Recommendation for new mouse?

[Avalon]

Hey guys, I used a Logitech MX300 for like 7-8 years, loved the feel, probably due to my small hands. Well, the right click button eventually died, so I went out and bought a G500. While the grip feels super comfortable, I completely suck ass in FPS games now and can't aim. I think it's the way I grip and that the G500 is so much heavier (especially front heavy) than my old mouse, and larger.

Kind of confused as to what to do now...I've had this G500 for 2 months now and gaming hasn't improved, I'm still terrible. Was thinking about trying to get a smaller mouse to closer match my old MX300 experience. Know of anything that would fit the bill?

 

[Vectronic]

Loved my MX500 (same style as G500, less nonsense), for me it was great for gaming, but I don't think they make them anymore. Lasted me 10 years, actually it still worked until I took the Laser/LED out to use as a light...lol

Currently using the M510, wireless, a bit too light... response doesn't seem as good (typical wireless) but it's hard to tell since I also upgraded everything else at the same time, monitor, GPU, CPU, Desk, etc. Also nowhere near into FPS as I used to be, or at all really.

Your problem might be fixed with a few driver tweaks, but typically you'll always be better with what you trained on... try and find another MX300.

The M110 looks similar to the MX300, but is apparently a crappy mouse.

Not much of a recommendation really, but that's my suggestion.

(Also realized they still basically make the MX500, as the G400)

 

[BrightCandle]

The MX300 looks like its got a similar shape to the Microsoft optical mouse, Zowie AM or maybe the Steelseries Kinzu.

 

[lakedude]

try and find another MX300.

^ This

If you find something you like, stay with it.

My "deal" was the CM Storm Sentinel Advance which came FREE with a great deal on a case. Loved it!

When the original free CM mouse died I got a Logitech G9 and hated it (liftoff was way too high). Finally broke down and got a CM Storm Sentinel Advance 2 which I love.

Now I'm not suggesting you get a CM Storm Sentinel Advance 2, I'm suggesting you like what you like, so get another MX300 or the closest thing to it you can find.

 

[lehtv]

I had an MX518 which was pretty nice but not quite perfect due to angle snapping so I moved to a Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical 1.1 which was great for a while until it died. I bought another one, it also died. Decided it was time to move on to a higher DPI and higher refresh rate mouse.

I got a Logitech G500 because it looked similar to MX518. I completely hated the physical design. Wrong shape, badly placed buttons, badly placed sensors, too heavy, too big, bad surface friction. It's still hidden away somewhere in my drawer, I should sell it to some unwary online customer.

My current mouse is a Zowie EC1 Evo. I bought it mainly because of the simplicity it offered but also because I have a Zowie mouse mat that is awesome. This is the most comfortable mouse I've ever used and it has an accurate optical sensor with two side buttons, 1000hz polling rate and no drivers to worry about. But it's not perfect - the scroll is some times a bit squeaky and one of the side buttons stopped working (I will RMA it).

However I'm going to recommend you the Zowie AM-GS. Feature-wise it's similar to EC1 Evo but its shape is symmetrical instead of right-handed.

Hope this helps

 

[Ben90]

I'd be very wary about the Zowie AM. While the sensor in theory is the best on the market, Zowie traded pretty much all positive aspects of it for lower lift off distance. Having any color on your mousepad means it won't track. Rotating the mouse a few degrees on most mousepads means it won't track. If your mousepad is dirty it will not track.

It's not a hyperbole when I say it will skip if there is a grain of salt on your mousepad.

 

[Avalon]

Problem is you can't get the MX300 anymore. Checked ebay and froogle. It's old and gone. From what I've read it appears I've got a claw grip, and that the G500 is meant for palm grips. Coupled with the fact that it's twice as heavy and bigger than my old mouse, I guess it makes sense that I can't seem to handle it.

It looks like the G300 is supposed to be a replacement for the MX300. The extra button placements and mouse wheel look pretty awful, though. Looked at the G400 and was wondering if maybe that would work, I hear it's more for palm grips but not as much as G500 and it is supposed to have a great optical sensor. The G9x seems to be aimed at fingertip grip and is highly rated...not sure how well a claw grip could adjust to that?

*Edit*
Looked at the Zowie Am-GS...looks/sounds good. I've got a clean, black mouse pad. Hmm...
*Edit 2*
Kinzu v2 looks a lot like my old mx300, although with an obviously superior sensor. Lacks the two side buttons of the Zowie but is $15 cheaper.

 

[Bman123]

That may be the worst thing to go thru. Getting a replacement mouse sucks after using a certain one for years. I loved the MX300 I owned and unfortunately mine died too. I am still looking for the right replacement. Please post back if you feel like you've found it as I want to check it out too

 

[lakedude]

Amazon has a used MX300 for $22.99 + $5.13 shipping.

Newegg has the CM Storm Sentinel Advance 2 for only $39.99 after rebate.

The other mice I really like are the Logitech MX "darkfield" series mice. Those things are awesome trackers. Got one for my laptop, love it.

Good luck with whatever you decide...

 

[Avalon]

Hmm, don't really want to pay $28 for something that has probably been used for several years. I'll update the thread when I figure out what to get and actually receive it.

 

[Avalon]

So after countless hours of research (you wouldn't believe how many I spent on mouse physical measurements and weight alone, as well as sensor and switch discussion), here's what I've found out.

MX300 - Can't get it new anymore. Very tiny, light, ambidextrous. No go.

G9x - Larger and heavier than MX300, right handed. Solid laser sensor. Expensive, but with a lot of features and buttons I don't need.

G500 - Currently using. Much larger and heavier than MX300, right handed, palm grip. Solid laser sensor, but wrong grip and size.

G400 - Larger and heavier than MX300, right handed, solid optical sensor. Not ideal grip.

CM Storm Spawn - Gaudy, slightly unsual shape, right handed. Good optical sensor. Larger than MX300.

Deathadder - Much larger and heavier than MX300, right handed, although good claw grip and great optical sensor. Too large compared to MX300 to work for me.

Kinzu v2 - Slightly larger and heavier than MX300, ambidextrous. OK sensor, lack of side buttons.

Sensei Raw - Larger and heavier than MX300, right handed. Good laser sensor. Bit expensive.

EC1 Evo - Larger and heavier than MX300, right handed. Good optical sensor, not OMRON switches, more tactile clicks.

EC2 Evo - Exactly the same as EC1 Evo except smaller, much closer to MX300 dimensions.

AM-GS - About as close to MX300 dimensions as EC2 Evo, but this one is ambidextrous.

Made my first narrowing of choices down to the AM-GS, EC2 Evo, Deathadder, Storm Spawn, and Kinzu.

Nixed the Kinzu due to the unremarkable performance and lack of side buttons. The Storm went next due to the unusual shape/size, and last I cut the Deathadder due to it being significantly larger than the MX300.

That left me with the AM-GS and EC2 Evo. Both mice are using the same hardware and are roughly the same size (closest to MX300 size of any of the above). The real big difference was in hand orientation, with the AM-GS being ambi and glossy, and the EC2 Evo being right handed. Well, I thought about it for a long time and while going with the AM-GS would make sense since it's ambi like my old MX300, honestly I'm right handed. I'm willing to bet that a right handed mouse would be more comfortable, and the difference in shape between the two was honestly very minimal.

So, I ordered the EC2 Evo on Amazon w/prime shipping. Hope to have it Tuesday/Wednesday, and I'll report a little review of the mouse after I spend some time with it.

 

[lakedude]

Awesome! I just ordered another CM mouse while it is on sale so I'll have a spare.

 

[Sonikku]

Is a wired mouse always going to be better for gaming than wireless?

 

[Whitestar127]

Is a wired mouse always going to be better for gaming than wireless?

No, not in my experience. I have a G700 and that's just as responsive as my last wired mouse. Never have any glitches or lags. I think this was a problem of the past, or on older mice.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Is a wired mouse always going to be better for gaming than wireless?

It's not necessarily better. It's just that wired mice, by virtue of their comparative simplicity, are less prone to failure (batteries running out, wireless interference, and so on).

 

[BrightCandle]

Is a wired mouse always going to be better for gaming than wireless?

There is a latency associated with wireless that can't really be eliminated. I actually don't notice the latency having had wired and wireless, its measurable . But I think the main problem is the additional weight. The ideal mouse would weigh absolutely nothing so you can move it as fast as your arm without any resistance at all. Wireless mice are heavy, much much heavier than wired mice and its this that makes them problematic.

Until you have used a genuinely light wired mouse you wont appreciate the impact it can have on fine movement. There are some people that prefer heavy mice but I am certainly not one of them.

 

[JamesV]

There is a latency associated with wireless that can't really be eliminated. I actually don't notice the latency having had wired and wireless, its measurable . But I think the main problem is the additional weight. The ideal mouse would weigh absolutely nothing so you can move it as fast as your arm without any resistance at all. Wireless mice are heavy, much much heavier than wired mice and its this that makes them problematic.

Until you have used a genuinely light wired mouse you wont appreciate the impact it can have on fine movement. There are some people that prefer heavy mice but I am certainly not one of them.

I've been using wireless mice for years, and never had an issues with latency. Weight really isn't an issue either, as my Mamba 2012 weighs less than a G9 (130 vs 170 grams).

The one major thing a wireless mouse brings - no more bunched cords. If you play alot of shooters, or have ever competed, you are simply lying if you say you never lost a kill, or got killed, because your cord got bunched up or stuck on something. Even if it only happened once, it is once too often.

 

[Eureka]

No, not in my experience. I have a G700 and that's just as responsive as my last wired mouse. Never have any glitches or lags. I think this was a problem of the past, or on older mice.

I too have a G700. For most purposes the G700 does feel like a wired mouse, however when it comes down to highly competitive gaming (CS, for example), I do notice a slight lag with the G700. I don't know if it's because of the wireless or just because of the added weight of the battery, but when I run on USB only without the battery I tend to do a bit better.

Might really just be the weight.

 

[llmagei]

I feel my Logitech G3(same design, but with lase sensor and 1 button on each side of mouse) falling apart, and am looking at buying a new mouse. My choices are similar to yours with:

AM-GS/AM/
EC2
Logitech G1(ebay only ;_

 

[Avalon]

Got my Zowie EC2 Evo in today! Plugged it in and so far so good. It instantly felt worlds better in my hand than the G500 did. This thing is definitely designed for claw grips. It's also much smaller and lighter, a good size for small hands. It being right handed and not ambi like my old mx300 isn't an issue at all, very comfortable. The rubber paint is also very comfortable to grip.

Performance wise...it does 2300dpi at 1000hz no problem. I'm not seeing any jerkiness. No skipping or anything at all on a black cloth mousepad, sensor tracks wonderfully. The mouse buttons are a bit more audible and a bit more fatiguing to click than OMRON buttons, so I can see where people say you can't double click as fast, but they feel solid. The side buttons are, imo, in a perfect position for a small hand person, but their clicks don't feel as solid as m1 and m2. They are a bit easy to depress, which I guess isn't terrible. The scroll wheel has a much tighter click than the G500 and MX300, but works well. Clicking m3 feels more solid than the G500. I have to give high praise to the teflon feet, they make this thing glide so smoothly, it's crazy.

Regarding actually gaming...I fired up one game of NS2 and set some new sensitivity settings real quick and tried at 1150dpi...obviously not ideal, my aim was pretty off, but this time it's not the mouse holding me back, it's me having to unlearn the G500 and my old settings. Once I find the right settings with this thing and get a little practice I feel that I'll be back in the game.

Overall would give it a 9/10. Would recommend for small hand claw grippers!

 

[fustercluck]

This thread is pretty new so I'll refrain from making a new one. My G500 died today after many years of heavy use. Great mouse! Also logitech has wonderful support.

So like the OP I'm also looking for a (wired and centered towards gaming) mouse, but instead I have large hands. Could get another g500 I suppose, and I probably will if the price is nice but kinda leaning toward getting something different. Change is good!

The G9 is a fat mouse but looks kinda tiny. Check out dem reviews though.

This Mionix mouse is saxy as hell but I'm not familiar with the brand.

Another fatty mouse from Cooler Master (not exactly known for Mice) but hella cheap...$15 after rebate! Though probably $7 or $8 bucks for shipping. Just might have to give it a try for that price. Some reviews said it's super flimsy, for that price not too surprised.

Lotsa friggin mice out there, mostly with mixed reviews.

 

[BrightCandle]

The G400 is flawless and very similar to the G500 so if you are happy with the shape then get one of those.

 

[fustercluck]

Well I'd just get the g500 again in that case. Will probably end up doing that, my temporary mouse here sucks so gonna buy soon

 

[BrightCandle]

Well I'd just get the g500 again in that case. Will probably end up doing that, my temporary mouse here sucks so gonna buy soon

But the G500 has a flawed sensor which shows acceleration regardless of what you do. The G400 is the better gaming mouse.

 

[lopri]

G400