Customer Reviews

Razer Naga Special Edition - Molten (RZ01-00280500-R3)

5 star:		(272)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(40)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

** This review has been revised for the release of the 2.0 drivers, which enable full key remapping and macro support. THANK YOU RAZER! **
** Please consider this a 5/5 star review. For some reason, Amazon isn't allowing me to change that aspect of my review and I would like to keep the comments on this product review rolling. Sorry for any confusion this may cause. **


My first impressions review of the Razer Naga was pretty grim. Having come from using a Logitech G7 for years prior, the Naga felt clunky at best and the complete lack of any key rebinding support for a mouse intended for MMO use left me scratching my head. In the days following that initial review, Wave of team Naga left me a comment (as seen in the comments section of this review) stating that they were intending to address the later with an upcoming driver release. A few months later, just as he had promised, version 2.0 hit... and it hit hard!

Before I get into all that, let me tackle the ergonomics. As I mentioned, at first I felt this mouse to be very clunky. Now, months later, I could not have been more wrong. When they said this mouse was designed for long gaming sessions with minimal hand fatigue, they meant it. My only real complaints in this department is about button placement. No, no, not the 12-button thumb pad... those are perfect! My beef is with the two additional index finger buttons, which for me, are at best awkwardly placed and at worst completely unusable.

But lets cut the nonsense, if you are reading this you care about one thing and one thing only... the 12 buttons on the side of this bad-boy.
I'll be straight with you, at first it is awkward as hell and comes with a bit of a learning curve. Don't expect to pick this mouse up and be some kinda of button-pressing Mozart by morning. Now months after my purchase I am still second guessing myself from time to time when reaching for the 8 and 9 key, mostly because I don't use them in very many games. As I alluded to earlier in this review, they are placed such that I don't have any issue at all reaching any one button (though 11 and 12 require a funky move that can mess with my cursor precision.)

The 2.0 driver also brought with it two additional features that came as a bit of a surprise to me... profiles and macros! The profiles are just what you would expect and though very basic in their functionality, the macros should get the job done nine times out of ten. If you are familiar with the Logitech G15 or Nostromo N52, then you know what I am talking about. If not, well, it's little more than pre-recorded keystrokes with custom delays between them. Nothing fancy, but far from useless.

Now that the issue of rebindable keys has been taken care of, I struggle to find anything at all wrong with this mouse.
If I absolutely had to give it a con, hmmm... I suppose it requires a bit more care than other mice in order to keep clean. Lots of buttons means lots of places for build up. Fortunately the fit/finish on this mouse is tight enough that cleanup is a breeze.

Happy grinding/fragging/whateveryouneed17gloriousbuttonsfordoing!

Edit: I've stopped playing WoW so much and have been playing other types of games recently. Now that the buttons can be remapped this mouse works well for any game. It's great for shooters because I can swap weapons without having to reach for the F-keys. I've grown to appreciate how ergonomic it is. It fits my hand perfectly. I'm fully acclimated to the button placement and can hit the right one without thinking. Razer was right that it takes 15-20 hours for it to become second nature. I have found that for my short fingers only 9 of the 12 thumb buttons are an easy reach. I try to put the less important functions on the top row.


As an avid WoW player I'm always on a quest for mice with more buttons. MOAR! Most mice are limited to 5 mappable buttons that my fingers can actually reach. Some do cram more buttons on the mouse but place them in awkward locations that are only practical for infrequently used functions. I had high hopes for the SteelSeries WoW branded mouse but it's built poorly and the thumb buttons are hard to press individually without fat fingering the next button. Another mouse I wanted to like was the Sandio 3D but it's way too large for my hand. Plus, the hat switches are good for movement but not so good for mapping to four individual functions. I've been using Logitech MX series mice that have 8-9 mappable buttons. These are comfortable and the software is very flexible in how the buttons are mapped. I've been content with them but am always looking for more.

Enter the Razer Naga. I thought this was a Photoshop joke when I first saw the picture. But they really have put a cell phone style keypad on the thumb side for a total of 17 buttons. What's amazing is they've done this while keeping the mouse a reasonable size and having all but one button within easy finger reach. The mouse feels very high quality. It's very comfortable with good tactile feel. The scroll wheel is the nicest I've ever used. It's clear that Razer puts a lot of effort into creating a functional design, not just something that looks good in the box. My only complaint about the physical aspect is that it's rather lightweight.

The thumb buttons will take getting used to and I'm still working on it. I'm not going to raid with it out of the box because I don't want people to die. But even after a short while playing around with it in battlegrounds I'm improving and I can tell that the muscle memory will build up quickly until it feels natural - just like with a keyboard or gaming pad. Thoughtfully, Razer includes rubbery stick on nubs that you can place as tactile landmarks to train yourself. Razer claims 88% of gamers are fully comfortable after 18 hours of play.

The Windows driver is simpler and less flexible than I expected. The thumb buttons map to either the number row above the keyboard or the right number pad. The 5 main buttons map to the standard windows Left/Right/Middle/Back/Forward actions. There is no custom button mapping. Razer expects you to use an in game interface to map your actions to the fixed buttons. This is fine for WoW but could be a limitation on other games.

Razer supplies a custom WoW addon that is available at [...]. It's just a branded version of Dominos - an established addon. It's good that Razer licensed something that is fully featured and well tested rather than creating something new that probably wouldn't be as good. I'm unable to use it, however, because it conflicts with Bartender4. There is no need to use the Razer addon as the mouse is just acting like 12 keyboard buttons. Since the default behavior is to just map the 12 numbers above the keyboard you could just use standard WoW action bars and keybindings with zero configuration.

If it's not clear by now, I think this is a great product. I've been waiting for a mouse like this for 5 years and Razer has delivered!

Length:: 5:41 Mins

Quick Points:

Good Features: Excellent, programmable 12 key number pad, responsive buttons and click wheel, long cord

Poor Features: Two side buttons are difficult to access, relatively light weight

Overall Score: 9.0/10

EDIT: Sorry that it is recorded in a "mirror." I'll make sure to fix that on any future video reviews.

I purchased this Razer Naga Mouse new back on March 10, 2010 for $80.00 from Amazon.com.

I was very happy when I received this new mouse as I play online games, as well as general home office functions; I work from home a lot.

Anyway, this mouse was a dream comes true; this mouse was the best mouse I ever owned. That is until about December 2010/January 2011. The left mouse button seemed to be not working properly (double and triple clicking). I was not sure at first, but by the end of January 2011 (10 months old), I definitely determined it was the Razer Naga. Only by this time, the right mouse button also began malfunctioning with the double and triple clicking.

I called Razer Naga for assistance; they had me update the firmware. Updating the firmware did nothing; long story short, an RMA was issued because it was still under warranty (2 years from date of original purchase).
I initiated this complaint on January 28, 2011. By the time I sent in my defective mouse (and they received it), and they sent out a refurbished mouse on February 10, 2011, almost 2.5 weeks had passed.

Well, here I am today October 28, 2011, and my refurbished Razer Naga mouse is once again defective; left AND right mouse buttons are double and triple clicking AGAIN! This has been ongoing for almost 2 weeks now, and has gotten to the point of not being useable.

What is most alarming is that after researching this problem online, this is a VERY COMMON DEFECT with this product! There are actually youtube videos on how to "fix your Razer Naga left mouse button" because this is such a common defect.

I do NOT recommend this product at all. DO NOT BUY this Razer Naga mouse because it is not if, but when you will need a replacement.

I will update once I know what Razer corporation intends to do about another warranty replacement.

Update: December 6, 2011

Razer sent me out a warranty replacement mouse. The problem is that the replacement they sent me was extremely dirty, all scratched up, no serial number, and the cord was frayed out at the USB end. The teflon strip on the bottom of the mouse was virtually worn off, and the filth on the bottom was like a black crud caked all around the laser eyelet, the selector switch, and any little recess. The mouse wheel ridges were worn to the point of almost being smooth and had crud in what was left of the recesses. The number pad buttons on the side were also worn out too.

I contacted Razer and they had me jump through hoops, send them pictures, etc. After about a week, they agreed to send another replacement once they received the dirty worn out. I sent the mouse back to them, and just received another replacement on December 5, 2011. This replacement is just as bad as the previous. However, this mouse has a serial number, but half the number is all worn off, and it is just as filthy and beat up too. Actually, the teflon strip on this one is more worn out.

I sent Razer an email letting them know how disappointed I am, and that I will never again purchase another product from them. The cost of mailing the item back, slow turn around, quality of a replacement, etc. is just not acceptable. Even though it is cosmetic, there is no excuse for sending something so worn out, filthy, and scratched up. The mouse I sent to them originally was not in that cosmetic shape.

I am urging others who are interested in the Razer Naga or any other Razer product to not purchase. The customer service is horrible, and they basically do not stand behind or take pride in their products. The known defect on the mouse buttons is the plastic under the mouse button that make contact with the switch wears out, or wears unevenly. This causes missed clicks, or multiple rapid clicks. There are youtube videos on how to fix the problem (if it is out of warranty).

Between the cost of shipping the product back to Razer (with a signature delivery) and getting a temporary mouse, I could have purchased a SteeleSeries, or any other gaming mouse. It costs $12-$14 dollars to ship each time, and the Logitech laser mouse (M500) $30.00, so for a few dollars more, I could have saved a lot of time and aggravation.

The hardware is nicely built and has a solid feel to it. The charging station is heavy..you won't be knocking it over by accident.

The buttons have a nice feel and even with big sausage fingers I was able to just click one at a time. Determining where your fingers are and which button you're pushing will take some practice.

I happen to use both Windows and Mac with this Mouse every day. On Windows, I use it for work (web developer). I have setup Macros and Key Mappings that help me with common tasks (add a table skeleton, add common code snippets, etc.). This works great.

On my Mac, I play games with it, mostly. At first, I tried to map every single action to the mouse. This just didn't work well for game play. So now, I use a combination of the keyboard and mouse buttons. Only using about 6 out of the 12 buttons for things like Health Potions, Speed Potions, Mounts. I do find that clicking the bottom 3 (10,11,12) is a little bit of stretch when you're trying to also move your character around with the mouse.

There are options for profile switching based on the current application you are in. I have not tried setting this up, honestly.

There are some video tutorials available, and if you really want to get the maximum use out of your new fancy mouse, I do suggest watching them. Just check the Razer Naga Epic site.

The Mac Drivers seem just as good as the Windows Drivers, although you don't get all the flashy Configuration Screens.

One thing that is missing from the Mac side is the Firmware Updater. You cannot update the firmware from a Mac, as far as I know.

If I were building this, I would probably remove the bottom 3 buttons on the side and make the rest bigger, that's my only real issue.

My mouse button #4 stopped working after a little over a month. I now have to order another one as Razer is not easy to deal with on honoring their warranties. I had to jump through many hoops several times over with different people to get them to finally agree to take it back. But of course they will not ship me a new mouse until they receive mine and then I am not even sure I will get a new mouse from them as they hold the right to refuse to replace it after they inspect the mouse. They can claim operator fault and send me the old mouse back. It was definitely not a fault of my own, but the point is they can CLAIM it was. I have never seen a company do that. If its under warranty then its under warranty period unless you intentionally damage it. But when 1 out of 17 buttons stops working and the rest of the mouse is fine, I don't feel I should get all this hassle and be subjected to their inspection period. So by the time it ships to them, and they do their inspection and then they ship it back, I could be out the mouse I got use to using for mmo's for 3-4 weeks. Not to mention I have to pay to ship it back to them! 90$ it cost me including the two day shipping and I have to pay to send it back!
Be wary before dealing with Razer. The mouse was great other than the button malfunction, but Razer is not respectful to their customers when it comes to compensating them for their product failures.
I will try the Naga one more time because I have to but I will think more than twice before ever buying another one of their products.

Being a mac gamer (is that an oxymoron?) I play a lot of World of Warcraft. I had previously considered the Steelseries mouse, but after trying it in the store I found it to be very uncomfortable (lots of sharp edges) and hard to use (oversensitive buttons in hard to use positions). Topping that off they don't offer OS X drivers (booo Steelseries).

I was thrilled to hear of Razer putting out a MMO gaming mouse. I had always thought the Razer design was kind of minimal or old fashioned having used a lot of Microsoft mice. That was until I tried a Mamba in a local store and realized how comfortable and well designed they were. So I put in my pre order for the Naga and just got it yesterday.

First of all the mouse is smaller than you think. The pictures make it look massive when it is really not larger than a standard mouse. The extra space on the left side for the 12-key pad gives it a more ergonomic feel (sorry lefties). The second and 4th rows of buttons have a raised ridge helping your thumb find the right button. So far I have only used a few options in the first two rows, but I can easily push all 12 buttons using the end of my thumb for the first two rows and the "knuckle" of my thumb for the bottom two rows.

By default these buttons duplicate the numeric keys 1 through = at the top of your keyboard. You can also switch them so they duplicate the numeric keypad instead. Using them under the default you can use the alt and control keys for additional bar rows. I play a rogue and have the standard bar mapped to my most used actions and the alt number actions mapped to my secondary lesser used actions.

The dpi and polling rate can be easily adjusted from the driver up to a very high 5600dpi and 1000Hz polling. Since I'm not gaming in an FPS situation I don't really make use of that high a spec, but it does make for smooth mouse operations. I'm running at the default 1800dpi.

The mouse itself is very comfortable. There is a glossy texture to the sides and a rubbery texture to the top. It feels soft and natural in my hand. The buttons click solid and are not so sensitive that they accidentally click. The teflon feet are nice and the mouse slides very smoothly on my wooden desk. I've not bought a mousing surface for it yet.

I am very impressed by their attention to detail down to the packaging. Razer knows what they are doing and do it well.

So my pro's summary is:
Feels and looks great!
12 button keypad is unusual but well done and usable
Cool blue lights (if you don't like your mouse lit up you can turn these off)

For the con's my first one is this is a wired mouse. I haven't used a wired mouse in 10 years I think. It is weird going back. Of course it is a well designed wired mouse with a braided cable. I still wish it was wireless.

The lights under the 12-key pad make the surface there warm. Not too warm but you will definitely feel some extra heat.

The other reviewer mentioned Bartender4 compatibility. I'll admit I don't use that, but I am hesitant to use the addons if they remove the standard UI bar at the bottom of the screen. Right now I'm just using it as the 1 through = number bar and am very pleased with it. I may try the addon soon but I am really happy with my current UI and addons and don't want to change it.

Note that you can't map macros or assign different buttons to the 12 key pad in the mouse driver. They are either duplicating the numeric row or the numeric keypad on your keyboard.

Finally if you are used to the side buttons on your current mouse (mouse button 4 and 5) these will take getting used to as they are located at the upper left edge of the left button. This frees your thumb up for the 12 key pad, but means you use your index finger to hit them instead. They have a firmer click to avoid accidental pushes.

Con's summary:
not wireless
12 button keypad does get heat from the LEDs (you can turn the lights off to avoid this if it bothers you)
possible addon compatibility if you want to customize it

Overalll:
If you are a WoW player get this mouse! You will love it.

If they made it wireless and either put synapse memory in it for button macros or let the driver configure the 12 buttons for anything at all this would be my one and only mouse. For now I'll plug it in to play WoW and be very happy with my purchase. Very well done Razer!

I really wanted to like this mouse, I really did, but after testing if for approximately 2 weeks, I just can't get over the glitches in the drivers/addons to give it a favorable review.

Physically, this mouse feels fantastic. I'm a 6'0 guy with average sized hands and I had no problem reaching any of the buttons on the mouse at any time. There is a learning curve while you train your thumb to tell the difference between the keys, but once you get past that...watch out. As a WoW player, I was able to react quicker and FAR easier to any circumstance that popped up, WHEN THE BUTTONS WORKED. At the current driver version 2.01 (as of 3/14/10) there is some spectacular error such that when you press some sort of combination of the mouse 4 or 5 (side buttons on a standard mouse) in addition to the left or right click, it somehow bugs the active window and disallows and left or right clicking. Thats right, you can't click on anything on the screen. This has obvious problems in a gaming situation. The only way I've found to clear this error is to crtl-alt-del to the task manager and then go back into the game, presto, I can click on the screen again. This has happened to me (and to others if you believe the internet) in both WoW and the windows desktop. This is a well documented problem with the software that has never been addressed by Razer, who historically has been known to have driver issues. Be that as it may, I really liked the feel or the mouse and very much look forward to updated drivers.

As for now, because I can't rely on this mouse, it's going back in my spare parts drawer. I'll wait one more driver version to see if these issues are corrected, and if not, I'll look to dump it to somebody else who thinks its shiny.

PS. I'm a professional computer engineer, so I'm familiar with what it takes to label this a driver or software problem, and not a physical device or PEBKAC problem. :)

=Cons=
I purchased this mouse through Amazon a couple of weeks ago looking forward to this mouse's potential. However, I've gone through 2 of these mice over the past two weeks. They both worked for 2-3 days, then all of a sudden the buttons do not click unless held down for 2-3 seconds. And once the clicking problems started, the lights on the mouse stopped working. I tried reinstalling and flashing the firmware with the latest files from Razer Support to no avail. I find it hard to believe so many people have the same problems with this mouse for it not to be a manufacturing problem.

=Pros=
Great ergonomics. I like all 3 of the grips and the side buttons. It seemed like the perfect mouse.


Wish I had trusted some of the negative reviews on this site and avoided this mouse altogether. I'm awaiting my third replacement mouse...praying it works as intended. I believe Razer has bad quality control in the development of this mouse. They need to develop new firmware/drivers or some other solution. Many others have the same problem I do. Buy at your own risk!

Pros: The most buttons you can find on a mouse from any manufacturer.

Cons:

Laser on the mouse broke after a few months and after 10 days of premade canned email replies that you only get every 28+ hours I am told I have to pay to send the mouse back to them. They don't even do their own RMAs, they outsource. Even writing specific questions to their support you just get back premade email replies sometime in the next two days. If this wasn't a gift I would not even being going through the process to try to get a replacement mouse. It's been an absurd 10 days of just trying to get the product replaced.

I have done tech support for various companies for over 10 years. I know the expectations for support for varying establishments and vendors. Razer is the worst I have ever seen. When has a response time for support tickets being over 28 hours ever been acceptable at any company, ever? 10 Days to finally get a response from their contracted RMA company that just tells me where I have to send the busted mouse, out of my own pocket?