Endgame Gear XM2w 4k v2 Review
Specifications
Packaging
Shape & Size
The Endgame Gear XM2w 4k v2 is a medium-sized, symmetrical mouse measuring 122 x 66 x 38.5 mm. It uses the same shape and size as Endgame Gear's previous XM1 and XM2 mice. The front has a slight outward flare, the sides have an aggressive inward curvature, and the back features a moderate hump. It is highly suitable for claw grip. I am able to fingertip grip the mouse as well, but it does not feel as natural and the back-hump often hits my palm, so it is much better to use something smaller, like the Endgame Gear OP1, if you want to use fingertip.
Coating
The coating is amazing. It feels rubberized and offers a lot of grip. It is very smooth and is not noticeably affected by changes in temperature and humidity. The main downside of this coating, however, is that it collects and shows dirt and oils very easily, though this is only visually, as it does not affect the grip. Alongside Razer's new mice, Endgame Gear offers the best coating on the market.
Build Quality
The build quality is also amazing. The sides and top do not show any signs of flexing or creaking. Even the bottom has almost no flex, which is uncommon, as it is an easy area to reduce weight and sacrifice build quality because it is never affected by regular usage, meaning you likely won't notice if the bottom flexes. There is no rattling when shaking the mouse. This is one of the best built mice I have used.
Weight
The wireless version weighs 61.5 grams. The wired version weighs 51.5 grams. I am using the wireless version. Compared to a lot of other new mice, this is more than what I prefer using. The weight is well balanced, so it does not feel like one side of the mouse accumulates all the weight in one spot, but it still does not change the overall weighted feel of this mouse coming from mice that weigh noticeably less. That said, the weight does not inhibit me from playing well. Overall, my aim feels more stable, but less responsive and slower. Not by a huge margin, but enough to make me want to use lighter mice instead, because I require fast movement in the FPS games I play. I have used the XM2 8k in the past, which weighs 52 grams, pretty much the same as the XM2 8k v2. It feels a lot more responsive and quicker to move around due to the reduced weight, but the cable was also noticeable at times, which could be annoying.
Skates
The skates feel great. They are smooth right out of the box and became even smoother after a bit of usage. It comes with a set of line-skates pre-installed and includes an additional set of larger/full-size skates as well.
Buttons
The main switches use the Kailh GX switches. They are incredibly tactile and very easy to spam-click. There is no noticeable pre- or post-travel. There is no side-to-side wobble on the main buttons.
The side buttons feel very similar. They are very tactile and easy to spam-click with no noticeable pre- or post-travel. Also no wobble.
Scroll Wheel
The scroll wheel uses the Kailh Black mechanical encoder. It is very tactile and requires a moderate amount of force to scroll up and down. Most encoders with this level of tactility require much more force to scroll up and down, which is a big downside, but the Kailh Black encoder used here offers one of the best balances between high tactility and easy scrolling.
Sensor & Performance
Both the XM2w 4k v2 (wireless) and XM2 8k v2 (wired) use the PixArt PAW3950 sensor. Performance feels flawless and I had no issues using the mouse from a performance standpoint.
Conclusion
The XM2w 4k v2 costs $129.99 and the XM2 8k v2 costs $89.99. Both offer good value, though many new mice are being released with similar specs for much lower, though they usually do not have the same level of high-quality build quality, coating, switches, and encoder. The higher weight on the XM2w 4k v2 is a problem for me when comparing it to other mice, but the XM2 8k v2 fixes this to a great degree, though at the cost of having to use a wire. Overall, I think the XM2 8k v2 is a better overall value because of its lower price and weight, but for $89.99, you could find other products that are also wireless. I can highly recommend the mouse for claw-grip users who value build-quality, coating, switches, and encoder if they know that the weight will not be a big downside.
