In the past 20 years, gaming mice have reached a certain level of maturity. Sensor technology has advanced to where marginal gains are the most one can strive for. The basic principles of shell and switch design are well established, leaving little area for innovation. Keeping that in mind, the button design of ROCCAT's Kain series is all the more commendable. In an age of off-the-shelf designs and OEM solutions, making an attempt to thoroughly revise an established design is a bold move, especially in a market that is easily swayed by selling points that require little to no effort in engineering. While the Kain 100's buttons aren't the best I've ever used (that award goes to the Logitech G303), the buttons are without a doubt quite excellent. Coupled with a very good scroll wheel, high quality materials, and a build that feels premium overall, the Kain 100 certainly deserves an Innovation award for its button design.

The Kain 100 scores in the performance department as well: The sensor performs very well with little to criticize. Click latency is sufficiently low out of the box and can be lowered further in the software if so desired. The coating and nicely gliding feet contribute to the great handling of the Kain 100, along with its rather unique right-handed ergonomic shape, which features almost entirely straight sides. While the lighting isn't spectacular, it looks nice enough, and the software offers a decent range of options to further customize the Kain 100 to one's liking. The only thing that's a bit lackluster is the cable—though not bad, it's certainly nothing to write home about, either. In any case, the Kain 100 earns an Editor's Choice in this area, too.

Lastly, the price. Given the amount of engineering that went into the Kain series, the asking price is actually quite reasonable, and still firmly within the "affordable" bracket. In fact, with the Kain 100 being a thing, I struggle to see the point of the Kain 120. The sensor of the Kain 120 may be better in theory, but in practice, it's hardly worth talking about, while the Kain 100 has better side grips and a better cable. Either way, the Kain 100 gets the Budget award from me as well.