Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
Hi guys, I'm in dire need of a new mouse (my cheap-as-chips PC Line laser mouse that has served me well for years has started going senile....mouse pointer goes haywire from time to time for no good reason and it's making Blender/Unity work a right pain in the bum).
I'm looking at the ROCCAT Kone [+] after a gazillion favourable reviews (including Hexus) saying it's the perfect mouse, however for every positive review there are 10 negative comments from other users who have had issues with the scroll wheel after 2 months of normal use. (Google "roccat kone+ scroll wheel problem" and you'll see what I mean).
What I'm trying to establish is whether this is as wide-spread as some people would have you believe. After all, people who are happy with a product are far less likely to take to the internet to write an essay on how great it is than they are to rant about how terrible it is. I'm kinda hoping that it's the latter, as there aren't any other mice that really interest me in that price range. (ROCCAT reckon they have a 1% failure rate, but then they would say that.)
So, are there any ROCCAT Kone [+] users out there who have been using the mouse for at least a year without any issues at all?
Or, if you did have issues with the scroll wheel, did the latest firmware update (which claims to resolve the issue) fix the problem?
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
Although my Roccat Kone [+] didn't have any problems (I sold it on here for about £10 last month), several friends have had the common issues that you speak of. Then to add my own experience with Roccat in to the mix and I wouldn't recommend them at all.
For Christmas I got a Roccat Kone [+], Roccat Isku Keyboard and Roccat Kulo 7.1 USB Headset. By the beginning of Feb my Kulo headset had stopped working in one ear, so back it went to Amazon and they sent me a replacement. About halfway through April the Isku keyboard just went crazy, it would type randomly, the arrow keys and number pad stopped working and the macro keys in the palm rest also stopped working so back it went to Play.com who gave me my money back instead of a replacement (which I was more then happy about). Then at the start of May my second Kulo headset stopped working, same problem as last time so back it went to Amazon again who also just gave me my money back.
So going by my short time with Roccat products I would say their build quallity is very poor and until they sort that out I would keep well clear of them. I've bought an Ozone Strike mechanical keyboard, Cyborg R.A.T 7 Gaming mouse and a pair of Astro A40's for my headset to replace the Roccat products and couldn't be happier!
Rookie
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
That's a real shame because the reviews couldn't be more complimentary, and the kit looks fantastic. On top of your story, a friend of mine has the Kova [+] and he said the driver CD came infected with a virus. Possibly just a false positive (I've written stuff that was mistaken for a virus due to an innocent serial generator component embedded into it), but still doesn't look great.
Their marketing is top-notch though. Perhaps the marketing budget could be better spent on QA?
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
The software they ship with is really good, some of the best I've used in fact it's just a shame that the products don't live up to the marketing behind them. I did have a few problems with updating the drivers but I think that might have been something at my end. If you really like the look of the mouse and are ok with taking a chance then go for it, I'm sure PC World had them on offer the last time I was in there but any decent online retailer should have them at a resonable price just make sure you buy from someone who offers a good returns service just in case the worst happens!
Rookie
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
You're talking to a guy who has historically stuck to £15 mice, or free ones stolen from work after a delivery of new HPs/Dells......if I'm gonna spend £60 on a mouse, I want it to be bullet-proof haha :)
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
In which case go for a Logitech - it'll last, and if it doesn't (had a faulty MX1000 for example) Logitech Support goes above and beyond to get you sorted (I couldn't find the receipt and the serial number had rubbed through - new MX Revolution sent out to me FOC).
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
Why risk it when other mice work so well? It's your main input device so lose 0.3% accuracy for 100% stability
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
Both of my Logitech G15 mice had issues after a year and started randomly disconnecting. It seems due to a shoddy design and build,the connections between the USB cord and the PCB loosened after time.
I need to see if I can badger Logitech for replacements.
After this I am not sure I want to spend decent money on any of their mice.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
If you want durability you need to cut back on fancy features. The logitech mx518 is a relatively plain gaming mouse.. but it just keeps on working. Logitech still sell them I think because their build quality is legendary. It's even at the point where their replacement for it, the G400, is practically the same thing, with just some improvements to the feet and optical engine.
As as dave says above, if it does go wrong, their support is equally amazing.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kalniel
If you want durability you need to cut back on fancy features. The logitech mx518 is a relatively plain gaming mouse.. but it just keeps on working. Logitech still sell them I think because their build quality is legendary. It's even at the point where their replacement for it, the G400, is practically the same thing, with just some improvements to the feet and optical engine.
As dave says above, if it does go wrong, their support is equally amazing.
All valid points, and I do agree with the sentiment that Logitech are good for mice. They were the first manufacturer I looked at, but none of their models really attract me. The G500 is good on paper, but I used my friend's once and hated the weird texture they used on the palm rest, and people have had issues with the scroll wheel. Looking at a Corsair M60 now...seems to fulfill all my reqs, the weighted scroll wheel sounds great, and I like the inclusion of the sniper button on the side (nearly bought a R.A.T purely for that feature).
Thanks for your input everyone. Shame nobody was able to stick up for ROCCAT in the end! :(
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN\'T died after 2 months of use?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
da.Guvna
All valid points, and I do agree with the sentiment that Logitech are good for mice. They were the first manufacturer I looked at, but none of their models really attract me. The G500 is good on paper, but I used my friend's once and hated the weird texture they used on the palm rest, and people have had issues with the scroll wheel. Looking at a Corsair M60 now...seems to fulfill all my reqs, the weighted scroll wheel sounds great, and I like the inclusion of the sniper button on the side (nearly bought a R.A.T purely for that feature).
Thanks for your input everyone. Shame nobody was able to stick up for ROCCAT in the end! :(
Avoid the G5 like the plague though. It is a terrible model and loads of people have been affected by issues around 12 to 24 months after purchase. I had bought two of them at the same time and they both started showing major issues after 12 to 18 months of usage. Almost everyone I have known with one has this issue flare up. This spans two generations of the G5 too. I have owned loads of other Logitech products - the Mouseman, MX1000,LX710,V150,G11 V2 and G15 V2 which are all higher end models.
Some of the Logitech mice use very stiff cabling which is the issue. People have fixed the issue by resoldering the cabling/resplicing it. However,the problem is that too many people love Logitech a bit too much, meaning they tend to gloss over their failures too.
So,in that sense also realise other companies can also have poor models too,but don't think all their models are poor either. You need to go on a model by model basis.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
I'd disagree Cat, I don't think people gloss over Logitech's failures, but I think there is an understanding that they put right their mistakes with relatively little hassle (i.e. phonecall/email/livechat etc).
That makes me slightly more willing to have a product which may have issues down the line (even if known but rare) than from a manufacturer where their support is known to be poor/difficult/time consuming.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
I've bought a kone+ approx 3 weeks ago. I'll post it up if it fails too..which would be a shame as I really like this device.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dave87
I'd disagree Cat, I don't think people gloss over Logitech's failures, but I think there is an understanding that they put right their mistakes with relatively little hassle (i.e. phonecall/email/livechat etc).
That makes me slightly more willing to have a product which may have issues down the line (even if known but rare) than from a manufacturer where their support is known to be poor/difficult/time consuming.
I actually think people do gloss over their issues a bit,in the sense,if another company has a bad model,people give the impression Logitech never has bad models. The G5 is not a rare problem though,and it is a design fault TBH. This was their top end mouse at the time(for around 4 to 5 years) and it is not really that excusable IMHO to have such a short lifespan.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
I must admit my experience of Logitech Mice is primarily of the MX1000 (of which I have had a couple) and the MX Revolution which Logitech replaced one of the aforementioned MX1000s with when it failed (intermittent wireless connection issue). I've also used a number of their other peripherals and been happy with them, but never been in to the really high end gaming stuff, so cannot comment.
Re: Anyone with a ROCCAT Kone [+] that HASN'T died after 2 months of use?
My G5 is coming up to 5 years old now. Point isn't necessarily that Logitech's gear is reliable, CAT, more that if they ever do go wrong, Logitech will do more than any other company I've come across to put things right again.