Roccat Kone Pure Mouse Review

By Joe Gulczinski

Manufacturer: ROCCAT Inc.
Product Name: Kone Pure
Model Number: ROC-11-700
UPC: 4250288117006
Price As Tested: $59.99 (Amazon | Newegg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Roccat.

Roccat has recently introduced their sixth mouse in the Kone line up: the Kone Pure. Benchmark Review’s has had the opportunity to take the new Roccat Kone Pure for a spin and see what is so different from the previous iterations. This gaming mouse sports an all new laser sensor for the ultimate in sensitivity, perfect for ultra high monitor resolutions.

Many of the Kone products seem very similar, but actually differentiate from each other in very specific arenas of performance, comfort, and style. Before the detailed breakdown, take a gander below to see a general overview of the features and specifications.

Features

Pro-Aim (R3) 8200 DPI Laser Sensor
Omron Switches
Tracking and distance control unit
32 bit turbo core V2 processor
586Kb on-board memory
16.8 million color lighting system
7 mouse buttons + Titan Wheel
Easy-Shift [+] button duplicator

Specifications

Polling Rate	1000Hz / 1ms
Inches per Second	150
FPS / megapixel (sensor)	12000 / 10.8
Acceleration	30G
Lift off distance	1-5mm
Braided cable length	1.8m
Dimensions	7cm (width) x 12cm (length)
Weight	90g
Grip Design / Form Factor	Claw Grip / Right hand

Roccat Kone Pure: A Closer Look

When receiving the Kone Pure one can not notice the flare and style of the box, boldly proclaiming how it is a tool of relentless power and masterful control. Very exciting times. If the Kone Pure is as solid as it’s last 2 iterations, this may hold to be true.

The Kone Pure is a slightly different beast in the fact that it is 9% smaller then the Kone [+] and Kone XTD. This puts it in the mid-range size of mice and is designed for more of a “claw” like approach when using it. If you have smaller hands it still possesses key ergonomic qualities: a shallow indentation for a thumb rest. Please be aware that macro shots where used to show the most possible detail of the Kone Pure and it can appear to look larger then it really is.

The right profile of the Kone Pure shows off the special “Soft-Touch” surface. Sure it looks and feels pretty much like all the other rubber/plastic synthetic materials; however, what makes it a little bit more special is that it doesn’t attract smudges, dirt, or fingerprints. An interesting thing to notice is that the “+” and “-” DPI switches (below mouse wheel) are using a single plastic-piece type of rocker switch which tends to give a more firm tactile feedback.

The bottom of the Kone Pure proves to have extraordinarily large mouse pads. Due to this and the material that the pads are made of, a soft mouse pad is definitely required (opposed to a hard surface or the pads are going to wear down in 3 months). Boasting 16.8 million colors for the logo is a little over the top for an LED of this nature, but we will go into this in more detail in the drivers section.

From the looks of it the Kone Pure it appears solid enough for a mid-sized mouse, encompassing the necessary features with keeping the dramatic flare down to a minimum. Keep in mind that this product is also available in colorful shells including: Hellfire Red, Inferno Orange, Polar Blue, and Phantom White (the latter being all white but the buttons themselves).

Roccat Kone Pure Details

One of the Kone Pure’s best feature is called the “Titan Wheel.” The mouse wheel boasts such specifications as a 3Kg push force tested in every direction and a new encoder that can sense up to 720 degrees in both wheel directions per second. It is manufactured with high-quality components and includes an incredibly strong axis pressure point.

A surprise auto-flash of the Kone Pure’s firmware is presented upon plugging the mouse in. This was before drivers where even installed! As for the drivers themselves, one needs to go to Roccat’s main site to download them, since a support CD is not provided with the package.

There is a total of 5 main profiles that can be flashed to memory. The Main Control tab regulates wheel mouse control and laser sensitivity (in 200 DPI increments from 200-8200 DPI). Oddly enough there is a section for horizontal tilt speed, even though the Kone Plus does not mechanically support side scrolling. By default depressing the middle mouse button yields a universal scroll; however, this may be changed to any key in the Button Assignment tab. If the preset default macros are just not enough for you, there is also a section here to specifically record any macro you wish.

The Advanced Control tab features basic axis sensitivity, pointer speeds, and polling rates. What really stands out though is the tracking and distance (lift-off) control calibration. This feature alone makes the Kone Pure feel like it “locks in” solid on the mouse surface and prevents fine quivers or jittering (even due to fine dust). The Color Control tab dictates how the logo effects are presented: fully lit, breathing, or off. The entire RGB color spectrum is available here to select from as well as 16 standard color selections. Keep in mind that this great in theory, but in reality, one can only visually differentiate between the base 16 colors (unless the “breathing” effect is selected).

The R.A.D. tab is a type of stats panel that records all physical mouse activity. Not particularly useful by any means, but it is interesting to see how many meters one has moved the mouse. The last Update/Support tab gives information on firmware version, driver update links, and online support.

Not surprisingly the Kone Pure has almost the exact same driver layout as the Kone [+] and Kone XTD. This is also reflected in the Kone Pure’s physical appearance and design, with the exception of being 91% the physical size of it’s older siblings.

Roccat Kone Pure Testing & Results

Testing Methodology

The Roccat Kone Pure was tested over a period exceeding 100 hours. The main programs and games used during testing consisted of: Adobe CS5, Dreamweaver, StarCraft II, and Warframe.

Test System

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-M
Processor: Intel i5 3570K Ivy Bridge @ 4.0 GHz
System Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600 MHz
Video: Gigabyte Windforce GTX 670 TI (2GB)
Audio: HT Omega Claro Plus
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M700 (Gold)
Monitor: LG 27EA83-D 27″ 5ms IPS @ 2560 x1440
Operating System: Windows 7 (64 bit)

Results

Roccat’s Kone Pure has the ability to change global polling rates to 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000Hz (global per each of the five profiles). The maximum polling rate of 1000Hz was used for all tests. According to two separate polling tools, Direct Input Mouse Rate for DirectX and Mouse Rate Checker, the Kone Pure easily exceeded the peak advertised polling rate.

Desktop Applications: With a native desktop resolution of 2560×1440 the DPI setting mostly used was 4200, which seemed to be the sweet spot for the Kone Pure. Working with Photoshop was a bit problematic due to the physical dimensions and form factor (even though this mouse is designed for the claw technique, it was difficult to gain any masterful control); of course, those with smaller or daintier hands may not find this a problem. On a more positive note, the tracking on the Kone Pure was dead on and one of the best experiences to date, even over it’s larger, previous iterations.

Gaming: StarCraft II was implemented for the Omron button torture test. The switches seem a little too sensitive at times, with a lot of accidental clicking. This only applies to the main mouse buttons and not any of the other switches. To directly contrast this the Titan Wheel was truly a joy to use, being fluid and smooth with just the right amount of notches for a very positive tactile feedback (16 notches to be exact). In dealing with particular aspects of the free-to-play FPS/RPG game Warframe, the DPI needed to be kicked down to 3200 DPI to even snipe anything. With a little practice though, the natural high sensitivity and superior laser sensor of the Kone Pure proved to be more then worthy.

Roccat Kone Pure Final Thoughts

Roccat’s Kone Pure manages to up the ante with its superior 3rd generation laser sensor. With a maximum DPI of 8200 this should match those who are considering a 4K resolution monitor easily. Coupled with the mighty Titan Wheel, the Kone Pure is definitely a precision tool for any gaming arsenal.

The Kone Pure; however, may not be perfect for everyone. Keep in mind the smaller form-factor which is described as for a “medium” type hand, but upon long-term use was found quite small. It practically forces a user to conform to the claw-like method if they have larger hands. This is clearly advertised as a “claw” mouse so no points were taken off for this. Nonetheless, it is important to note since this reviewer has “medium” hands. Furthermore, the pads on the bottom of the mouse cover quite a bit of surface area and are prone to wear done faster and collect dirt particles if not carefully taken care of. This aspect does not affect final scoring since the drivers did such great job of compensating for dust tracking errors.

Conclusion

Roccat’s Kone Pure excels at performance with it’s superub choice of laser sensor and the use of Omron switches all around. The special attention alone put into the rigid specifications of the Titan Wheel makes this mouse stand out from the pack. There probably isn’t a ultra-high resolution monitor out there that the Kone Pure couldn’t handle.

Aesthetically speaking, the Kone Pure did it right this time, with just a subtle glowing icon in your choice of color. It’s smooth to hold, has a resistant and durable coating, and does not look out of place for any discerning gamer.

As for construction and quality, despite the fact that it is quite light (and does not come with any weight adjustments), the actual build is very sturdy. The only thing I would consider changing in future iterations would be the mouse pads on the bottom (either have them a different material entirely or make them considerably smaller).

Functionality wise the Kone Pure follows in the footsteps of the previous iterations of the Kone series, right down to the core drivers. The special way Roccat implements its mouse hot-keys are truly easy and intuitive to use. Having the ability to flash five specific profiles to memory expands flexibility.

As of March (2014) the Roccat Kone can be found online $59.99 (Amazon | Newegg), a decent price for an entry level gaming mouse. Yet due to a few outstanding characteristics, the Kone Pure ranks better then entry level, so this is actually a pretty decent deal.

Pros:

+ Excellent 3rd generation laser sensor.
+ Titan Wheel is rock solid with admirable positive tactical feedback.
+ Special “Soft-Touch” surface properties ensure durability.

Cons:

– Omron switches on main mouse buttons a bit too sensitive.
– Mouse pads on bottom could have been smaller for less friction and particle pickup.
– Does not support 16.7 million colors (more like the base 16).

Ratings:

Performance: 8.50
Appearance: 8.25
Construction: 7.00
Functionality: 7.25
Value: 9.00

Final Score: 8 out of 10.

Do you prefer palm or claw mice?