**TL:DR**
I like the KPOE a lot and it will probably be my primary mouse for quite a while, assuming I don't like the Rival 310 that is on order better.
**Texture**
The coating of this mouse is fantastic. It is grippy and smooth, very little texture to it and not rubbery like a lot of other mice are going. I fell in love with the coating the second my hands touched the mouse the first time taking it out of the box. It does readily show oils and sweat marks but i will live with that for how amazing the mouse is to grip and not slip out of my hand.
**Buttons**
I quite like the buttons on this mouse. Coming from a G900, the primary buttons are not much different, perhaps a bit louder and slightly more stiff but there difference is subtle in my opinion. The side buttons on the other hand are a different story. Due to the G900 being slightly customizable, it seems to give the side buttons a slightly mushy click and a little wobble to them but that is not a thing on the KPOE. The clicks are solid, responsive, louder, and more distinct.
**Mouse wheel**
I like this wheel quite a lot. I have used Logitech mice for years (since the G500s release) and love the free scroll when browsing the web but it always left the click-mode lacking tactility and responsiveness in my mind.What I miss most though is side-scrolling on the wheel. I have used that a lot over the years for keybindings as it is incredibly easy to hit on logitech mice and was a little bit surprised it was not on this mouse, perhaps the mouse would not have the incredible tactility it has otherwise though and whether I would sacrifice that tactile for the side-scroll option would depend on how much is lost, but I have a feeling I would prefer it how it is. I have noticed when scrolling up there is a noticeable “click” on the wheel about every 4 steps, but it is not always at 4 sometimes it comes at 3 and sometimes at 5 steps, it always does not click at all when scrolling down. I am not sure if that is by design or not though.
**Size/Shape**
This is the smallest gaming mouse I have used and I love the smaller size. I don’t have massive hands but have only used mice on the larger size (G500s>G700s>G502>G900) and I should have made the switch sooner. The weight is great, makes using the mouse long periods less fatiguing but I have also had to change up my grip a bit. I find myself moving toward more of a fingertip style than the claw I have used since the G502, the mouse is just a bit too short to rest the back of my palm on it and way too small to palm grip. There is just one major design element I would change and that is the thumb groove on the left. The bottom and back of the curve should be smoother and less pronounced. I depending on how I have my hand on the mouse I find it is pushing my thumb out of the groove and I have to move backward on the mouse.
Hand size is 16.5mm x 9.5mm
**Cord**
I don’t have much to say on the cord. It is thinner and lighter than the Logitech cables (but almost all are). I have not had any issues with it dragging on the mousepad or causing issues with movement of the mouse.
**Use/Performance**
if you want to know about the performance check out RJN’s video, he can tell you more than I will be able to about the quality of the sensor and how it performs in game. I have had no issues myself, everything works as expected. I did not need to change any sensitivity settings in game coming from my G900. I play at 800 DPI with an in game sensitivity of 5.75 in Overwatch.
**Software**
This is where Roccat has room for the most improvement and what is holding things back. Let’s start with giving configuration options that are not relevant for the mouse you are configuring. As stated, this mouse does not have a side-scrolling mouse wheel, yet in the options there is a Horizontal Scrolling slider to adjust how far it moves at a time. Why is that not just hidden. My next issue is the help/tip icon for each option in the software to explain the purpose of that setting, but for most of them it is useless. A help dialog for “Sensitivity Options” that says “Configures Mouse Sensitivity” tells me nothing. I want to know what “Sensitivity Options” does vs “DPI Switcher” vs “Windows Pointer Speed”. I know all 3 affect how much my cursor moves compared to my mouse movement, but in what ways? Do any have negative effects on my game play? Does one introduce acceleration or interpolation? “Distance Control Unit” is another where the help dialog says “Configures Distance Control Unit”. I know what lift of distance is and can surmise that is the setting to adjust it, but someone who does not know has to go find the SWARM software FAQ to find more information.
The next issue is in Game Profiles. In Logitech’s LGS, there is not a limit to the number of configured profiles I can have saved and ready to use or auto-switch to. The software even finds and populates a list of my games with game specific commands ready to be dropped on individual buttons. Not in SWARM. No, we have a max of 5 active profiles, you can save others to reload later, but you have to plan ahead when you are going to play a game you have not played as recently. I do not store any games on my C: drive, instead those are on separate SSDs so SWARM does not find any games to make it easier to add .EXEs for auto-switching mouse profiles and there is no way to tell it to scan another drive for those. And when I alt-tab out of a game it does not like to switch back to the desktop profile like it says it should on their FAQ for SWARM.
>
> Desktop Profile?
>
> The profile which is marked as a Desktop Profile is always selected when you’re on your desktop (that’s also works when you tab out of games).
The last issue, and this one is admittedly minor, is with the LED options and RJN mentions something similar in is review as well. Why is Color Flow not a smooth gradient? Roccat also can do a better job of the color you see selected in the client being the same as what you see on the mouse. Everything looks a tone or two lighter on the mouse than in client.
| Brand | ROCCAT |
|---|---|
| Series | ROCCAT INC. |
| Item model number | ROC-11-725 |
| Hardware Platform | WINDOWS 10/8/7/VISTA/XP |
| Operating System | WINDOWS 10/8/7/XP |
| Item Weight | 3.2 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 4.5 x 3 x 2 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 4.5 x 3 x 2 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Power Source | Corded Electric |
| Voltage | 5 Volts |
| Manufacturer | ROCCAT |
| ASIN | B06XJW6HZ8 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | April 24, 2017 |
