Be it any gaming peripheral, Zowie has a separate consumer base. They have earned their place in the gamers’ community over the years by delivering top-quality products loaded with the latest tech and great build quality. However, with their new product, Zowie EC2-B was put to test. There was a long-time demand that the gamers made regarding the upgrade of the Zowie EC2-A and Zowie EC1-A.
These two gaming mice have been at the sole of gaming for quite some time now. For many years now, they have been lauded by the gamers’ community as one of the best gaming mice to have ever existed on this planet. Obviously we don’t know much about alien tech. Maybe they have a better pointer device.
However I doubt that they can beat the brains of the engineers on earth. And, thus there was a huge demand on social forums like Reddit to bring an upgraded version of these mice. Zowie came up with the Zowie EC2-B gaming mouse as a solution to the demand. Were they able to meet the expectations? Read the Zowie EC2-B Review, in order to find all about it.
Before we get into the details, you must know that demands that were made for the upgrade included the implementation of the new 3360 sensors in the new mouse line-up. To which Zowie answered by presenting the EC2-B and EC1-B mice.
A Bit About Zowie | Knowing your Manufacturer is Important
I am quite unsure if you know about the history of Zowie or not, but it is definitely worth knowing if you are using or planning to use any of their products. The company was founded by 3 people back in 2008. They released their first product in 2009, as a gaming mouse of the EC series. They produced this mouse in collaboration with one of the legendary Counter-Strike players of that time, “HeatoN”.
Later on, in 2010 BenQ, which was a big brand name among the Display manufacturers then, with 35 years of experience in the Display device field, merged Zowie with them. Post that they never looked back and have been delivering marvelous gaming peripherals since then. So denoting their latest gaming mouse as Zowie by BenQ EC2-b, would not be the wrong thing to do.
However, since the gaming peripheral market is so vast that the competition among the businesses is very high. This results in marketing gimmicks that are just a strategy to show that a product is better than its competitor and many top companies have adopted it to sell their product. For me, the typo names would be Logitech and Razer. They do make quality products but they are masters of marketing gimmicks too.
So in order to make sure that Zowie, just to satisfy the demands and keep up to the expectations of its fan base, did not come up with the Zowie ec2-b. So, to clear out these doubts and be assured that they have really presented an upgraded version, read the review in detail.
First Impression | Zowie EC2-B
If you have been following Zowies, you would already be knowing that they are not about show-off shenanigans. They believe that the performance of a product is the key to a better gaming experience and hence you will not find anything that is hot in terms of looks but is certainly blazing in terms of performance.
Just like other Zowie products the Zowie EC2-B is all focused on performance and quality rather than on RGB lighting and out-of-the-world shape. The makers are quite straightforward about it and they know that these fancy things are not going to make their customers click heads in-game, so they hardly care about such things.
The Zowie EC2-B might look very plain and mediocre in the market today, but trust me there is enough stuff inside that plain casing to keep you amazed. This gaming mouse has been designed to suit any environment. It looks decent and can be used at the office too. It has nothing that is gaudy or flamboyant, like bright RGB lighting or aggressive logos, or a very different mouse shape.
The Zowie EC2-B is embarked with a small red-colored Zowie logo placed towards the back and with a very small logo of BenQ on the side. So, all that I noted about this mouse from my first look at it, is that the Zowie EC2-B is an elegant-looking ergonomic mouse that comes in decent packaging and can suit any environment. Moreover, it beats the stereotype of a gaming mouse having the RGB lighting to look hot.
The Main Product | Review of Zowie EC2 B
In order for a gaming mouse to perform well the first and foremost thing that it should have is a comfortable shape and a good feel. The Zowie EC2-B seems to be good on this front. We will talk more about the look and feel of the EC2 b later in the review. This gaming mouse, that we are talking about, is comparatively lightweight and medium-sized. Its weight is balanced between what we call light and heavy gaming mice.
That makes it a balanced pick for many gamers. However, the other version of this mouse series, the Zowie EC1-B is a larger model. The Zowie EC2-B is a decent-looking ergonomically shaped gaming mouse that features two side buttons placed nicely on the left-hand side. Also, the EC2-B has a shape that can accommodate a wide variety of grip styles.
A gaming mouse needs to meet the deliverables for a wider audience or there are chances that it won’t thrive in the market. With the increase in the popularity of FPS and Battle Royale gaming, the challenge to meet the grip style demand of a wider audience has increased too.
For example, my grip style might vary depending on the game or the equipment I am using in-game and hence I would like to have a more versatile gaming mouse (peripheral) that delivers it. Zowie noted this and made a product that is somewhat near to achieving this feat. So, I would say that the EC2 B has been designed and shaped in a manner to serve a wider variety of gaming audiences playing different games. There is more about the grip of the EC2-B in this review later.
Packaging of the Zowie EC2-B | Simple Yet Hot
There is a uniformity that Zowie maintains in its packaging, which also makes it unique in a way. If you have bought zowie mice earlier, you might have noticed that almost all of them come in a matte black package that has a sleek design. And, since they maintain uniformity as stated, the Zowie EC2-B is no exception in this case. Which in my view is a good thing for branding objectives.
One of the best things about the Zowie’s gaming mice packaging is that they come with an additional set of mouse feet in case you need to replace them. This is a good add-on because it is most likely that you will not be finding these mice feet available individually in the market or on the maker’s website itself. Also, even if they produce and sell it individually, chances are that they will be mostly out of stock.
Now the package of the Zowie EC2-B includes 4 sets, meaning that in total 16 replacement feet. This enables you to change the feet 4 times on your mouse. Also, I am sure these 4 sets will last long enough or at least till you decide to change your mouse, as the zowie’s mice are known for durability and for not giving up despite heavy usage. So, these additional feet are certainly something that makes me appreciate Zowie.
Other than that, you have the main device and the necessary documentation including the instruction manual and EULA among other papers, inside the package.
The Body, Shape and Finish | Best Gaming Mouse Review
One of the most lauded features of the Zowie mice is their shape. If you take views from the top mice critics on the EC series of Zowie, the first thing that they will talk about is the shape of the EC series. And there is no doubt that it is a major advantage of the Zowie mouses of this series.
Since the shape is highly and widely loved, Zowie has not experimented with it and left it untouched in the A-series. In my opinion, it is very clever. Why would you disturb a shape that is perfect, comfortable, and widely popular? There is no reason to do it.
You Can Also Read, How to Change Mouse DPI ?
However, the Zowie EC2-B features a relatively safe shape and an ergonomic design. You will not notice any unusual hump or curve, that will take time for your hand to get used to. The expert design of the EC2 B cannot be expressed in words. Once you put your hands on it you will feel the perfect that it delivers in terms of design. However, it is not my nature to be inclined to a feature that I love out of the way in my reviews, but the shape and design of the Zowie EC2-B do deserve applause for the remarkable work here.
One can say that the popularity of zowie is not just a hoax. And, that this gaming mouse manufacturer really delivers something in its EC series that makes people fall in love with its design above all.
The placement of the side buttons seems quite convenient to me. They are nicely located so that they do not get in the way unnecessarily or are hard to reach when needed. The coating seems to be a mixture of a glossy and matte finish and for me, it is not the best that exists in the industry. Having said that, I would also mention that it is a kinder way of expressing my disappointment.
However, others may like it, but it is not exactly something that feels perfect for me despite the coating doing its job. As a habit, I was reading some of the comments from fans on various Zowie EC2-B Reddit reviews and many complained about the coating being quite slippery. Also, for me using the Zowie EC2-B for long hours during gaming resulted in pretty sweaty palms which is a discomfort personally.
However, the coating of the Zowie EC2-B depicted a tendency to pick up oil and sweat quite easily and quickly. For me, this is something that is personally an issue. Also, one of the reasons why I don’t use glossy mice. The issue fades away as soon as you clean it. But it is still an issue at least for me.
When we talk about the bottom of the Zowie EC2-B, you can notice that there is some change in the feet structure. The maker of this gaming mouse decided to replace version B with 4 smaller feet compared to the 2 larger ones in Version A. Now, one can call that an improvement, as this change makes the Zowie EC2-B glide a bit faster in comparison to version A of the mice. This also makes the mouse a bit more aggressive in comparison to the other version.
Even the glide of a mouse is a personal preference and varies from person to person. So, it is totally a matter of preference when we talk about the glide of the mouse. I prefer using a faster glide and larger mouse feet. But I must put this up very straightforwardly that I did not face any major issue while using the Zowie EC2-B.
One of the most out of the way things that I noticed about Zowie EC2-B is the placement of the DPI button in this gaming mouse. The DPI button has been placed at the bottom of the mouse. The makers suggest that this has been done to eliminate the risk of accidentally clicking the DPI switch while in crucial moments in-game.
For me, this is not an issue at all, because I am among those gamers who use a fixed DPI at 1600. But for the FPS gamers or those gamers who prefer changing the DPI while in-game this can be an upsetting feature. So take note of it and decide accordingly.
However, I would not justify this move because I have never faced the issue of mistakenly clicking or hitting the DPI button while in-game if it is placed wisely on the mouse above the scroll wheel. In fact for the shape that the Zowie EC2-B has, the location of the DPI switch above the scroll wheel would have been perfect. But, now you have to deal with it at the bottom.
The Buttons & Scroll wheel of the Zowie EC2-B
The buttons on the Zowie EC2-B appear to be a bit heavier with a uniform and crisp clicking experience. However, there are many mice in the market that serve you way lighter click but in my opinion, a click needs to require a medium pressure of finger to actuate. It should neither be too heavier or too light. I don’t think that the click on the Zowie EC2-B has to be a problem for many, as there are people who prefer a bit heavier and sturdier click feeling.
Also, initially, there were complaints about the clicks on the Zowie EC2-B feeling mushy. However, I did not feel anything of that sort on the device that I have, and hence I will not endorse this claim at all.
Coming to the side button I noted that they have improved in comparison to the Series A. These buttons feature a little less travel and have a more uniform click on the Zowie EC2-B. However, I will not claim these to be the best side buttons out there, as the one towards the bottom felt a little mushy. But, they adequately do their job and hence no point can be deducted here.
There are fewer steps and a little more rigidity to be noted on the Scroll wheel. Now, this can definitely be a good thing for some people while a bad thing for others. Now, these rigidity and fear steps can come in handy to those who use the scroll wheel to switch weapons.
There will be fewer chances of missing a weapon accidentally while scrolling. However, this can be annoying if used for other purposes than gaming as it will take much effort of your finger to use it. The sound of the scroll wheel is pretty loud too when compared to the competitors.
Also Read, Which is the Best Mouse for Fortnite?
Build Quality & the Cable | Zowie EC2-B
So, for every device that I test, I make sure that they go through rigorous testing and I call that the “Shake and Break process”. So, make sure that I shake the device as hard as I can and apply ample amounts of pressure with my hands on it to check its sturdiness. Now, these processes tell me a lot about the built quality of the internal and external structure of a device. In the case of the Zowie EC2-B, when I shook it and rolled it over hardly a few times I didn’t hear the sound of anything.
This means that the components are placed nicely and everything is fitted tightly inside. Also, I squeezed the mouse with ample pressure applied by my hands. However, during this process, I didn’t find the outer casing of the body making any creaking sound and bending on any part. So from this, I conclude that the mouse possesses a good and study internal as well as external build quality.
However, there is one sound that came to my notice. While I was spraying SMG in CS GO using this mouse U used a long flick to turn in another direction. Since I was testing my mouse, I had the game sound at 0. During that long flick, I noticed a tick sound emergence from the mouse. So, I checked and noted that every time I stopped the mouse from a fast glide or changed direction suddenly, there was a faint tick sound. This could be the wire joint that made this faint sound. However, since it was not very loud and didn’t give me any discomfort I wasn’t annoyed with it.
The company has also promised that they have eliminated the issue appearing in the previous version of EC2-B that resulted in a high-pitched beeping tone. The previous version of the Zowie EC2-B had an issue with the coil whine, where the micro-vibration of the sensor produces a very high-pitched beeping noise. This was highly noticeable on some units.
However, I faced no such issue on my unit despite all the thrashing and harsh treatments that I gave to the EC2-B. Though I cannot promise that the company has eliminated this issue, I can assure you that during all the hours of my testing this device, I did not hear any constant noise other than the faint tick that I mentioned earlier.
I even tested and tried using the mouse with my ear next to it in a totally silent environment and all I heard was the sound of the glide and a bit of buzzing sound which you will not notice in general usage.
About the cable, obviously, it is not the best and lightest cable in the market but it does the job pretty nicely. There are better and lighter cables available in the market, but for me, the cable of the Zowie mice can never be a negative part. The Zowie EC2-B uses a rubber cable that will not get into your way of gaming, even if you are not using a bungee. The quality of the cable is good and it’s pretty flexible. For me, the traditional cable of Zowie is definitely a plus.
Gaming Mouse Benq Zowie EC2-B Performance and Sensor
This is the main part of the review and also the main reason for the sole existence of the Zowie EC2-B. The main demand that the gamers were making Zowie was to enhance the sensor of the older version of the mice of the EC series. Since Zowie is aware of the popularity and fan base of their EC series they had no option but to comply with the demands of the gamers. So, with the Zowie EC2-B, you get the latest and flawless 3360 sensors included in the mouse.
The 3360 is a very advanced and flawless sensor that performs amazingly. This sensor is so accurate and nicely engineered that it won’t spin out in any condition that I know of while on top of the mousepad. Even when tilt slamming it. The performance of this sensor is as expected, a class apart and nothing can beat its flawlessness.
Actually, the sensor technology has shot up so high that it doesn’t even make sense to talk about it. Almost all the top mice sensors are loaded with hi-end tech that oozes out top performance.
Even though the mouse uses the top sensor, just to make sure that there is no smoothing or other gaming mouse-related issues, I checked the device on MS Paint. And as expected, I found no issue. I also played a variety of games that needed precision aiming, to a very little mouse usage.
From FPS games like CS GO to Battle Royale to other less aim-intensive games, I found that the Zowie EC2-B was stable, consistent, and flawless throughout. However, there is no surprising factor as we all know how good the 3360 sensor is.
Zowie EC2-B Drivers | Softwares
Just like all other Zowie mice, the EC2-B is also a plug-and-play device. This means that all you need is to plug this device into your PC and start using it. There is no requirement of any driver or software that is specifically dedicated to this device. You don’t have to mess around with software to control this mouse. Just plug it, set your DPI and Polling rate and you can use this flawless device. Enjoy knocking heads in-game.
Grip on the Zowie EC2-B
This can be considered an important aspect of a gaming mouse. Isn’t it quite obvious that if you are not comfortable holding a mouse or it is not fitting in your hand, no matter how good the mouse is or what features it is loaded with, you will not like it? So yes! How a mouse fits into your hand is a very important aspect of gaming mice. In the case of Zowie mice, they have been lauded for a long time now by the gamers community for having an amazing shape and fit.
Zowie has always made sure that the main focal point of their mice is a comfortable shape for all gamers and like other mice. Zowie has delivered this yet again in the EC2-B.
The Zowie EC2-B has been designed with such precision that one can say that it is the shape and comfort that sails the ship for this mouse. In my opinion, this mouse will fit nearly all grip styles (Depending on how big or small your hand is, and the EC2-B is comparatively smaller than the EC2-A). Most of the gamers will likely adapt to this mouse pretty fast with little or no issues at all.
However, if you are still in doubt whether you will be comfortable with this one or not. Then you might like to try the Zowie EC2-A. The best part is that you get the same shape in a little larger mouse. And if you have bigger palms this one will fit it perfectly.
There is nothing that you can point out in the Zowie EC2-B related to its shape. However, in terms of the grip, one thing that I also mentioned earlier about the coating must be kept in mind. The texture of the coating can impact your gaming experience as it is sensitive to oils and Sweat. This makes it a bit slippery.
Recommendation
No one can deny the success of the EC series of Zowie. It can be considered a staple pointing device in the gaming world. The EC series is widely used in the FPS gaming scene and many pros even recommend it as one of the best gaming mouse for CS GO.
In order to meet the public demand, Zowie did come up with the EC2 B as a gaming mouse with a stable tried and tested design and 3360 sensors. But Quality Check blunder for the first 1 or 2 batches impacted its market sentiments. However, they acted quickly and rectified the issue.
The major changes that Zowie made to meet the upgrade demand from fans were the inclusion of the new and flawless 3360 sensor and the mouse feet that made their mouse glide better. The side buttons have improved a bit, though they can see much improvement. The coating has changed but this time not on a good note. However other than the sensor and feet other changes are minor and hardly impact the gaming performance of the device.
However, in the coming time, we will know more about the Zowie EC2 B from the Reddit reviews of the users, whether they like the changes made or not. Zowie, despite having a nicely designed and top-class EC2 A selling in the market, delivered the EC2 B. This indeed gives us an insight that despite certain flaws, that might be rectified by the company over the months, Zowie EC2 B is a top-tier mouse.
Lastly, any gaming mouse depends on personal preference and usage. So, in case you have any queries or want to point out something about the Zowie EC2 B that we missed, feel free to let us know about it in the comments box.
Happy gaming!
