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ZOWIE GEAR EC2-A Gaming Mouse

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#1 ·
ZOWIE GEAR EC2-A Gaming Mouse

Description:
This product is an answer to every gamer that was looking for the performance of the Avago 3310 sensor in an ergonomic mouse. The new EC1-A and EC2-A series keeps the same shape and size from the original EC series and introduces the Avago 3310 sensor just like the FK series. After releasing mice with different surfaces, ZOWIE GEAR understood that most people prefer the coating used in the FK and EC eVo CL lines and as such the new EC line will also use this coating. The mouse is plug and play (no drivers needed) and has a low-lift off distance, signature features of all ZOWIE mice.

Details:
DetailValue
BindingPersonal Computers
BrandZowie Gear
EAN4712702160482
FeatureLIMITED ONE PER CUSTOMER
Plug & Play, no driver needed; DPI: 400/800/1600/3200
Perfect lift-off distance: only 1.5 to 1.8mm; 24-step scroll wheel
Operating System: Win2000/XP/Vista/7/8 Mac OS X v10.2 after
Ergonomic right-handed design; 5 buttons
LabelZOWIE GEAR
ManufacturerZOWIE GEAR
ModelEC2-A
MPNEC2-A
PublisherZOWIE GEAR
StudioZOWIE GEAR
TitleZOWIE GEAR EC2-A Gaming Mouse
Item Height1.6 inches
Item Length4.7 inches
Item Width2.6 inches
Package Height0.79 inches
Package Length3.94 inches
Package Weight1.1 pounds
Package Width3.54 inches
PackageQuantity1
PartNumberEC2-A
ProductGroupPC Accessory
ProductTypeNameCOMPUTER_COMPONENT
Item Weight1.1 pounds
HardwarePlatformPC, Mac,
 

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#2 ·
Zowie EC2-A Review by treav0r

review by treav0r

Zowie EC2-A Review by treav0r

(this is not finished and i will add more aspects as time goes by)

Zowie finally released their updated EC1 and EC2 versions with the Pixart 3310 sensor with the EC1-A and EC2-A. Thanks to the fast shipping of Caseking.de i finally have the brand new EC2-A in my hands and we finally can take a look at it
smile.gif





Features:

The EC2-A has the same Pixart 3310 sensor and Huano switches as the Zowie FK1, so we can assume simmilar performance in terms of tracking and button feel.
As usally for Zowie, the EC2-A doesn't have any drivers and you only can use 400, 800, 1600 or 3200 cpi.

It uses a soft touch rubber coating unlike the FK1, wich has a rough and matte plastic coating.

The Box includes an extra pair of Skates, a nice sticker and the mouse itself.

Some pics:





Performance:

The 3310 Sensor performs flawlessly and provides a nice and smooth tracking. There is little to none smoothing and for me the cursor feels almost as responsive as the G502 with its 3366 sensor.
The huano switches provide a nice and tactile feedback and due to the shell, they are quite a bit easier to press then the FK1's buttons.

Also, Zowie finally adress their button latency, as you can see, they shaved off ~7ms compared to the FK1
smile.gif


The Perfect Controll Speed is exactly the same as the FK1 at about 5.5 m/s.

I included some mouse tester pics at 400cpi and 1000 hz, but i will include some more pictures later.




So if you want a EC2 with a better sensor and lower click latency, you can definitely buy yourself an EC2-A
wink.gif


ProsCons
excellent sensor, low click latency, good coating, ergonomic shapeno free selectable dpi

Ratings
Overall4
 
#5 ·
Zowie EC2-A Competitive Gaming Mouse review - by Ino

review by ino.

REVIEW OF ZOWIE EC2-A

Today I will be reviewing the new EC2-A by Zowie, the latest iteration of their EC series.

5no7gOB.jpg

Boxing

The box is a new one for Zowie. In fact it is rather similar to the box my NAOS 7000 came in, only all white with just the logo.

What's included:
- Zowie EC2-A
- Pair of extra mousefeet
- Sticker
- Manual

Box:

p1ep9FZ.jpg

iVOv3Ng.jpg

Inside:

D4UuWRm.jpg

Contents:

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Booklet:

QdEM3Oh.jpg

Weight & Shape

The shape is exactly the same as the previous EC2 mice. The Dimensions can be seen in these official pictures by Zowie.





Weight is said to be 93 g which seems correct, as it is roughly the same as the FK1 I have sitting beside it.

Number of buttons: 5 (plus dpi toggle on the bottom)

g9gK4KQ.jpg

JdCzvaA.jpg

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Comparison pic, left to right: Zowie FK1, Logitech G302, Zowie EC1 eVo CL, Zowie EC2-A, Razer Deathadder 3G, Logitech G100s
S4oRd36.jpg

Now some pictures how I hold the mouse:

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For comparison: My hand is around 19.5 cm from the tip of my middle finger to the base.

The EC2 definitely fits me better than the EC1, it doesn't tilt and is easier to lift. As I use a palm-claw hybrid that was to be expected.

Of course shape is completely individual preference, so everyone has to try for himself in the end. The perfect shape for me might be horrible for others. So please keep the pictures of my grip in mind for comparison.

Sensor / Performance

Like in their FK1 Zowie now also uses the 3310 in their new EC line. And it performs just like you'd expect from a 3310. The perfect control speed is well past 5 m/s for every cpi step and both 500 and 1000 Hz. It also seems to be very accurate, just look at the 0's in the jitter test screens, at least on 400 and 800 CPI, those were all from first try. So at least for my grip it's spot on out of the box.

There was one weird thing though: On 1600 and 3200 CPI after the fast swipes the cursor was dead for 1-2 second after reaching the malfunction speed. This did not happen on 400 or 800 CPI. So this is something to watch out for, although I doubt anyone ever reaches malfunction speed on this in game.

I will not judge any "feeling" of the cursor here as that is something that can't be measured objectively. To me it feels very good, but so did almost every 3310 so far.
ALL TESTS ARE PERFORMED ON THE QPAD UC 50
LOD was standard.
The real dpi for each setting can be seen in the mouse tester print.

400 cpi, 1000 Hz
zUStT2L.png

800 cpi, 1000 Hz
kKDEHxj.png

1600 cpi, 1000 Hz
Dpvmnjj.png

3200 cpi, 1000 Hz
ompf8le.png

CPI steps
s9TOVV6.png
zulR96K.png

MDnRzgx.png

DJxxqur.png

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Speed related accuracy variancet

Seems to be spot on.

Lift Off Distance

Very low, as is to be expected from Zowie. Out of the box it has less than 1CD LOD on my UC 50.
You can also alter the LOD like you could on the FK1 by pressing different buttons while connecting the mouse via USB. It's explained on Zowies FAQ site for the EC-A series.
With the high LOD option I get around 2 CD LOD.

Buttons / Switches / Scroll Wheel

The EC2-A uses Huano switches like all Zowies. However on the EC2-A they are lighter to press than on my FK1. It's still a very distinct click. The scroll wheel is a 24 notch wheel, and so far it did not skip for me once, unlike previous Zowie mice. The mold seems to be fixed to, as the pinch-up-and-scroll works too. The haptic of the scroll wheel is fine and light.

The button lag for the main buttons is definitely reduced compared to the FK1, here are my results for the EC2-A (A) vs the G302 (B). THe G302 still wins, but it's not by as much as against the FK1 which was around 15 ms slower than the G302.

Z0UoMby.png

The side buttons are very bad though. Mouse4 (the "back" button) has at least 1 mm of pre travel before the switch is actuated, that is kind of annoying. Mouse5 has much less of that.

Build Quality

Zowie like, so very good. The cord is rubber like all Zowies, the best cables in my opinion. It is flexible and this time it also is a bit thinner than the older cables. The coating is similar to the previous EC eVo CL, which is a lot more smooth than my FK1, that one felt a bit more rough.

Conclusion

I'm very pleased with the new EC2-A, the smaller form factor is definitely better for my grip. Out of all ergonomic mice this one comes closest to what I want so far. If the side buttons were better it would get 5 stars from me.

ProsCons
Great sensor, good build quality, low lift-off distance, very good coating, ergonomic shape, crisp main buttons, perfect cableSide buttons have pre-travel, no fine adjustments to CPI steps

Ratings
Overall4
 
#14 ·
Great

review by ramonamiller

Gaming mice open up each component of the fundamental mouse idea to the extraordinary. Contingent on the style of diversion that the mouse is expected for, you'll see an assortment of particular elements. What these mice have in like manner is a blend of elite parts?laser sensors, light-click catches, gold-plated USB connectors?and customization, as movable weight, programmable full scale summons, and on-the-fly dpi exchanging. For non-gamers, these components are pointless excess; for committed gamers, they give an aggressive edge. Used to make my thesis and this mouse is great for office needs too.

Ratings
Overall5
 
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