Surface and Materials

Compared to more expensive variations, materials are definitely cheaper on this DeathAdder, and you can clearly feel it upon first touching it. There is absolutely no rubberization on the main areas; the upper and most of the side parts feature a standard, matte coating. I'm not saying a rubberized surface would be much better as it usually won't last very long, though that depends on the user's skin and sweat type as well.


The grip panels on the sides might look like rubber at first, but are textured plastic as well. One thing is for sure, there is no way these will peel off after a few months of use even if you sweat buckets and don't wash your hands regularly. The side buttons are coated with the same matte surface treatment as the rest of the shell, and the scroll wheel is the only part that is actually rubberized. The Essential is definitely not the grippiest mouse I've ever tried, but it's miles from being a bar of soap in terms of slipperiness.

Build Quality

I would very much love to say that the DeathAdder Essential is of topnotch build quality, but there is one thing that doesn't let me. The sensor lens rattles like crazy on my model. Everything else is perfect; alignments are great, the shell is nice and sturdy, without any creaking, but the lens is just ludicrous. I have no idea how this copy could pass quality control. I'm not saying that all these mice have the same issue, but chances are high as it seems like a design flaw to me. The lens can move around in its slot with some very high tolerances, and the PCB isn't really screwed to the shell properly. There are only two screws by the two side switches, but the rest is held in place by small plastic pegs. I could extremely easily fix this with a tiny bit of Blu-Tack, but most users definitely don't want to DIY-bodge a new mouse like this. Naturally, you can file a valid RMA claim if your mouse is affected by this.

Weight

Weight-wise, the DeathAdder Essential is quite great. It weighs 94 grams, which is average for its size, especially if we take a look at the competition. The mouse is also well balanced: it's neither rear nor front heavy. Generally, a lightweight mouse is better for your wrists in the long run, which means it could afford to be even a bit lighter, but thankfully, it's far from being heavy.