Introduction

Anyone who is even marginly interested in online competitive gaming will know the name razer. Starting out in the 90's with amazingly innovative and new designs of mice. When the Boomslang was released, literally everyone who was a pro-gamer wanted to get their hands on one. I ordered one as soon as I had heard of the potential this mouse could give. When paired with a good config, it could be devastating. Back then I played Quake2 and also Quake3. This was a time when the concept of pro-gaming was really taking off with Sujoy playing around the world, appearing on various TV shows etc.

Razer have since refined their mice and some of the newer shapes seem more forgiving on different shaped and sized hands. As you can probably see from the image of the Boomslang, Diamondback & Deathadder.
Chosing the right mouse is important if you want to up your game to the next level. Some people like small mice, others like to have a firm grip on the mouse. Also hand size is a big factor.

Looking at the current Razer lineup, you will see some very different shapes. Generally there is the Diamondback/Copperhead shape, the Boomslang shape & the Deathadder shape.

After using the Diamondback for such a long time (over 3years) I was unsure about changing the shape and potentially my style. Looking at similar mice, there's only really the Diamondback 3G or the Copperhead to choose from. As I had previously used a Microsoft Intelli Explorer v3 (the best MS mouse tbh), I knew how much different it would be.
The Lachesis looks really good in it's statistics of dpi etc, but it just looks very small (smaller than the diamondback) and the buttons just look out of place (how do you scroll without hitting the sensitivity buttons?). There's also the fact Razer are having some real problems with the sensor atm.

Some people probably question why I chose to go for the GuildWars mouse.
The main reason was the price, it was £28(inc postage) where the blue Razer one was £40+. Also the orange LED's make it look different & I do play GuildWars (altho tbh I'm buying the mouse for CS:S & FPS games).

Specification

1800dpi Razer Precision™ 3G infrared sensor
Ergonomic right-handed design
1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response
Five independently programmable Hyperesponse™ buttons
On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment
Always-On™ mode
Ultra-large non-slip buttons
16-bit ultra-wide data path
6400 frames per second (5.8 megapixels per second)
60–120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration
Zero-acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon feet
Gold-plated USB connector
Seven-foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord
Approximate size: 128mm (length) x 70mm (width) x 42.5mm (height)

First Impressions

On opening the package I found a amazingly stylish box with some sort of plastic wrapped around it, the plastic had razer logo's and said remove before display (nice little touch for shop owners I guess).
The box opens out to show GuildWars characters on one side with the mouse on the other. If I saw this in the shop I'd be in awe as generally mice are boxed boringly.

On removing the contents you will see there is a certificate of ownership, instructions and a driver disc. I love the certificates of ownership from razer with their little message from "Razerguy". This was even there back in 1999 with the Boomslang 1000 first edition.

Drivers/Firmware

I downloaded the newest drivers and firmware from razerzone and within minutes it was working. At first it was stuck at 500hz (2ms) on changing the settings in the drivers, nothing happened.
I decided I'd try it on another system with XP SP2 32bit (I'm on x64) just in case it was the OS, but still it was the same. So basically it was time to try the new firmware (the mouse came with firmware 1.21). The problem with the firmware upgrade is that you need a 32bit OS to install it. No problems here as my laptop is 32bit. Away it went and upgraded the firmware (took 1min or so).
On re-plugging the mouse it suddenly came to life and now accepted the options to run at 1000hz. On running dx_mouse_timer_dialog.exe I could see the average was 0.96ms 1042Hz.

One of the selling points of the mouse is a feature that the drivers have with scaling the polling rate. At CPL and high level competitions, usbport.sys modifications are deemed unacceptable.

General Usage

When I started using the mouse, I found it a lot different to my previous mouse (Diamondback) as the shape and size is totally different. I found that I was holding the mouse much differently and it felt a lot more ergonomic.
The gliding action of the mouse is really smooth and the cursor movement is really responsive. On general usage in windows, there is a slight difference between the response times but it is not as apparent as it is when you are in a FPS game.

Gaming (Counterstrike Source)

This is the main reasoning behind buying this mouse.
The movement is really smooth and accurate. On the diamondback I found I was losing a lot of movement (caused by negative accceleration) I was running the 2G sensor at 500hz. On using the Deathadder, it became more apparent that the 3G sensor already was making a difference to the accuracy. I hit a few headshots after being blinded where before my aim was all over the place.

I found I had to change my sensitivity up as my hand was much more rigid on the mouse. Controlling recoil on guns became easier over time, but at first was hard to get used to.
Generally the accuracy became better over a period of a few hours.

Repetition is a big key in getting used to your mouse. I'm sure most people have heard of muscle memory. This is used in many sports where repetition is the key.
Getting your muscle memory attuned to the game and the mouse is a good way to gain accuracy & confidence. It helps with flick shots aswell as general recoil control.
Training muscle memory in FPS games has been done for years. Back in Quake2 I used to train by aiming along ledge's, trying to keep the mouse on the exact line. Also shooting points on walls in the distance etc to get flick shots more accurate. You can mimic this in any FPS game really.
The main thing with newer games is learning guns and recoil which can be done by aiming at walls and trying to hit a small point, seeing how you have controlled the spray.
There are dark maps on CS:S with targets on the wall for training muscle memory. These can help, but generally are not needed. There's nothing like going onto a server and playing.

Conclusion

I think this mouse is the best mouse I have used to date.
The shape, size & comfort is amazing.
The sensor seems rock solid with the latest firmware.

Pros:
3G Sensor provides excellent accuracy
1000hz rock solid 1ms response time
Ultraslick™ Teflon feet provide smooth movement
Sensitive large buttons
Thumb button placement
Improved ergonomics
Good feel due to quality materials used
No need for usbport.sys hacks
No negative or positive acceleration
No skipping

Cons:
Not ergonomic for left handed people