Ducky is quickly becoming one of the best-known brands in the mechanical keyboard world, but over the years, they’ve tried their hand at mice, keycaps, and even a gaming chair. Today, we’re looking at the Ducky Feather, a 65-gram gaming mouse with a state of the art PixArt 3389 sensor and complete software-free programmability. It’s available for pre-order now for only $65. Is it a worthy upgrade for your gaming rig?
Specifications
- Current Price: $65 (Mechanical Keyboards)
- Model: DMFE20O
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Sensor: PixArt PMW3389DM
- Micro switch: Hauno Micro Switch
- Roller: Kailh Encoder 9mm
- Resolution: 16000
- Cable length: 1.8M
- Dimensions: 124x59x36 mm
- Weight: 65g
- Origin of Production: China
Right away, it’s clear that the Ducky Feather is an exacting gaming mouse. It’s precisely designed, carefully treading the line between a more traditional, solid-frame mouse and the honeycomb pattern common to ultralight mice. The top is solid, the sides are milled. It’s a middle ground that allows the mouse to feel airy and glide with a generous speed while also feeling solid, without creaks or flex.
It’s a medium-sized mouse. In my equally medium-sized hands, I find that it sits a bit too low to comfortably palm grip, but is excellent for claw and fingertip users. My main mouse has been the Razer Viper Ultimate and in both size and shape, the two are similar except for that lower height. That made it easy to get used to with almost no learning curve.
If you’re used a heavier mouse, however, expect to take some time getting used to the new light weight. I tested the Feather at work before writing this, after my gaming tests were done, and the experience of switching from my “large and in charge” Logitech MX Master 3 which weighs in at a heavy 141 grams. The speed difference is huge, even just browsing the web.
For gaming, browsing the web, and everything in between, the Feather felt like an extension of my arm. Picking it up is so effortless that you barely even notice what you’re doing. Before you’re used to it, it can almost feel too fast, but I encourage you to stick it out. Once you do climb that learning curve, it’s hard to go back. My poor MX Master now feels like a brick.
Its lightweight design is also bolstered by its excellent cable. Ducky has used paracord and it’s so flexible that I couldn’t get it to push the mouse when I tried. Paired with a mouse bungee, this is as close to a wireless experience as I’ve ever had with a wired mouse. I also like that it comes with a gold plated connector, which is better for longevity but also looks really nice in those few seconds before you plug it in.
The Feather is an ambidextrous mouse with completely identical halves. The sides also feature textured grips, which is great for control but also helped me keep my fingers from accidentally pressing the side buttons. I do wish there were a way to cover them because it did happen from time to time, but the experience here is better than most.
Under the hood, it uses PixArt’s excellent PMW3389 optical sensor. It’s used in some of the best gaming mice available today and is known for its excellent accuracy even at high DPI settings. I wasn’t able to make the mouse spin out or lose tracking whether I was at 400 DPI or its max of 16,000. I usually game at about 1800, so well below its highest setting, but if you like to play “high DPI, low sensitivity” for those massive arm sweeps in first-person shooters, this will definitely satisfy.
The mouse also uses Huano mechanical micro switches for its buttons. This is the first time I’ve used Huanos, I believe, and I have to say that I really like them. They have a sharpness to them that makes it easy to tell you’ve pressed a button. I like Omron’s as well, and would still give the edge to Logitech’s G502 LIGHTSPEED, but these are quite good and rated for 50 million clicks each.
The other standout feature of this mouse is that it is completely plug-and-play. You can adjust everything using switches and button combinations. There are switches for lift-off distance and polling rate, a DPI button with seven different color-coded presets, and by holding the DPI button and pressing forward or back on the left side, you can enable angle snapping or change the backlighting. It’s impressively customizable.
When it comes to overall impressions, there’s honestly a lot to love here. Right out of the box, the Ducky Feather provided a comfortable and precise gaming experience. I’m used to gaming with an ultralight mouse, so I didn’t have any learning curve to climb. The mouse glides like a dream thanks to its PTFE feet and never any lower quality than my more expensive gaming mice. The only thing I wish is that it stood just a little bit taller for when I want to rest my hand a bit more (like when browsing social media) and that the right-hand buttons could be covered somehow — though they are disabled by default.
Final Thoughts
The Ducky Feather is an excellent value. At only $65 it feels like a bargain. If you’re in the market for a lightweight gaming mouse that feels and performs like its more expensive competition while only charging a fraction of the price, this is the mouse for you.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of review.
