Velocifire products have been featured in a number of articles on GoMK (mostly their mechanical keyboards). We’re here with another interesting release from the brand: two low cost gaming vertical laser mice, the EVMO, which supposedly have superior ergonomic characteristics. In this review, we’ll look at the EVM0 lineup and determine if it’s worth the cost (which is low to begin with).
Velocifire EVM0 – Unboxing
The EVMO have essentially the same packaging, so I’ll cover one of the two. The boxes are simple and rather well printed. There are a few serious typos and grammatical errors, though. “Adpots Snail-shaped bionic design” is probably my favorite.
A thin foam bag protects the contents during transit. The foam bag has two compartments: one for a mouse and another for its manual.
Build quality
The mechanical mice don’t flex or creak when pressured in various ways, but there was a significant rattle inside the wired EVM01 from the moment it left the box. The EVM01 and EVM02 share a soft-touch rubber coating, which will show fingerprints and other blemishes rather quickly. My immediate concern (besides the rattle) involves switch force. The Huano switches in the EVM0 series are fairly stiff, which could ruin ergonomic benefits from an altered wrist position.
Actual build quality seems to be reasonable, if somewhat average. The floppy LEDs are a bit of a joke. Note the weights in the wired mouse. Few other design elements vary. Some accommodations for different cabling and wiring are present in the bottom mold sections, but that is pretty much the extent of things. The PCBs are different colors and vary slightly in quality as well, but that is insignificant for end users. The soldering is consistently okay, so no worries there.
After an intense disassembly session, I identified the EVM01’s rattle. A loose screw was bouncing around in a recess under one of the primary buttons. Someone forgot to tighten it at the factory, so that’s an unfortunate QC slip. A regular consumer might have returned the mouse instead of fixing it like I did.
The feet glide passably on my mouse pad. There is one annoying issue with the lower shell, though. The USB dongle holder in the EVM02’s battery compartment is a pain to access. After removing the battery cover, one must remove the batteries or grab a tool to pull it out. That’s some poor planning on Velocifire’s part (or its OEM/ODM). You could leave it out, but losing it becomes much more likely.
Features
The EVM01 and EVM02 have slightly different feature sets. Neither offers customization beyond their DPI settings, so don’t expect programs/utilities to swap buttons or change backlight levels.
EVM01
The EVM01 wired vertical mouse has 2 DPI settings, though the manual states that 3 are present (and I would have preferred 3, frankly). The Amazon page has it right, so disregard the included instructions. It also has a blue backlight strip that runs along its side, which brings the total power draw to 69 mA. The cable has a ferrite, which I’ll count as a feature.
EVM02
The EVM02 gains a third DPI setting, but drops the blue LEDs in favor of a dim red indicator LED that shuts down after pairing is complete. The choice was probably made to increase battery life. I had no issues with connectivity, nor did I notice any severe lag. The dongle draws 27 mA to function.
Labels & branding
The Velocifire flames are poorly printed or painted onto the rear of the mice. It is passable at a glance, and that’s probably all that matters. Your hand will cover the logo during use.
The EVM0 series uses plasticized bottom labels that will hold up to wear and tear well.
Editor’s opinion
The Velocifire EVM01 and EVM02 are not unique until you factor in their price. It appears that Velocifire, in this case, is using the same ODM as several other businesses (notably Havit) and undercutting its competitors’ prices. That’s a viable tactic, and I think Velocifire’s products will move quickly if its pricing holds.
The mouse series’ value is conditional. People afflicted with RSI should give these vertical mice a shot. The EVM0 series’ sub $15 price range makes for a cheap gamble given its potential payoff. Other users who are interested in ergonomics may want to give one a shot too. My experience with the vertical mouse wasn’t great. It felt less ergonomic unless I held my wrist above the table. The angle that my wrist sits at causes rubbing on a knobby bone, which results in chafing after a short while.
If you can stomach the bare bones nature of Velocifire’s new laser mice, one of the EVM0 series might be worth picking up. I recommend the wireless model. If you’d prefer something with customization options, look elsewhere. You’ll certainly pay more for the additional features.
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