Review of Zowie FK1+ by Ino
Time to take a look at the new model in the Zowie lineup, the FK1+!
This will (hopefully) be a rather short review, because the performance of the mouse is just the same as with all other recent Zowie mice since they moved on to the 3310. So all in all this review won't probably be too exciting considering that only the shape changed.
Disclaimer: this mouse was sent to me for review by Zowie
Boxing
The box is like all the Zowie boxes since they moved to BenQ. Plain, black, simple.
What's included:
- Zowie FK1+
- Pair of extra mousefeet
- Sticker
- Manual
Box:
Weight & Shape
First some side shots
The official weight of the FK1+ is 95g (without cable), on my scale it measured as 94g
Weight: 95 g
Height: 37 mm
Width: 68 mm
Estimated width at grip position: 62 mm
Length: 128 mm
Number of buttons: 5 (plus dpi toggle on the bottom)
So how is the shape? The FK1+ is basically what the ZA11 is to the ZA lineup. Both feel roughly the same in size despite the FK1+ being wider. The higher hump in the back of the ZA11 with a wider arch probably causes that. So while the ZA12 felt like it was equal to the FK1 the FK1+ is like the ZA11. As I have always been a big fan of the ZA11 for its shape the FK1+ is right down my alley. I'll probably use the FK1+ for the next few weeks to see how it holds up in terms of comfort, but right off the bat it feels better to me than the FK1 which I liked already.
One thing I really like about the FK series compared to the ZA is that the sidebuttons are smaller. Not a big deal, but both to the touch and aesthetically I prefer the FK sidebuttons.
Here are a comparisons with the older FK1 from the bottom
And a comparison of the recent ambi Zowie mice
ZA11 - FK1+ - FK1 - FK2 (well not really, it's the original FK'13, but same size as FK2)
A closer shot of the FK line
FK1+ - FK1 - FK2
FK1+ - FK1
And finally how I grip the mouse
For comparison: My hand is around 20 cm from the tip of my middle finger to the base.
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
Same as before. I've still added the performance pictures for completion
Polling rate was stable.
Speed related accuracy variance
There is a bit, like expected. Of course there is more than compared to the 3366 in the G900 or G303 but it really isn't much and as you can see by the hand movement it could be human error etc.
Lift Off Distance
Same as other Zowie, so very low. It stops tracking at less than 1CD, so LOD is <1.2mm
Buttons / Switches / Scroll Wheel
The FK series probably has the stiffest buttons out of all Zowie mice, so the FK1+ seems to be just like the FK1, maybe a bit less. Switches are back to Huanos, but as was already covered, that doesn't really have an impact on how soft the switch is.
The scroll wheel is 16 notches again, which is ok for gaming, but I really dislike that for browsing. Mainly because I never use the wheel in game and only for scrolling websites, there it's really annoying to the point that I rather use hyper-scroll or drag the scrollbar down.
I really think that Zowie should change their scroll wheel design to something better, the best wheels I ever experienced are still the Roccat wheels.
Build Quality
Like always! Cable is really flexible, coating is also the same as in all the previous FK, which means that it is good to grip, but also ugly to look at after a while. Just look at the comparison pictures above and how shiny my ZA11 or the old FK'13 look, that's what happens to the coating after a while. I much prefer this over soft touch rubber like the Kone Pure has for example, because it isn't as slippery, but just pure gloss for the sides would probably look better in the long run. The old AM-FG was pretty great in terms of coating in my eyes.
Conclusion
Liked the FK1 but feel it could be bigger: here's your mouse. Didn't like the FK1 or Zowies other mice? Look elsewhere.
As a sidenote: I'm going to be using the FK1+ for the next week when twitch streaming (twitch.tv/ino84) with my handcam, feel free to ask me any specifics there, I can also do comparisons with other mice on stream.
Time to take a look at the new model in the Zowie lineup, the FK1+!
This will (hopefully) be a rather short review, because the performance of the mouse is just the same as with all other recent Zowie mice since they moved on to the 3310. So all in all this review won't probably be too exciting considering that only the shape changed.
Disclaimer: this mouse was sent to me for review by Zowie
Boxing
The box is like all the Zowie boxes since they moved to BenQ. Plain, black, simple.
What's included:
- Zowie FK1+
- Pair of extra mousefeet
- Sticker
- Manual
Box:
Weight & Shape
First some side shots
The official weight of the FK1+ is 95g (without cable), on my scale it measured as 94g
Weight: 95 g
Height: 37 mm
Width: 68 mm
Estimated width at grip position: 62 mm
Length: 128 mm
Number of buttons: 5 (plus dpi toggle on the bottom)
So how is the shape? The FK1+ is basically what the ZA11 is to the ZA lineup. Both feel roughly the same in size despite the FK1+ being wider. The higher hump in the back of the ZA11 with a wider arch probably causes that. So while the ZA12 felt like it was equal to the FK1 the FK1+ is like the ZA11. As I have always been a big fan of the ZA11 for its shape the FK1+ is right down my alley. I'll probably use the FK1+ for the next few weeks to see how it holds up in terms of comfort, but right off the bat it feels better to me than the FK1 which I liked already.
One thing I really like about the FK series compared to the ZA is that the sidebuttons are smaller. Not a big deal, but both to the touch and aesthetically I prefer the FK sidebuttons.
Here are a comparisons with the older FK1 from the bottom
And a comparison of the recent ambi Zowie mice
ZA11 - FK1+ - FK1 - FK2 (well not really, it's the original FK'13, but same size as FK2)
A closer shot of the FK line
FK1+ - FK1 - FK2
FK1+ - FK1
And finally how I grip the mouse
For comparison: My hand is around 20 cm from the tip of my middle finger to the base.
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
Same as before. I've still added the performance pictures for completion
Polling rate was stable.
Speed related accuracy variance
There is a bit, like expected. Of course there is more than compared to the 3366 in the G900 or G303 but it really isn't much and as you can see by the hand movement it could be human error etc.
Lift Off Distance
Same as other Zowie, so very low. It stops tracking at less than 1CD, so LOD is <1.2mm
Buttons / Switches / Scroll Wheel
The FK series probably has the stiffest buttons out of all Zowie mice, so the FK1+ seems to be just like the FK1, maybe a bit less. Switches are back to Huanos, but as was already covered, that doesn't really have an impact on how soft the switch is.
The scroll wheel is 16 notches again, which is ok for gaming, but I really dislike that for browsing. Mainly because I never use the wheel in game and only for scrolling websites, there it's really annoying to the point that I rather use hyper-scroll or drag the scrollbar down.
I really think that Zowie should change their scroll wheel design to something better, the best wheels I ever experienced are still the Roccat wheels.
Build Quality
Like always! Cable is really flexible, coating is also the same as in all the previous FK, which means that it is good to grip, but also ugly to look at after a while. Just look at the comparison pictures above and how shiny my ZA11 or the old FK'13 look, that's what happens to the coating after a while. I much prefer this over soft touch rubber like the Kone Pure has for example, because it isn't as slippery, but just pure gloss for the sides would probably look better in the long run. The old AM-FG was pretty great in terms of coating in my eyes.
Conclusion
Liked the FK1 but feel it could be bigger: here's your mouse. Didn't like the FK1 or Zowies other mice? Look elsewhere.
As a sidenote: I'm going to be using the FK1+ for the next week when twitch streaming (twitch.tv/ino84) with my handcam, feel free to ask me any specifics there, I can also do comparisons with other mice on stream.