I’ve needed a new mouse and keyboard for my editing machine for the longest time now. The mouse I’m currently using lightly electrocutes me every so often, and only half the keys work on my keyboard.
Why haven’t I replaced them?
Because apparently, I would rather struggle to get my keys to register and be sporadically shocked than go out and look for new peripherals. When it comes to anything that I use on a daily basis, I am probably one of the most stubbornly picky (I like to think of it as loyal) people you will ever meet. The moment I find something I like, I don’t just like it, I LOVE it, and the chances that I’ll ever change from that brand again is almost nonexistent. Which is fine, but I apparently I also have really expensive taste to compliment my really empty wallet.
Which is just great.
After a particularly frustrating night with my current setup (you know, one of those where you honestly contemplate just opening up your window and throwing your whole machine out of it) I was asked to review some Redragon peripherals. I jumped, this was basically a chance for me to try out a new Mouse and Keyboard setup, not get shocked for a while, potentially fall in love with a new brand all without having to go to shops.
Perfect.
But inside, I was almost sure that stubborn Arielle wouldn’t like it and I was right.
I don’t like the Redragon items I reviewed; I love them. Also, we may have bonded, and they can’t be taken back now…
I don’t just love them because my current stuff is trying to kill me, no, I love them because they are really good. I’m not just saying that out of a lack of comparison, my editing gear might suck but my gaming machine is equipped with Razer and Mad Catz gear, and quite honestly, these Redragon products can hold their own in comparison.
Let’s start with the Keyboard
I tested the Kumara, which is their answer to a mechanical gaming keyboard.
Now if you don’t know, mechanical keyboards make a super auditable CLICK sound when you tap them, and this one does not disappoint. If there was an award for CLICKY sounds, this keyboard would definitely place and that might just be my only sort of complaint about it.
I’m my mother’s child, and that means I can’t handle the sound of buttons being pressed. I honestly don’t understand the people who don’t switch off the key sounds on their phones or who love mechanical keys. Utter madness. But hey, what do I know, and to be fair, after about two weeks of use, the CLICK sound isn’t actually as blood chilling anymore – I’m used to it. Now that my only issue is out of the way, let me tell you why I love it. Firstly it’s heavy. I would say it’s weight is directly proportionate to the volume of its CLICKS. You might be wondering why heavy is a good thing, and that’s because this keyboard isn’t made out of cheap plastic. Instead, it has a heavy-duty metal framework. This means that it feels super sturdy and like it can withstand rugged use without breaking, also when you use it for gaming it doesn’t move, wobble, or shift around. It just stays put.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s splash resistant?
Magic.
It’s also a plug-and-play keyboard which means you don’t need any additional software to utilise any of its features or dedicated keys. It’s nice and small, making it perfect for travel or using it when you have limited space available because it doesn’t have a NUM pad on the right, making the keyboard shorter than most and giving you more room for your mouse. Then the best part: it only costs about R530 (which compared to any of the other gaming specific mechanical keyboards on the market, is really nothing) and it has a built in Red LED backlight, so your keyboard lights up like my face everytime I use it.
Then I reviewed two of their mice (and yes, I don’t care if it’s supposed to be Mouses, that sounds horrible, and I’m calling them mice) which were the Legend and the Perdition laser gaming MICE.
First I want to talk about my personal favourite, and the one I’m most likely going to be getting for myself, the Perdition.
Remember when I said I was really fussy about things I use a lot? Well, when it comes to my Mouse I have a checklist of note:
- It needs to be nice and big so that my hand doesn’t drown it and so that I don’t feel like I’m trying to hold a marble in my palm.
- It needs to be heavy; I can’t stand moving my hand quickly and the mouse lifting.
- It needs to have programmable buttons and interchangeable profiles so that I can program it for gaming and editing and the buttons need to be positioned in a comfortable place.
- It needs to have a high DPI (DPI stands for Dots Per Inch, and it’s the measurement system we use to track how sensitive a mouse is) and it needs to respond and glide when I move it.
- Lastly, it needs to look good.
The Perdition checked every box I have, the first thing I fell in love with is the way it feels. The mouse is rough, which is something which I never thought I’d like, but it actually feels so nice, and it also means that your hand doesn’t ever feel like it’s slipping or sliding. It comes with separate weights so that you can add them to the mouse until it’s the weight that you prefer, it boasts 16400 DPI meaning you can set the sensitivity to where you want it and it has 19 overall programmable buttons, 12 of which you use with your thumb. And remember how I said the keyboard lights up? Well, this mouse comes with 5 swappable modes, each of which you can program to have its own colour back lights (the middle mouse button, 12 thumb buttons and logo all light up) and you have 16 million colour options to pick from for those 5 profiles.
You can pretty much turn your mouse into a luminous Unicorn and match it to anything you want. If you want to use all the features you do need to install the software, but it comes with a disc, and it’s super user-friendly to use.
You can pick up the Perdition for about R530, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a gaming mouse for that price which can outshine this one.
Then last but not least, I tried the big brother of the Perdition, The Legend.
You’re looking at roughly R670 for the Legend, and this one is definitely built for serious gamers. It has everything that the Perdition has, just with some notable improvements. The base of the mouse is aluminium (instead of plastic like the Perdition). It has 22 programmable buttons, 16 of which you control with your thumb, and this is the only reason I like the Perdition more. The Perdition has 4 rows of 3 buttons apiece, making it the same as the Razer MMO Mice and making it easy for me to use. The Legend, however, has 4 rows of 4 buttons, which isn’t a bad thing at all, it’s just not something I’m used to and because there are more buttons per row they are slightly smaller than usual meaning I keep on hitting 2 when I want 3 or 7 when I want 6… you get the idea…
But that’s really up to personal taste, if you love having extra buttons then the Legend doesn’t disappoint, and you’ll get used to the size of them if you use it regularly.
It feels and looks a lot different to the Perdition as well, they opted for a smooth plastic for the Legend, it’s slightly longer and feels slightly slimmer and lighter (even with all of the weights in it) and it also has a lot more areas that light up with the LED lights.
When I was testing the mice, I asked my partner to spend an evening using them as well to get his opinion on them, and like me, he was beyond impressed. After seeing the budget price tags Redragon was boasting we were both left wondering if maybe, as excellent as everything was, their downfall was lifespan, but both mice come with an 18-month warranty and upon further research, it seems like their lifespan is about as great as the products themselves. In the last two weeks, I have gone from having almost no familiarity with the Redragon brand to considering making an investment in them and welcoming Redragon into my permanent gaming and editing set ups.
If you’re on a tight budget – these peripherals might be something you’d like to look into.
Disclosure: Constantine104 was sent the Redragon peripherals for review. All items have been returned after the 2 week review period.
