Roccat
Roccat Kain Aimo 120: a very fast gaming mouse
Aprox. 69€ - see price -
See specificationsRoccat is rejuvenating its catalog of gaming mice with three Kain models, including the Kain Aimo 120 that we are testing here. It benefits from the new Titan switches and the 16k Owl-Eye sensor. What outperform the competition?
Positive points
Very responsive and vivid clicks, even on the side buttons.
Excellent optical sensor.
Notched wheel precise and very pleasant to use.
Very neat manufacturing, easy to maintain coating.
Comprehensive and intuitive software.
Easy-Shift function [+].
Bad points
Sensation of comfort perfectible for medium and large hands.
The backlight brightness is really too high by default (you can dim it).
No horizontal scrolling on the wheel.
Our review
Presentation
The Kain Aimo 120 is at the heart of the new Kain range from Roccat. For the occasion, the manufacturer has revised the design of its mice and added new switches called Titan. They promise “the perfect click” with a foolproof reactivity. The new Owl-Eye 16k optical sensor also appears on these models.
The Kain Aimo 120 is a wired mouse with 6 buttons with RGB backlight (AIMO compatible). It is launched at a price of € 69.99.
Ergonomics
Roccat is trying a new design for its Kain range (not to be confused with Khan, the manufacturer's helmets). The Kain Aimo 120 breaks with very ergonomic (Kone) or ambidextrous (Kova) shapes. Here we have a mouse with a relatively classic look, but with angular shapes on certain parts, far from the very rounded elongated profiles that we often find. This model is also a bit high compared to other models of this type (124 x 65 x 43 mm approximately). This mouse benefits from a very good manufacturing quality. The set is robust, there is absolutely no lack of finish. The mouse is relatively light (89 g) even if we find much lighter at present.
The Kain Aimo 120 is an intuitive mouse to take in hand. It is limited to right-handers. The feelings of comfort are quite good (in palm, claw and fingertip grip) and its weight is well distributed. There are still a few points for improvement, especially for large hands like ours (20 cm in length, 10 cm in width). First of all, the angle formed between the left side part and the back / top of the mouse is a relatively marked one and can prove to be annoying during long sessions. We would have preferred a more rounded and “elongated” profile. In addition, the shape of a more "packed" hair on the back of the mouse does not perfectly fit our hand, especially in the palm grip position. We had the opportunity to test the mouse with a few medium-sized hands and the observation is the same.
This mouse opts for a relatively classic 6-button configuration: two main clicks, two side clicks on the left, a wheel and a button to switch between the different sensitivity profiles. The Kain 120 Aimo is also compatible with the Easy-Shift [+] function which allows you to assign a second function to each button of the mouse. Their positioning is fairly conventional and intuitive. However, we have a small reservation in our case since the right side button is a little difficult to access.
We must retract the thumb significantly (and therefore bend the wrist a little more) to reach it and avoid a hazardous trigger on the left side button. However, there is nothing to say about the experience provided by the Titan switches. They are indeed extremely reactive and lively, it is a real pleasure to use them, both on very demanding games and on other applications. They produce a small, rather sharp and “dry” click, the sound level of which is still acceptable.
Putting aside the RGB backlight, the notched dial on the Kain 120 Aimo looks pretty conventional. That said, it is extremely precise and pleasant to use. The passage of the notches is both well marked and fluid, the click of the wheel is also very responsive. No need to force to engage it. The rebound is very well controlled. This mouse clearly does not suffer from the soft wheel syndrome. However, it only offers vertical scrolling.
Below the Kain 120 Aimo are two large “banana” shaped runners. There are no replacement pads supplied. Gliding is guaranteed and perfectly fluid. No particular surface can resist it, but we still recommend combining it with a fabric mat to get better sensations and more precision. The connection is made via a thin, braided 1.8 m USB cable. This is not particularly a problem, although we would have liked a slightly less rigid constitution to completely forget it.
Precision
The Kain 120 Aimo is one of the first mice to use the new Owl-Eye 16k / PMW3381 sensor made by Pixart (max acceleration of 50g, max speed of 400 fps). This is an advanced version of the excellent "all short" Owl-Eye (PMW3360) found on previous models of the manufacturer such as the Kone Aimo or Kone Pure. Unsurprisingly, it is perfectly up to par with top precision and responsiveness. During our long testing period, we never managed to fault it. If not on glass or reflective surfaces, it works on the vast majority of surfaces. However, it is better to favor a good mouse pad for optimal performance in the game.
As the name suggests, the Owl-Eye 16k can go up to a sensitivity of 16,000 dpi. A value by really usable since one loses clearly in precision while going up to such levels. Most players prefer a sensitivity between 400 and 1000 dpi.
Conclusion
The Kain 120 Aimo will delight right-handed players looking for a very swift mouse with a powerful sensor and very responsive buttons. The competition is very proud in this sector, there are nevertheless models with 6 buttons a little more comfortable suitable for all hands and also efficient at a similar price. We can cite for example the Model O and the Basilisk.
Specifications
Reviews
German quality? No way
This is unbelievable, yes, but mysterious double-triple clicking appeared not even after one week i bought Kain 122. I feel myself so frustrated i want to throw this mouse out of the window. That what it looks like - you press on LMB - one click sound produced - click on PC registered - release press from LMB - and one more click sound. When i press on LMB and one click registered, i hold my finger for 2-3 seconds and release pressure - and voila - 1 or even 2 more clicks register on PC. The other way, it double clicks when i click fast on the LMB at specific angle and i guess this so much advertised mechanism of main buttons bounce back or twice, i don't know. That's my guess it's due to this contraption. That makes me mad as hell, you click on an icon to open the program and it closes it immediately, i don't need to describe this terrible experience, you know it. And to add to all of these, wobbling RMB, cracking on LMB, which appered recently, and cracking body when you press with thumb on the left sidewall. These all definitely makes Kain not the "magnum opus of the mouse German engineering thought". I'm so frustrated, this is the third Roccat mice in the recent time. Previous two Kone AIMO were apex of flaws too. Roccat SWARM set on default, i tried all of the values of the debounce time and reset it to default. Double clicks still there.
The BEST mouse I ever used!
Sweat doesn't stay on the surface even after long sessions. Click is awesome. The cord is on the next level, it bends very easily and stays the same afterwards. I used ROCCAT Pure Military which was limited edition and I thought that I will never find a mouse better. I used it for 3.5 years and was worried about switching. Well, I did found the better mouse :) It took me a week at most to get used to this beast. Oh and LED is reaaaally bright which I prefer because of my LED set up, but you can change it if you want :)