Here’s my history with Razer’s Products, I have always recommended Razer products to my friends, family and other gamers, I’ve supported Razer for more than 13 years. Throughout the years their quality of merchandise has declined and I just don’t want to buy their products and be set up for yet another disappointment.

The Boomslang (1999 – 2005)

A Razer Boomslang

I’ve been a big fan of Razer’s gaming paraphernalia (mice, keyboards, headsets, you name it!) ever since I got my first “Razer Boomslang 2000″ back in 1999. I remember trying out the Soldier of Fortune demo and I was so excited because my new mouse was so awesome. That thing lasted me forever, even though it was no longer in mint pristine condition, had a few scratches and tons of them on the bottom, that mouse lasted for six years. I bought it along with my Everglide Razer Giganta, that I still use today at times. I still remember the odd, but at the time, epic packaging, it came in a round tin box, filled with cut out foam and the mouse was sitting pretty in the middle.

The Diamondback (2005 – 2011)

A Razer Diamondback

The year was 2005 and I finally decided it was time to grab myself a new mouse, this time I went back and got myself the Razer Diamondback. Again, I was really impressed by the design, this one actually glowed red and had a really nice fat scroll wheel and an excellent set of seven buttons. Once my wife decided to get a new mouse, what did I suggest her to get? The Diamondback of course! Everything was excellent with her Diamondback but after about 1.5 months the scroll wheel started going nuts. One scroll down would make the mouse scroll three lines up and one down, it would act completely random. I tried contacting Razer about this but they wanted proof of purchase, we searched everywhere for the receipt but were unable to find it. No matter, my wife kept using her Diamondback and kept using that crazy scroll wheel for about 2 years. You don’t realize how much you use the scroll wheel until it breaks on you.

The Megalodon (2010 – ?)

Razer Megalodon Headset

In 2010 I got into the market of buying a new headset, I had spent months drooling over the Razer Megalodon. This is one of those items I waited so long to allow myself to get, once I finally got it ordered I barely could sleep out of excitement about it. It arrived in a timely manner from Amazon and I finally got to open the packaging up. The packaging Razer uses is really what makes you feel like a boss – It was this beautiful box with a semi-hard case with zipper inside to keep your headset in. I plugged it into my computer and the little Razer logos on the side lit up, I updated the Firmware and went to try the only game I had that would support 7.1 surround, Team Fortress II. Yes, the reviews by other Megalodon owners and comments made by Razer were correct, you could actually hear where the enemy was. This is a headset that has 7.1 speaker surround built in. The 7.1 surround is still really cool when I am able to play a game that supports 7.1 surround. When you activate the “Maelstrom Engine” which is what turns on the 7.1 surround in a regular 2 channel stereo game, or listening to regular MP3s or such, it mods the sound into a “tunnel” or “pipe” effect, making it sound like crap.

The complaint I have with my Megalodon headset is that just after a week, the Razer logos that glow blue on the side of the speakers “burnt out”, no matter what I tried to get them to light back up they would just not come on ever again. I contacted Razer support again, and they told me it just sounds like the LEDs in the headset had basically burnt out. I didn’t make a big fuzz about it as the headset was (and still is to this day) functioning fine.

The Mamba (2011 – ?)

A Razer Mamba With Stand

Ever since the Razer Mamba was released it caught my eye, and probably everybody else’s eyes that gazed upon it’s transparent case, like a precious gem sitting there on a pedestal. The packaging, again is just mind-blowing. Now this mouse retailed at $129.00 (It’s now $109.00) it ought to be the Rolls Royce of flipping mice!

Guess what? There’s a paper lining on the scroll wheel that’s peeling off from regular use. The black paper/plastic lining on the scroll wheel is peeling off, now I’m constantly having it poke my finger when I’m scrolling my scroll wheel.

Conclusion

Still being a huge fan of Razer, I’ve made up my mind, nothing lasts forever and that includes Razer Products. No matter how much money you put out on their gaming devices, it seems like 30% the price is spent on packaging, 30% is spent on the design and the rest is spent on the quality and durability of the items. I am really careful with my things, I always have been, but they just break in some annoying way no matter how much money you throw at it.

Being a lefty myself, I have loved Razer for the fact that they make mice that can be usable by both left-handed and right-handed people. But I won’t buy any more from now on, every Razer product I’ve owned has had some defect on it. I am guessing that these products are made for people who can switch gaming mice every six months. It may sound cliche, but they just don’t make things like they used to anymore…