Surface

Moving on to the surface, the mouse is mainly covered in two different coatings. The top area and main buttons have a very smooth, soft touch to them that almost feels like some sort of rubberization. The small inner plate that surrounds the scroll wheel and CPI buttons has a glossy finish, and the same applies to the CPI and side buttons.


As for the side panels, their coating is different. In my opinion, it's a slightly grainy, textured plastic with a little less grip than the top coating—I highly prefer the top coating over the one used on the side panels because of this. To be honest, I don't really understand the need to use different surface treatments on different areas of the mouse. Both modular side panel sets have the exact same coating by the way. In my opinion, the mix of these different surface coatings will most likely be perfect for environments that aren't very humid, for those with hands that aren't too dry or sweaty. I didn't lose my grip while gaming with the ME3, and I'm a low-sensitivity player who tends to pick up his mouse a lot.

Build Quality

As for build quality, Dark Project has some catching up to do with most of the bigger brands. I found no issues that are absolute deal breakers, although there are a few quirks here and there that add up to a somewhat mediocre result. The top shell's joint area and bottom right have a ledge that sticks out way more than it should. The scroll wheel's axle is slightly misaligned; it doesn't scroll around in a perfect circle, which leads to the middle mouse button sometimes being too hard or too easy to depress. One thing I discovered while opening up the mouse was that the wheel encoder wasn't properly soldered in either (not the part for actual electricity as only the two stabilizer feet were missing the solder).

Weight

At 93 grams, the ME3 is quite average in terms of weight. It could be a tad lighter for my taste; I can just imagine how great it would feel if it would only weigh about 80–85 grams. I don't think they can lower the weight without it interfering with the shell design, however, and given this is an OEM shell, that's not easily possible. While weight is a matter of personal preference, it's generally better to use something light over the long run as it tends to put less strain on your wrists.