Razer is a polarising company, people either love or hate them, but no-one can deny that they’re one of the great innovators in the industry. Products such as the gaming smartphone and fully modular gaming concept PC (Razer Project Christine) proved this. Being one of the very few companies built from the ground up from peripherals, people have come to expect a lot from their mice. With the introduction of a new breed of mice under the badge ‘Tournament Edition’ (TE), we see the company’s response to the growing e-sports industry. Introducing the Lancehead (TE), Razer’s ambidextrous sequel to the Taipan.
Price: $119 (AUD) or $77 (USD)
Design & Build
The Razer Lancehead (TE) has a sleek, ambidextrous design with a matte black finish that not only looks good but feels good. So good, in fact, that I now prefer a matte finish over a glossy finish, something I grew to prefer on mices such as the SteelSeries Sensei Pro (Link: Here). The mouse sat well in my hand and the added texture increased my grip, something that’s a downfall of a glossy finish. The matte finish also acted to counteract sweat after a long period of gameplay, with the finish allowing my hand to breathe.
It’s also surprisingly durable with a month worth of gameplay barely showing a blemish on the matte finish. The ambidextrous design is also a nice addition to Razers line up which continues to grow to suit just about any gamer’s preference. I typically use a palm grip when browsing the web and a claw grip when gaming. The design excels in the aggressive claw grip but works fine for either.
One of my main gripes with the design of the mouse is the rubber grips on the side. Razer has opted for what they describe as “enhanced rubber side grips”. In reality, their slated side grips look great, but they take some serious getting used to. Compared to the SteelSeries Rival 700, or even the Lancehead’s younger brother, the Deathadder, the Lancehead grips are just plain uncomfortable. I think Razer has opted for this design so your hand stays cool during long gaming sessions but I would sacrifice this for the Deathadder’s meshed rubber sides.
The sensitivity quick-switch button is also poorly positioned. I often found myself bumping the switch (especially when using a claw grip), either dropping my sensitivity or increasing it two-fold. Not a great premise in the middle of a gun fight on Dust 2, but if you’re playing something that requires a bit more patience and accuracy, the ability to switch during gameplay might be to your benefit. I ended up changing the sensitivity switch to be my preferred sensitivity so even if I accidentally bumped it, my sensitivity would stay the same. Of course, you can program this button to be something else, or turn it off completely, but then the switch just feels redundant. Despite this, their bottom profile quick switch is a nice edition giving you an LED colour to signify what profile your mouse is set to.
The mice’s dimensions are 117mm (length) x 71mm (width) x 38 mm (height) (104g). This makes it similar in size to the Zowie FK1 (Zowie FK1 Review: Link) which measures in at 128mm x 37mm x 60mm (90g) but weighing in at 14 grams heavier than the Zowie. I tend to prefer lightweight mice but by no means is this a Razer Ouroboros, which weighs a whopping 135g.
For those of you looking for a bit of a colour change up, it does come in white and pink variants. I have seen pictures of a gun metal grey version but can’t find it for sale.
RGB
In typical 2017 style, the mouse offers four RBG lighting zones, two on the side, the logo on the back and the mouse wheel. Despite the RBG zone at the back feeling redundant during gameplay, the addition of the side and scroll wheel lights add a nice flair to the overall look of the mouse. This really comes into its own in conjunction with Razer’s chroma workshop, perhaps one of the most advanced RGB lighting software I have seen to date. You have several well-thought up and interesting colour schemes which go way past the stock-standard wave and strobe effects found in other gaming software. My personal favourite is the flame effect which makes the lights down the side flicker, emulating a flame. If you prefer something a bit flashier, they definitely have an option that will suit you.
Razer Chroma Studio
The Cable
Razer has opted for a sleek, braided cable that ends in a USB 3.0 connector and sports a green USB tongue. The tongue is usually something that identifies what type of USB you’re using (blue = 3.0, black = 2.0), but I think Gamers will like the nod and attention to detail, knowing they are on the green team, even when plugging their new mouse in.
What annoys me most about the cable is that it’s not detachable. Barely any Razer mice out of the realms of their wireless mice have the option of a detachable cable and it’s a shame that the Lancehead didn’t follow the same suit. Being under the badge ‘Tournament Edition’, you would expect them to give players potentially heading to LANs the ability to take that cable off and wrap it up. Instead, you need to wrap it around the mouse, creating a tangled nightmare when you get it out of your bag. This also means that if your cable breaks, your mouse is dead, and you better hope you have a spare one or you’re out of the ‘tournament’. It does boast a sturdy looking cable protector on either end which should extend the lifespan of the product, but who doesn’t love the ability to swap between braided and plastic for added modularity.
The Sensor
The sensor is where this mouse shows its true colours. The mouse boasts a true 16,000 DPI optical sensor, the same sensor as in the Deathadder Elite. With a polling rate of 1,000 Hz it competes with the upper end of both Logitech and SteelSeries ranges. A live test in games such as PUBG and CS:GO would also back up this claim, keeping up with my style of gameplay-with-ease.
The mouse is also rated to handle acceleration up to 50G, which you are unlikely to ever hit unless you snap your hand off with a ‘flick of the wrist’. This is mostly marketing but you know you can throw anything at it and it will perform. For those interested in why a mouse needs an acceleration rating, it is the maximum speed at which the mouse can accurately track movement across a surface.
The mouse also has what Razer calls a hybrid on-board and cloud storage system for the mouse’s profiles. This means that the mouse has a small portion of internal storage, like many other mice, which you can store your sensitivity preferences on but also allows you to store your profiles on Razer Cloud using Razer Synapse. It’s a nice addition, however, you are unlikely to want to install Razer Synapse during a LAN or when playing on someone else’s computer. The quick switch for profiles is located out of reach during gameplay, ensuring you won’t bump it during gameplay.
Switches
Razer is one of the very few companies that opt to build their own proprietary switches, albeit still through Omron. They give a response in-between the loud snappy Japanese Omron switches and the softer Chinese made Omron switches. These switches are rated at 50 million clicks and claim to be highly durable. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to hit the 50 million click mark but I can vouch for their reliability after a month of gameplay. Lastly, the scroll wheel gives a nice level of feedback when scrolling and has a textured feel that distinguishes it from the left and right clicks.
Software
The Lancehead’s software is very good despite Razer’s cheesy Gamer branding. The software has four tabs: customise, performance, lighting and calibration. The tabs are well thought-out and have rich content that will let you customise just about anything on the mouse itself.
The main screen allowing you to customise the buttons
The performance tab of the Razer Synapse Software
My main issue with the software is the fact that you need to sign up to access the mouse’s features. This means that you will need to give Razer access to your email address and other personal information to change your sensitivity and macro settings. Razer really needs to listen to their community and the fact that people don’t want to give away their personal information (Reddit Link: Here). Razer say this is so that you can access your profiles from any computer at any time using their cloud, but many gamers, and especially those going to tournaments, don’t want to install the Razer Synapse. Luckily, Razer has provided some internal storage for this specific mouse but it doesn’t take away from the fact you will need an account to set up these profiles, meaning that Razer will have access to your personal information.
Verdict/Bottom Line
The Razer Lancehead (TE) is a solid mouse and should be in any gamers’ mind when selecting a new mouse. Its ambidextrous design and matte finish help it maintain comfort for long gaming sessions. Despite this, the mouse does not live up to the company’s new ‘Tournament Edition’ badge, with Razer forgetting the little things that make going to tournaments easier. This includes the lack of a detachable cable and carry pouch that would bump this mouse’s rating up.
Pro
✔ Ambidextrous
✔ Great software
✔ Matte finish is comfortable even for extended periods of time
✔ Extremely accurate sensor
✔ Innovative RGB lighting effects
Con
✖ Rubber finger grips can be annoying
✖ No removable cable
✖ Sensitivity button poorly placed and easy to bump
✖ Would expect them to gie a carry bag for tounament edition mouse
✖ Requires you to sign up to change mouse settings
Rate: 4/5
What’s in the Box?
– Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition Mouse
– Quick Start Guide
– Razer Marketing Material