Your Blog, I like it.
I just got a Microsoft Habu mouse (basically a Razer mouse rebranded to Microsoft and it’s also for right handed users finally) for $45, it has the DPI toggle buttons, and I love it so far. My previous mouse was a Logitech MX510.
The Logitech G9 looks ugly (I tried the similarly shaped Microsoft Sidewinder mouse and it felt so awkward) so I don’t know why anyone would bother with it… the G5 is decent but I didn’t like the side button placements at all (they are just like MX510). The Habu’s side button placements are nicer IMHO because by default your thumb will be over the top button only and you’ll have to move it down to reach the lower side button.
I’m also a heavy TF2 gamer so I respect a good gaming mouse.
Ya know, I was gonna start this thread myself today, because I’ve been mouse shopping. Good to see there was no need.
Ok, so I’ve got an mx518 on my desk that I’ve used a long time - long enough to wear the paint off the logitech medallion. I also have a Razer Deathadder. I wanted to love that mouse but two issues: one, it’s far too slippery on the sides so I stuck a bandaid under where my pinky rests so I didn’t cramp my hand squeezing it to pick it up. Two, it’s too low profile and my pinky drags on the mousepad. To fix the slippery sides, I got some 220 grit sandpaper and just took the shine off the sides of the Razer. That fixed the issue pretty quick.
I wanted a mouse that would fill my hand so I didn’t get claw cramp from holding too narrow of a mouse with my palm arched over it. I got a MS 6000, which is a 30 deg tilted mouse that fits in your hand like a baseball and I thought OMG this will be perfect. The problem is, like all mice that take AA batteries, once you put batteries in it it’s a friggin 10lb brick and I can’t move it with the precision I can a light wired mouse. So it’s sitting there gathering dust. Wouldn’t be so bad but all the weight is in the back, so when you go to lift it with thumb and pinky it rolls backwards in your hand.
So I returned to the mx518 because even though it’s a little narrow for my hand, the raised rubber ridge above the pinky and thumb make it pretty effortless to hang onto while you’re gaming.
I use a Logitech trackman wireless trackball at work on my mac, so I avoid all this at the office. I switched over to that because I was getting “mouse shoulder” pretty bad. Didn’t realize such a thing existed until I was pretty miserable and the doctor told me what was up.
Anyway - I want to find a mouse that has the same light weight as an mx518 or Razer Deathadder, has nice rubberized sides, but is just a touch wider. Maybe the width of your pinky wider than a 518. I saw a Targus one at Circuit City that was pretty much that, but they were out of them and it was a AA-battery wireless so I know that’s the kiss of death there.
I just want something I can rest my whole hand on when I want to, but also do precise fingertip manipulation of as well, and easily pick the thing up without cramping the hell out of my hand after a few hours.
Additional mouse opinion:
MX Revolution: Great mouse, but I had severe reception problems with the usb dongle. But, my usb hub is like 2 ft from where the mouse was, with no obstructions in between. Drove me fuckin nuts. Gave it away. Also, too narrow but did a good job of filling my palm. Easy to pick up. Pinky dragged on the mousepad badly.
Logitech Mouseman+ Wheel: Ancient ball mouse with PS2 cord. Oh god how I loved this mouse. I got to the point where I needed optical and USB so I finally abandoned it. But, it had all the correct shape attributes to make me 100% pleased. This is not the redesigned version that looks like the 600 series logitech of today, either.
It’s THIS beast:
See how big and grippy that thing was? Damn I miss that mouse. Too bad logitech makes everything look like a vw beetle now.
MX 1000: Loved how it fit my hand. Too heavy. I’d be perfectly happy if they remade the body style of this thing just about 1/2 the weight. It was sorta a brick. Best wireless mouse I’ve owned though. Hey, here’s a thought - make a light wired mouse in this thing’s case.
I’ve heard terrible things about the G7 mice. Batteries lose their capacity in a few months, can’t buy replacements from Logitech, etc. Truth? It looks like a cordless G5 pretty much, but I liked the idea of swappable batteries that charge outside the mouse. Docking the mouse is the #1 bummer of a cordless.
For a great alternative to those mentioned above: I chose a Logitech LX7. 2 years later and I couldn’t be happier. I specifically wanted one without the thumb buttons on the side. Works well if you’re left handed or just want a symmetrical mouse.
I like my MX1000 too, but it is way too heavy for gaming. I’m considering the Habu. Seems to have some fans here.
Seconded. VX Revolution is the perfect notebook mouse. It may be a little big for some, but it pays off with the added buttons and ergonomics.
Is the habu really any different from the shape of the Deathadder? Kinda looks the same if not smaller in pictures.
Looks like the same mouse to me, with additional habu-bling.
I decided to undertake The Great Experiment today and ordered a Evoluent VM3R2. This is a giant brick of a vertical ergo mouse. Buddy of mine has one, loves it for gaming oddly. I was up at his house a month ago and fiddled with it some and didn’t find it offensive. Pros - fills your whole hand when you want it to, can be fingertip controlled, amazingly featherweight given the hugeness of it, and has a guard at the bottom specifically to keep your pinky from contacting the desk. Yippie.
I’ll review in depth next week.
I did a side by side of the G9 and the Sidewinder, here
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000977.html
short story: G9 is the best mouse I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned a LOT. Like, really, a lot. (Prior to this, I owned the Habu, which is a fine mouse in its own right, but it is no G9).
Try this… fire up COD4 or any other FPS with a pistol. Map fire to mousewheel up or down. Set that thing to free-wheelin’ and see how fast you can rip a clip out of that 9mm.
Shhh… don’t tell anybody about that, they’ll get pissed off in ladder matches.
So I got the G5. It’s a tad on the large side so Christmas list gets the Habu and other Cylon-shaped mouse you recommend.
It’s default 2000 dpi is a tad higher than the 1600 dpi I am used to, so I tried the included software to map it to 1600 dpi. I read that it’s software interpolated so accuracy would suffer, but it’s worked out pretty good for me. Is it really that bad, or marketing hoopla?
Damn, now I regret landing at the opposite conclusion from Wumpus’ and sending the G9 to John Merva as secret Santa.
(I hope you still like it, John)
The mousewheel trick works with any mousewheel of course… just the free-spinning ones are more sexay about it.
Never heard about that, and never had any issues with lower resolutions. Sounds like an urban myth to me.
By the way, you don’t need any drivers for that mouse. You can change the accuracy directly with the resolution buttons on the mouse. That’s a hardware function and works without any special mouse drivers.
Thanks!
Right, it’s just that the default mapping is 2000 dpi on top, 800 ? for middle, and 400 for lowest. The included is software is neat because I just made 1600 the default (middle) and added a 400 dpi at bottom just in case I ever felt like sniping.
Default is important, otherwise everytime I wake my computer up it goes back to that middle 800ish DPI setting.
I’m a bit of a mouse addict and regularly buy other mice just to try 'em out. After initially dismissing the G9 over its bulky odd shape, wumpus has me considering it again.
Here are the mice I’ve tried in recent years (realizing wisefool already picked up the G5):
Razer Deathadder: I picked this up with my new PC last year to give it a shot and it’s an all-around decent mouse. It is not as bulbous as Logitech’s G5/518 design so your hand rests more flatly on the mouse. Some may find this more comfortable. The two side buttons are superior to the ones on the G5/518, I think, being both larger and easier to reach (especially the first one that is nearest to your thumb). The scrollwheel is good and scrolls easily – perhaps too easily as I find it will often scroll a bit when I use it as a middle mouse button. The Razer software interface is ugly and clumsy, a triumph of “edgy” style over substance.
Logitech G7: I wanted to give a cordless mouse a chance and the G7 (now discontinued but still out there in some places) seemed a good bet since it uses the same shell as the 518/G5. On the plus side, it is not heavy as a brick thanks to the light Li-ion battery it uses. Negatively, the battery gets drained pretty quickly. The mouse actually comes with two so you can have one charging in the combination charger/receiver unit (saving you having to “hang up” the mouse in a cradle to recharge it) and an LED on the mouse will tip you off long before the battery actually dies. Swapping batteries is a snap. I played through all of Titan Quest and its expansion using this mouse and never noticed any lag or other issues regarding response time. The two big negatives for me here are the lack of a second side button (corrected on the current G5) and the “tilt” wheel that lets you scroll horizontally. The tilt wheel is raised higher than a typical scrollwheel to allow it to be pushed left and right. This makes resting a finger on it uncomfortable because the finger arches in a way that is anything but natural. The raised wheel also makes it harder to use as a middle mouse button. As much as I wanted to like the G7, it’s too flawed for me to recommend.
Logitech G5: So I bought a G5, anyway. The main difference between it and the G7 are: it’s corded, has adjustable weights and two side buttons. The overall mouse feel is very much like the MX518 – my favorite mouse for a long time – but it inherits the same horrible mousewheel as the G7. I tried to get used to it but just couldn’t.
I’ll probably offer my take on the G9 soon. I hear its siren song squeak to me.
This thread is like an AA meeting, except we’re encouraging each other to try different beers.
Glad I’m not the only person in need of a 12-step mouse fetish program.
Can somebody explain mouse accuracy to me? I’ve never had trouble moving any mouse by exactly 1 pixel on the screen, so what would a higher resolution do for me?
When you have a high-resolution display and a low-resolution mouse you can’t move the mouse pointer all across the screen without lifting the mouse off the surface. You could compensate with a high pointer speed setting in the mouse driver but that makes the pointer very inaccurate. A high-resolution mouse lets you move the pointer quickly with very small mouse movements while still remaining accurate.
You don’t need a high-resolution mouse if you have a low-resolution screen, or if you’re one of those FPS players who think picking up and slamming down the mouse repeatedly is the right way to use it.
You’ll love the G9 mouse wheel! It’s a solid metal wheel with a rubber surface, no side scrolling functionality (which is rarely used anyway), and a wonderful mechanism that moves very easily yet hits the notches very precisely.