Final Thoughts
Price
The Cougar Deathfire EX PC Gaming Mouse and Keyboard bundle is available for around £60-65, which is pretty decent give the overall range of features on offer. I would estimate that works out around £40 for the keyboard, which seems fair, and £20 for the mouse, which is very competitive. It’s a little more than some rival bundles, but they don’t offer lighting effects anywhere close to the EX.
Overview
I love what Cougar has done here, and while the mouse and keyboard may not be as good as some of the other Cougar hardware we’ve tested in the past, I think they’re priced pretty fairly to reflect that. For someone looking for a keyboard and mouse that looks like a much more expensive model, but still offers all the usual features and decent performance, it’s an attractive product to both the end-user and their wallets, as you’ll struggle to find better performance or build quality in this price range, but the EX certainly has the lead in terms of aesthetics.
The mouse performs nicely enough, certainly well enough for those who like to work and game on the same system. The mouse does have a tiny bit of jitter, but it’s not noticeable in real world tests, and again, find another mouse for around £20 and you’ll find that Cougars solution performs along with the best in that class. The only improvement I would make is to have a smoother cable or a braided one, as I predicted, it does tend to drag on the desk a little, so use a bungee if you have one.
The same is true of the keyboard, it offers reliable performance, a good typing action and respectable build quality for a budget keyboard. The edge lighting is certainly the star of the show though, and in terms of visual appeal, the keyboard offers unique aesthetics that are sure to put a smile on your face.
Pros
- Competitive price
- Fantastic LED lighting effects
- Good performance for this price range
- Fn-shift multimedia functions (Keyboard)
- Windows lock (Keyboard)
- Adjustable DPI and polling rate switches (Mouse)
- Trusted brand name
Cons
- Mouse cable made from grippy rubber
Neutral
- Slight jitter on mouse, but still very good accuracy for its price range
“The battle for affordable peripherals just got kicked up a notch. While the Deathfire EX may not offer push the limits of performance, it is competitive with similar offerings from rival brands, but when it comes to aesthetics, it’s clear that Cougar has the edge as this is on fantastic looking keyboard and mouse bundle.”
