For quite some time I have been using a Logitech Performance MX mouse on my main system Farpoint. A fantastic wireless mouse that if it wasn’t for it’s insatiable appetite for batteries I would carry on with it. But alas, replacing the single double A battery every week is really starting to get old.

I also have the mobile version of the Performance MX called the Anywhere MX that I used with CapSupreme. While the size is nearly perfect for my small hands the switches on the main left and right mouse buttons activate only when pressing in a really specific spot on the button.

So earlier this year I started looking for a replacement. It took me nearly six months to decide on the mouse I wanted to go with.

There was a list of requirements:

1. A somewhat ergonomic design.

2. Smaller frame for my smaller hands.

3. Some kind of LED colouring, preferably RGB.

With these requirements I began to scour the web looking at reviews for gaming mice. Several brands came to mind and initially I wanted to stay with Logitech as I love the infinite scroll wheel that they put in their higher end mice. I was considering the G403 Prodigy. It has removable weights, RGB lighting and DPI up to 12000. Again, I don’t know why you need that much resolution on a mouse but I’m not a pro gamer.

Some other brands came up from my research including Roccat, Cooler Master, Corsair, Razer and Zowie. Two of the mentioned brands I had never heard of before – Roccat and Zowie.

If the prices were cheaper I would have bought my number one pick for all of these to test but as it stands many of these mice are 75 to 100 dollars each.

From Roccat I was considering the Kone Pure. It’s size and ergonomic shape were what I was really interested in and it has received a bunch of great reviews from around the web. It also sports a multi-dpi sensor that goes all the way up to 8200 DPI. The price is steep here in Canada though at about 100 dollars each.

The next brand I considered was Cooler Master. I was looking at them as I really like their fans and I love the CM Storm Quickfire TK keyboard. I have two of them. Yep, I’m a bit crazy. Anyways, I was considering the Sentinel III mouse. While a bit larger than I would prefer it has RGB leds built in and supports up to a DPI of 6200. It costs around 90 dollars Canadian.

I only considered Corsair for a short time. Most of their mice are way too big for my hands. After my research I considered the Sabre RGB gaming mouse. It’s lighter than some but also has a sensor that is good for 10000 DPI. Not really sure why anyone needs that much dpi but it’s a selling feature regardless. The size is just about right and is ergonomically shaped. These go for about 75 bucks Canadian.

I only glossed over Razer. While their mice are incredibly popular most of them do not have good reviews. If I was to consider one I’d probably go with the Imperator. It’s the right size for me but the problem here is you are paying for the name. Razer wants 120 bucks for this mouse and for a mouse without RGB lighting and tops off at 6400 DPI seems a bit excessive.

The last on the list was Zowie. I had never heard of Zowie before and after some research I found that they are the gaming brand by BenQ. They are often recommended to people with smaller hands and especially recommended to girls. Their frames are smaller typically and I had a hard time choosing whether I would consider the FK2 or the EC2-A. I don’t know where they get their names from but I digress. The EC2-A is essentially the same as the FK2 but with a right-hand only ergonomic design. The FK2 is ambidextrous and does not have the led lit centre scroll wheel. They both offer up to 3200 DPI. The EC2-A goes for about 80 dollars while the FK2 goes for about 100 typically.

I decided to go with the EC2-A. In fact I jumped in so hard I bought two of them. And I have not looked back. Perhaps the only thing I miss from my Logitech Performance MX mouse is the infinite scroll wheel. The mouse fits my small hands perfectly and while the mouse looks a bit cheap when you have it in your hands you can tell how much work Zowie put in to the mouse to make it the shape it is and what they wanted it to feel like. There is one thing that may be annoying to some but doesn’t bother me. The DPI switch is on the bottom of the mouse. For most that would be a deal breaker but I just choose a DPI that I like (which is the second from most sensitive) and leave it there.

I would recommend the Zowie EC2-A to anyone that has a small to medium hand.

What mouse to you use? Have you used any mentioned above. Let me know what you think below.

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