Mice discussion time! (So we don't hijack the P870DM3 thread... further)

I am using my tablet as my mouse sometimes. Works nice, but it does consume the tips a bit fast.

It's impossible to play Dota2 with a tablet though. Mostly because it shifts the controls for the game and I cannot do my basic actions.

But drawing tablets are awesome!

 

Thanks to you I got one as well. Played a bit FarCry 3 - it's pretty good, but it can be stressful on the wrist. For an occasional on-the-coach gaming fix it's more than adequate, better than the MX Revolution for sure. As a mouse - it's a free-wheel short of awesome, too bad that there are no such mice (trackball + free-wheel scroll). The Revo still is my main desktop mouse, the M570 is the everywhere else one. Still wondering what should replace the aging Revo - MX Master (more comfortable, better battery life (than G900)) or G900 (not going to make use of the awesome sensor, but has more buttons and DPi settings)?

 

Yes for travel and couch-top computing I really like the trackball. I agree that they could do a lot better (like adding a free-wheel), but at least it is relatively cheap

I wouldn't mind trying a real mouse at some point - but I can't wrap my brain around the price of some of them.

 

Oh, BTW, I got G502 after all that struggle.

The free scroll wheel, as gimmicky as it might seem, is something I cannot live without right now!!!

 

So, after about 2 years with my Logitech G302 Daedalus Prime, which was a really wonderful mouse, it went missing at work. Most likely some (insert colourful descriptors) stole it, and I decided it was time for an upgrade. Since there was an Amazon Warehouse Sale, I went for the G900, which costed about GBP60-70 on sale.

First impressions... damn this is some sick boxing! The cloth braided wire is excellent, somewhat too long actually. The mouse has a nice weight to it, and fits my claw grip quite well off the bat. I'll need some time to get accustomed to it, but not bad for a start.

The front keys: LR clicks are as awesome as the G302. The scroll... it's not bad at all. However, the clicks on the scroll wheel are quite hit and miss. It could be the way my middle finger does the clicks, but I am not very happy with it. The left scroll click feels... soft... almost the right amount of pressure for a middle click but on the soft side. The right scroll click is a bit too stiff, and for some reason not easily accessible. The main scroll click is the biggest bugger. It's so difficult to access it without accidentally side scroll clicking -- it's far too stiff. The free scroll is not bad at all. For some reason free scrolling up is slower than free scrolling down, but that's also partly an anatomical/physiological effect so that's still somewhat forgivable.

edit: I found out how to properly operate the scroll wheel buttons. You're intended to have your middle finger press right at the edge of the scroll i.e. literally having the ball of your middle finger on top of the mechanical switch, then using the fingertip to press the scroll wheel. That way you won't misclick onto the sides, and will activate the middle scroll click accurately. The right scroll click still feels a little stiff unfortunately.

The side keys: Not bad. They have pretty good response. As a right handed mouse user, I actually appreciate the existence of right side buttons. I'm rather disappointed that they didn't have a dedicated thumb shift-key (to give 12/13 buttons) but at the same time I can also understand that to do that replaceable button/cover for the shift-key would make the mouse much less slick and appealing. I'm of the opinion that buttons should be provided for the full range of thumb sweeping motion (i.e. 3 buttons). Those magnets though... pretty damn strong, like those magnets holding down the keyboard of the Clevo laptops. No worries about losing those keys.

Other buttons: The scroll-shift mechanical key is satisfyingly clicky, but a little too loud. The DPI shift buttons (or rather, as they are set by default and would be for most users), is rather tiny, but otherwise functional.

The body: quite comfortable. I might still say that the G302 is more comfortable in my hand, but that could also have been because I've used it for so long. It's also a little long... but I guess that's why it's called a mouse because it's as long as a mouse of this size!

Final comments: I'm not a DPI maniac so I'd say that, for 800 - 2.4K DPI, this mouse works with impeccable precision and smoothness. The wireless works very well too, or rather very well for a conventional user. The Logitech software is a little fiddly to work with on some aspects, and I'm a little annoyed they can't give me a colour cycling + breathing pattern. Oh well. I've not tested the surface optimisation, not that it's going onto many different surfaces so I'm not so bothered about that.

The G900 appears to be the mouse that caters to everyone, while cutting no corners, but the resulting corners might not be shaped the way some people want. Is it worth 100 pounds (original price)? Not really. Is it worth 80? Yeah, probably. Is it worth 60-70 pounds on a sale? Hell yeah. But if you're a dedicated right handed mouse user, you may want to look for something else. If you're on a budget, get the G302/G303/G403, or even the G502. You won't die without the free scroll wheel, to be honest. If anything, I wished that Logitech would beef up the G302/G303, be more generous with the keys, no don't put that fancy optional weights, and just keep that sensor and those awesome keys. That would be an award winning mouse. It's not about the frills, it's about the greatest and best qualities in the most appropriate package.

Hadriel
p.s. and no, I don't think the G903/G703 are worth their extra cost, much less before the ++.

 

WUT, you had your beloved G302 stolen, and then didn't buy the G303 which is the same shape as the G302 but has a better sensor than the G302, and instead you got the G900 which is a completely different beast being an expensive massive hulking, heavy and unwieldy behemoth of a mouse?! G302/G303 is mainly for fingertip & claw grip, G900 is palm grip, so an unusual switch you made. (G303 is the best mouse for me I've ever used; I used G9x and Corsair M45 before)

 

Well mostly because the G303 was not much cheaper than the G900, especially now with the sale. If the cost were lower I'd have gotten back the G302 again, but nevermind my wish list was described above.
The G900 is heavier I admit, but I'm fairly ok with the palm grip, getting used to it. The transformation from the claw to the palm grip is really quite small, and the range of physical movement I need from my mouse is quite small so they're pretty much the same. The size is actually beneficial because it gives me something to rest some of my muscles on (but that's also because the palm size from the claw on the G302 fits the palm on the G900 exactly).

To be a little more precise, the way I use my mouse is that the wrist is always on the mouse mat, while the fingers move the mouse. This way, my default is the claw, but it transforms into either the palm or the fingertip grip as I move the mouse. So in this respect, the grip doesn't really matter, except for tiny portable mice like my backup mouse. This is my second serious mouse after all, so it is worth having more experience with difference mice, whether it's a good or bad or average experience.

I also notice that the side scroll buttons are kind of designed to be pressed by the index and the middle fingers for their respective directions. For the past day I've been trying to do all 3 with my middle finger, but turns out it's actually not so stiff feeling if I right scroll press with my index finger. The main scroll click is still less than perfect, but at least now I'm understanding the mouse a bit more.

Hadriel
p.s. also, mice are such adorable things... if they don't bite you =P

 

I move the mouse in a similar way to you with the bottom of my palm/wrist resting on the mouse mat, and using the fingers to move the mouse as well as slight wrist rotation, and I do lift it occasionally when needed - generally high sensitivity gamer in first person shooters (12 or 13cm per 360 degrees - can't remember which unless I measure it again!). In my case a large mouse would reduce the range of movement possible using just fingertips.

 

The extra buttons and free scroll wheen on G502 have been quite awesome for me, if anyone is eyeing it lately. It goes on sale often and has the best sensor that exists out there. The only downside, maybe, is that it is a little bit heavy and that its scroll wheel got some of the paint off, so I might be able to write about logitech interaction as well a little bit later.