Fenek Standard Issue Gaming Mouse - Black - 3310 Optical/Infrared Sensor, Software Optional, Customize RGB LED Directly On The Mouse

TL:DR: Not cutting edge, but very good across the board without any huge drawbacks.The Basics:The Fenek Standard Issue (FSI) is a large, right-handed ergo design. 3310 sensor. Omron switches. 120 grams without cable. Rubber side grips, textured plastic on top. Two thumb buttons, sniper button and two DPI buttons on top in addition to the standard fare. All functions controlled from the mouse mean that the DPI and sniper button cannot be mapped to other functions. Multiple color options with DPI steps of 400, 800, 1600, 2400, 3200, and 5000 according to the Amazon page. Testing prior to compiling review was 11 days.The Good:* Outstanding ergonomics. A little “blocky” compared to some, but nice. No issues with long term use. Excellent for large palm. Good for medium palm as well as large claw, good for large and medium fingertip. Small hands may be find a passable palm grip here but will not be able to easily reach the scroll and sniper button. Even though the mouse is large, it manages to be much more amenable to smaller hands than say, a Death Adder.* Primary clicks are good. Light, decent (not great) tactility, spammable, no pretravel issues with a nice, quiet click.* Thumb button placement is excellent, no pretravel, good tactility.* Scroll wheel is excellent. Nice tread, light scroll resistance with tactile steps and an easy-ish click. One of the better scrolls I’ve come across and good for everything.* Mousefeet are louder than the average but smooth and fast, much like the stock feet of the Logitech G Pro Wireless.* Rubber cable is has rather above average flexibility with a little drag on cloth pads.* Excellent build quality, materials and surface feel. No rattles or squeeks. This was a common issue on previous batches that seems to be fixed with mine.Rubber was slick out of the box but after 4-5 days it started getting better. Adequate grip, but not outstanding with a premium feel. The texture on the plastic is not as aggressive as seen in product reviews, which is good. Texture is grippy without feeling bumpy, great combo. The solid feel of the mouse reminds me of the Coolermaster MM520 and MM530 which use a nice PBT plastic I’d like to see more often with mice. Mouse feels more durable than the norm in part because plastic seems harder than normal.* Decent sensor placement smack dab in the middle of the mouse. Also, LOD is super low, maybe 1/2 a DVD* Easy to remove internal weights. Mouse had two internal weights totaling 26 grams. Only two mouse feet with simple removal. There was not much glue involved, almost makes me wonder if it was by design to make it easier. Mouse weight is 94g after “surgery” which makes it acceptable and better balanced (still slightly tail heavy).* This mouse is a personal success story, not a typical corporate offering. A youtube personality (Tek Syndicate) went out and made the mouse he wanted. He conquered all the obstacles of dealing with China, manufactured the mouse, and it even turned out good first try. I'm not awarding any points here for the mouse, but having tested those waters, it's frickin heroic in my mind.The Middling:* No software. Simplicity is good but it comes with limited color, lighting and DPI options. Color options are: Light modes are on, pulse, off. DPI options are: 400, 800, 1600, 2400, 3200, 5000 according to the Amazon page. I did not test for DPI variance with this one but it felt same/same compared to equivalent Logitech mouse settings.* 3310 sensor. For me, the 3310 is at the top of what I consider “tier two” sensors. Performance of the 3310 is the point where I know the sensor is good enough that it probably isn’t holding me back, but the 3360 and newer just feel more direct to me. A 3360 or 3389 in this would would be money. (Seriously, it would probably be more expensive)The Bad:* 120 grams and super tail heavy without the weights removed. I would consider it unplayable without the “surgery.”* Sniper button function is hardwired and can’t be mapped in-game. Same goes for the two DPI buttons on the top of the mouse. They are wired to DPI cycle only. This was my biggest heartbreak. This mouse would be guaranteed to log more hours with me than the GPW just with a mappable sniper button.* Packaging was simple and clean, but there was no documentation in package - I had to look up a youtube video to see learn how to change DPI/color. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdshDUHtIdYLIGHTING CONTROL SUMMARY: 1. Simultaneously press and hold the rear thumb button and the rear DPI button at the same time. The mouse will flash a few times then stop. Continue holding for 5 seconds and mouse will flash again a few times. (You are now in light control mode). 2. Press the rear DPI button to cycle through available colors. Use the front DPI button to cycle between steady, pulse and off. 3. Click the rear thumb button to set your changes - that’s it. Also note, whenever you change DPI, the mouse will flash the corresponding default DPI color to let you know the DPI switched (Red for 1600 is what I look for) before switching back to whatever color and lighting mode you set.* LED Brightness and color uniformity/depth are middling at best.* Mouse polling rate is 500hz. Yes, it’s only 1ms more than a 1000hz, polling rate so it’s like playing at 40 ping instead of 39 (not really, lil more to it) but not up snuff for a $40 gaming mouse in 2019.* First off, I played well with the FSI in game, but did not feel truly comfortable with it even after a whole week. I ran my accuracy tests and sure enough, the FSI came in at a lowly 80%. For reference, A9800 mice usually score 78-78% on my test. 3050/3090 are typically 80-84. 3310 mice 82-86, 3360 mice 88-91, 3366/Hero/Trumove3 score 90-94. My conclusion is that it’s not a sensor issue. The width and general size of the mouse prevents easy micro corrections in a fingertip grip for me. It’s comfy in fingertip, and I’m not saying that others can’t adapt over time, but there’s a chance that even large fingertip types will have issues with precision aim. Switching to the G403 after 11 days straight of using the FSI, the G403 still felt significantly better for aim.The Conclusion:Mainly due to the proven but dated 3310 sensor, lack of button mappability and 500hz polling rate, the Fenek Standard Issue is objectively a middling bang for the buck, but there's still a lot to like here. If I had to choose between the two, I’d take the Fenek over the Azio Atom with little hesitation due to the better shape, buttons and build. Zowie is still selling 3310 mice sans software with poorer build quality and materials, inferior buttons and fewer DPI steps for $60...because of shape. The FSI may not povide the best bang for the buck out there, but that isn’t everything. Anyone looking at Zowie mice should definitely check out Fenek first. The FSI feels like the flawed but lovable love child of the G502 and the Intellimouse, which is why it is such a joy to use. It actually feels like a “standard issue” weapon - dated, but with proven parts and very well thought out to the point of being effective for its purpose.Nit-Noid Score: 9.0Bang for $40: C

I know that title sounds like it's not a big deal, but based on my previous experience with some other products, it's kind of important.I bought this mouse in November of 2018. I must have bad luck with mice, because they usually break in under two years, even less with some of the Razer products I've owned. So I usually wait a bit to write a review on a mouse.After a year, this thing is still working the clicks feel just as solid as the day I bought the mouse. No weird issues, no double clicks, no drops works as advertised. Which with my history when it comes to mice, that's all I ask.Everything about this mouse from the sensor to the buttons has really preformed flawlessly.

Great mouse:- the shape feels great for my hand. It is on the large side, so take a look at its measurements to make sure they will work for you. I use a palm grip and I love this traditional shape.- plastic matte finish won't get gross over time like a rubberized finish- 3310 sensor is terrific for my needs. I'm not a crazy FPS player so this sensor has capabilities that exceed my own.- buttons all feel great, sound great.- cable is NOT braided. Braided cables weigh a lot and are mostly just cosmetic so I prefer this lighter weight rubber cable.The only downside is the weight of the mouse, which I have heard is about 120 g. I don't have a scale to confirm this but it is a tad heavy. Otherwise, this mouse is as perfect as it gets.

Loved the material quality on the housing of the mouse but all it took was one snap on a thin part of the side buttons.

Fantastic mouse. Owned for a year now with no issues and have been kicking ass in as an LE IN Counter-Strike:GO ! Good buy!