Ulti-Mat Original Teflon Mouse Pad:

We also have the opportunity to take a look at the Ulti-Mat Original Teflon-coated mouse pad, also provided by Acoustic PC. This hard mouse pad is basically a steel pad coated with Teflon on one side, and a rubber backing on the other for stability. It's quite large (30 x 25 cm) and also quite heavy.

Ulti-mat.

Packaging.

Protected.

Using this with the Lachesis and its Teflon feet means there's virtually no friction - indeed, it may take you time to get used to how slippery things are. Skate tape is included but really, I don't think it's needed since the entire surface of the pad is made of Teflon.

Teflon-coated.

Skate tape included.

Close up.

Using the Ulti-mat pretty much makes it feel like you're sliding on ice, which may or may not be good depending on your preferences. But it does reduce friction. About the only downside is that because it's made of steel, resting your palm on the Ulti-mat feels cold after a while.

Installation:

Installing the included Razer software is a piece of cake, and configuring it is similarly easy. The software presents a unique interface but one that properly identifies and allows for the configuration of each of the Lachesis's nine buttons. You can also easily configure the DPI levels available, from 125 to 4000 DPI. The polling rate can be set to a max. of 1000 Hz, as was the case with the Logitech G9.

Lachesis sofware.

Sensitivity.

Button options.

You can also adjust movement options such as pointer speed/acceleration, and also configure the X/Y axis independently. Each button can be set to a plethora of options, including keystrokes and macros under the 'Advanced Functions'. Other functions such as copy/paste, 'Show Desktop' and media controls such as volume are also available. It's safe say that you won't be left wanting more options from the Lachesis software.

More options.

Profile settings.

Finally, you can configure several profiles for use with the Lachesis. A profile is basically all of the settings described above, and you can thus have several profiles of settings. Switching between profiles is quite easy as you can assign a button for that purpose. You can also enable application-detection and have the software switch to that profile when you're in that app. This is extremely useful for games, where you can assign game-specific commands to each button while still using the mouse normally on the desktop. Overall, the Lachesis software offers a very complete package and is fairly easy to use.

Testing:

I tested the Lachesis both for gaming (Crysis, COD4, CS:S) and for regular desktop duties as well. It was tested both on the Ulti-mat Teflon surface, a regular cloth mouse pad and a bare wooden desktop as well.

I had mixed feelings about the Lachesis. While it's a fully-capable and feature-filled mouse backed by a great software package, I found the shape a little weird. The flat front combined with the bulky back made for an odd feeling while using the mouse that took some time to get used to. In particular, I found it hard to rest my palm on the mouse properly. Some of this was undoubtedly due to the Lachesis being ambidextrous, while most other gaming mice are reserved for right-handed users, so Razer can't totally be faulted for trying to make their product more accessible.

I also noticed some weird pointer movement while clicking, which was especially prevalent when double clicking. When pressing the either the left or right mouse button, the pointer would sometimes move, ever so slightly. This was only noticeable on a cloth mouse pad. I would guess that the extra pressure of pressing a button was slightly pushing the mouse down on the pad, causing the sensitive sensor to register some movement. As this was only noticeable on a cloth pad and not hard surfaces (such as the Ulti-mat Teflon pad), this would seem to make sense, but is nonetheless something to be aware of.

But not all is bad about the Lachesis. Its accuracy was top notch, especially at high DPI settings, and it was a natural complement to FPS games. If you live for high sensitivity mice, the Lachesis won't disappoint with its 4000 DPI setting. The extra buttons were very useful, even in FPS games which nowadays have many more commands than just the typical 'Fire' and 'Alt-Fire'. Combined with the Ulti-mat, the Lachesis worked like a charm, being both extremely precise and easy to move. Switching between DPI levels was easy, thanks to the good location of the buttons. The only buttons that were hard to use were the side buttons opposite the thumbside, as you have to use your ring finger to press these, which is very awkward.

Conclusion:

The Lachesis is a very capable gaming mouse that is hampered by some minor annoyances. Firstly, the comfort of the mouse may be an issue for some, as the shape may feel weird depending on your hands. Secondly, the mouse shouldn't really be used with cloth mouse pads because of the tracking issues when buttons are pressed.

Other than that, it performed very well and when compared with other gaming mice, it puts up a good fight by providing many features and a solid set of drivers that make it easy to customize. On hard surfaces, the Lachesis becomes a viable option and one that should be considered by gamers who want the maximum DPI sensitivity for their mouse.

Pros:

• Highest DPI available - 4000 DPI

• On-the-fly DPI switching

• Easy to use driver/software provides many features

• Application-specific profiles

• Ambidextrous

• Nine buttons, all configurable

• Lights - can also be turned off

Cons:

• Shape may feel odd for some

• Weird pointer movement on cloth mouse pads

Many thanks to Acoustic PC for providing the Razer Lachesis for review, along with the Ulti-Mat Teflon mouse pad.

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