Zowie FK Review

Zowie first seemed like a manufacturer that wanted to give players who loved their MS3.0 an upgrade, but with a few improvements. Zowie EC1 and EC2 was that mouse; similar form, but with newer and better technology under the shell. Zowie AM was later released specifically designed for players with palm grip and left-handed players. AM received a lot of positive feedback, but they also received some negative feedback, mostly because of the shape of the mouse which basically is a V, flipped the other way around, so that it is widest beneath your palm. This in turn made it very hard to get a good grip when you tried to lift the mouse. Another problem was that the mouse was unnecessarily tall.

Design

Zowie took the feedback they received to heart, and the result is the Zowie FK, a mouse which basically uses the same technology as Zowie AM.  The former flipped V-shape has been restored and the mouse is now wider at the top like it should be. The scroll has been somewhat improved and it now feels more robust and precise. Mouse buttons one and two has been moved slightly. They are now slightly further apart from each other and they feel a little hard when you click them. The new and improved V-shape does feel a bit strange at first, maybe it’s because I’ve gotten used to my Sensei which has a neutral shape. After a day I’ve gotten used to it, but as soon as I compare it to other mice the feeling comes back.

The whole mouse is rubber coated, which according to Zowie is to improve the longevity of the mouse. Maybe so, but I never seem to get a very good grip on the mouse. I experience the mouse being pretty slippery. I actually have a harder time getting a good grip on the Zowie FK with rubber coating than I have on the SteelSeries Sensei, both having similar shape, rubber coating or not. Size-wise the mice are pretty similar, but the sensei is somewhat wider. According to Zowie the FK has five buttons, but it actually has a total of seven buttons if you include the clickable scroll. The reason for this is that the side-buttons only works on one side at the time, and it’s up to the user to choose which side to activate. If you’re left or right-handed you choose after your own liking.

Under the mouse you’ll find additionally one button, the one where you adjust DPI settings. Under the mouse you’ll also find two gigantic glide surfaces, one on the front and one on the back. Both of these glides cover the mouse from side to side and the glide is pretty decent. Some mice offer adjustable weights underneath the mouse but the Zowie FK doesn’t. While many people don’t care about this, I personally see it as a clear minus, as I like to be able to adjust the weight to my liking.

Technical Stuff!

Specifications

DPI (Dots Per Inch): 450 / 1150 / 2300 

Connector: USB 

Buttons: 5 

Length of cable: 2m / 6.6 ft 

Lift-Off distance: 1.5 ~ 1.8mm

Features 

Ambidextrous mouse developed for claw grip usage 

Two thumb buttons on both sides to comfortably serve left- and right-handed users 

Easy to switch between left- and right-hand functionality, no driver needed 

New improved coating method, feels like rubber, increased durability 

450 / 1150 / 2300 DPI adjustment 
Adjustable USB report rate 125 / 500 / 1000 Hz 

ZOWIE custom-designed lens for a very low lift-off distance = 1.5 ~ 1.8mm 

Operating system: Win2000/XP/VISTA/7/8, Mac OS X v10.2 after

The DPI-button found underneath the mouse come with three pre-installed DPI profiles, 450, 1150 and 2300 DPI. You can also choose between 125, 500 and 1150 mhz, and as I mentioned earlier, you’ll also be able to choose between left and right handed profiles. One thing to note is that you don’t need any drivers for this. Zowie FK doesn’t even come with drivers. This may be somewhat unusual, but at the same time I like not being required to install drivers to adjust simple settings. Tech freaks will probably find the lack of software disappointing, but at the same time, they probably wouldn’t go for a 2300 DPI optical mouse in the first place. I myself love optical mice and it took me a long time to replace my MS3.0.

I personally think 1150 DPI is a bit low for me and I have a hard time to adjust in the beginning, a setting between 450 and 1150 DPI would have been perfect, at least for me. The first game I tried was Starcraft II and it worked well, no matter what settings I used. FPS games I tried were CS: Global Offensive and Battlefield 3, the mouse was highly responsive and no prediction or angle snapping issues were detected, additionally I didn’t experience any issues with the precision.

The pre set profile combinations seem to work well and the mouse has no issues reading the different mouse pads I’ve thrown at it. Mice should always be tested with different settings and really be pushed to its limits. I usually test if it can handle super fast movements, or if it gets stuck often. Zowie FK has behaved like a good gaming mouse should during my test period. Optical Mice usually performs flawlessly, while laser sensor mice nearly always come with some minor errors.

Overall it’s a very nice mouse without any major flaws, though there is some room for improvement. The grip is a bit unusual, so if you have the chance to actually feel it out for yourself before you buy It I’d recommend you to do so. Don’t let the shape of the mouse scare you, I thought it felt a bit awkward at first, but now I actually like it. The price of the Zowie FK might seem a bit high considering the lack of software, but the Zowie FK is not about that, it’s about giving you the best possible experience during intensive gaming sessions, and the Zowie FK optical mouse does just that, it’s a simple yet highly effective mouse.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

+Good Precision

+Comfortable Buttons and Scroll

+Works just as well for right-handed people as it does for left-handed ones

+No Drivers are Required

Cons

-Somewhat slippery

-Again – No Drivers, a con for people who favors highly adjustable mice