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geekhack Community => Input Devices => Topic started by: noway on Sun, 26 September 2021, 14:35:43
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Looking for a recent (0-5 years old) simple wireless mouse that uses AA batteries. Will be only used for basic tasks, like internet, office use (no gaming). Want to keep it simple since I only use left click, right click, scroll, forward, back. Size not important. Reliability is most important...I don't want any double-click problems in the near future. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Just out of curiosity, why the AA battery constraint? Most modern mice have internal batteries that charge quickly and last for months. Better for the environment. Better for your wallet (in the long run).
To answer your question directly: I know both the Logitech G305 and Logitech M310 both use AA batteries.
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I have the logitech m510 full size mouse. Love it. Batteries last about a year with daily use. $20
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Just out of curiosity, why the AA battery constraint? Most modern mice have internal batteries that charge quickly and last for months. Better for the environment. Better for your wallet (in the long run).
To answer your question directly: I know both the Logitech G305 and Logitech M310 both use AA batteries.
Have a whole bunch of Eneloop batteries and chargers already and AA are very easy and free of charge (for me) to replace after they die. I'll have a look at the G305. Thanks.
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Go to Walmart (or any electronics place) and get one of the cheaper Logitech models.
I wouldn't trust any wireless, especially low end and AA batteries other than Logitech.
The last "good" high end wireless that used AA batteries is the G700 and Performance MX.
Not sure about the Performance, but the G700, when the switches die, it's a nightmare to replace them. The G700 will also burn through a 2200-2400mah Eneloop in about 16 hours when set to high dpi and polling, but it is onboard programmable. The Performance is really just an office mouse and the batteries I think lasted 2-3 weeks.
All that said..
Get a Logitech Anywhere or Master, yes, they use an internal battery, but it will last over a month on a single charge, and 5 minutes of charge will get you another hour. I get you want to use your batteries, but your kicking yourself in the head by doing so. I liked all of these mice, but I rock a G900 on desktop and Anywhere on laptop. The batteries are just a hassle, get one of these and a magnetic Netdot 10 charging cable to act as a dock and call it done. You will be much happier.
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Logitech G305, arguably second greatest mouse ever.
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Logitech M221 (silent) does, so I assume a slew of rest of the cheapo Logitechs do as well. I have one in front of me.
I far prefer AA. I can use easily replaceable rechargeables instead of worry about having to replace with lithiums down the line.
(My usual mouse is an MX Anywhere 2S, which is great. Lithium-based, but that's something I am willing to live with for the rest of the mouse.)
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Just out of curiosity, why the AA battery constraint?
Have a whole bunch of Eneloop batteries and chargers already and AA are very easy and free of charge (for me) to replace after they die. I'll have a look at the G305. Thanks.
Very valid reason. I have a few eneloops kicking around for Gameboys -- pretty solid as far as AAs go
I wouldn't trust any wireless, especially low end and AA batteries other than Logitech.
Can I ask what you mean by trust? You mean from a reliability standpoint or security(?) standpoint?
All that said..
Get a Logitech Anywhere or Master, yes, they use an internal battery, but it will last over a month on a single charge, and 5 minutes of charge will get you another hour. I get you want to use your batteries, but your kicking yourself in the head by doing so. I liked all of these mice, but I rock a G900 on desktop and Anywhere on laptop. The batteries are just a hassle, get one of these and a magnetic Netdot 10 charging cable to act as a dock and call it done. You will be much happier.
Couldn't agree more. I've been using the Logi Master and Ergo for a few years now and have never felt the need to replace them. I have Glorious Model O just for gaming which I hardly use anymore, and even that is bleh in comparison to the master (for productivity work)
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Slight tangent here- has anyone compared the older MX Anywhere/Master 2S with the Anywhere/Master 3?
The clutched scroll wheel of the 3 appears to be the selling point, but when I've tried demos, they either don't work, or when in the free-spin mode, they generate too much noise (like something is rubbing).
They feel a bit cheaper (to me), the wheel doesn't feel as good, so I am wondering- am I missing something here?
This thread has just made me realise that I should buy another Anywhere 2S as they are on sale now, and I want a backup to my main mouse. It's the best wireless mouse I've owned. Not perfect (BT sucks when connecting to my Thinkpad) but still the best overall.
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Can I ask what you mean by trust? You mean from a reliability standpoint or security(?) standpoint?
Everyone else has connection problems, reliability problems, sleep problems etc..
Logitech spends a lot on testing and it shows when their cheapest wireless mice work better than mice costing 6, 7 or 8x as much.
There are exceptions though, Microsoft bluetooth is as good as Logitech bluetooth but I don't think either is as good as the logitech wireless dongle. They just have the tech dialed. My Anywhere 2 has a better connection with the dongle, less miss-clicks, less lag, less interference, etc... The dongle always works, bluetooth, not so much. And this is for any OS, Windows, Mac or Linux.
This thread has just made me realise that I should buy another Anywhere 2S as they are on sale now, and I want a backup to my main mouse. It's the best wireless mouse I've owned. Not perfect (BT sucks when connecting to my Thinkpad) but still the best overall.
That's a bluetooth problem in general, there's many protocols and many implementations.
Have to remember, bluetooth was intended to be low power and ease of use, lag and reliability took a back seat. It's been improved but it's a rather loose standard whereas Logitech wireless is proprietary and they control all of it so they can ensure it works as intended and doesn't need to be compatible for 200 other manufacturers. Even HP and Apple have issues with bluetooth, High Sierra had major issues and they never did solve it.
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That's a bluetooth problem in general, there's many protocols and many implementations.
Have to remember, bluetooth was intended to be low power and ease of use, lag and reliability took a back seat. It's been improved but it's a rather loose standard whereas Logitech wireless is proprietary and they control all of it so they can ensure it works as intended and doesn't need to be compatible for 200 other manufacturers. Even HP and Apple have issues with bluetooth, High Sierra had major issues and they never did solve it.
Oh, I am comfortable with being a Luddite about certain things. I generally distrust Bluetooth and avoid it whenever possible. The dongle is so small that it presents no inconvenience at all.
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There are mice with AA batteries? I thought that the smaller, lighter AAA format would be more common.
Before built-in batteries became the stupid norm for new devices, I used to use rechargeable AA and AAA batteries for a lot of things. It was very handy to be able to just swap them out when they got depleted — for other batteries in a standard form factor, which I could all charge with the same charger.
I prefer wired mice though, for the less weight.
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Can I ask what you mean by trust? You mean from a reliability standpoint or security(?) standpoint?
Everyone else has connection problems, reliability problems, sleep problems etc..
Logitech spends a lot on testing and it shows when their cheapest wireless mice work better than mice costing 6, 7 or 8x as much.
There are exceptions though, Microsoft bluetooth is as good as Logitech bluetooth but I don't think either is as good as the logitech wireless dongle. They just have the tech dialed. My Anywhere 2 has a better connection with the dongle, less miss-clicks, less lag, less interference, etc... The dongle always works, bluetooth, not so much. And this is for any OS, Windows, Mac or Linux.
Make sense. Though I usually use bluetooth for my Master 2 and Ergo, and the only connectivity issues I've run into are my laptop's bluetooth drivers crashing. Maybe I've dodged a bullet, or maybe we could factor system reliability into the equation too (not just mouse reliability). A receiver cuts drivers out of the equation entirely.
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There are mice with AA batteries? I thought that the smaller, lighter AAA format would be more common.
Before built-in batteries became the stupid norm for new devices, I used to use rechargeable AA and AAA batteries for a lot of things. It was very handy to be able to just swap them out when they got depleted — for other batteries in a standard form factor, which I could all charge with the same charger.
I prefer wired mice though, for the less weight.
If weight is a concern, lithium AAs weigh markedly less than alkalines or NiMHs and would last much longer than either.
The weight presented by a single battery doesn't even register with me though. The only time I considered swapping in a lithium was when my kid was going travelling for months, and that was mainly so he wouldn't have to troubleshoot a flat battery)
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Logitech G304/G305 (same mouse). Batteries last months compared to about 4 days with the G703. Performance is about the same otherwise. I had a G305, went to the G703 as an "upgrade", then went back to the G305 because I got tired of having to charge it every 4 days.
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Logitech G304/G305 (same mouse). Batteries last months compared to about 4 days with the G703. Performance is about the same otherwise. I had a G305, went to the G703 as an "upgrade", then went back to the G305 because I got tired of having to charge it every 4 days.
Rechargeable Lipos, though?
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https://www.amazon.com/8Bitdo-Wireless-Mouse-Windows-macOS/dp/B07ZH874DQ
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Logitech G304/G305 (same mouse). Batteries last months compared to about 4 days with the G703. Performance is about the same otherwise. I had a G305, went to the G703 as an "upgrade", then went back to the G305 because I got tired of having to charge it every 4 days.
G700 series was a MASSIVE battery hog, but it was also the first of a new generation of high dpi/high polling, newer mice, are better but you also have to remember rechargeables do not typically retain a charge like alkaline batteries so you're not going to get the extreme long life between charge no matter what you do with current tech.
Rechargeable Lipos, though?
304/305 uses AA batteries, but read what I wrote above as it still pertains with regards to AA rechargeables.
Definitely not a bad choice.
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i thought logitech switched away from 1.5V batteries... i used a TDK when i converted a wireless mice to use AA sized lithium-ion cell so i know those do exist and seem to work reasonably well. (i wanted to reuse those cells, it is why i converted instead of getting the lithium version, and it was more fun that way)
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Looking for a recent (0-5 years old) simple wireless mouse that uses AA batteries. Will be only used for basic tasks, like internet, office use (no gaming). Want to keep it simple since I only use left click, right click, scroll, forward, back. Size not important. Reliability is most important...I don't want any double-click problems in the near future. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
G305
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G305 lightspeed is my favourite one!
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Logitech G304/G305 (same mouse). Batteries last months compared to about 4 days with the G703. Performance is about the same otherwise. I had a G305, went to the G703 as an "upgrade", then went back to the G305 because I got tired of having to charge it every 4 days.
Rechargeable Lipos, though?
Since posting this, I bought a G305. It's a good little mouse, if you like the form factor. AA, so no idea why I thought Lipo. Battery has been fine, but it's only been a couple of months.
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One I know of is the Razer Orochi V2. Accepts either AA or AAA (yes, has slots for both) as a curious way of letting the user choose between weights as it's targeted to gamers.
Not familiar with what switches it uses but things like double click issues are typically a switch issue from what I've read and switches can be rather easily replaced in mice generally.
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The Logitech M705 Marathon Mouse has been a favorite of mine for years. It can run off of one or two AA batteries, and the battery life is ridiculously long, hence the name. I also like the M560, which runs on a single AA, and the M510, which can also use one or two AAs. Last I checked, AA powered mice make up most of Logitech's wireless lineup, and rechargeable ones are only at the high end.
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The Logitech M705 Marathon Mouse has been a favorite of mine for years. It can run off of one or two AA batteries, and the battery life is ridiculously long, hence the name.
How long, approximately, is the battery life on one AA cell vs. two AA cells?
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Just to update, I found a deal on a Ducky Feather Black & White with Kailh 80M micro switches so going to try that for now.
https://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/DuckyFeatherBlackWhite
I tethered by existing wired mouse (vintage MX518) cord to the riser of my monitor with a plastic cable tie and it works great without pulling back on me so will give wired another go. Thanks for the ideas though. My wife still prefers wireless so might get her one of your suggestions for all her hard work and putting up with me.