Razer Lachesis Review

The team over at Razer has been developing cutting-edge gaming peripherals for just over a decade (since 1999), so it is safe to assume they know what they are doing when it comes to gaming mice.

Early on Monday morning we recieved a rather unassuming cardboard box that weighed less than cup of tea (I’m measuring in cup’s of tea – or cots as I like to call them – because that is what happened to be in my hand at the time). Intrigued, I began to carefully open the box. Now had I been told prior that inside this box was a Lachesis, a genus of venomous pitvipers I would have happily passed the box onto someone more… well expendable.

Thankfully there was no pitviper inside the box, instead a black glossy box with slithers of blue and green. Technically it was still a Lachesis, a Razer Lachesis. A precision gaming mouse that boasts an impressive 4000dpi powered by the Razer 3g laserâ„¢ sensor.

The tagline for the Razer Lachesis is “bringer of silent death”. I thought if it works half aswell as the tagline suggest I’m sure to score some frags and impress my team-mates.

Technical Specifications

• 4000dpi Razer Precision 3G Laserâ„¢ sensor
• 32KB Razer Synapseâ„¢ onboard memory
• Nine independently programmable Hyperesponseâ„¢ buttons
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time
• On-The-Fly Sensitivityâ„¢ adjustment
• Variable true dpi setting adjustments in increments of 125dpi
• Always-Onâ„¢ mode
• Ultra-large non-slip buttons
• 16-bit ultra-wide data path
• 60-100 inches per second
• Ambidextrous design
• Scroll wheel with 24 individual click positions
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslickâ„¢ Teflon feet
• Gold-plated USB connector
• Seven-foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord
• Approximate size: 129mm (length) x 71mm (width) x 40mm (height)

Packaging

The card box containing the Lachesis is a matte black with a slight grey gradient towards the bottom. On the front of the box is an almost lifesize glossy image of the mouse  with the banshee blue glow. Just below is the Lachesis logo painted in a pearl silver that reflects certain colours and draws the eyes attention. Close to the logo there is a badge proudly displaying the 4000dpi that the Lachesis is capable of.

The front cover of the box opens like a book cover attached by a small circular piece of velcro. Here we finally see the Lachesis resting behind a plastic shield. On the inside sleeve of the box there is another image of the Lachesis with the slogan, “bringer of silent death” followed by a short blurb.

The Razer Lachesis takes on the same lethal traits as its namesake that will send shivers down your enemies’ spines. It knows no rukes and takes no hostages.
Victory beckons – move in for the kill.

Unfortunately the back of the box is rather dull, listing the technical specifications of the mouse in ten different languages. A number coded diagram points out a few features of the Lachesis including the seven-foot non-tangle cord, the zero acoustic Ultraslick teflon feet and the gold plated USB connector.

One side of the box contains a message from “Razerguy” whilst the other displays a comparison chart. The chart is very keen to point out the many, many differences between the Lachesis and a standard mouse.

Inside the Box

Now we get to the good stuff. Hiding away inside the box is the mouse itself resting on a plastic stand. Underneath the stand lies a thick card envelope wrapped in a plastic sleeve. One thing that impresses me about Razer products is the care that is put in to the subtle things. The card envelope feels far from cheap, infact the first thing you see on the envelope is the embossed Razer three snakes logo. Like I said, I’m impressed by the little things.

Inside the envelope is the twenty-page long Lachesis manual that also houses the driver CD. The bundle also includes a certificate of authenticity, a small flip catalogue of Razer products, a quick-start guide and a thick piece of card with an image of the Lachesis followed by the blurb. As an added treat for Razer fans the package also contains two transparent Razer logo stickers that are perfect for decorating your computer or console.

The manual is very easy to read and explains everything clearly. Besides the usual “how to install the drivers” the manual also explains how to register your product with Razer to get Two years warranty. Further in you will find sections dedicated to editing profiles, using the Razer Synapse onboard memory and a general explanation of the many customisation tricks that the Lachesis offers.

Installation of the driver software was as easy as popping in the CD, clicking “Next” and then rebooting.

First Impressions

Even without the glowing blue lights the Lachesis is very pleasing to the eye. The way the body of the mouse curves in just the right place, how the side-buttons are tucked away just out of sight. It looks very slick – almost aerodynamic infact.

I do have one small gripe at this point. The two buttons just behind the scroll wheel look a little out of place compared to the rest of the mouse. Unlike the other buttons which are covered in a comfortable non-stick matte texture, the top buttons are made of a black plastic which looks a little cheap and out of place.

When I first used the mouse I found the left and right click buttons a little bit awkward. This is probably due to the ambidexterous design of the Lachesis. The buttons felt a little too spread out compared to my old mouse but after a few hours of gaming my fingers grew acustomed to the spacing and if anything I found the hyper-responce buttons a little too sensitive, often firing off shots when I didn’t intend. On the second day of testing the Lachesis my fingers had grown very comfortable with the mouse and completely refused to use my previous mouse. I still find myself firing off prematurely due to the hyper-responce buttons but I’m sure before long I will be able to control the urge. In defense of they hyper-responce buttons they have made the difference between frag or fragged on a number of occassions and loosing a few bullets for a few weeks now and then is a price I am willing to pay.

The mouse wheel on the Lachesis feels very comfortable. Scrolling the mouse wheel feels very much like what I imagine stroking a snake would feel like (I doubt that was intended) not that I plan to try any time soon. The wheel as twenty-four individual click positions and you certainly feel a soft click when it moves up or down.

Besides my minor problem with the top buttons I was pleasently suprised by my first impression of the Lachesis. Sure I had seen plenty of pictures of the Lachesis but having the real deal sitting infront of me was a completely different experience than I had expected. I could tell by the pictures it was an attractive mouse that I wouldn’t mind have sitting on my desk but there was something else. It’s almost as if the Lachesis produces this inexplicable aura of bad-assery akin with most boys toys. The kind of feeling you experience when stood next to a Spitfire or behind the wheel of a Mustang. Of course I’m not expecting the Lachesis to help me pick up the ladies (if your reading Razer that would be a very welcomed addition) but it will certainly make my desk look a hell of alot cooler.

Testing

When testing the Razer Lachesis I used both a Steelseries QcK+ and a QPAD CT large mousepad. I tested the mouse in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (FPS), Left 4 Dead 2 (FPS), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2(FPS), Warhammer 40k: Chaos Rising (RTS), Heroes of Newerth (RTS) and World of Warcraft (MMO). I used 4000dpi and 1000hz Polling Rate in all games. My previous mouse used 125hz Polling Rate and 1600dpi.

When playing FPS games the first thing I noticed was a change in my sensitivity. It felt alot higher and even the slightest of movement would be detected. I lowered my sensitivity to where it felt roughly the same as before (which was just over half the previous sensitivity) and continued. The crosshair was very responsive to my movements and it felt alot faster.

Throughout the game I noticed that my movements seemed alot smoother, as in my hand and crosshair felt more in sync than when using my previous mouse. After about six hours of gaming (on two seperate days) I noticed that in both Left 4 Dead 2 and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory my accuracy had increased by an average of around 5 percent.

The hyper-response buttons certainly helped me out on a number of occassions when both I and the enemy began firing at each other simutaneously. On more than half the occassions I would get the first shot off and subsequently the kill.

Overall I felt comfortable knowing the Lachesis improved my FPS gaming by quite a bit.

Unfortunately I didn’t feel the Lachesis improved my RTS/MMO gaming that much. Although the added accuracy and hyper-response buttons helped a bit I tend to use the keyboard for most of the important abilities in MMO and RTS games.

The good news is the Lachesis is not just a one trick pony. The mouse has nine customizable buttons that can be bound to any keyboard button or ability. I tested this out with World of Warcraft, binding macros to a keyboard digit I would never use (for example “[“) and then binding said key to the chosen mouse button. It worked out perfectly and I had a number of extra macros in my arsenal.

Conclusion

The Razer Lachesis does exactly what it says on the tin. A mouse designed for FPS gaming that certainly improved my FPS experience.

I can’t fault the Lachesis for not performing so well in RTS or MMO games because if your a RTS or MMO gamer Razer have created mice such as the “Krait” and the “Naga” specificly for those genres. MMO/RTS gamers would be better spending their money on one of those mice.

For FPS gamers this is a solid mouse that will look great on any desk. It is a very comfortable mouse even after long gaming sessions where thanks to the non-slip texture sweat is no longer a problem.

A 4000 dpi  Razer Precision 3G Laser™ sensor and a 1000Hz ultrapolling rate certainly improved my accuracy but I seriously doubt anything higher than 4000dpi would make a noticable difference to a human.

I would highly recommend the Razer Lachesis to any serious FPS gamers out there (left or right handed). You can pick up the Lachesis for €69.99 / $79.99  which is a very competitive price compared to similar mice.

Razer say the Lachesis is the bringer of silent death. I can’t be sure about the silent part.

Razer Lachesis 5/5