Zowie EC2-A Gaming Mouse Review

Are you sick of the RGB craze and perhaps childish look of modern day peripherals? Is it just pure performance and ergonomics which you prioritise? In that case, familiarise yourself with Benq’s Zowie line of mice which are especially for professional gamers who don’t care for more flashy options.  Today we’ll be reviewing one of their mice, the EC2-A worth €65, to see if it’s worth the price.

Even from the packaging, you can feel a sense of solemnity. The empty box maintains a black and red colour scheme with essentially, just the product name on the package. However, this may be quite a downfall because I doubt anyone’s going to purchase this product straight off the shelf, since not a single specification is shown on the outside regarding the mouse. Unboxing is a nothing too premium although the package is notable sturdy, but the smell of premium materials is so satisfying upon opening it. Included in the box is an extra set of replacement feet, a branded sticker and warranty information.  At the bottom is an intense black and white “Competitive Gaming Mouse User Guide” which is basically a set of instructions in a multitude of languages on how to toggle dpi and polling rate.

Perhaps the most surprising thing one can see straight out of the box, is the rubber cable connection. We’ve become so accustomed to seeing a braid on most gaming mice that it’s quite refreshing. At 2 metres long, it’s very flexible and will not get in the way of movements. Needless to say, the USB is gold-plated. Continuing with the appearance of the mouse, this could be considered an uglier design than usual. It’s not because of the extremely plain and subtle design, but because the white translucent scroll wheel feels out of place; compared to the black finish and red Zowie logo. To the left face are a couple side buttons. There are no rubberised areas on the sides- it seems that Zowie has immense faith in the materials that they’ve used. Flipping the mouse over reveals a feature which should be elsewhere, namely the dpi toggle. Placed to the side, it’s located in between two large rubbery feet. Something that the brand has overlooked when emphasising on professionalism is that placement for the dpi toggle which is essential for some competitors. Maybe there wasn’t enough space due to the fantastically designed architecture which leads to a top-notch ergonomic experience.

For €65, the EC2-A is a more expensive mouse, which Zowie validates in their use of materials which go hand in hand with the user experience. When it comes to fingering, the medium sized mouse has been especially engineered to cater to all three easily, thanks to the dimensions of 61 by 120 by 40mm. Back to the materials, it’s debatable whether they were the best choice. Offering a delightfully soft touch due to its chemistry of rubber and plastic, it’s excitingly comfortable to hold. This may die down slightly after one realises that there isn’t much friction compared to other high end mice. Also, the materials attract finger oils and sweat immensely, so playing at room temperature or above will probably result in a little mess.  If they could have added texturised areas for at least the thumb area, it would make up for this downfall considerably. With amazing ergonomics but not the best materials for long sessions, let’s dive into the performance.

Due to the heavy emphasis on professionalism, this is surely the highlight of the product. Rocking an optical sensor, whose exact name we cannot specify, it provides an excellent tracking experience at the high and low speeds. This mouse is definitely favoured for FPS gameplay, helping you never miss a shot. The primary buttons on the mouse are powered by OMRON, having moderate to low resistance and a reliable click every time. Very usable for MOBAs. Unfortunately, no information is given on the click lifespan either. Moving on to the other buttons, the side ones are not as crisp as the primary ones. These sink into their mould irregularly and caution should be taken when pressing them to not do so too hard because it’s likely that the button will become jammed. Then there’s the sensor’s compliment in the rubbery TEFL feet. Two large areas at the front and back make for a smooth experience like no other.  The scroll wheel on the EC2-A is extremely tactile and requires more force than usual. Speaking of the scroll wheel, the translucent material lights up in four different colours to signify the dpi setting. We’ll discuss this further below.

Features are purely performance related on this product, lacking any RGB novelty as the lights are used solely as being the only way to display the dpi. The four settings and their corresponding colours are in this order; 400/red, 800/pink, 1600/blue, 3200/green. Colours are bright and well-defined, but don’t make up for the inconvenience of having to turn over the mouse. The only other thing available for toggle is the polling rate, which may only be done as you are plugging it into the computer. Holding button 5 or 4 or both while connecting will give the mouse a certain polling rate, either 125,500 or 1000Hz.

Functionality in a mouse is definitely the most important aspect of the peripheral. To see that Benq’s brand Zowie prioritise functionality and performance over anything else is very refreshing and a gift to the market. The EC2-A is one of these mice, high-performing, superbly ergonomic and functional for the price of €65. Not the prettiest mouse, but one can rely on it heavily to get the job done.

Get yours now from The Gamers Lounge ; http://shop.gamers.com.mt/product/103/zowie-ec2-a