As a long time (and very satisfied) user of the Logitech MX700 and now the MX1000, my first impression was that the Razer Diamondback has a very different feel in more ways than one:

• First of all, the Razer Diamondback follows an ambidextrous (symmetric) design while the Logitech mice are strictly for right-hand use. Symmetry of the Diamondback takes some getting used to and it does feel a bit odd compared to right-handed mice. I did get used to it pretty quickly though and liked the feel, albeit different.
   
• The Razer Diamondback's two main buttons have a rubber coating which offers a better feel than slick plastic or metal. These buttons are also contoured in a concave fashion so your fingers rest in the with a very natural feel.
   
• Some folks like to have an area "rim" near the buttons of a mouse where they can rest their fingers (instead of resting them on the buttons themselves). There is a rim area on the Diamondback but it is smaller than the area around the buttons of the MX700. So, if you're the type that likes this resting area it's there but just barely.
   
• Overall, the feel of the Diamondback in my hand did feel smaller than my previous mice. This is mostly due to the fact that there is a fairly distinct difference in height (or thickness I suppose) with the Diamondback being not quite as "tall". This wasn't a big deal to me though and I quickly got used to it. It weighs roughly 25% less than the MX700 which is 175 grams (6.2 oz.)
   
• The scroll wheel on the Diamondback is the best that I've used. The wheel is wider, longer and less tapered than any I've used. By "less tapered" I mean that it doesn't come to a slight peak as most do. The Diamondback's wheel has more surface area because it is flatter (not tapered). Also, the movement of the wheel makes little to no noise yet it still has the tactile "bump" feedback.
   
• The side buttons are this mouse's Achilles heel as they just don't feel good in terms of placement, size, and feel when pressed. The left side button isn't too bad regarding placement, though it could stand to be moved further towards the front. The right side button is all but useless. I can't even pick my nose with my pinky finger, much less press a skinny little button while fragging away in a first person shooter.
   
• This thing is smoooooth. The 1600dpi and 16-bit data path appear to be much more than marketing-speak (although some more detailed tests suggest the effective DPI to be more like 1496). At first use it actually felt a bit too smooth but you have an amazing amount of control to tune this to your liking via the Razer driver software. The Teflon feet were a nice (albeit standard) touch as well.
   
• Once I actually spent a few hours gaming with the Diamondback I was sold on its smoothness and precision. I could make headshots (at a good distance at that) in Doom 3 and Half Life 2 with an uncanny ease that I could not achieve before.
   
• My wife uses my PC at times to print. She's probably the typical wife of a geek in that she's rarely impressed with any of my geek-a-licious booty. However, after a minute or so she said to me, "Wow, this mouse is smooth...like it's gliding on air." That may not sound like much, but coming from her it was huge.
   
• I never thought I'd go back to a wired mouse. After extended use with the Diamondback, though, I thought wrong.

Below are some comparison shots between the Razer Diamondback and a Logitech MX700 for your reference. They are almost exactly the same length but the Razer Diamondback is both a bit narrower and not quite as tall as the MX700. There are some concave contours (shown best in the third image below) along both sides of the Diamondback so it somewhat retains that kind of feel from the MX700.

Comparisons

Below are some additional images of the Razer Diamondback that focus on the main mouse buttons, side buttons, scroll wheel and bottom.

Additional Views

As you can probably see, the bottom and sides of the mouse are a slick, shiny plastic. I would have preferred that the sides had the same rubber coating as the two main buttons. That kind of tweak is easy enough to make on your own just to your liking anyway with various textured tapes or rubberized aerosols.

Next Page: Razer Driver Software