The Lioncast LM20 gaming mouse is delivered in a cardboard box in different shades of blue with a hinged front, which is held closed by Velcro fasteners. On the front of the box there is a picture of the mouse, as well as the Lioncast logo and three very important features: 16.400 DPI, 12 buttons and a weight system. On the back is another picture of the mouse and even more details. All information on the box can be read in German as well as in English. When you open the box, you’ll see that besides the mouse, there’s also a manual, a plastic box for the metal rods of the weight system, and a small disc with the mouse’s software. The mouse is also usable without the disc, since it only contains the software to personalize the mouse. But more on that later.
Design, ergonomics and keyboard layout
The LM20 is rather inconspicuous and kept completely in black, while an LED, which can shine in different colors, provides for a visual accent. The sides of the mouse are in glossy black, while the rest is in matte black. The left side has an additional rubberized part, which gives more grip for the thumb. The width of the mouse is pretty good, so the whole hand has room on it and can be used well with any holding technique. The 12 buttons (11 of which are freely programmable) of the mouse are all basically well placed and easy to reach. Only the DPI+ and the DPI- button as well as the “back” button are not so easily accessible during gameplay. However, these shouldn’t be used frequently in games in this form either. Since the keys are programmable, it is recommended not to assign important keys to them. The profile button on the underside is not accessible during normal use, but should also be pressed before starting a game. Most of the buttons are very easy to press and offer a low resistance as well as a short travel and also the 3-way scroll wheel scrolls very precisely and has hardly any resistance. However, this is a bit harder to press than the other buttons. The only other slightly harder button to press is the double-click button, which is located next to the left mouse button at the top. Here I would have expected a little less resistance, even if it’s not really too much, it’s just noticeable.
Furthermore, the weight-tuning-system also contributes very positively to the ergonomics. On the underside of the mouse is a small compartment in which there are eight small metal rods of 2.49 grams each, so a total of 19.92 grams. These can be easily removed to lower the weight of the mouse and adjust it to your own needs. It’s practical that Lioncast includes a small plastic box for this purpose, in which the metal sticks can be stored.
Software
A very important part of the Lioncast LM20 is the software. This is divided into four sections: “General”, “DPI”, “Light” and “Info”. Under “General”, the individual keys can be changed by clicking on the corresponding key and then selecting another application for it. Of course, you can also set your own functions by adding key combinations to a key via the macro manager. In addition, the acceleration, pointer speed, scroll speed, double-click speed and finally the sampling rate can be set, whereby this can only be divided into four levels: 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz and 1000Hz. A sampling rate of 1000Hz means a reaction time of 1ms for the mouse, which is completely sufficient for any game.
In the section “DPI” you can change the five selectable DPI profiles. The default settings range from 1000 at the lowest to 16.400 in the highest profile, however one can also reduce the steps by starting for example on 5000. Alternatively, you can switch off entire profiles, so that for example only 3 or 4 are selectable on the mouse. As an extra for those who want it very precise: You can even set whether there should be the same or different amount of DPI in the x-direction and y-direction. Then there is the section “Light”, in which you can set how bright the light should shine, whether it should pulsate and in which color it should shine. And in the “Info” section you can simply find the address of Lioncast GmbH.
In each individual section, you can save the settings made under one of the five player profiles. This makes it possible to use a specific key layout, DPI number, etc. save together, which also changes all this by pressing the profile button on the mouse.
General data
- 16.400 DPI Laser Sensor
- Up to 1000Hz polling rate (1ms response time)
- Teflon gliding feet
- 12 buttons/ 11 programmable buttons
- Software for programming the buttons and LEDs
- Weight tuning system
- Gold-plated USB port
- Size: approx. 12,5 x 7,9 x 4,1
- Weight: 122g (incl. 8x 2.59g metal sticks)
Conclusion
During the test, the Lioncast LM20 stood out to me in an almost universally positive way. The keys are well placed, easy to use and have a nice short travel, which can be a decisive advantage in fast shooters for example. Here would come the 16.400 DPI and the 1000Hz polling rate, which means that your reactions are transferred to the game almost without any delay. Then there’s the generally good ergonomics and the weight-tuning system. In combination with the good and easy to use software, I get an overall very good picture of the LM20. The only shortcomings of the LM20 are rather minor, for example the 3-way scroll wheel, which is a bit too hard to press, or the somewhat plain design, which is certainly a matter of taste. The only thing I really find a bit unfortunate is that the right side of the mouse doesn’t have a rubberized area.