INTRODUCTION

   Almost 2 years ago Thermaltake released the original (and best to date in my opinion) Level 10 Super Tower which was their very first product to be designed in collaboration with people from BMW something which caught everyone off guard (especially BMW fans). Unfortunately although the Level 10 is still amongst the best PC Cases in the market due to its unique design, extremely high build quality and separate hardware compartments still it was (and still is) very expensive. Thermaltake was aware of that and so soon afterwards they released the Level 10 GT PC Case which was a lot cheaper but unfortunately inferior compared to the original in most areas. Well that was pretty much the last time we heard of a Level 10 product but Thermaltake is obviously not done with that particular product line since just recently they introduced the Level 10M Gaming Mouse under their Tt eSPORTS brand and so naturally we just had to take it for a ride.

   “Challenge is the game” highlights the philosophy to bring out gamers’ addiction in gaming and the ambition of reaching to the extreme. Tt eSPORTS, a gaming obsessed division from Thermaltake, is uniting gamers from all over the world in a unique & fascinating eSPORTS culture, inherited the spirits of Thermaltake, is an energetic, powerful, bold and intelligent challenger who never says “no” to the extreme competition. we do not only provide gamers the ultimate gaming gears but also fulfills the passion to achieve the ultimate success. Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies PSU for many years. The brand personality of unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative design by observing users’ behaviors and requirements. The fan cooling design on Tt eSPORTS Challenger keyboard demonstrate the brand spirit. It is the worldwide first keyboard with fan cooling function that could dry your hand sweats and blow tension away during cut-throat competition.

   Just like the original Level 10 Super Tower the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse follows a rather unconventional design and that means that you will either like it or hate it immediately once you lay your eyes on it. Personally i really liked the original Level 10 Super Tower (i can't say the same about the Level 10GT) but due to mainboard size limitations i was unable to house my primary test rig in it. Things however are a bit more complicated when it comes to gaming peripherals and more specifically the Level 10M since you obviously can't judge a gaming mouse solely based on its quality. Instead other things matter including grip, glide ease (accuracy), offered features (control panel/illumination/size-weight adjustment), number of buttons and of course speed (DPI/CPI). So let's see just how well the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse scored in our tests after a full week of testing.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The main features and a large picture of the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse are placed at the front of the medium sized black box.

A few words about the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse are written on the right side.

Tt eSPORTS has placed the story behind the entire Level 10 product line at the left side.

The features of the Level 10 M are showcased with the help of medium sized pictures at the rear of the box.

To open the package you will first need to remove the top cover.

The bundle is quite rich and contains the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse, small Allen key, carrying cloth bag, warranty policy booklet, software CD and three cards with the Level 10M on them in black, white and green color (i was expecting red as well).

THE LEVEL 10 M

The Level 10 M Gaming Mouse is primarily made by Aluminum but it has a few plastic parts and a rubber coating at the top for improved grip.

As you can see its medium sized just like the El'Druin MMORG Gaming Mouse by Leetgion (they are the same even in height).

A DPI/Profile selection 4-way pad (Z-Button) along with two buttons and the Tt eSPORTS logo are placed at the left side.

At the rear we see degree markings, more about this later on.

The first Allen bolt is placed at the top of the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse.

By using that bolt you can adjust the height of the unit (above you can see the Level 10 M at its lowest and highest points compared to the El’Druin).

The perforated section placed at the top of the unit can help reduce hand temperatures especially after prolonged use.

Two more buttons and a second Allen bolt are present at the right side.

As showcased above by using this bolt you can change the angle of the entire top end.

The DPI level LEDs are placed right on the front right button.

The scroll wheel is not only very quiet when used but also very responsive.

Another nice touch i found on the Level 10 M is that the aluminum base extends a bit to provide better support the braided cable.

At the base we see two large Teflon feet and two smaller ones.

By default the 8200DPI Laser sensor used in the Level 10 M has 4 presets up to 5000DPI (800/1600/3200/5000DPI) but you can get up to 8200DPI via the control software.

Gold plated USB plugs are not something new but this is the first time I’ve seen a protective cap with such a product.

USING THE LEVEL 10M

Although up to date Tt eSPORTS has yet to update the Level 10 M control software you should check their support/downloads page prior to using it.

The control software is not the most user friendly one we've seen but it does offer most of what we see in others and so through here you can remap the available buttons, switch between modes (normal/battle), change the illumination colors, record macros, adjust the DPI settings (as one or for each axis separate), set the double click/cursor/scroll speed, adjust lift off, set the polling rate, and edit/save up to 5 different profiles.

For illumination you can choose from a total of 7 colors but the really nice thing is that you can set a different color for each of the three LEDs as seen above.

CONCLUSION

   As some of you know i really enjoy spending my free hours (when i have some) playing Planetside 2 with the rest of the staff so the Level 10M Gaming Mouse was mostly used with that specific online game. However to get a more complete picture i also used it with Far Cry 3 and Mass Effect 3 (Omega DLC) two somewhat fast paced FPS games (although not as fast as Planetside 2). Starting off with the positive things the build quality of the Level 10 M is second to none and i also have to admit that its adjustable design (3D Axis Movement) is a nice touch since it allowed me to lower the back to a point when my hand felt right at home. The same can be said about its accuracy levels largely thanks to the fact that the Level 10M glides a lot better than most gaming mice I’ve used lately while the 8200DPI laser sensor although extremely fast (and hard to handle at 8200DPI) is very accurate. During testing we found no issues with the unit’s liftoff feature while it worked flawlessly on pretty much every surface we threw at it. However the Level 10M Gaming Mouse has a single drawback and that's the positioning and size of the left side buttons which makes them very easy to press by mistake when playing fast paced FPS games. I am pretty certain that hardcore gamers and professional gamers alike will find ways to overcome that issue but even now after almost 8 days i am still unable to.

   The cost of working closely with people from BMW DesignworksUSA to design a product naturally finds its way to retail (like it did with the original Level 10 Super Tower) and so currently the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse retails at around USD99 inside the USA and 90Euros inside the EU a price tag that puts it right at the top with the most expensive gaming mice out there. Is it worth it? Well it depends since the very first thing one judges a gaming mouse from is its design so if you like it or not comes down to personal preference. Overall however it has a superior build quality compared to most similar units in the market (aluminum body), it's blazing fast thanks to the 8200DPI laser sensor, you can adjust its height/angle, has plenty of buttons and is available in 4 different colors (black, white, red, green). Long story short Tt eSPORTS has released a very good gaming mouse (excellent one if you can get used to the left side buttons) and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Aluminum Body)
- Blazing Fast (8200DPI Laser Sensor)
- Height/Angle Adjustable
- Illumination Effects
- 7 Buttons
- Control Software
- Available in 4 Different Colors (Black/White/Red/Green)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Left Side Buttons Too Easy To Press