Redragon is a pretty well-known brand around the world for gamers. The hardware and accessory brand offers some affordable gaming and streaming equipment that manages to hold up quite well when it comes to the features they pack. Most importantly, the brand’s diverse collection of items makes it one to look out for when shopping for new gaming equipment.
Syntech, the South African distributor for Redragon sent over a box of equipment for me to test out. If anything, the box contained some essentials that users would need to get into the streaming game. Or, if you’re just a gamer and are looking for some new accessories. The package included the Redragon Apex USB Streaming Webcam, Redragon Neptune RGB Gaming Mouse Pad, Redragon Zeus 2 All in One Gaming Headset, Redragon Lonewolf 2 Gaming Mouse, and a Redragon Ratri mechanical keyboard.
In short, everything I mentioned are essentials when gaming. You need a mouse and mouse pad. You need a keyboard and headset and if you’re looking at streaming and putting your face on your channel then you’re in need of a webcam.
Instead of reviewing each of these devices in detail, I wanted to instead put together a showcase of how it feels to completely change my gaming setup from a liquorice allsorts of Razer, Logitech and other PC brands, to a Redragon-only setup. Of course, going with Redragon means you get the same sort of design feel across the board no matter what device you are using. Everything compliments each other and you know you’re using a Redragon device thanks to its design.
Redragon Ratri Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
First off we have the Redragon Ratri mechanical keyboard. This gaming keyboard retails for R1,499 in SA and boasts some nifty features. For starters, R1,499 is not a lot to ask for a keyboard these days. Especially when you look at the likes of Razer and Logitech who barely touch below R2,000 when it comes to their RGB mechanics keyboards.
The Redragon Ratri boasts silent switch buttons which means it is a lot quieter than other gaming keyboards on the market and they aren’t lying. The Redragon Ratri is a stealthy keyboard that manages to keep the loud click sounds down to a minimum while still maintaining a satisfying feeling throughout its use. Don’t get me wrong, it still makes a noise but the sound you hear while typing and gaming is a day and night difference compared to other keyboards.
The Redragon Ratri is also fully customizable in two ways. Users can remove every single keycap and switch from the keyboard set which is great for cleaning and replacing them. Redragon also stocks replaceable keycaps in sets which lets users completely remove every key and replace them with another type of switch. While Redragon did not send me a set to test, I have seen a few in the past. There are some fancy-looking red metallic keys that replace the WASD batch and even entire new sets.
On paper, this concept sounds great. It lets you buy one keyboard and get some add-ons later down the line. I am not completely sure how limited the feature is when it comes to what keyboard support which keys but given the Redragon Ratri keys can be completely removed, it is most likely supported.
On the box, the Redragon Ratri claims to have media keys but it is not the case. Instead, these media keys are embedded into the function keys themselves so there’s no real fancy feature here. Most notebooks and keyboard feature the same thing.
Then there’s the lighting which is generally decent. By default, the Redragon Ratri includes the standard RGB ring glow around the keyboard that rotates in the rainbow colours. This can be changed by decreasing and increasing the speed at which it rotates. The keyboard relies on making use of the Fn key and combining it with a range of other keys in order to change the lighting effects of the ring and keys. It so confusing but over time, users will find their way around it.
For example, there are 13 different ways to change the lighting. Fn + Insert does one thing, Fn + PgDown does another thing and there are even ways to increase and decrease the brightness using the direction keys. A customizable software would have gone a long way here to make this much more user friendly. Not to mention easier to use and understand. The key combinations are just tough to get the hang of.
Overall, the Redragon Ratri quality is pretty great. The RGB lighting, while helluva confusing to get used to, is bright and high quality. Once I found my preset I left it that way and enjoyed using the keyboard. General use was superb thanks to its kickstand that makes tilts it up ever so slightly and the key presses were satisfying. You can’t go wrong with the price here for what you get.
Redragon Lonewolf 2
Next up is the Redragon Lonewolf 2 which is another fantastic gaming mouse. It packs on-the-fly DPI changing, RGB, and nine buttons. You get the usual left and right-click, DPI up and down, scroll wheel click, two side buttons and an interesting Rapid Fire button which Redragon claims is a button that clicks the left click three times when you click it once.
The general build quality of the Redragon Lonewolf 2 is quite decent. Redragon has included an optional and removable weight at the bottom of the device which can be removed to make it lighter. This weight is only 10 grams so you’re not getting a drastic change here when removing the weight. With it, the Redragon Lonewolf 2 weighs 120 grams and without it, it weighs 110 grams. Quite a heavy gaming mouse with or without it.
It would have been nice to have this removable plate act as an extra slide pad when flipped around to give it a bit more functionality. Users could have flipped it over to make the mouse faster while gliding across a mouse pad. It would have just been the cherry on top of an awesome mouse.
If you have ever used a gaming mouse before then there’s nothing majorly different here about the Redragon Lonewolf 2. It does what it needs to do. There are 9 buttons and two scroll methods in total here. Redragon says the mouse uses Omron switches which promise over 20 million clicks. Again, quite decent for its price tag. Even if there are gaming mice out there that boost 80+ million now.
The overall design is also basic and effective. The braided cable is a meter long which is enough to wrap around your gaming setup. The RGB shoots up the side, through the front vents, on the logo and the mouse wheel. It is just enough RGB to make it look great without it being too much.
Unlike the keyboard that relies solely on pressing a bunch of buttons to customize it, the Redragon Lonewolf 2 has a software where users can tweak the lighting and the 5 different DPI toggles. It is important to note that you don’t ever need to use this app. The mouse on its own comes with some great lighting profiles and the DPI toggle range from 1000 – 16,000 DPI which was enough for me. I only downloaded the app to see how it worked.
The Redragon Lonewolf 2 app lets you change the RGB brightness, double click speed, acceleration, pointer speed and so much more. If you’re not happy with how it is functioning when you take it out of the box, you can tweak it here. There are also five profiles where you can save what you have done so you don’t have to tweak it all over again. The software is also easy to understand and get around. I remember playing with the Gamdias apps and they were horrendous. It is nice to see Redragon make it simple for users.
So what do I think about the Redragon Lonewolf 2? It is a fantastic gaming mouse. It does what it needs to do without including features you don’t need. Redragon clearly took the top features of most gaming mice on the market and packed them into one affordable device. The 3,2000 DPI is great, the programmable buttons can tailor the experience for every user and the fact that it costs less than R800 is impressive.
Redragon Neptune RGB Gaming Mouse Pad
If you are using a gaming mouse then you probably need a mouse pad and Redragon has a pretty awesome Nepture mouse pad for gamers. It is a full-desk pad that measures 80cm by 30cm and is 3mm thin. The mouse pad also includes an RGB strip that wraps around the edges and lights up. The lighting can be changed by the press of a button on the controller system at the top right-hand corner of the pad.
It includes 9 lighting profiles which range from glows to a breathing effect that runs up and around the sides of the pad. The Redragon Neptune mouse pad is powered by USB C which is great news and something I was quite shocked by. Especially given how bigger tech brands are still releasing gaming hardware in 2021 with a Micro USB port.
The wire is just over 150cm long and plugs into the hub. Once plugged in and powered on, the mouse pad glows. There is a range of solid colour glows on the Redragon Neptune pad including red, green, yellow etc. There’s also a slow transition glow which is most likely the one you will use. It slowly fades across the colour spectrum so you’re not stuck with one solid light. The lighting quality was generally decent. You can clearly see the LEDs in the ribbon that wraps around the edges but they are bright and effective.
As for the pad itself, it includes a non-slip button and a nano-texture cloth surface. I really want to say the surface is a magical experience unlike any other mouse pad out the market but that is not the case. Instead, it is pretty much like every other mousepad out there and does its job. It is smooth, smells good and gets dirty really quickly. Something all mousepads suffer from.
The general quality is top-notch but don’t expect anything out of this world here. The mouse pad works and works well. The size means it will cover the full desk and your keyboard which is great. Combined with the previous Redragon mouse and keyboard, it all looks pretty superb together.
Redragon Zeus 2 All-in-One Headset
One of my more-favourite devices Redradon sent me was the Zeus 2 gaming headset. This is the H510-1 model that boasts cross-platform support including PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, and Xbox support. It goes without saying that if you game on mobile and your phone still has a 3.5mm jack then you can use it on there too.
Users can pick up the Redragon Zeus 2 for about R1499 which when it comes to gaming headsets, is not bad at all. The design of the Redragon Zeus 2 is as traditional as they come. It sort of reminds me of an aviation headset with its larger earcups and thick padding.
On the top, there’s a soft red headband that holds both earcups. These cups are powered by the two braided cables coming out of both sides. You can move both earcups up and down for about 5cm to adjust the fit. This helps with the overall blocking out of outside noise as well as the overall comfort.
The Redragon Zeus 2 is a comfortable headset. The earcups are extremely soft but don’t mould your ears in any way. This is not a dealbreaker given the headset’s lightweight material. In terms of the build quality, the Redragon Zeus 2 feels great too. The earcups jiggle a little bit on the headband but there’s no squeaking sound or anything overly distracting.
In the box, you also get the attachable extras that are needed to work the headset. By default, there’s nothing plugged into the Redragon Zeus 2. Instead, the microphone is plugged in and the audio jack attaches into the port. There’s also a microphone and audio splitter for setups that require two separate ports. The function buttons are all on a braided USB cable where users can turn up and down the volume and mute and unmute the microphone.
Basically, everything you need to use the Redragon Zeus 2 is in the box but at the same time, not all of it will work for your setup. One issue I had was the lack of function buttons for the console. This is due to the buttons only being placed on the USB cable which has limited support on anything but PC. On PS5, the USB cable works but I can’t turn the volume up and down. I could only mute the microphone. A more universal approach to the 3.5mm cable would have made this a great headset that just works across all platforms.
Still, the overall performance of the headset holds up quite well. The sound is clear and the 53mm drivers do a great job delivering clear sound. One thing I did notice was the lack of decent bass. While the drivers are good, you’re not going to get a tremendous amount of bass and treble here. When it comes to the microphone, I was extremely impressed by how clear it was. Even at a distance away from my mouth, the microphone quality was crackle-free and clear. Very impressive from a headset at this price range.
Overall, I think the Redragon Zeus 2 is a fantastic headset especially given that it costs what it does. Do I wish there was better cross-platform support when it came to cables and what works where? Definitely but it is nothing you can’t live without.
Redragon Apex HD Camera
The last piece of Redragon tech I had to test was the Apex HD USB Streaming Camera. Now, you probably know this but streaming cameras are massive these days not only due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where everyone is attending meetings, lessons, or even dating online but also due to the mass increase in streamers. I am sure you can think of at least three family members or friends who have attempted streaming in the past two years.
But the Redradon HD Streaming Camera, while it is targeted at streamers, makes for a decent budget camera regardless of your need for a camera. If you are looking for a great camera to attend online classes with or even have kids who need one for school lessons. This is it.
The fact that it costs R1300 is also impressive. Logitech’s equivalent can set you back at least R2,00 so the value for money here should sell itself. If you have used a webcam before, the design and feature set of the Redragon GW900 Apex won’t be anything new. The camera comes attached to a swivel mount which can unfold and shape itself in all sorts of positions to fit your set up. If you want to clip it onto a TV, you can. If you want to clip it onto a notebook to replace the often-mediocre webcam there, you can.
The hinge is made up of four foldable plates that include rubber for extra grip. These plates can then be folded up into a flat layout so you can screw in the tripod stand which is also included in the box. The stand is great for those who just want the camera to sit on the desk next to them and not attached to any display.
As for the camera system itself, it looks like any other standard HD webcam. It can rotate a full 360-degrees and move ever so slightly up and down on its gimble. It is powered by USB and once connected it just works. It will integrate into your streaming software and be available through the Windows 10 settings so you can view the quality and adjust the settings. It is all plug and play and it is as easy as switching the microphone input from say, your headset or notebook to the camera.
As for the video quality, it is fairly decent. The camera handles dark rooms well and the overall image quality is fairly good. The camera boasts autofocus which is a good and a bad thing. At times when the lighting is great, this feature focuses without any major hiccups. However, when the room is not super bright, the camera struggles to maintain its focus and you can often see the lens trying to find a subject to focus on.
It is not the end of the world but it would be great to have a way to stick the focus so it stops trying to automatically adjust it all the time. It can be distracting and I could imagine a problem while streaming or trying to make content too. Overall, the Redragon GW900 Apex HD streaming camera is pretty decent. The quality is definitely above what you get on the market for more money and the versatility of the device will make it something all users can look at when on the market for a new webcam.
So there you have it. Our massive Redragon review showcase. If one thing is for sure, the brand definitely offers some fantastic products at a portion of the price compared to other brands on the market. I hate to call them “budget” because they aren’t. I kind of feel like other brands are more expensive and often try and take you for a run whereas Redragon is a humble and authentic brand that has a lot to offer. So next time you are shopping for something PC related, give them a search. You never know what will happen.
You can find out more about these devices down below: