ZOWIE AM-FG
While I did review the ZOWIE AM before, this mouse definately deserve its own review. So here it is
What's included?
It comes with exactly the same as the ZOWIE AM, except now the box is white to match the color of the Zowie AM-FG
ZOWIE AM-FG gaming mouse
ZOWIE sticker
Extra set of teflon feet(Something more companies should do)
A box... which also function as the instruction manual on how to change dpi, polling rate and which side buttons that will be activated.
Sensor:
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dpi
In terms of sensor performance it is one of the best avago 3090 based mice. If you can live with the dpi options it might be the best for you if you bring in all the factors of perfect control speed, low lift off distance, no prediction, no jitter, a low amount of jitter.
The kingsys lense that the ZOWIE AM-FG WILL lover the perfect control speed compared to other mice with similar sensors like the roccat savu or the razer deathadder, but in return you get a much lower perfect control speed. Using the tape trick to achieve the same in the deathadder will result in a lower perfect control speed also.
If you want the highest perfect control speed I would recommend using it at 500hz. I still get over 3m/s at all options though and I have never managed to get it to reach its malfunction speed during gaming. However if that is not enough for you it's still possible to mod it as seen here
http://www.overclock.net/t/1182539/zowie-am-review/530#post_17300593
Test results
125hz:
http://imageshack.us/a/img72/2566/125hz.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img268/3756/125hz2300.jpg
500hz:
http://imageshack.us/a/img692/3989/59476388.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img826/8996/29213128.jpg
1000hz
http://imageshack.us/a/img407/9456/1000hz.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img839/7423/1000hz2300dpi.jpg
Remember enotus mouse test is not something I would consider 100% accurate but it gives an idea.
There's no prediction.
There's no acceleration.
Depending on the surface, theres no jitter on 450dpi and 1150dpi but there seem to be some slight jitter at 2300dpi @ 1000hz. The jitter at 2300dpi does go away when I lower the windows sensivity
prediction and jitter tests:
125hz
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dpi
500hz
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dpi
1000hz
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dp
These tests where all done with the artisan hayate and the ZOWIE G-CM but with the qck fnatic edition the story was different. Here is what I previously got
http://www.overclock.net/t/1195737/review-of-the-zowie-am/50#post_16225461
I did a new test with the exact same settings and while it did seem to perform a lot better it still have some issues on the qck fnatic edition
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6532/qckfnatic.jpg
Lift off distance is extremely low(lower than 1cd) even my artisan hayate mousepad. It might cause some problems on white surfaces, but this is not something i can confirm as I don't own one at the moment.
I did however try it with lighter colored zowie g-cm and the performance is just as good as on the hayate.
Weight and dimensions: At first look it is very similar to the Xai/Sensei/msi 1.1/wmo but it definately feels smaller. It has almost the same lenght and height, but it is 13% less wide which gives it a much different feel. The sides are also shaped differently, with the ZOWIE AM-FG being more / \ and the Sensei being more rounded, which makes it a bit harder to lift but the coating makes up for it which I talk about later in this review . The weight is pretty much the same as the cm storm spawn which imo is PERFECT. For me an optimal gaming mouse should be between 75-90g. Anything less feels uncontrollable and anything more will make it harder to do fast accurate movements in fps games. Weight is definately something more people should consider when buying a gaming mouse
The good thing with the design though, is that with the sensei/xai I sometimes missclick the side buttons on the right side by mistake but the ZOWIE AM-FG is designed so that won't happen
Weight: 88g
Height: 39mm / 1.53 in
Width: 60 mm / 2.36 in
Length: 125 mm / 4.92 in
This shape works very well for both claw and fingertip. But for palmgrip I feel that it's simply feels too small, even for my small fingers.
Build quality and the cord:
The cord is in my oppinion the best cord you can get in any mouse. It is neither too thin or too thick and it is very flexible. I have only tried one cord that almost matched it, which is in a much more expensive mouse.
Here's a comparison of cords between the ZOWIE AM-FG, The steelseries sensei raw and the steelseries kinzu
I would put it in the ranks of some of the higher build quality mice out there there. In my previous review of the ZOWIE AM there as a small issue where mouse button 1+2 would touch eachother but that was fixed in the newer batches and in the Zowie AM-FG as seen here.
Here is a picture of the problem before
In the new ZOWIE AM-FG
Last but not least the teflonfeet. They are big and seem to be made of 100% pure teflon. There is even an extra set of teflonfeet when you need to replace them.
So overall there's nothing bad to say about the build quality and the coating is simply amazing.
The new coating:
This is what ZOWIE GEAR have to say about the coating
"We have found a new method to apply the coating of the EC eVo white and the AM-FG and without getting deeper into the details, we can tell you that the coating process takes 48 hours for each mouse – and it makes it pretty damn awesome."
It sounds like a sales trick, but this is definately the best glossy coating that I have ever tried. Usually glossy coating is for people with dry hands and rubber coating is for people who sweat more and I can definately say that this mouse works for both because the coating makes me sweat a lot less. If my hands do get sweat I still have a good grip but I usually just wipe them off after a couple of hours. Despite the sides being / \ it is VERY easy to lift because the coating gives such a good grip.
The coating have a sparkle to it so overall the only drawback would be guys asking you why you have a mouse that sparkles
The buttons and scrollwheel:
The two main buttons are custom huano switches made for ZOWIE. They are harder to press than most gaming mice, but they give a GREAT feedback in terms of feel and sound. Also they have a very short travel and shorter than all mice with omron switches(except the ninox velocity/aurora) so despite the higher pressure required, it's easy to double click
I have recorded a short video so you can hear the difference of huano switches and different variants of omrons.
I also did a test on "how many times can you click in 10 seconds" and here are the results
ZOWIE AM-FG = 64
ninox velocity = 68
steelseries sensei raw=73
cm storm spawn=79
my digital camera doesn't do it justice though but I hope it gives an idea.
The side buttons is much easier to press and is probally ttc switches? travel is a bit longer but they feel just fine. Unlike many other gaming mice the clicks are registered instantly with no delay
The scrollwheel is exactly the same as on the EC series and is a more durable optical scrollwheel. You can feel when you scroll and the scrollwheel is easy to click. I have been asked if mine have any problems with scrolls not being registered and it doesn't.
Software:
When you run a mouse with software theres always the possibility that something can go wrong. The software can crash, not work, or just drain the computer memory
The ZOWIE AM-FG runs completely without software which in my oppinion is ideal and one of ZOWIE's best selling points. Everything can be changed ON the mouse, being it dpi, polling rate and even which side buttons to be activated which is something no other company has done. Steelseries have a similar approach on their sensei series but you still can't change the buttons from right handed to left handed without the software
Final thoughts
To sum it up.
+PERFECT weight
+Perfect control speed above 3m/s in most cases
+Shape if you are using claw or fingertip grip
+Defined scrollwheel. Its easy to click and you can feel every scroll you make
+No prediction(that is, if you don't like having prediction)
+No acceleration at all
+ VERY low lift off distance
+No jitter at 450dpi and 1150dpi. Slight jitter at 2300dpi that will go away if you turn down sensitivity
+Well balanced weight
+Big teflon feet and an extra pair for replacement
+PERFECT mouse cord. Neither too thin or too thick, yet its very flexible
+Good build quality and rubber coating
+Great feedback on mouse button 1+2. Short travel
+Instant response from all buttons including the side buttons which on many gaming mice have delay.
+No software
-Not as comfortable as the other mice of similar shape like the Xai/Sensei/msi1.1a/wmo but this is a prefence ofcourse
-Side buttons have a long travel distance as on pretty much all mice
So overall I can definately recommend it
Pictures:
Edited by HaiiYaa - 10/28/12 at 11:54am
While I did review the ZOWIE AM before, this mouse definately deserve its own review. So here it is
What's included?
It comes with exactly the same as the ZOWIE AM, except now the box is white to match the color of the Zowie AM-FG
ZOWIE AM-FG gaming mouse
ZOWIE sticker
Extra set of teflon feet(Something more companies should do)
A box... which also function as the instruction manual on how to change dpi, polling rate and which side buttons that will be activated.
Sensor:
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dpi
In terms of sensor performance it is one of the best avago 3090 based mice. If you can live with the dpi options it might be the best for you if you bring in all the factors of perfect control speed, low lift off distance, no prediction, no jitter, a low amount of jitter.
The kingsys lense that the ZOWIE AM-FG WILL lover the perfect control speed compared to other mice with similar sensors like the roccat savu or the razer deathadder, but in return you get a much lower perfect control speed. Using the tape trick to achieve the same in the deathadder will result in a lower perfect control speed also.
If you want the highest perfect control speed I would recommend using it at 500hz. I still get over 3m/s at all options though and I have never managed to get it to reach its malfunction speed during gaming. However if that is not enough for you it's still possible to mod it as seen here
http://www.overclock.net/t/1182539/zowie-am-review/530#post_17300593
Test results
125hz:
http://imageshack.us/a/img72/2566/125hz.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img268/3756/125hz2300.jpg
500hz:
http://imageshack.us/a/img692/3989/59476388.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img826/8996/29213128.jpg
1000hz
http://imageshack.us/a/img407/9456/1000hz.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img839/7423/1000hz2300dpi.jpg
Remember enotus mouse test is not something I would consider 100% accurate but it gives an idea.
There's no prediction.
There's no acceleration.
Depending on the surface, theres no jitter on 450dpi and 1150dpi but there seem to be some slight jitter at 2300dpi @ 1000hz. The jitter at 2300dpi does go away when I lower the windows sensivity
prediction and jitter tests:
125hz
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dpi
500hz
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dpi
1000hz
450dpi
1150dpi
2300dp
These tests where all done with the artisan hayate and the ZOWIE G-CM but with the qck fnatic edition the story was different. Here is what I previously got
http://www.overclock.net/t/1195737/review-of-the-zowie-am/50#post_16225461
I did a new test with the exact same settings and while it did seem to perform a lot better it still have some issues on the qck fnatic edition
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6532/qckfnatic.jpg
Lift off distance is extremely low(lower than 1cd) even my artisan hayate mousepad. It might cause some problems on white surfaces, but this is not something i can confirm as I don't own one at the moment.
I did however try it with lighter colored zowie g-cm and the performance is just as good as on the hayate.
Weight and dimensions: At first look it is very similar to the Xai/Sensei/msi 1.1/wmo but it definately feels smaller. It has almost the same lenght and height, but it is 13% less wide which gives it a much different feel. The sides are also shaped differently, with the ZOWIE AM-FG being more / \ and the Sensei being more rounded, which makes it a bit harder to lift but the coating makes up for it which I talk about later in this review . The weight is pretty much the same as the cm storm spawn which imo is PERFECT. For me an optimal gaming mouse should be between 75-90g. Anything less feels uncontrollable and anything more will make it harder to do fast accurate movements in fps games. Weight is definately something more people should consider when buying a gaming mouse
The good thing with the design though, is that with the sensei/xai I sometimes missclick the side buttons on the right side by mistake but the ZOWIE AM-FG is designed so that won't happen
Weight: 88g
Height: 39mm / 1.53 in
Width: 60 mm / 2.36 in
Length: 125 mm / 4.92 in
This shape works very well for both claw and fingertip. But for palmgrip I feel that it's simply feels too small, even for my small fingers.
Build quality and the cord:
The cord is in my oppinion the best cord you can get in any mouse. It is neither too thin or too thick and it is very flexible. I have only tried one cord that almost matched it, which is in a much more expensive mouse.
Here's a comparison of cords between the ZOWIE AM-FG, The steelseries sensei raw and the steelseries kinzu
I would put it in the ranks of some of the higher build quality mice out there there. In my previous review of the ZOWIE AM there as a small issue where mouse button 1+2 would touch eachother but that was fixed in the newer batches and in the Zowie AM-FG as seen here.
Here is a picture of the problem before
In the new ZOWIE AM-FG
Last but not least the teflonfeet. They are big and seem to be made of 100% pure teflon. There is even an extra set of teflonfeet when you need to replace them.
So overall there's nothing bad to say about the build quality and the coating is simply amazing.
The new coating:
This is what ZOWIE GEAR have to say about the coating
"We have found a new method to apply the coating of the EC eVo white and the AM-FG and without getting deeper into the details, we can tell you that the coating process takes 48 hours for each mouse – and it makes it pretty damn awesome."
It sounds like a sales trick, but this is definately the best glossy coating that I have ever tried. Usually glossy coating is for people with dry hands and rubber coating is for people who sweat more and I can definately say that this mouse works for both because the coating makes me sweat a lot less. If my hands do get sweat I still have a good grip but I usually just wipe them off after a couple of hours. Despite the sides being / \ it is VERY easy to lift because the coating gives such a good grip.
The coating have a sparkle to it so overall the only drawback would be guys asking you why you have a mouse that sparkles
The buttons and scrollwheel:
The two main buttons are custom huano switches made for ZOWIE. They are harder to press than most gaming mice, but they give a GREAT feedback in terms of feel and sound. Also they have a very short travel and shorter than all mice with omron switches(except the ninox velocity/aurora) so despite the higher pressure required, it's easy to double click
I have recorded a short video so you can hear the difference of huano switches and different variants of omrons.
I also did a test on "how many times can you click in 10 seconds" and here are the results
ZOWIE AM-FG = 64
ninox velocity = 68
steelseries sensei raw=73
cm storm spawn=79
my digital camera doesn't do it justice though but I hope it gives an idea.
The side buttons is much easier to press and is probally ttc switches? travel is a bit longer but they feel just fine. Unlike many other gaming mice the clicks are registered instantly with no delay
The scrollwheel is exactly the same as on the EC series and is a more durable optical scrollwheel. You can feel when you scroll and the scrollwheel is easy to click. I have been asked if mine have any problems with scrolls not being registered and it doesn't.
Software:
When you run a mouse with software theres always the possibility that something can go wrong. The software can crash, not work, or just drain the computer memory
The ZOWIE AM-FG runs completely without software which in my oppinion is ideal and one of ZOWIE's best selling points. Everything can be changed ON the mouse, being it dpi, polling rate and even which side buttons to be activated which is something no other company has done. Steelseries have a similar approach on their sensei series but you still can't change the buttons from right handed to left handed without the software
Final thoughts
To sum it up.
+PERFECT weight
+Perfect control speed above 3m/s in most cases
+Shape if you are using claw or fingertip grip
+Defined scrollwheel. Its easy to click and you can feel every scroll you make
+No prediction(that is, if you don't like having prediction)
+No acceleration at all
+ VERY low lift off distance
+No jitter at 450dpi and 1150dpi. Slight jitter at 2300dpi that will go away if you turn down sensitivity
+Well balanced weight
+Big teflon feet and an extra pair for replacement
+PERFECT mouse cord. Neither too thin or too thick, yet its very flexible
+Good build quality and rubber coating
+Great feedback on mouse button 1+2. Short travel
+Instant response from all buttons including the side buttons which on many gaming mice have delay.
+No software
-Not as comfortable as the other mice of similar shape like the Xai/Sensei/msi1.1a/wmo but this is a prefence ofcourse
-Side buttons have a long travel distance as on pretty much all mice
So overall I can definately recommend it
Pictures:
Edited by HaiiYaa - 10/28/12 at 11:54am
