate to cut the LED out. I think there was something wrong with the software because I never had a problem with the mouse.

Let me try installing the software for my mouse again and see if it works. I know it used to, but my computer/mouse are all blue themed anyway. I'll post back in a few

[DaClownie]

Razer Synapse software disables both the scroll wheel and the logo with no issues. I ended up disabling the logo, keeping the scroll wheel on. Mine is the Deathadder 1800dpi version, not the 3.5G

[Carnage]

ahh i got the 3500 3.5 version and i dont mind the scroll wheel light its just that logo it seems like my palm just gets way to warm and so does the mouse with it on i mean i have no purpose for the light anyways considering my hand is covering it but when im playing sc2 and it turn into a long game my hand just seems like its getting to hot with that led but ill try to disable it with the software.

[DaClownie]

ahh i got the 3500 3.5 version and i dont mind the scroll wheel light its just that logo it seems like my palm just gets way to warm and so does the mouse with it on i mean i have no purpose for the light anyways considering my hand is covering it but when im playing sc2 and it turn into a long game my hand just seems like its getting to hot with that led but ill try to disable it with the software.

LED shouldn't generate any heat. Not enough to warm your hand, anyway.

[daerid]

Can't go wrong with Steelseries.

[Carnage]

yeah i figured out how to turn it off idk, maybe ill try a steelseries sensei it seems like even with the LED disabled this deathadder still seems warm which is kind of odd. Could it be because i have the 1000hz polling rate on? i decided im not going to get the zowie just due to the fact that it has no software to change dpi or anything

((btw anybody with a deathadder know how to turn off the accelaration i got the windows 7 part disabled but idk you can do it anywhere in the software))

[Rafen]

It's in the razer software under the advanced settings tab located on the left I believe.

[Lmnr]

So your decision of not getting a zowie am is because it doesn't have all the little quirks such as software and on-the-fly dpi switches...

Zowie am has no acceleration whatsoever and has the best optical sensor to date.

Btw below the mouse it has a button to change from 3 dpi settings and i dont see how you need to change it more specifically since it has 450,1150 and 2300 which I don't see a mouse being useful past 2300. As far as I know you don't need all that flashy stuff to change it specifically such as the cpi that steelseries has.

Basically AM=Serious gamers   Deathadder=Casual gamers

[DaClownie]

So your decision of not getting a zowie am is because it doesn't have all the little quirks such as software and on-the-fly dpi switches...

Zowie am has no acceleration whatsoever and has the best optical sensor to date.

Btw below the mouse it has a button to change from 3 dpi settings and i dont see how you need to change it more specifically since it has 450,1150 and 2300 which I don't see a mouse being useful past 2300. As far as I know you don't need all that flashy stuff to change it specifically such as the cpi that steelseries has.

Basically AM=Serious gamers   Deathadder=Casual gamers

Bolded is a gross generalization. Zowie AM and Deathadder both have best in class sensors, of the same family produced by Avago. They both have zero accelleration by default, no angle snapping what so ever, and very comparable lift off distances. Their mouse wheels are very similar in feel and quality. The Zowie AM is a bit more ambidextrous in shape than the Deathadder.

Essentially, they're both great mice. Go with what fits you the best. I personally like the Deathadder, but I would never say anything bad about the Zowie AM.

[xcelerate]

If you are finger/claw grip please do yourself a favor and try/buy the Razer Abyssus LOL edition mouse (even more-so because you mentioned sc2).

I have gone through my share of gaming mice and i can tell you right now i have a stockpile of 3 spare abyssus lol's for when this one hits the dirt.
Best claw grip mouse (i returned the deathadder black edition after side by side testing over the course of a week) and its better than xai/sensei, wmo 1.1a, intelliexplorer 1.1, and a few others i havent mentioned (all of which i still have and still compare).

I will open up a mod thread as i have made some additional tweaks to mine, it uses the same sensor as the deathadder but it has hardware switches onboard so you dont need to install the drivers if you dont want to (the lol edition has no jitter issues, and i would pair it with the goliathus speed mousepad).
I cant see myself switching mice anywhere in the near future 

[Lmnr]

As far as "gaming" mouse go they both are pretty good and the reason that in my opinion the am is a bit more potent is the fact that it was made with high class gamers such as stermy and spawn that to this day play professionally very well.

[akuJIWA]

Steelseries's mouse isn't bad as well, the Sensei was one of the best mouse I've used.. until I went back to IME 3.0. What game do you play?

[Carnage]

Sorry to revive this thread but i wanted to throw some of my 2 cent in there and why i didn't get the zowie. I did like the zowie alot more ((not much of a razer fan)) but after i kept getting more information i didnt like the no software since my DPI setting vary and i prefer anywhere between 1600 - 1800 so zowies built in DPI settings arent really suited to me. I like being able to fully adjust and change all settings to fit me absolutely perfectly. I do believe in general the zowie is probably more well built / durable but besides for the few flaws up there i heard zowies customer service is terrible. So i decided id get the deathadder at best buy and if i didnt like it i could always just return it. I dont think the zowie would have sat in my hand as well either.

Im not sure that you saying that deathadder is casual and zowie is serious is actually accurate. From what ive seen in the progamming scene for sc2 ((the game i play majority of the time)) is a TON of the best top end players use the deathadder. Im not sure if id consider professional sc2 players who make there living / career from tourneys, streaming etc are just "casual gamers"

[DaClownie]

Yea, there's no "this mouse is for casuals". It is ALL preference. That's like saying "Mechanical Keyboards are for professional typists".  Some people just love their rubber domes, or laptop keys, or scissor switches in general. It's really a matter of finding something that suits you and run with it.

I love my Deathadder. I'm considering a different mouse when it dies, but I haven't decided yet. This thing has treated me so well, and I love the way it fits in my hand.

[ra7c7er]

This is what i mean -.- every other post here is RAZERS GARBAGE or RAZERS GREAT it would seem like

Every product is like that though. Even  Filcos.

Personally I like Razor mice but not their keyboards. The mouse cord holder thing is actually very useful and stopped my mouse cord from eating my crappy desk. As with all brands Razer has hits and misses. the reason so many dislike it is because it is the mainstream of gaming accessories so it gets a lot of heat just for, lets face it, being at the top.

[fuzzybaffy]

I understand all the complaints about the build quality of Razer products. And, I can't really speak for Zowie products because I've never owned them.

But, I absolutely love my Deathadder. The build quality, again, is sort of meh, compared to Logitech. But its design is absolutely phenomenal. Thing is, people don't understand how great it is, until they've used it for a while; so a lot of people who have never used it or have just used it for a short period, pass on it.

Here's a video on how to hold the Deathadder:

that kind of illustrates the Deathadder's design.

[Lmnr]

Well from what I see is that big names like Razer and Steelseries that made their signature mouse like razer with their deathadder and steelseries with the xai have made them the go-to choice for gaming mouse, of course there are other big names but those are the 2 main ones. Zowie has to rely on what a true gamer needs and none of the flashy stuff since they are fairly new.