At first I would like to thank LEETGION for offering the Hellion Gaming Mouse for testing and reviewing.

 

About LEETGION:

"WHAT IS LEETGION?

Leetgion is composed of two words Leet + Legion. The word leet is an internet phrase derived from the word “Elite.” Often used as describing an individual or feet of superior skill or prowess. Legion, refers to a large military force or group. Our self given description of the word Leetgion is: A group of elite individuals fighting alongside each other, conquering all that stands before them.

 

WHO IS LEETGION?

Leetgion began in early 2010, originating from Thermalright, a company with over a decade of experience in top end, world class thermal solutions for PC enthusiasts. With our long involvement with PC enthusiasts and often PC gamers, we had a vision of expanding our product line for the PC gaming community, to deliver our expertise in quality and design.

 

WHY LEETGION?

Gamers and PC enthusiasts know exactly know what they want, and don’t except compromises. Many will even choose to modify their equipment, overclock their PC systems just to get the exact performance they want. They praise the top custom modders, and never back down from challenges. That’s also the mentality here at Leetgion, we deliver only the best no compromises.

 

LEETGION'S MISSION

Our goal is simple, to provide the best in both quality and innovation. We’ll go the lengths of using nothing but the best components and technology to match our quality standards. We are not afraid of thinking outside of the box, and putting a spin to the standard. Leetgion understands that in the end it is the user that wins games, what we want is to let our peripherals be an extension of the user, to combine technology and human control.

 

LEETGION'S MOTTO

Our motto here at Leetgion is: Be Leet, Game Hard. With the help of our products, we want gamers to do their best whether they are professional e-Sports athletes or weekend warriors, in all levels and forms of competition. Most importantly we’re not in the business to make a fancy technical masterpiece to be put on a pedal stool just for show. Leetgion products are meant to be used, to fight in the front lines of Virtual warfare, to venture into enemy territory, and march head on into the fog of war. Just like our motto, we want Leetgion users to Be Leet, and most importantly Game Hard!"

Product Overview:

 

 

In the heart of Hellion’s laser sensor engine sits the Avago9500 sensor. The Hellion’s laser sensor engine is capable of DPI ranges of 100 to 5000 DPI, and compatible to all surfaces. The Hellion moves both fast and accurate, perfect for all game types.

 

 

Cherry MX Blue Keyswitch packs unmatched durability of 50 million operations, distinct tactile feedback and superior control. No more soft and weak membrane key presses, on the Hellion its click and kill.

 

 

Besides packing the Cherry MX Blue, the Hellion’s dedicated attack key has more tricks up it’s sleeve. Hidden behind the button is an aluminum plate, used to provide extra stability, and truly mimics the engineering of a mechanical keyboard. The Attack key is here to replace keyboard hotkeys with nothing but the best. Making “hit and run” or killing tactics smoother than ever.

 

 

The Omron Japan D2F-F Micro Switch has long been the top choice of custom mouse modders due to superior quality, durability and feel. The crème de la crop of mouse switches.

 

 

Patent pending physical profile switch wheel, eliminates the need to rotate through multiple profiles. Turn to the exact profile you need, within the four fully programmable profiles. You’ll never lose track of which setting you are on.

 

 

The multi color LED system not only displays the current profile or DPI setting. The internal LED lighting system provides 16.7 Million color combinations. Set any color you want for the 4 programmable profiles. Match the Hellion’s lighting theme to your team, faction or class, show your colors!

 

 

Technical Specifications:

 

Avago 9500 Laser Mouse Sensor (100 to 5000DPI)Four Made in Japan Omron Micro Switches.

Cherry MX Key Switch Attack Button.Six Fully Programmable Hotkeys.Four Custom Profiles sets.Four distinct LED lighting cues, for indication of the current profile.Customizable 16.8 million color LED taillight for each profile.On The Fly DPI Switching.Size: 123 mm / 4.84” (Length) x 73 mm / 2.87” (Width) x 42 mm / 1.65” (Height) Weight: 105 g / 0.23 lbs

 

 

System Requirements:

 

PC with USB port

Windows 7 / Windows Vista / Windows XP

Internet connection (for driver installation)At least 80MB of hard disk space

The product we are reviewing in this article has been shipped in a black mysterious box, with a small silver triangle on one of the sides:

 

 

 

On top of the enclosure we will see the embossed mouse name "Hellion"; the name Hellion comes from the Starcraft game and is a four-wheeler with a flamethrower fitted, which produces impressive damage through enemy troops. Their impressive acceleration allows for improvisational tactics in the field:

 

 

 

On an opposite side, we will also find the LEETGION logo:

 

 

 

The bottom side of the external packaging reveals the Technical Specifications list, along with the System Requirements and Package Contents

 

 

 

If we look through the plastic window triangle, we will see a red button with an aggressive design:

 

 

 

By removing the first packaging layer, we'll see that the box is split in two identical parts:

 

 

 

Inside we will find the Hellion mouse, with an extra plastic cover on top:

 

 

 

Besides the mouse, inside we'll also find an User Manual, along with an extra pair of mouse feet:

 

 

 

To avoid scratches during transport of the plastic surface, LEETGION have also covered the back side of the mouse with a transparent plastic film, which must be removed before the first use:

 

 

 

The mouse resembles the Hellion vehicle quite good, preserving the original colors and most of the design elements:

 

 

 

On the rear side of the body we have a LEETGION logo which lights up in different colors and a tail light which signals DPI changes or lights up differently, depending on which profile we have selected:

 

 

 

The DPI selector buttons are located also at the back side of the mouse, an interesting placement choice by LEETGION:

 

 

 

The red "Attack" button can be seen on the left side of the mouse; further to the front, we will locate a part of the aluminum chassis, meant to increase the durability of the product:

 

 

 

The right side sports a similar design, but without the extra button; on the corners of the left and right mouse button, we will find one extra black programmable button:

 

 

 

Looking at the front, we'll find the LED lighted Hellion logo, along with the scroll wheel. The entire top paint finish is made in such a way so you would believe that it's entirely made of aluminum:

 

 

 

On the bottom side of the mouse, we will see the 4 feet, along with the Avago 9500 laser sensor lens, which is not centered, but placed sightly to the left:

 

 

 

The "Race Switcher" is a circular profile selector, which is easy to operate; here we have options to select between the Default, Terran, Zerg, Protoss and a Custom profile:

 

 

 

The mouse cable is fully braided, for extra durability:

 

 

 

The cable ends with a gold plated USB connector, which is also themed:

 

 

After connecting the mouse to a spare USB port from the test computer, we have seen that the generic drivers have been installed in a couple of seconds; however, for using the advanced mouse features, we also had to download the LEETGION Hellion Configurator software, from the website:

 

 

 

The software interface is split into multiple tabs, for adjusting different mouse settings; in the Button Assignment tab, we can choose Macros or other different functions for the buttons:

 

 

 

 

The Adjust Performance buttons allows setting the DPI Values, X/Y Axis, Polling Rate, Scroll Speed, Pointer Speed or Double Click speed. Here we also have a test area for adjusting the optimal double click setting:

 

 

 

From the Macro Management screen, we are able to record different sequences, insert delays, record delays or discard them; the number of repetitions can be also set here:

 

 

 

 

The Light Management tab allows us to set the tail light for the profile; if the selected light will only flash once at the back after we hit apply and the previous color will still be on in the end, then this is a signal that the profile we have modified is not the one we have selected with the wheel from the bottom of the mouse:

 

 

When powered up, we will see the mouse light up in quite a few places: the tail, the back logo, the sides and also on the upper side:

 

 

 

 

The Hellion logo lights up the same color as the sides and the logo on the back:

 

 

 

When modifying profiles, we can only alter the tail light, and not the others; the Leetgion logo, side lights and top Hellion logo will remain with their pre-defined colors (which change depending on the profile we are in, by rotating the bottom wheel selector or race wheel):

 

 

 

Here are some more examples of the colors we can use:

 

 

 

 

Let's try and wrap up a bit the information we have picked while testing and reviewing the mouse; regarding the software, it is simple to use and it goes together with the Race Selector on the bottom (profile switcher).

We have a total of 5 profile to choose from:

 

- Default - which cannot be modified in any way (like a read-only profile)

- Terran - suitable for using with the Terran race in SC2, fully editable, blue light

- Zerg - suitable for using when playing with Zergs, also fully editable, purple light

- Protoss - suitable for using with Protoss race, fully editable, yellow light

- Custom - a profile for customizing the button functions as we decide, like the default.

 

If we have looked upon the R.A.T. mice in the past, we may think that this one also allows movement of the back side, but it is not the case (forcing the movement of the top chassis forward or backwards may only end in the destruction of the mouse). The mechanical "ATTACK" button (Cherry MX blue) is responsive enough, but it is a little wobbly and until we get used to the design, we could be tempted to press it by mistake (we needed about 2-3 hours to get fully accustomed with the mouse shape). Besides this, the Hellion seems very sturdy and ergonomic, suitable for a palm grip and light.

 

The other programmable buttons are placed ingeniously and they are not out of reach; LEETGION has also to chosen to include some small black DPI up/down buttons on the tail for changing the settings on the fly.

 

While we liked a lot working with this mouse, we have two recommendations for the next iteration and that is the ability to change the mouse LED light colors completely, not only the tail and even to add effects like pulse, heart beat and so on; the second one would be an adjustable weight system, since some gamers may prefer a heavier chassis in some situations.

 

The mouse can be bought online for about 75 Euros.

 

LEETGION Hellion Gaming Mouse Recommended For:

 

 

 

I would like to thank again to LEETGION for making this review possible!