Over the past decade, the Zowie EC2 has become one of the most popular shapes ever released, demonstrated not just by how common it is among professional players, but also the sheer number of clones released. With the AX, VAXEE revisits this classic shape, albeit not without giving it a spin. Essentially a compressed EC2, the AX is both shorter and wider, and coupled with the left side rising higher, ends up bulkier, but without restricting vertical movement. The changes are subtle, though palm grippers in particular may appreciate the fuller feel in hand while still being given some breathing room towards the back. This is done both to better suit palm grip and what VAXEE likes to call "tilt grip"; i.e., having the wrist rotated to the right instead of lying flatly on the pad, which applies irrespective of grip style.

Aside from the shape, not much has changed compared to the NP-01, and what did change, changed only for the better. PixArt's PMW3389 sensor performs as beautifully as ever, click latency can still be set to an exceptionally low value, and there's still no need to install software as CPI, polling rate, button response time, and lift-off distance all can be configured directly on the mouse. Main and side buttons are as nice as ever, providing a snappy and firm click response, along with a pleasant click feel. The same cannot be said about the scroll wheel, however, which is slightly smoother now, but still incredibly noisy. It's beyond me why VAXEE insists on using this scroll wheel, as other manufacturers have proven time and time again that it's very much possible to build a scroll wheel that provides tactility without being excessively loud. Speaking of which, the wheel click on the AX is even stiffer than it was on NP-01, to where it becomes difficult to actuate at all. Some fine-tuning in this regard would definitely go a long way in furthering the appeal of the AX for anything that isn't FPS gaming.

There are improvements, though. On the NP-01, the stock feet were exceedingly thin, resulting both in poor glide on pads that aren't perfectly plain as well as in above average CPI deviation, which was doubly annoying due to the lack of CPI fine-adjustment. The AX comes with proper 0.6 mm feet by default, resulting in near-perfect CPI deviation and much more consistent glide. The concerns regarding shell rigidity on the NP-01 have been addressed as well: Actuating the side buttons by squeezing the sides is still possible, but requires excessive force, rendering it a non-issue altogether. As a result, the weight comes out slightly higher at 81 g, which is fairly balanced—neither particularly high nor particularly low. No changes have been made to the cable, which is a bit stiffer than most other paracord-like cables these days, but said to be more durable. Lastly, the coating has been revised as well, though I didn't notice any improvement in terms of grip over the NP-01, and slightly prefer the coating on the latter.

In the past, both Zowie and now VAXEE have received ample criticism for not "innovating enough." Personally, I don't think innovation has intrinsic value in and of itself when it comes to gaming mice. Rather, there is merit to a manufacturer sticking to their guns and simply delivering products that do what they're supposed to do. It's not necessary to reinvent the wheel with every new release, although at the same time, flaws in need of improvement should be addressed, which is exactly what VAXEE is doing with the AX. Though "just" a fresh take on the EC2, I really enjoyed using the AX in games—and that's where it matters for a gaming mouse after all. On the other hand, for office and general use, the AX surely wouldn't be my first pick.

When looking at competing EC2-inspired mice, there is absolutely no shortage. The Pulsar Xlite is closer to an EC1 in size, has similar performance and build quality, but weighs significantly less, for $59.95. The Sharkoon Light² 200 is pretty much an exact EC2 clone with similar performance, cable, and build quality, albeit weighing less, for $49.99. Though not an exact clone, the Glorious Model D- is very much EC2-inspired and comes with similar performance, lower weight, and a better cable, for $49.99. Lastly, the Xtrfy M4 actually isn't EC2-like (!), has similar performance and cable stiffness, but lower weight, along with extensive on-device configurability, for $59.00. All in all, I really liked using the VAXEE Outset AX, which is why I give it our Recommended award.