Razer DeathAdder 3G Infrared Gaming Mouse

10 Review to this product

• 

  Ebbyman
  March 5th, 2007 on 2:30 am

  Rating

  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.
• 

  Adam B. Gunn
  May 11th, 2007 on 8:13 pm

  Rating

  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.
• 

  Graven
  June 26th, 2007 on 2:39 am

  Rating

  This is my first gaming mouse, and it is definitely a lot more accurate than just the average optical mouse. I can pinpoint shots with a lot more accuracy and ease than ever before. One thing I recommend it to get a gaming mousepad, as that makes a very big difference.
• 

  Petur O. Jonsson
  July 23rd, 2007 on 5:55 pm

  Rating

  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).
  
• 

  Udon
  August 26th, 2007 on 2:24 am

  Rating

  I did a lot of research before purchasing this mouse, and it’s as good as they say! This was a giant improvement over my old Logitech. The mouse came shipped with Firmware Ver: 1.21. The driver included on the CD was Driver Ver: 1.03, so I had to uninstall and download the newest one off Razer’s site. I just followed the included setup guide and XP recognized it immediately. Everything is working great! The overall comfort of the mouse is very nice, and the blue lights are cool! I would highly recommend it to anyone, gamer or not. The only con I can think of is it’s a little pricey. But doesn’t it make sense to spend a little more for better comfort and quality? It’s something you’ll use everyday and you won’t regret it!

  UPDATE:
  
  I’ve been using this mouse for about 4 months, and I just noticed today that the glowing Razer logo light broke. The scroll wheel light still works though! I’m not sure how long it has been broken, but it must’ve been recent. I’m a little sad, but the fact that I really didn’t notice tells me it’s not that important. The mouse still works great, but I would change my rating and give it 4 stars instead since it’s not perfect.
• 

  Benjamin A. Pigg
  October 22nd, 2007 on 2:57 pm

  Rating

  Great mouse. It has a lot of customizable features with the software. i especially like on the fly sensitivity. i use the 2 side buttons to change it from fast to slow. for ex: if i am running around in counter strike i use fast then when i use a sniper rifle i change it to slow so it aims better. the mouse looks awesome and is a lot bigger than a normal mouse so it fits my hand better. also if you don’t like the glowing LED’s you can turn them off or just one of them off. as i said a lot of customization.
• 

  Jeff Nichols
  December 15th, 2007 on 2:59 am

  Rating

  I went into a brick-and-mortar store so I could try out each major gaming mouse and decide which I liked best. My top choices were the Logitech G5 and the razer deathadder. When I entered the store, I ended up trying out what I believed was the Razer Lachesis… which cost’s a whopping $80. I agonized over it, not wanting to waste the money, but in the end I realized the lachesis just felt so much better than any other mouse I had ever touched; it was perfect. I had to have it. Price was no concern.

  I left the display unit that was hooked up and looked for a boxed one. There was no lachesis; the model I had been enjoying was the deathadder. It was so ergonomic, so perfect, and so responsive, that I had assumed it must be the $80 model… not the $50 model. I was completely elated, and immediately bought it.

  I’ve had it a couple days now, and it’s delivered the best gaming weekend of my life. Unreal Tournament 3, Team Fortress 2, Crysis– I feel almost like I have an unfair advantage in multiplayer. It’s so precise, so smooth… it’s just wonderful. The design feels perfect to the hand, and your hand will appreciate it after long-sessions.

  The software is great and easy to use. I just opened it up, set the polling rate and DPI to the highest values (there are various presets to use, also) and closed it up. I doubt I’ll ever need to play with it again; it did all I need to do in one use. I really can’t stress how wonderful this mouse is. The copperhead and G5 have a slightly higher DPI count, at 2000, but this mouse FEELS so much better that I can’t recommend them.

  Buy this up, and enjoy.
• 

  John Murchison
  August 13th, 2008 on 12:42 am

  Rating

  I Don’t game.

  I got this mouse after seeing a promo on Youtube. It looked like a really good mouse and it looked really cool (I’m 51 and I need all the help I can get) I don’t game at all, I have had many cheap mice and my sister was visiting on Christmas and bought me an expensive Logitech mouse because she was disgusted with my current mouse. After using the Logitech I saw what a big difference a good mouse makes.

  The first few days with the Death Adder I thought it inferior to the Logitech because the Logitech really fit the hand so much better, and the extreme light weight of the Adder seemed cheap, and seemed way too sensitive; but after changing my grip on the Adder, not resting my hand on it like the ergonomic Logitech, and using my fingers, I found the Adder to be far superior to the Logitech after all. Hands down, this mouse beats the Logitech, and that also is a really good mouse. Just the tinyest, lightest finger movements place the curser with real precision with absolutely no effort.

  I wouldn’t have thought I would have a strong opinion about a mouse, but it really is a must have. The worth far exceeds the price and it is head and shoulders above and better than my high quality (but slightly cheaper) Logitech
• 

  D. Sabo
  January 10th, 2009 on 4:41 am

  Rating

  I had been using a Logitech G7 wireless mouse for a few years until the right mouse button gave out on me. I read many reviews and had it down to the Logitech G9, G5, MS Sidewinder and the Razer DeathAdder. After using the G7 for a few years I had realized the wireless function was more an aesthetic/gimmick than a truly beneficial feature. Reviews had them fairly side by side, so I went to some local stores to put my hands on a few different mice. The feel is what set the Razer above the others. I am 6’4″ with rather large hands and this mouse just felt the best. I also suggest going to the Razer site and reading up to see what type of ‘grip’ you use with your mouse to aid your decision.

  Having now been using this mouse for over 2 months, I’m extremely happy with the decision, and will likely continue to buy Razer mice in the future as I am that pleased. It feels great, the resolution is great and it not only meets but exceeds my expectations for a mouse. I use this mouse on both IceMat and XTRAC Ripper XL mouse pads and it glides like a champ over both.

  I primarily game on my PC, mostly FPS and RPG, would consider myself a hardcore gamer and have been since the Tandy days. Note that I do not use the additional software or driver utilities that come with this mouse, I never do with any mouse. I let the games and the OS do manage the functions, button mappings and profiles. I also never use any on-the-fly resolution switching while gaming (for the DeathAdder you must install the software utility for this functionality).

  The product was packaged great and just reaffirms you’ve bought yourself a quality product. And for anyone wondering or thinking of going back to wired themselves, I do not miss the “no wires” one bit… and certainly do not miss swapping out a battery once or twice per day depending on usage. This mouse is lighter than my G7 was and in retrospect trading the weight for the wireless wasn’t worth it. Even though for years I was content with the G7, I am now better off.
• 

  C. O'Niell
  September 19th, 2009 on 12:17 pm

  Rating

  I first found the Lachesis at a Future Shop and it was on sale for the price of the DeathAdder, I bough the Lachesis first and brought it home, it had some nice features……But the buttons had to be pressed very hard all six that is, the wheel was to small and took more effort to roll(very clicky), and it felt like crap, not comfortable at all, If I had very small hands, or I was a lefty, then maybe I would like it. Not a bad mouse, just not for me.

  That day I took it back and swapped it for the DeathAdder, and Thank God I did. It feels fantastic, the, and to be honest, most people do not need anything above 1800dpi, just because the dpi is higher does not mean it’s better.

  The software it comes with is pretty cool, although I don’t know if I’ll use it as much as one would think, but it’s there in case I do, and cool to show to people that are clueless about PC peripherals, they get blown away.

  It’s glows blue very nicely, and look great next to my Belkin n52te (that glows too), it’s such a great combo.

  The DeathAdder is a very solid mouse, the only thing I don’t like it the Profile button is on the bottom. Otherwise just awesome overall.