[vhaarr]

Heyho

I recently got me one of those new Razer Abyssus, and I feel I have to share this with the world. I wrote this mini review to test myself for my upcoming beyerdynamic DT880 2003 250ohm and Maverick D1 amp/dac reviews, since I've never really written any reviews before

If you read this and have any comments on my review style or things I left out, or any comment at all, really, please don't hesitate to let me know! Thanks!

Here's what Razer has to say about its own product;
Quote:

The Razer Abyssus is created for gamers looking for quality, reliability and performance in a no-nonsense, straightforward gaming-grade mouse. Designed to focus on the fundamentals of competitive gaming, the Razer Abyssus is armed with ultra-responsive buttons tuned for maximum tactile feedback. With an uncompromising 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor at its core, take full control of your every aim with perfect tracking so you outgun your competition.

Razer Abyssus High Precision Optical Gaming Mouse | 3500dpi Razer Precisionâ„¢ 3.5G Infrared Sensor | Buy Online

I read this before the product was released, and I've tried and been happy with Razer mice before, I just never bought one. The last 10 years I've always used the cheapest mouse I could find. Logitech OEM ones for 5 EUR, that sort of thing. I had things like the MX1000 and other "top models" before, but I never really cared.

I was happy with my OEM mouse. But I had recently replaced my keyboard with a HHKBPro2 and thought I owed it to myself to give serious mousing business another try.

(More about my recent keyboard acquisitions at http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f90/ch...roject-462173/)

First, the packaging was good, it included lots of stuff that, frankly, I didn't even look at. It had a CD, book, warranty card, and so forth. I don't even remember all of it. But the packaging was sturdy.
Everything except the actual mouse itself went straight to the trash bin.

I don't have a photo of the packaging, I threw it out right away.

Installing the mouse on my Debian Linux couldn't have been simpler, I just plugged it in and it worked instantly with the USB connector. On the underside of the mouse Razer has included a few hardware switches for DPI and polling rate, which work directly with the mouse hardware, so no software is needed with this mouse. I really like that. Incidentally, I have them both set to the lowest possible settings; 125hz polling rate and 450 DPI.

The available settings are as follows;
DPI: 450, 1800, 3500
Hz: 125 and 1000

It uses a infrared sensor, no laser here.

I've always been a fan of the no-nonsense approach to life. This mouse incorporates that in several aspects.

First, the shape. It's simple, and there's no consideration at all for ergonomics, but it really appeals to me and I like how it sits in my hand.

Secondly, it only has 2 buttons. The mouse wheel acts as a 3rd button, just like you would expect. Very nice.

Third, no custom software is needed (although some is included in the bundle).

Another thing that is excellent about the Abyssus, that has nothing to do with simplicity, really, is the surface material. I've no idea what it is, but I think it's just normal plastic. Nevertheless it is excellent. The buttons are very nice to click and your fingers don't slide around the slightest. First rate surface indeed!

But it's not all cakes and dancing in Razer-land.

Enter the mousewheel; a squeaky, slippery thing that leaves a lot to be desired. That's right, it squeaks. When you turn it at low speeds it squeaks. You're probably thinking "who cares, I scroll really fast", but that's where the other problem comes in. The wheel is exceptionally slippery, and the bumps in it provide almost no resistance. The end result?

You are unable to scroll it at a sufficient speed without feeling that your finger is slipping, and so the squeaking starts. Once you get it going, after 2-3 clicks, you can attain normal speeds, but it feels very wrong and I have to lift my finger more than normal.

The position of the mousewheel, however, is excellent. It just needs a different surface, really. Like the surface they used for the rest of the mouse. Use that on the wheel and it'd be the ultimate pointing machine!

Overall, I'd say I am very disappointed with this product. Another thing that bothers me with these gaming accessories is the LED lights they put everywhere. Of course the light on this mouse is covered up when you grab it, but if you want to lean back and watch a video of any length, the blue LED lights will be forever shining in the lower right/left corner of your vision.

Just a fun "who cares" bit, but I was the first person to order this mouse in Norway (we only have one retailer, and I preordered as the first one, I could see after they shipped mine they had 499 in store, and they ordered 500

.

If I were to rate this product from 1-10, I'd say 3, because I use the scroll function heavily. A lot more than other computer users, based on observing my family (which includes 4 other computer users).

If you're not a heavy scroller, however, I think this mouse would probably please you a lot if you enjoy the same qualities in a mouse that I do. If you ignore the scrollwheel I'd give it a rating of 9 on a 1-10 scale with a point lost for the blue LED.

Thanks for reading

Flickr photo stream: Razer Abyssus - a set on Flickr

 

[MomijiTMO]

Hmm have a Lachesis here and no squeaking. I'm also a sucker for the pulsating logo lol. HOWEVER, you should be able to disable the lights in the included software. I can disable the logo and scroll lights.

Honest review which clearly highlights a big problem with the mouse. I scroll a lot during my hours spent on the net so a squeaking scroll wheel would drive me bananas.

 

[Stitch]

I have a deathadder and love it. If the surface material is the same on yours as it is on mine, i'd say its teflon, works great. No squeaking either
Quote:

Originally Posted by MomijiTMO /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm also a sucker for the pulsating logo lol.

x2 on the pulsating logo, real slick

Nice mini review. Too bad the mouse isnt that good.

 

[vhaarr]

You're right, I think it is teflon! Certainly feels like it now that I compared it to the teflon cooking pans in the kitchen, haha!

But yeah, I have tried other Razer mice before and they certainly did not squeak. I think it's a problem with this particular model. Or perhaps this particular unit indeed! I am going to contact Razer Europe about it and perhaps they can enlighten me about it. If it's not a common problem it might be a manufacturer error. I did get from the very first batch after all.

Still even if the squeaking goes away the mousewheel is much too slippery. Although perhaps it is interchangable?

I'll have to talk to Razer and find out.

Thanks for the kind words about the review itself, anything I should add when reviewing the Amp/DAC or headset? Like "sections" of stuff that I might've forgotten in this one?

 

[120717]

The pulsating logo on my Lachesis sucks, the fade out is jumpy

The Abyssus has the same grip finish as the Lachesis from what I can tell, given that it shares the Lachesis' feet, except in black, they should've use the Lachesis wheel, which does not squeak, and is easily scrolled.
I do find the Lachesis is too high at the back, if you want to reach far enough forward to click easily; I will have to get the handrest.

 

[noxlord]

I have had several Microsoft HABU mouses (made by razer) and my friends had some too. They kept ding one after the other, after 24-30 months. Microsoft awesome hardware customer service kept replacing them, but they are now discontinued and I am stuck with a Sidewinder x5 they gave me.

Since the HABU was using the razer internals, I am quite reluctant to go for a razer.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by P4Z /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do find the Lachesis is too high at the back, if you want to reach far enough forward to click easily; I will have to get the handrest.

Dude it's a claw style mouse for us clawers. Seeing no other company makes a good claw mouse, don't complain too much

. I love how high it is at the back - fits like a glove.

 

[deltaspirit]

Nice, I have a deathadder and it serves me well.

 

[The_X]

What exactly differentiates the Salmosa from the Abyssus? Anyways, I own both a Salmosa and a DeathAdder (old 1800dpi version). I love both, but I prefer the Salmosa because I prefer the finger-grip instead of using my whole palm.

My Salmosa squeaked for a while, but it's stopped doing it. I asked for an RMA, which is still good for 60 days so I'll wait and see if it ever comes back.

 

[MD1032]

I'm very skeptical of this mouse. I own both the Logitech MX518 and the Razer Copperhead. The MX518 uses an 1800 dpi optical sensor and the Copperhead uses a 2000 dpi laser sensor. Overall, the MX518 is a much better mouse for general computing because of its larger size, superior heft, and much greater solidity in general. In gaming, though, the laser makes a startling difference that can even be felt from the moment you plug it in. The laser, for some reason, just responds absolutely instantaneously whereas with the optical, there is a very, very slight delay that can be easily felt. I don't understand why this is, but others have verified that I'm not insane and, well, I use the Copperhead all the time because that extra millisecond just feels so much better, thus, my conclusion is that laser is much better than optical. This mouse has a 3800 dpi sensor, but it's optical, so I would be afraid that it would have the same kind of feeling the Logitech does.

The Copperhead also has a very nice scroll wheel, much better than the MX518's because it has soft notches in its surface that make gripping it very easy. I must say, the best scroll wheel ever made must be the kind on the very basic Microsoft mice that have been around for years:

Wheel Mouse Optical

Lots of notches, feels great. Why others can't figure this out, I will never know.

edit: One more thing, I agree that Razer seriously needs to get over themselves with those freaking lights. I hate them!

 

[sachu]

My Razer Deathadder has given me a year and a half of trouble free service..Brilliant mouse. It does squeak a little when i scroll up fast. Otherwise its about as good as it gets for me.