Razer DeathAdder Essential Gaming Mouse

I had been looking for a gaming mouse with a sleek, clean design without so many buttons, this is by far the best one. There are 2 easy to reach thumb buttons, 2 DPI adjustment buttons and a strong scroll wheel with notches to avoid accidentally scrolling. There are two grips on the right and left to have ultimate control when holding the mouse and moving it quickly without slipping. Razer’s website has user-friendly software that you can download for free to customize any of the buttons on the mouse and adjust the increments for the DPI. I love this because the default DPI settings are either too sensitive or not enough, but with the software I was able to fine tune everything to my own liking. The optical sensors are great and thus far have not given me a single ... MoreI had been looking for a gaming mouse with a sleek, clean design without so many buttons, this is by far the best one. There are 2 easy to reach thumb buttons, 2 DPI adjustment buttons and a strong scroll wheel with notches to avoid accidentally scrolling. There are two grips on the right and left to have ultimate control when holding the mouse and moving it quickly without slipping. Razer’s website has user-friendly software that you can download for free to customize any of the buttons on the mouse and adjust the increments for the DPI. I love this because the default DPI settings are either too sensitive or not enough, but with the software I was able to fine tune everything to my own liking. The optical sensors are great and thus far have not given me a single issue. With the software I am also able to easily customize the colour scheme on the mouse, with various presets or solid colours to choose from. I love that the left and right click buttons are curved to allow better control and faster clicking. The only downside to this mouse is that it is quite light at 105 g / 0.23 lbs. Pros: - Curved left-right click buttons - All buttons customizable - DPI settings can be fine-tuned - Easy to customize colour sceme - Amazing optical sensors Cons: - A little lightweight - Thumb buttons aren’t as “grippy” as they could be Design / Functionality - 9/10 Quality / Construction - 10/10 Value - 10/10 (Price at time of review - $58.98) Please see photos below for more information. Recommendation: BUY I hope you found this review helpful in making your purchase decision.

Decent for the price

It's a nice looking mouse but has flaws which would be expected for this price pointPros:- Looks pretty cool- Razer software included- Fits comfortably- Price is ridiculously good for the product- Mouse has low latency and high responsiveness- 2 easily accessible side buttons- Customisable mouse lightsCons:- Precision of the sensor of the mouse is questionable but not horrible- Slippery, regular mouse readjustment required over long periods of time- Clicking is slightly flimsy which can lead to accidental double clicks- Mouse light is boring, brightness changer, breathing vs static of the exact same colour- NOT FOR LEFT HANDED PEOPLE

Essential is right.

I previously used a 2007 Deathadder which served me well for nearly 15 years, I decided to replace it after the scroll wheel constantly failed to the point that I could no longer justify continuing to repair it. The Deathadder Essential seemed very appealing as the design is exactly the same as the older Deathadders and this meant I could just use it without having to worry about getting used to a new mouse. Unfortunately it went on to disappoint me in both design and function.Although its shape and feel are almost the same as the older Deathadder (being a very ergonomic and pleasant mouse to use) there are actually some aspects of the new design that are straight-up downgrades over the previous generations.Firstly, Razer decided that it was necessary to fit a ... MoreI previously used a 2007 Deathadder which served me well for nearly 15 years, I decided to replace it after the scroll wheel constantly failed to the point that I could no longer justify continuing to repair it. The Deathadder Essential seemed very appealing as the design is exactly the same as the older Deathadders and this meant I could just use it without having to worry about getting used to a new mouse. Unfortunately it went on to disappoint me in both design and function.Although its shape and feel are almost the same as the older Deathadder (being a very ergonomic and pleasant mouse to use) there are actually some aspects of the new design that are straight-up downgrades over the previous generations.Firstly, Razer decided that it was necessary to fit a central ring-shaped pad to the underside of the mouse that surrounds the sensor, the mouse actually perches on this pad and feels unstable in the hand, like it's balancing on a central point rather than standing nicely like conventional three-footed mice. Luckily this pad can be removed and thrown in the bin where it belongs, significantly improving the feel of this mouse.Another QOL issue - The cable attached to this mouse is not only significantly shorter than previous versions but also uses a nasty rubberized insulation rather than braid, meaning it won't sit flat - It just becomes a horrible mess to add to the cable octopus that populates the desks of us wired-peripheral users.Finally my main gripe with this mouse and the reason I felt the need to write this review and warn other potential buyers to steer clear - The scroll wheel is exactly the same as the Deathadder from over a decade ago (a terrible design) and began to demonstrate the exact issues that my previous mouse was suffering from - except within one year rather than 15! When it's working properly the scroll wheel feels bad to use, it's slow to scroll and not accurate at all, you'll often find yourself either overscrolling or twirling it madly trying to get to the bottom of a page within a reasonable amount of time. When it starts to fail you'll be scrolling down and the page will jump up every few scrolls, it gets so bad that you will be literally unable to scroll to the bottom of a page and what's worse, the scroll sensor sometimes develops a mind of its own and gives inputs when you're not even touching the scroll wheel (randomly switching weapons during gameplay is seriously unacceptable for a "gaming mouse"). At least it's fairly easy to take apart and fiddle with the sensor to try and get it working properly again, but this gets old fast. I was surprised to see that nobody else on PCCG has complained about this, every single person I mentioned this mouse to has commented on the exact scroll wheel issues that I've experienced.You can expect lower quality from such a cheap mouse, but the poor design choices and completely inadequate scroll wheel are totally unreasonable and deal-breaking issues that Razer should've really addressed years ago. Maybe this is planned obsolescence? In any case I certainly won't be buying another Razer mouse considering you also need to install the incredibly cumbersome Razer Synapse software to even change this mouse's DPI.In summary:Pros-Clean and ergonomic design-Good feel on all buttons-Good sensor with customizable DPI-Grippy surfaces that don't accumulate hand-gunkCons-Four-footed design feels wonky-Cable sucks-Scroll wheel is terrible and gets worse-Can't change DPI without Synapse (that lighting software that uses 350MB of your ram permanently)-Only lights up one colour (green)

Great for Office and Gaming Use

I primarily use this mouse for office work. But I do play FPS games on my PC with this mouse and it works great for that too. I'm a man with average sized hands and it fits nicely. I am coming from a more expensive gaming mouse that was much lighter but it started to suffer from inadvertent double-clicks after only single-clicking. Needing a new mouse, I went on the hunt and found this mouse that suited my dual role requirement of office and gaming use. Couldn't be happier with the decision and would recommend it to those who need a reliable mouse that has the precision you need for gaming as well as the comfort for using it primarily for office work.

Great mouse

I really enjoyed using this mouse. It’s a Very good basic gaming mouse but a DPI button would've been appreciated though. Very cool looking, and looks nice in my PC setup. Very ergonomic, lightweight and comfortable to use. Also a big fan of the side buttons. My main issue is that I was having trouble getting the razer synapse software to install on my PC, so I wasn't able to customize anything on the mouse, which is massively disappointing. Otherwise, I would recommend.

High quality, higher performance!

When I received this DeathAdder Essential Razer mouse, I almost thought it was a new cell phone. Lol That’s how nice the box was, you could really tell it was packaged with quality and care. Which says a lot about the product inside, believe me. I got this for my 18 year old daughter who loves gaming on her laptop, so she was very excited when it came. And it did not disappoint! The mouse glides so smooth for epically precise gameplay. The ergonomics of it makes it fit like a glove in your hand. It really is a beast of a mouse! She absolutely loves it, so thank you! I don’t care much for tech/gaming stuff, but if my almost unpleasable daughter loves it…definitely worth your money!

Thrilled!!

The moment the Razer Deathadder Essential arrived on my doorstep I just felt like gaming was about to get super sweaty. Playing mostly first person shooters the first thing to mention is did it help my kill to death ratio? Well no but when it comes to overall game play did it make me a better gamer? Also no. This mouse is what it is. A top tier entry level gaming mouse. For the price it feels good and something about the way it clicks is satisfying. Time will tell if it holds up to a rage quit smash against the desk. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

very smooth

This mouse moves really smooth-- I was impressed. I've had other kinds, but this was smoother. It was comfortable for my hand, though on the larger side compared to others I've had. The DeathAdder mouse allows you to left/right click both from the "typical" buttons at the top of the mouse, and also from the left side. (That would mean it may not be as good for those lefties out there...) The scroll wheel in the middle also works really well, and it's cool to see it light up in neon green when connected. All in all, I like it a lot. The larger size may not work for all, but for me (an adult), it's just fine.