This mouse was sent out to me by MechKeys.com, but that doesn’t affect my opinions in the review.
UNBOXING
The RAWM ES21PRO comes packaged with a cover on top and a box that opens by lifting off /the cover. Inside, you’ll find the mouse, 8khz dongle, grip-tape, charging cable, and a manual. There is a large plastic cover to protect the skates. The unboxing experience is very standard. I am reviewing the pro version, but there are more budget-friendly options offered, which I’ll post a chart of. Also the specs below are specifically for the pro version.
Specs:
Dimensions: 122.2×64.5×39.1mm
Weight: 47g(±2g)
Main Switches: Omron opticals
Coating: Matte
Sensor: PixArt 3950
MCU: NORDIC 52840
Battery: 300mAh
Max Polling Rate: 8000Hz
Color Options: Black/White
Price: $69.99
Extras: Griptape
BUTTONS
Main Clicks
The main buttons use omron optical switches. They feel quite decent, but also a little dull/strange at times, and kinda inconsistent depending on where you click from. They’re loudest and heavier with a more “forced” tactile-feel when clicking from the very back. Clicking from the front half of the mouse feels decent with a very slight hint of mushiness. This is mainly because the closer you are from the very front, the more noticeable the post-travel becomes, and the tactility feels like it fades off. There’s minimal pre-travel though, and they’re still decent to spam. In-game, I don’t really pay attention to them to notice the inconsistent click-feel, but they could definitely be implemented better.
Scrollwheel & Side Buttons
The scrollwheel is nice and tactile. It doesn’t require much force to scroll and the notches are distinct but smooth. The middle click has good travel, though the actuation has like a “thwack” feeling – so not exactly dull, but also not crispy. It requires a light-medium amount of force to press. The side buttons are easy to reach. The pre- and post-travel are good; they just aren’t the most tactile and crispy out there. Overall, the clicks lack a little bit of that sharpness that make them a little more satisfying, but absolutely get the job done.
COATING, CABLE, SKATES, & WEIGHT
The coating feels quite good with its soft, rubbery matte finish. Your fingerprints will smudge onto the black coating though, but I personally don’t care about appearance. The white version likely doesn’t have this issue. The charging cable is incredibly stiff, so I didn’t bother using it. The stock skates are good enough in my opinion. They’re very big, so if you do want to replace them, there should be many models that will fit.
The weight comes at around 48g on my scale. It’s centered in the middle, but the battery makes it feel just a little denser at the back. I don’t really notice it at all in-use though. The build quality for the main shell is outstanding on my copy. The left mouse button has a very tiny side play (basically non-existent), but it seems to be hitting something internally. This is only when the button isn’t pressed down though.
SHAPE
My hands are 19.5x10cm and I use a relaxed pincer claw grip. Before describing the shape, here’s how I grip the RAWM ES21 Pro:
The es21 pro looks like it borrows shape characteristics from both the zowie u2 and viper v3 pro, but isn’t quite a clone of either. It has similar dimensions and button/front design to the u2, while the hump curvature/taper towards the back kinda seems to resemble that of the viper v3. From pictures, it looks like the vv3 narrows in more towards the back, while the es21 seems rounder. The side curvature also seem similar to the vv3 from where they start to flare towards the front and back, but the es21’s grip-width seems to narrow in, which may be an aspect that’s influenced by the u2. The u2 still looks much curvier in all these areas though, which can be seen when looking at them both from the base. That’s about the extent to which I can try to draw comparisons by using pictures as reference, since I don’t have them both in-hand – just remember to take what’s said with a grain of salt. I don’t think these observations are far fetched though considering rawm’s mh01 mouse is a more direct clone of the viper v3 pro.
As for how the shape feels for me personally, it’s been pretty great for my hand size and grip. The thumb curve is the core reason why I enjoy the shape so much, and its prominence with in-hand contact allows me to find my grip on the mouse every time. My thumb just naturally latches onto it towards the back, which provides a lot of control, and it lets me pull the mouse in easily when tensing. The other parts of the shape aren’t as interesting and just feel like they play it safe, but when put together, offer great contact and feel very comfortable. The hump is safe, decently wide, and tall. The relative wideness and natural-feeling roundness allows me to only need to pinch the corner of my knuckle-palm area. The quick taper towards the very back of the mouse also makes it so that there isn’t too much contact towards the lower palm. I don’t feel completely locked into place with this hump, which means there’s a decent amount of room for potential inner hand range of motion. Normally, mice with this button height bother me and feel a little unnatural, but because of the somewhat deep button grooves, it’s actually quite comfortable. I do still prefer lower to feel more precise, but this is probably the first time I didn’t feel cramped. The side walls are high, so there is more than enough ring finger support in relax claw. My ring finger rests right before the sides curve in towards the front, so it feels quite natural. Overall, the shape is very comfortable, and most of the fine control I have revolves around the thumb curve.
SOFTWARE & BATTERY LIFE
The es21 pro is compatible with rawm’s web driver, but there is also a downloadable software, which can be downloaded at the top right of the rawm hub page. To upgrade firmware, it requires you to download the app though, which I had to do with my early copy. The hub looks quite bloated, but has all the features you’d expect – and more. Make sure you click the gaming firmware channel option found at the top middle of the page for more advanced settings. An interesting feature they have is x-polling option, which allows you to set a specific polling rate values. There’s also angle-tuning to offset the sensor to match the tilt of the mouse in your grip, there’s press and release key delay, and there’s turbo modes that supposedly let you change frequency bands for less interference. It also calibrates surface quaity in the lod setting, but I have no idea what that means. Honestly, I’m a little skeptical all of these work properly without them showcasing any testing, but the ideas are cool. When you’re done changing your settings, make sure to click “apply & onboard” to finalize. To check battery life, click back at the top left and you’ll see it displayed with the mouse card. One more thing to point out is that the web hub and software disconnected a lot while I changed settings, which I’m thinking is on their end and not specific to my mouse.
For battery life, the mouse at 4khz lasted me about 2-3 nights of moderate use. The dongle led usually stays green, and starts shining red at 30%. The led on the mouse blinks red at 20%, and stays a static red while charging. Once it’s fully charged, the oled will turn off. If you unplug the receiver, the led on top of the mouse will blink yellow to indicate that the mouse is still on.
PROS & CONS
+great shape for claw grip w/ a really nice thumb groove (inspired by zowie u2, but safer(?)) +decent clicking experience+nicely defined and smooth, light scrolling experience
+very nice rubbery matte coating
+comes w/ good stock skates+low weight of 48g+no issues w/ build quality
+web driver and software available (packed w/ many features)+good price for quality and features ($69.99)
=web app disconnects randomly while changing some settings (may be on my end)
=decent battery life
-fingerprints smudge/stain the mouse (most likely only on the black version)
-stiff charging cable
LINKS/SOCIALS:
https://mechkeys.com/collections/new-arrival/products/rawm-es21?variant=46510320255199
Web app – https://www.rawmtech.com/hub.html
