Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsNit-Noid Review: Roccat Kain 100
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020
TL:DR Good, safe mouse with excellent built quality, above average clicks, scroll and materials. Sensor LOD is middling, RGB is limited and the shape feels generic.
The Basics:
$40, 89g, medium ergo mouse with 6 buttons, PMW 3331 sensor, single zone RGB (on the scroll), software, on board profile, rubber side grips, 50M omron switches. Comes in both black and white (Kain 102, 122) flavors. For reference, the other mice in the Kain lineup are the Kain 120 with the top notch 3381 sensor and the wireless Kain 200 with a 3335 sensor. The differences between this mouse and the others are color, wireless capability and weight variation. Mouse dimensions are L124xW65xH43mm. Unfortunately for me, the later mice in the lineup lack the rubber side grips that this "budget" variant has.
The Good:
- Shape and Size: (B+) Shape is the biggest basic pro this mouse and may be one of the sweetest spots for the most hand sizes and grip types that I’ve seen. While it feels generic, everything seems to work comfortably with this mouse for medium hands. Large palm may find the scroll wheel too far back for comfort. Better overall feel in hand than G403 and Fenek Standard which have a generally similar shape, but at the cost of feeling a little generic and boxy, so not on par with the melty curves of the Zowie EC series. Very subtle thumb curve and a very, very subtle groove for the index finger. As time went on using this mouse it became more and more evident that the left side is actually slightly convex under the thumb buttons and the grip width is on the wider side – significantly wider than the G403. While grip was not an issue due to the materials involved, it wasn’t quite enough to feel seamless at all times. Also, the convex area at the thumb reminded me ever so slightly of the same design choice on the G203. It’s nowhere near as distracting as on that mouse, but worth a mention.
- Clicks: (A) Awesome. Primary clicks are light to moderate, direct and snappy. M1/M2 have a slightly hollow sound with moderate noise level but don’t sound cheap. Everything that can be clicked on this mouse feels good. No pre-/post travel anywhere to be seen.
- Thumb Buttons (A+) Vertical placement is somewhat high but this is a good thing overall as there is no ledge preventing access and your thumb has lots of room to roam. Longitudinal placement is also perfect and should be convenient for all hand sizes. Buttons have no pre-/post travel, light actuation, easy to reach. Of note, these buttons do not have any “pinging” upon release as I’ve encountered on multiple other mice, which is wonderful.
- Scroll Wheel: (B+) Light to moderate force for middle click. This mouse features a new stabilization method for the M3 where the click is in line and behind the scroll wheel instead of to the side. I can’t say I noticed the difference in practice, but it’s satisfying to know there’s a better mechanical design under the hood. Tread on the scroll serves its purpose and seems durable. Scroll resistance is light which makes it good for browsing, but steps still manage to be fairly well defined making it acceptable for shooters too. One of the better scrolls I’ve encountered and in keeping with Roccat’s reputation for having the best feeling excellent scroll wheels.
- Weight and Balance: (B+) 89 grams with weight perfectly centered. While this will not cater to the hardcore, ultra-lightweight crowd, it still hits a pretty sweet spot in terms of weight for most.
- Materials and Build Quality: (A+) Outstanding. Tight tolerances on everything, absolutely nothing to complain about here. Most of the mouse has a very lightly textured plastic which feels fine, nothing particularly special but nothing objectionable either. The rubber side flanks give average grip with dry hands but get very grippy when moisture in present. The feel is of quality and durability with a slightly rougher texture than the more velvety G403 finish which is still probably my favorite. The Kain 100 has better grip with very dry hands however.
- Mousefeet: (B) Two nice big pads with rounded edges. Glide is on the quick side of moderate with moderate noise that hopefully diminishes with use. Overall not elite, but good and no complaints.
- Cable (B+) Flexible rubber, one of the better rubber cables out there. While not quite as good as what comes on a Steelseries 310 for flexibility, this cord seems to have less drag on cloth mouse mats.
The Middling:
- Aesthetics: (C-) No RGB for logo, just a small RGB strip for the scroll to let you know where the mouse is at night. A subdued Roccat logo is etched on the rear of the mouse and is well done for what it is. Given that I personally don’t care for the logo I actually like this approach. (Note: Other variants of the Kain have an illuminated logo.)
- Sensor and Implementation: (B) Sensor placement is central to the body. This uses the PMW 3331 “Pro-Optic R8” rated at 8500 DPI, 35G/300IPS. Software provides surface calibration that is quick and painless. All good stuff but there is the minor gripe of having a non-adjustable 2 DVD LOD distance by default. I had zero issues in CSGO even before lowering the LOD with a small piece of tape over the rear half of the sensor lens aperture. In precision testing the mouse scored an 86.4% mean, which is above a 3325 (83%) but below the 92% of the 3366 and 3360 (90%) nearly on par with the 3310 (88%). A lot goes into precision though, including mouse feet, mouse shape and even click force required. The directness of flicks with this mouse is on par with the best sensors and you can flick to your heart’s content with a 35G/300IPS (max vice the 20G on a 3325). While the 3331 is not considered in the same class as the 3389, most won't be able to tell and this is clearly a cut above the budget sensor tier. I doubt the 3331 would hold a Pro Gamer back from achieving gamer ascension. Overall, the sensor is adequate to play at a high level, but there’s likely better out there even without including the LOD.
- Software: (C) The associated Swarm software weighs in at over 150MB. GUI is intuitive but doesn’t seem very efficient in layout. It proved functional and I’ve encountered no bugs in my minimal tinkering with it. I miss the click and scroll stat tracking feature that came with older Roccat mice, absent here.
The Bad:
- This mouse is a first in that it lacks anything I would label as a “flaw,” and that’s saying a lot, because after checking out over three dozen mice, I’d like to think my standards have gone UP over time. If I had my own mouse factory, rest assured I would build something VERY close to this mouse. All that said, the status of being a “flawless mouse” is not the same thing as being a “perfect mouse” – that’s subjective. There’s nothing wrong with the Kain 100 – everything that is done here is done at least to a level of good and most aspects of this mouse are excellent. In that sense, this is a flawless mouse. (Was this supposed to be the "bad" section?)
The only real hesitation to recommending this mouse does not come from the mouse itself, but from some stiff competition. For $40, you can buy any number of mice with the mental assurance of a top tier sensor. The Rival 310, G403, G502, Deathadder, the list goes on. But, when initial release is over with and this mouse ends up at an equivalent price of say $30, then it will go from a middling value to a pretty good value, and things get interesting. Consumers will be left with a nigh imperceptible difference in sensors, but a better track record for build quality and a safe shape.
The Conclusion:
German refinement of the generic gaming mouse.
Performance in game was nothing special. It didn’t turn me into a top-fragging beast, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable either, and the transition was seamless. Everything about this mouse says “solid and competent without flash.”
The Kain 100 is one of the best mice I’ve encountered on the count of broadly accessible shape. The notable comparisons I can make to this mouse are the EC-2B and the G403, but the Kain feels more generic than either, and due to the fact it feels like a safe office mouse in the hand it is understandable that there has been no hype associated with this very competent design. That’s a shame because the Kain 100 is elite-tier in terms of build quality, with the only other equivalent mouse being the original Roccat Kone Pure. The Kain 100 is refinement, not revolution. This isn’t a knock on Roccat, industries sometimes need different actors/players for both innovation and refinement.
This mouse feels like is function over form, and I like it a lot. I still prefer the feel of the 3366, HERO and 3391 sensors over the 3331, but performance is indistinguishable in the heat of battle, the materials feel premium and even the shape is excellent – that makes this mouse a safer recommend than the G403 and a virtual tossup for me personally. Regardless of tradeoffs, the safe ergo, quality construction and competent sensor make this an easy recommendation for those who don’t care about the minimalist RGB.
This is a top recommend for casuals who occasionally play serious and want a single mouse to serve as both their gaming mouse and a comfy daily driver.
Bang for $40 Bucks: B+
Nit-Noid Score: 9.0
EDIT November 2020
The scroll appears to be malfunctioning. When scrolling in either direction the net effect is a jerky scolling both up and down with no significant headway in either direction. According to what I've read online, it is usually due to dirt/dust getting into the reader housing. I will get around to opening up the mouse and cleaning out the encoder area. If unsuccessful I still have over a month left on the warranty. I'm not docking a star until I know it can't be fixed. In the meantime, something to be aware of.
