On paper, the Redragon M686 Vampire Elite looks really good: The PAW3335 is PixArt's current top optical sensor for wireless applications, so one would expect nothing less than top-tier performance. Unfortunately, a lot hinges on the implementation of both the wireless and the sensor, which is where the M686 Vampire Elite disappoints. First of all, the wireless delay is 3 ms, which is massive compared to Razer's or Logitech's 1 ms. Coupled with a minor base sensor delay, motion delay is 4 ms under "best case" conditions and gets as high as 10 ms for higher CPI steps. The lack of a wireless extender surely doesn't help in this regard, either. Furthermore, the USB polling is unstable, both in wired and wireless mode. Lastly, click latency is high, sitting at roughly 13 ms. Getting the wireless part right is crucial for a wireless mouse, and the M686 Vampire Elite simply doesn't deliver on that front.

It's a shame really because if we look past the flawed sensor and wireless implementation, the Redragon M686 Vampire Elite gets a lot right. Button quality is high across the board, the scroll wheel is perfectly fine, and the grippy coating along with the quality mouse feet make for great handling. The software provides all the necessary options, and although the RGB lighting isn't as extensive to keep battery life high, it's quite rich nonetheless. Speaking of which, the 45 hours of battery life indicated by Redragon appear largely accurate—although a battery life of 45 hours isn't great, it's not too bad either. Weighing in at 122 g, the M686 Vampire Elite definitely isn't light, but not too heavy either considering the battery size. By the way: The size of the battery made it necessary for the sensor to be positioned off-center, which may be irritating to some. What makes the Redragon M686 Vampire Elite really interesting, however, is the shape: Highly reminiscent of the Dream Machines DM2 Supreme, this right-handed ergonomic shape still has its fans among palm grippers for its comfort.

Overall, deciding whether the Redragon M686 Vampire Elite is worth a look is pretty simple. Those who are generally into this specific palm-grip shape, but don't care about wireless mice should look into the Dream Machines DM2 Supreme, which is both cheaper ($29.99) and performs way better. On the flip side, for those who do want wireless but don't care about delay or sensor performance, the Redragon M686 Vampire Elite may indeed be worth a closer look, especially if you're on a budget. This is especially true when it's discounted—for instance, at the time of writing, the M686 Vampire Elite is priced at $42.99 on their official shop, which is a very good deal. Otherwise, Logitech or Corsair have much better options.