Just in case anyone out there is considering buying a new Razer mouse, i have tried both Diamondback and Copperhead and here are my impressions. Of course, all of the touch-feel comparisons are totally subjective and may be very different for you. [Edit note: I have added information about the MX518 to the end of this topic as of26/10/05]
Overall shape: Significant edge to the copperhead. they are almost identical, but the slightly raised arch on the copperhead makes the thing infinitely more comfortable in my (rather small) hands. it just feels so much nice to rest my palm on top of the mouse when browsing, even though i still use just my fingers when gaming. Also, the standard copperhead feels a bit lighter to me than the plasma, but i haven't weighed and can't be sure. The copperhead also looks ever so slightly slicker than the plasma. the blue glows are very similar, but the copperhead is a bit brighter, and the contrast of cool blue lights and solid black body is just a bit more stylish than the smoky-clear plasma.
Sensitivity: So far, I have found the diamondback slight more sensitive than the copperhead. they are both very fast and twitchy, but the diamondback seems smoother., but since i just got my copperhead, i am sure that as i use the copperhead, it will feel better. It's also worth noting that i am using a dark, stiff mousepad or exactly the kind that (supposedly) gives many laser mice trouble, but which is supposed to be the strength of the IR sensor in the plasma. I DID have trouble using a MX1000 on this mouse pad, but so far the copperhead has not been obviously troubled, just slightly less smooth than the plasma.
Main Buttons and Scroll: Victory for the plasma here. the buttons are the same shape on both mice, but the plasma's buttons feel more substantial, almost as if they were made of out slightly denser plastic (both have the same rubber/silicon finish). I think part of the problem may be that there is a bit of play on the left click of my copperhead, making it a little loose and noisy.
As for the scroll wheels, i again prefer the diamondback. The detents are almost identical, but the copperhead has raised ridges on the exterior surface of the wheel, and the torsional resistance is a bit lower. It is a very personall thing, but i prefer the smooth, resistant wheel on the diamondback (although i could see it being a problem if the wheel were to loose its surface friction with wear). The middle clicking is the same on both mice.
Side Buttons: Here is a mixed bag and that surprised me. Like everyone i expected to find the copperhead's button placement much more convenient, and it was, sort of...
For my thumb, the new buttons are great. they are nice and long, making them suitable for many different thumb sizes, but still responsive and easy to differentiate. the real problem arises when i try to use the OTHER two buttons. because of the concave sides of the mouse, the buttons are actually underneath a sort of overhang, and actually click back UP into the mouse body at a slight angle. this is great for the thumb, but VERY inconvenient for the pinky. to make things worse, the rear pinky button my mouse is slightly defective and INCREDIBLY stiff, making an already inconvenient button damn near impossible to use. All in all, the diamond back wins this round, since i found those buttons a bit inconvenient, but definitely usable (although i do hate the little braille dots on each button, they do help me find the right place to click, but they also blister my fingers with extended use)
Software: Another mixed bag, but overall a win for the copperhead. The diamondback drivers are pretty bare bones, offering only three tabs and relatively few adjustments (buttons, scroll/pointer speed, doubleclick). copperhead has all that, plus independent x-y axis adjustments, the ability to bind ANY mouse key to mouse button 4 or 5 (diamondback had only one button that could be mouse 4 and another that HAD to be mosue 5, very inconvenient). Unfortunately, i have not gotten much use out of the 32kb internal memory on my copperhead yet, the drivers are not very clearly laid out in terms of saving new profiles (i need to do some reading) and i couldn't get the update firmware feature to work (the comp doesn't recognize my mouse when i follow their update instructions). Overall, copperhead wins this just by offering more options. the only real advantage i can see for diamondback is that it allows you to bind two buttons to a mouse button (on on the depress and another on the release). As of now, i can't figure out how to do this with copperhead.
Fit and Finish: Overwhelming victory for the diamondback plasma. I was absolutely dismayed at the quality of my copperhead mouse. after reading on razerzone that EVERY copperhead is inspected by hand at the factory, I was upset to discover such poor craftsmanship in my mouse. Not only is the left-button very loose, and the rear-pinky button very stiff and actually recessed into the mouse body (all the other buttons are slightly raised), but the large teflon foot at the bottom of my mouse was almost completely detached when i took the mouse out of the box. Now these are relatively minor issues and it is entirely possible that i just got a dud mouse, but considering the amount of money I paid for this mouse, i expected german engineering, not italian. In contrast, my plasma feels very tight and well put-together. no rattles or loose buttons, well fit body panels etc etc. All in all, if i decide to keep Copperhead, i will definitely send it in to razer for a replacement.
Overall:
There is a lot to like about both of these mice, and unfortunately, each one has something the other doesn't.
The perfect mouse would be copperhead shape, with more plasma-y pinky side mice, copperhead drivers and diamondback main buttons/scroll. I have not decided whether or not to keep my copperhead, and it will probably take me a week of two of serious gaming to figure it out...
Overall shape: Significant edge to the copperhead. they are almost identical, but the slightly raised arch on the copperhead makes the thing infinitely more comfortable in my (rather small) hands. it just feels so much nice to rest my palm on top of the mouse when browsing, even though i still use just my fingers when gaming. Also, the standard copperhead feels a bit lighter to me than the plasma, but i haven't weighed and can't be sure. The copperhead also looks ever so slightly slicker than the plasma. the blue glows are very similar, but the copperhead is a bit brighter, and the contrast of cool blue lights and solid black body is just a bit more stylish than the smoky-clear plasma.
Sensitivity: So far, I have found the diamondback slight more sensitive than the copperhead. they are both very fast and twitchy, but the diamondback seems smoother., but since i just got my copperhead, i am sure that as i use the copperhead, it will feel better. It's also worth noting that i am using a dark, stiff mousepad or exactly the kind that (supposedly) gives many laser mice trouble, but which is supposed to be the strength of the IR sensor in the plasma. I DID have trouble using a MX1000 on this mouse pad, but so far the copperhead has not been obviously troubled, just slightly less smooth than the plasma.
Main Buttons and Scroll: Victory for the plasma here. the buttons are the same shape on both mice, but the plasma's buttons feel more substantial, almost as if they were made of out slightly denser plastic (both have the same rubber/silicon finish). I think part of the problem may be that there is a bit of play on the left click of my copperhead, making it a little loose and noisy.
As for the scroll wheels, i again prefer the diamondback. The detents are almost identical, but the copperhead has raised ridges on the exterior surface of the wheel, and the torsional resistance is a bit lower. It is a very personall thing, but i prefer the smooth, resistant wheel on the diamondback (although i could see it being a problem if the wheel were to loose its surface friction with wear). The middle clicking is the same on both mice.
Side Buttons: Here is a mixed bag and that surprised me. Like everyone i expected to find the copperhead's button placement much more convenient, and it was, sort of...
For my thumb, the new buttons are great. they are nice and long, making them suitable for many different thumb sizes, but still responsive and easy to differentiate. the real problem arises when i try to use the OTHER two buttons. because of the concave sides of the mouse, the buttons are actually underneath a sort of overhang, and actually click back UP into the mouse body at a slight angle. this is great for the thumb, but VERY inconvenient for the pinky. to make things worse, the rear pinky button my mouse is slightly defective and INCREDIBLY stiff, making an already inconvenient button damn near impossible to use. All in all, the diamond back wins this round, since i found those buttons a bit inconvenient, but definitely usable (although i do hate the little braille dots on each button, they do help me find the right place to click, but they also blister my fingers with extended use)
Software: Another mixed bag, but overall a win for the copperhead. The diamondback drivers are pretty bare bones, offering only three tabs and relatively few adjustments (buttons, scroll/pointer speed, doubleclick). copperhead has all that, plus independent x-y axis adjustments, the ability to bind ANY mouse key to mouse button 4 or 5 (diamondback had only one button that could be mouse 4 and another that HAD to be mosue 5, very inconvenient). Unfortunately, i have not gotten much use out of the 32kb internal memory on my copperhead yet, the drivers are not very clearly laid out in terms of saving new profiles (i need to do some reading) and i couldn't get the update firmware feature to work (the comp doesn't recognize my mouse when i follow their update instructions). Overall, copperhead wins this just by offering more options. the only real advantage i can see for diamondback is that it allows you to bind two buttons to a mouse button (on on the depress and another on the release). As of now, i can't figure out how to do this with copperhead.
Fit and Finish: Overwhelming victory for the diamondback plasma. I was absolutely dismayed at the quality of my copperhead mouse. after reading on razerzone that EVERY copperhead is inspected by hand at the factory, I was upset to discover such poor craftsmanship in my mouse. Not only is the left-button very loose, and the rear-pinky button very stiff and actually recessed into the mouse body (all the other buttons are slightly raised), but the large teflon foot at the bottom of my mouse was almost completely detached when i took the mouse out of the box. Now these are relatively minor issues and it is entirely possible that i just got a dud mouse, but considering the amount of money I paid for this mouse, i expected german engineering, not italian. In contrast, my plasma feels very tight and well put-together. no rattles or loose buttons, well fit body panels etc etc. All in all, if i decide to keep Copperhead, i will definitely send it in to razer for a replacement.
Overall:
There is a lot to like about both of these mice, and unfortunately, each one has something the other doesn't.
The perfect mouse would be copperhead shape, with more plasma-y pinky side mice, copperhead drivers and diamondback main buttons/scroll. I have not decided whether or not to keep my copperhead, and it will probably take me a week of two of serious gaming to figure it out...
Facebook
Twitter