ZOWIE EC1-A Gaming Mouse: Easier for Pro

    Welcome to the iCover Blog Pages ! When you get acquainted with products well-known in e-sports circles, it is always curious who really stands behind the curious brand name, which positions itself as completely independent. It will be about the manufacturer of ZOWIE , the company ZOWIE GEAR which since 2008 has been engaged in various types of gaming equipment.




    About company


    At one time, ZOWIE products were advertised by Emil Christensen, a professional esportsman “HeatoN”, a well-known player in Counter-Strike, a former leader of the NiP team (“Ninjas in Pajamas” - he is currently the manager of this team) and a former player of SK Gaming. In 2012, ZOWIE GEAR released a separate series of gaming mice from HeatoN. Today, ZOWIE is the title sponsor of many sports cyber competitions.



    ZOWIE was created and registered in the USA, and since 2009 it had two offices - the company’s headquarters were in California, and its second office was in Seoul (Republic of Korea). In December 2015, the main site of the company moved to the domain zowie.benq.comsince BenQ announced that after a recent investment in ZOWIE GEAR, they will use the ZOWIE name as the new brand for their eSports product line. For BenQ itself (whose name, we recall, is short for B ringing En joyment and Q uality), brand change is almost a routine, after the founding of the company itself from the Acer Communications & Multimedia division in 2010, the merger of the mobile division with Siemens Mobile in 2005 and finally , and after the subsequent renaming to Qisda Corporation in 2007, you should not be surprised that BenQ uses a separate, well-known brand for its e-sports products.

    ZOWIE GEAR themselves emphasize that shareholders (BenQ in particular) have no influence on them, and their mission is to create products that increase gamer productivity. Well, the pursuit of excellence is a worthy task for any company. Let's find out how gaming mice that ZOWIE GEAR releases in the three EC , FK, and ZA series handle this task .

    Gaming mouse Zowie EC1-A




    The Zowie EC1-A model participated in our direct test , and in the EC series there are only two of them - both asymmetric, with two additional buttons, and the difference between them is only in size.

    Dimensions EC1-A :
    • Dimensions: 128 (length) x 64/64/69 (width) x 33/43 (height) mm

    And the dimensions of the EC2-A model :
    • Dimensions: 120 (length) x 61/61/64 (width) x 33/40 (height) mm

    The models of the FK series are symmetrical (suitable for both the left and right hands), and the FK2 model has an additional adjustment of the separation distance. And finally, in the third ZA series , three models are presented, also symmetrical, but with a raised back.

    All models are equipped with a high-quality Avago 3310 optical sensor, with a resolution of 400 to 3200. There are 4 steps for switching (400/800/1600/3200), and the DPI switch is mechanical. For all mice (except the FK1 model), adjustment of the separation height and the polling frequency are also available.

    The EC1-A comes in a laconic white cardboard box with a logo and model name on the front.

    Look at the appearance, without opening the box, will not work. Most manufacturers make boxes with the ability to look at the mouse, sometimes even with transparent curly embossing that follows the contours of the mouse. For some, this difference may be fundamental, but I personally “put my hand” on top of the transparent packaging, I never managed to check the usability of the mouse.



    In the box are:
    • the mouse itself;
    • spare teflon legs;
    • Zowie logo sticker
    • instruction on the mechanical switching of characteristics, including in Russian.

    According to the instructions, the characteristics are configured as follows:



    To change the polling frequency, when connecting the mouse to the USB port, hold and hold:
    • Button 4 - 1000 Hz;
    • Button 5 - 500 Hz;
    • 4 + 5 buttons - 125 Hz.

    The mouse will remember the selected state and will work in the set mode.

    To change the resolution of the sensor when the mouse is connected to the USB port, press the mechanical button at the bottom of the mouse:
    • 400 DPI - red color of the indicator at the bottom of the mouse;
    • 800 DPI - purple color of the indicator at the bottom of the mouse;
    • 1600 DPI - blue color of the indicator at the bottom of the mouse;
    • 3200 DPI - green color of the indicator at the bottom of the mouse.




    Together with the backlight of the sensor, a translucent rubberized wheel changes its color. Alas, adjusting the colors to taste will not work, so you can only hope that you like the color of your preferred DPI.



    To switch the working side buttons, when connecting the mouse to the USB port, hold and hold:
    • Buttons 1 + 3 - the right side buttons will work (for using the mouse with the left hand);
    • Buttons 2 + 3 - the left side buttons will work (for using the mouse with the right hand - this mode is set by default).




    To adjust and change the separation height, when connecting the mouse to the USB port, hold and hold:
    • Buttons 4 + 2 - the minimum separation height ≈1 mm;
    • Buttons 4 + 1 - average separation height 1.5–1.8 mm;
    • Buttons 4 + 1 + 2 - maximum separation height 2.2–2.4 mm;
    • Buttons 5 + 1 - separation height in the default mode is 1.5–1.8 mm.


    ZOWIE recommends the average and maximum tear height for their branded fabric mats of the TF, SR, CM series, and the minimum tear height for plastic Zowie SWIFT rugs.

    Like all mice from ZOWIE, the EC1-A model does not have and does not require specific software, all settings are mechanical and are carried out manually.

    By default, the side buttons can work like “forward / backward” keys, but this function works only in Windows. When connected to Mac OS, the buttons refused to scroll through the page.

    The mouse case is made of a nice matte plastic, it is not very easily soiled and not slippery. In the hand it lies very well, like a glove, it is clearly well suited for owners of a large palm, like mine :)



    Mouse cable, long (2 meters), rubber, but without the usual braid for gaming mice, which can be attributed to disadvantages - with active use without a braid, quick wear is possible.

    Unfortunately, you can not adjust the brightness of the backlight, but at night the wheel shines quite brightly. Compared to the Razer Ouroboros, the Zowie EC1-A is much brighter:



    A small remark on the mechanical DPI switch, or rather on its location. This solution can be convenient if you have several favorite games (or programs), where most of the time, different but fixed sensitivity values ​​are preferred. When playing RTS or Dota 2, you often just do not need to quickly change the sensitivity value. An additional plus: when you look at the mouse, it immediately becomes clear what value is now set (thanks to a fixed backlight color for each DPI mode).

    When playing FPS, on a 27-inch monitor and QHD resolution (2560 * 1440), I almost always played at 1600 and 3200 DPI, and I set the acceleration inside the game. If you had to play with more accurate weapons (for example, sniper with a rifle), I had to switch the value “on the fly,” and raising a mouse and losing momentum in the midst of a battle is, to put it mildly, not very convenient. Thus, an urgent need for fast DPI switching can arise only when playing specific FPS. The

    mouse has only two Teflon legs. It’s good that spare legs are immediately supplied e. For such care, I want to say special thanks to ZOWIE!



    Since the mouse does not position itself as silent, it has a fairly loud click of buttons and even scroll wheels. Be sure to consider this if you plan to play at night! Definitely, this model is not for people with hypersensitive hearing.

    Combat Check and Results




    In order to feel how the mouse behaves in a real battle, I even found Quake 3 OSP 1.03, played with it on the ZTN3TOURNEY1 map, remembered what a shaft and a rail are ... As a result, the ZOWIE mouse reminded me of one of the best mice of the time - Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. Its movements are smooth and clear, a click with a return feedback, an ideal axel, the sensor always works as it should, and detachment does not move the mouse one pixel to the side - all this allows you to perform much more precise actions without giving the enemy a single chance of victory.

    To summarize, ZOWIE EC1-A is a hardcore, simple and reliable mouse that won't let you down at the right time of the game. She will execute all your commands, as it is planned, and for this she can be forgiven for minor comments on the backlight and the design of the switch.

    Especially for our readers GeekTimes - 10% discount on the mouse ZOWIE for promotional code zowiegt

    and separate gift - free delivery in Moscow and 10% to the player's skills;)

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