Mice that don't need pads

What are some good mobile/gaming/both mice for which mousepads are unnecessary? They can be used smoothly on virtually any surface and without eventually scuffing up said surface?

Specifically, I'm wondering about the Orochi and the Alienware TactX, but input about any mouse would be appreciated.

The system I'd be using it with is a Bluetooth-capable M11xR2, if anyone's curious.

 

Logitech Performance MX and Anyway Mouse MX which have dark field laser tracking. ^.^v

 

Just about any mouse with an optical or laser sensor can be used on a surface without a mousepad. Almost all mice these days have "feet" on them made of silicon, which slides smoothly over just about any surface. They will not scratch up the surface of your desk unless you happen to have a piece of sand or dirt caught between the mouse "feet" and the desk surface - but even in that case, you'll probably feel the sand before you do any damage to your desk.

If you happen to have a desk that either has 0% light reflection (glass) or 100% light reflection (mirror or highly polished granite), then a regular laser or optical mouse will probably not track very well. In those cases, you will need a Logitech mouse that supports Darkfield technology, such as the Logitech Anywhere MX or the Logitech Performance MX. If your desk is made of any other material (laminate, wood, metal, etc), then you do not need to worry about this.

As a fellow Alienware M11x R2 owner - I can easily tell you that the mouse to get is the Logitech G700 mouse. It is easily one of the best and most portable mice out on the market out right now, for either wired or wireless mouse (it operates at full performance in either mode)

As for the mice you listed - I can safely tell you to stay far far away from the Razer Orochi. The biggest flaw of that mouse is that in Bluetooth mode, it has an annoying sleep timer that puts the mouse into power saving mode after 3 seconds of inactivity. If you move the mouse after it has gone into sleep mode, there will be noticeable lag until the mouse wakes back up and re-establishes the Bluetooth mode. Extremely annoying in gaming. Razer fanboys and apologists will tell you "Hey, if you want to game, use wired mode!" But the way I figure it... why spend money on a mouse that is a decent wired mouse and a half-assed wireless mouse? Why not buy the Logitech G700, which is superior to the Orochi in every single way?

As for the Alienware TactX - it is a re-branded Logitech G9X mouse (which is a fantastic mouse), with Alienware lighting on it. If you like wired mice, and you like AlienFX lighting, then go for it. But personally, I'd rather give up the lights and buy the Logitech G700, which I feel is a superior mouse.

 

Hell yeah . . . Logitech G700 rocks !!!

 

Heck yeah it does.

I seriously cannot think of another mouse that is better than the G700 in any way, shape, or form... except maybe the Cyborg Rat 7, if you are into that kind of thing.

 

Thanks a lot for the input so far. I didn't know there was so much love for the G700. And I understand the Orochi should be wired for gaming, but what other Bluetooth competition does it really have? Even if only outside of gaming? I'm not only considering BT mice, but I'd still like to know. The mouse I'm using now is the ~$20 Dell BT travel mouse. It was actually near-perfect when I used it with my M1730 which is now long gone. But, I find that it lags a lot in some games on the M11x. It also definitely needs a mousepad. I just use a painted black wooden desk from Target, but the mouse is very jittery directly on it.

 

lol as soon as i saw the title of this thread i remembered a mouse i saw a while back... it was... weird

DealExtreme: $21.30 Cool Ring-Style Fingertip Wireless Optical Mouse

 

Just because it is Bluetooth, and Bluetooth is the "newest" wireless technology, does not automatically make it better. In fact, Bluetooth technology is one of the WORST mouse connectivity technologies.

If you're talking about mice in general, then wired mice are by far the best mice in terms of pure performance and convenience. They always operate at full performance, and never have batteries that need recharging / replacing.

After wired mice, you have 2.4Ghz wireless. On the high-end of 2.4Ghz wireless, you have some high polling rate mice. The Logitech G700 falls into this camp, with polling rates as high as 1000Hz (1ms response time). Low-end 2.4Ghz wireless mice operate at default polling rates of 125Hz (8ms response time).

And at the very bottom of the connectivity technologies is Bluetooth. Just like low-end 2.4Ghz wireless, Bluetooth operates at 125Hz (8ms response times). The Razer Orochi is probably the "best" mouse in this category, but "best" is relative. There is the annoying 3-second sleep timer, the 8ms lag time, and the relatively low 2000dpi engine when running in Bluetooth mode. Just about the only reason to ever buy a Bluetooth mouse is if you don't want to give up a USB port. Or, you are a total Razer fanboy who has bought into their marketing, and are absolutely convinced that paying for their absolutely useless "1337 g4M3rZ features" like gold-plated USB connectors or the ability to turn your wired Orochi mouse into a half-assed wireless Bluetooth mouse somehow makes a better mouse.

In short, nobody who is serious about mice buys a Bluetooth mouse. They either go with wired, or high-performance 2.4Ghz wireless. Even Razer Orochi apologists and fanboys will tell you that they use wired mode when they need serious mouse performance, because the Bluetooth mode sucks for anything that requires your mouse to operate at peak performance.

 

I see. Thank you for the detailed information.

 

Any issues with the Logitech Anywhere MX mouse and RTS games? I need a portable mouse that can also be used reliably for gaming (no FPS though). The fact that it can be used on glass is a huge plus for me.

 

Shouldnt be any issues, you probably wont need the high dpi or high responce time for RTS games.

 

I own the Alienware TactX, which is an amazing mouse. But id go with the G700, which is wireless and best for portability. But the TactX (logitech g9x) is the best wired mouse out there imo.

 

After looking at all the suggested mice and considering the advice in this topic, I'm leaning towards the Anywhere MX. The receiver appears so tiny that I can leave it in the system at all times, and I like the sound of the Darkfield technology. Could probably get away with never using a mousepad with it. I just like how overall compact and portable it seems to be. But do you suppose it is sufficient for shooters? I don't need the most responsive and precise mouse in the world, but it at least shouldn't noticeably lag or stutter.

 

No mouse requires a mouse pad, but all will benefit from one.

The Anywhere MX has a response time of 8ms, standard for most USB wireless mice. By comparison, most "gaming" mice have 1ms, and Bluetooth has 14ms.

 

No-one's responded to the scuffing? I think any mouse will end up wearing the surface it's moused on - take a look at even a hard-surface mouse pad after a few months of use and you'll see wear, even in the case of glass (which will be scratched, not necessarily worn as such) due to constant abrasion.

 

Yes, the Logitech AnywhereMX would probably do the trick for you. If you're looking for a small, compact, portable mouse that can mouse on any surface, then the AnywhereMX is a good choice. The performance isn't as high as a "gaming" mouse (app 1700dpi and 125Hz USB polling rate), but it is sufficient for general productivity use and gaming. Unless you are a hardcore FPS player, you most likely will not be able to tell the difference between this and a high-end gaming mouse with high DPI and polling rates.

Personally, I use the Logitech Performance MX when I am travelling, which has almost identical specs to the Anywhere MX. The only major differences between the Anywhere MX and the Performance MX is the larger size, which I prefer for ergonomic reasons. The Performance MX also has a rechargeable battery in it, while the Anywhere MX has replaceable AA batteries.