Customer Reviews

Razer DeathAdder 3G Infrared Gaming Mouse

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

A gaming mouse (high dpi laser and wired rather than wireless) has a quickness and consistency that wireless laser mice just cannot match. I have owned a number of gaming mice over the years and while I have liked them all, I think this one is the very best so far.

The most important issue here is the shape of the mouse. The top (left and right) buttons of this mouse are a continuous part of its top surface rather than being separate buttons like on the Diamondhead or the Copperhead. For me, this is important because it makes the mouse feel much smoother when my hand rests on it. As a result, my hand rests more naturally on this mouse than any other.

Another important issue is the carefully thought-out shape of the basic right and left buttons on this mouse. Note that these buttons have a subtle up-and-out curvature that allows one's fingers to rest more naturally and to click faster and with greater precision than with the uniformly downwardly curved (or convex) buttons on mice made by manufacturers like, say, Logitech.

Previously, I liked the shape of the Microsoft 6000 gaming mouse (not to be confused with the ubiquitous Microsoft 6000 wireless mouse) the best. But the shape of this mouse is clearly better.

Many gamers do like the Logitech mice, but I have always felt that the curvature and shape the G5 and MX518 mice is a bit off. The problem is that the fingers do not rest as naturally relaxed and yet poised on a downwardly curved surface as they do on a surface with a slight and subtle upturn at the front edge of the basic right and left buttons.

Speed and control:
This mouse is extremely precise and it is easy to adjust its sensitivity with the proper drivers.

Vista Drivers must be downloaded:
My operating system is Vista Premium Home. While the print on the box that the mouse came in proclaimed that this mouse was Vista ready, it turned out that there were no Vista drivers on the CD ,so I had to download drivers from the manufacturers support site. This proved fairly easy though so I do not consider this a serious issue.

Adjustable Lights and the Look:
I do not like the purple lights on the wheel and on the logo that are always shown in the pictures of the Razer mice. Accordingly, I was delighted to realize that turning these lights off is a simple matter of clicking on two buttons in the driver setting panel. Once the lights have been turned off the mouse looks much plainer (and much better too in my opinion).

I have used most gaming mice that have been released since year 2000. Prior to the Deathadder, my mouse of choice was the Logitech G5. I am not going to bash either mouse. Both are very good. However, I prefer the Deathadder more.

(Note: Make sure you upgrade firmware. This does make a difference in the lift off issue that some people have complained about)

After tweaking the sensitivity to about where I like it, I noticed that the Deathadder feels more smooth and accurate than the G5. I am not sure if it is the 1000hz polling or the sensor, but something feels very right about it. The only movement issue I had was getting used to the lift off height. The new firmware improves this a lot. However, it took a couple of days to train myself to lift the mouse slighlty higher, but I am completely used to it now. I think the G5 might initially be more user friendly here, but it only takes a matter of a few days to get used to the Deathadder.

The other items that feel "right" to me are the side buttons. They seem to be perfectly balanced for just the right amount of pressure to make it easy to depress, but tough enough to not accidently press them. I really don't care about "Back" and "Forward" in internet explorer. I just want usable buttons to bind inventory items in games. The G5 was a bit of a let down there with only one, reasonably hard button to depress.

The scroll wheel in my opinion is better than the G5. The Deathadder again seems like Razer found the perfect compromise in scroll click feel. However, like most mice, the scroll wheel button is really not an option in a high intensity online game. The Deathadder's might be a little less usable than the G5 since the wheel is smoother, but I found myself scrolling down while trying to depress the button. So I don't really use it now, I just wanted to give it a shot. One thing that the G5 has is the side to side scrolling. However, I never really use that anyway, even in spreadsheets, so there were no negative points in my book. However, if you rely on this feature, this mouse might not be for you.

In terms of comfort, I have a big hand and I find the Deathadder more comfortable to play games with over a long period of time. I rest my palm on top more instead of hovering it off the back as I did with the G5.

In terms of craftmanship, I would say that I am pleased. The mouse feels well built and very solid. I would say it is on par with Logitech build quality (except the G7, don't get me started on that stalling, freezing, and totally not "bullet proof connectivity" POS).

Considering looks, the Deathadder is really attractive in person. It reminds me of an exotic sportscar. My G5 is silver, rust colored and black. It is not terrible, but the Deathadder is more sleek and refined. I see a little of the iconic Razer Boomslang 2000 shape in it too. I find the pulsing blue logo really cool too. It so happens that my case is black and has blue LEDs inside and my keyboard is the G15 so the Deathadder matches my color scheme.

Overall, Razer has a winner with this Death Adder. For me, it feels just right and it is very smooth and accurate. After a couple of days, I am used to it and loving it. If you have a G5 and are happy with it, you probably don't need to buy this one. If your are like me and like to try new things, this might be the perfect mouse for you to try.

UPDATE, 4/18/2009: After nearly two years, my DeathAdder has been experiencing problems. The finish is starting to come off of the top of the mouse, and the left mouse button is intermittently cutting in and out such that if I try to click and drag anything, it stops halfway through. Thankfully, the warranty is two years and I will most likely be getting a replacement. However, before you read the glowing review below, keep in mind that you may suffer issues in the long term.


I'm a gamer, but loathe PC-based first-person shooters. So one might think this mouse overkill for someone like me. However, I splurged on this mouse anyhow thinking it might come in handy elsewhere, be it in Warcraft 3 or just a web browser.

The first thing you notice right after you plug it in is that it looks cool. The scroll wheel is a bright blue, and the Razer logo gives off a soft blue pulsing glow. However, you can turn the lights off in software if this isn't your thing, which is a nice plus...

...once you can get the software to work. I'm not an inexperienced computer user by any means, but simply following the directions included in the package resulted in the mouse software claiming that the DeathAdder was not connected when it clearly was. All I had to do was go to the Razer website, download driver version 1.05, uninstall version 1.03 (which required a reboot), install 1.05 (another reboot), and it worked just fine. It was merely annoying, but certainly worth noting.

With that out of the way I've found the mouse extremely comfortable (though unfortunately it's ever-so-slightly curved to one side, which means southpaws need not apply) and very, VERY responsive. It never skips, jumps, or glitches. The buttons are easy to click but not so easy as to cause mis-clicks, especially the two buttons on the left side, which are a bit sturdier. The mouse comes with a decently long cord with a gold-plated USB connection too; having used wireless mice I must say I prefer this setup to changing batteries, rechargeable or no.

When I first considered buying, I was stuck between this and the Microsoft Habu, mostly because the latter has two additional buttons and a left-to-right tilt wheel. I've tried both, and I must say this is clearly superior, not just in price point but comfort as well. You don't really need the two extra buttons unless you plan on switching the DPI a lot, and according to ESReality's Mousescore 2007 the mouse performs far better in 1800 DPI than 900 or 450, so it's probably better to stick to the highest DPI and change the sensitivity instead. I can't say I miss the left-right tilt wheel either, since the scroll button's click function is a universal scroll in web browsers, and that's just as good if not better.

$45 seems a bit expensive for a mouse, but even for non-gamers, consider how much you use it - it's probably 99% of all user input to your computer, so why not splurge a little on an excellent mouse? Razer is also apparently moving into mice/keyboards/etc. with a general computer usage focus, so those non-gamers out there should check out other Razer products as well.

I know I will be heavily criticized for this review since most on here are positive but I'm just relaying my honest opinions as objectively as possible here.

I owned a Copperhead before I bought this mouse so the weight, thickness and the flatness of the Deathadder were a pretty big difference. This mouse isn't half as nimble as the copperhead because the copperhead has angled edges that allow you to rotate your wrist just slightly when you move the mouse from side to side. It allows you to move the mouse much quicker because you don't have to lift it off the mat at a totally straight angle. You can't do that with the Deathadder because it doesn't have angled edges that taper upwards like the Copperhead. It feels very stiff and slow in comparison.

The tracking also seemed weird to me. There's talk about positive acceleration problems on the razer forums so I think this might have been the reason for it. Basically the mouse felt as though I was moving it through some sort of sludge like there was some weird resistance to the movements. I spent a couple of days tweaking different settings but just couldn't find any that worked for me. The tracking just feels less precise to me than the copperhead.


Problems with the ergonomics: The hump in the back is too highly angled. The wheel in the center is very high up in comparison to the notches in the left and right buttons. The first thumb button is in a very weird position that requires you to stretch your thumb to reach it. Truthfully though I returned this mouse because the tracking just didn't feel right to me. I probably could have lived with the ergonomics otherwise but the tracking just felt off to me no matter how much I tweaked with it.

My hands are about average size but this didn't work for me at all after using a copperhead. I use an icemat and I'm somewhat anal retentive when it comes to having a clean sensitive tracking surface for my mouse (i've bought so many replacement feet for this mouse and have tried several different mousepads). The tracking on the copperhead seems more accurate to me as well at medium sensitivity. The copperhead just feels more comfortable/natural to me and definitely helps with my gaming. Maybe if I'd never used a copperhead I would appreciate the Deathadder more but as it stands I prefer the design of the copperhead even though it's not meant to be an ergonomic mouse.

I got the DeathAdder sort of reluctantly, but am so pleased with it's feel and performance. I previously owned a Habu, and a G7, G5, and MX510 before those.. the DeathAdder is clearly the best mouse out of all of them.. the 3G optical sensor is extremely good at tracking all movement while not being overly sensitive and does not create any erratic movement issues. It's movement is so precise and yet has a certain softness to it.. very much unlike the Habu which was too sensitive and the movement had a harshness to it. The drivers loaded without a hitch, the firmware was actually the most recent version, so installation was a breeze! Very unusual for razer, but a welcome change for sure.

At any rate, physically the DeathAdder is fairly light, about the same weight of an MX510.. maybe even a smidge lighter.. it's a perfect weight for my liking.. the chord is very flexible and doesn't pull back on the mouse when you let go, thank goodness. It's the same overall "feeling" as being chordless, but with the chord. The shape of the DA is roughly the same as the Habu (very similar to the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0) but with an updated body kit, which makes it slip into the had more naturally.. the button valleys are more pronounced than just about any mouse I have used in a while, which I like.. my fingers come to rest right in the center of the buttons.. the rounded crest/top of the mouse is fairly tall, sort of like an arch support for the hand. The wheel roll and click are both have a perfect amount of resistance.. very easy to roll/click but not too easy.. Clearly a LOT of thought and. . . dare I say, love? . . went into the creation of this mouse.

A substantial deathadder review can be found on esreality.com. The reviewer Sujoy Roy uses a quantitative approach. An old vinyl turntable "plays" a mousepad underneath the stationary deathadder while Sujoy compares the reported movement speed of the device with the actual rotational speed. He then doodles up some graphs showcasing the deathadder's marvelously linear response. I think this was mentioned in passing by J. Harvey in his review a couple months ago, but here's a link anyway:

http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&id=1300293

I've been using this mouse for a couple months on an Allsop Raindrop XL mousepad. I use Windows XP with the Razer provided drivers and latest mouse firmware from Razer. It's configured for 1800 DPI and 500 Hz USB samplerate.

I play Quake 3, Enemy Territory, and FEAR Combat with the deathadder. It feels significantly more precise and lighter-weight than my old Logitech MX500. I can't detect any negative acceleration once the game settings for each title are correctly configured. (exception: ET can't use directinput, and without DI, the razer's 1800 DPI overwhelm ET's capacity for mouse tracking in a single frame, resulting in negative acceleration. I use anir's diforce tool to wrap ET's mouse handling routines with directinput and circumvent the problem. At any rate this is not the fault of the Razer per se).

I also haven't had any issues with either liftoff distance or the sensor housing dragging on my mousepad.

The deathadder has two different types of grip surfaces. The palm and mouse1 and mouse2 fingers rest atop the mouse. This area has a soft matte finish that offers just enough friction to keep my palm from sliding down the back of the mouse. The sides of the mouse, where the thumb, pinky, and possibly ring finger grip the mouse, are made of higher-friction shiny plastic. I find myself frequently cleaning this plastic surface since it seems to catch any bits of finger grime and sweat that I deposit. It becomes slippery faster than the matte top if my hand gets very sweaty, but otherwise performs well.

The DA feels pretty close to my size -- maybe slightly too small. My right (mouse) hand measures 8 in. pinky tip to thumb tip at full spread, 7.5 in. palm base to middle finger tip.

Great mouse for about 2 weeks. If you are a gamer and log multiple hours on your pc...pass on this mouse. wheel started to squeak early on, about 2 weeks in. Then it stopped working after a month.

Seeing that I only used the mouse for about 1-2 hours every day or two...the poor quality is unacceptable.

I had bought the Death Adder because I am an avid gamer and constant computer user. I tested it in a store, and it was soft, smooth, and extremely comfortable. I couldn't believe how nicely my hand felt as it rested there on the mouse. It was so nice!

However, my Death Adder only lasted me a few months. It has degraded with such constant use faster than any mouse I have owned previously. My left mouse button has become sticky to the point where sometimes it thinks I have double-clicked when I have not, and sometimes, when clicking and dragging or clicking and holding, it will release wihtout me and stop its action. Very frustrating!

Also the smoothness has faded. My mouse now jumps around, and when I used it to freehand write or draw, there are segments of my lines that do not show up, as the mouse does not register that my finger is pressing the button the entire time.

Overall, for the price, I think this product should last longer. I loved it, while it lasted, but I'm not paying for a new one every few months.

This mouse would not work after being updated with the software they sent for it. I have had it for three months. I contacted the company and they suggested doing all kinds of different things, try it on different computers and it still does not work. They said the only thing to do would be to exchange it--no money back. HOWEVER, they keep sending automatic emails and having me fill out forms and never have sent a Return Authorization Number. I am just getting the run around with the company and if you want customer service you better buy somewhere else.

Like several other reviewers here, the mouse died on me after only about 1 week of usage. It worked fine out of the box, then simply stopped working after a while (light wouldn't go on or anything). I have owned about 10 various Logitech mice in the past, they have all worked for years on end despite heavy usage. Needless to say I will not be buying another Razer mouse.