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geekhack Community => Input Devices => Topic started by: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 13:24:10

Title: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 13:24:10
I've just bought a Filco Ninja Majestouch-2 and now I'm looking for a decent mouse to match.  I'd like it to embody the same qualities I like about high-end mechanical keyboards.  Here's what I like about the Filco:


Can anyone recommend a mouse with those qualities?  Most of the ones I've found are some of those things but not all.  There are plenty of high quality products but the makers seem to feel the need to add lights or pictures of tribal patterns or scorpions, or to make it look like the Batmobile - that's just not my thing.  There are plenty of simple/elegant mice - but they tend to be at the low end of the market with poor tracking and build quality.

I quite liked the look of the SteelSeries Sensei Raw in Rubberised finish - but it has a couple of flaws IMHO: apparently the PTFE feet aren't great, it has a massive logo on it and it does light up (although it's not the most offensive I've seen).  Do I have any other options?
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: nereme on Fri, 14 March 2014, 13:26:41
I have the older sensei which does not have the rubberized finish and i love it. the light while it can be garish is really easy to change to the colour to something more suiting to you needs with the Steelseries software also with the sensi i am usually covering the logo some what when using it so that helps.

If not take off the shell paint the inside and re build :p
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 13:38:23
Thanks, that's useful.

I'm guessing the software won't run on Ubuntu so I'm a bit limited in terms of changing it?
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: davkol on Fri, 14 March 2014, 13:44:14
AFAIK Roccat are the only well-supported mice on GNU/Linux. Their lights can be turned off and there's no visible branding on my savu except engraved logo on the right button. See my review at Deskthority (http://deskthority.net/mice-other-input-devices-f3/roccat-savu-t7507.html).
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Novus on Fri, 14 March 2014, 15:33:37
I think Zowie might be good for you
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: vun on Fri, 14 March 2014, 15:37:30
Will it be used for gaming? I think the Logitech Performance MX(I think that's the name) would be one of the better matches for a Filco.

You might want to look at Zowie as well, those are fairly understated.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: ferociousfingerings on Fri, 14 March 2014, 17:09:14
Quote from: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 13:24:10
...or to make it look like the Batmobile...

lol g700...
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: nuclearsandwich on Fri, 14 March 2014, 17:28:19
I really enjoy the Zowie mice for their simplicity. The Zowie FK feels like my fingertips are being hugged by pillows. The Zowie evo mice are nice too and aren't ambidextrous.

The Razer Abyssus is also pretty cheap and simple but it doesn't feel nearly as nice to me.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 17:56:59
Thanks for all your advice.

Not a gamer.  I'm a programmer though so I spend a lot of time using these peripherals.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 18:03:52
Just doing some searching and this typifies what I hate in a mouse:

(http://brain.pan.e-merchant.com/7/4/06764347/l_06764347.jpg)

WTF?!
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: davkol on Fri, 14 March 2014, 18:23:03
Well, it's adjustable, hence quite comfortable.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: dustinhxc on Fri, 14 March 2014, 18:25:18
Im going for the Zowie Evo EC1
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: vun on Fri, 14 March 2014, 19:10:36
What about a trackball?
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: naxtek on Sat, 15 March 2014, 06:34:32
Okay, thanks for all your input & suggestions - it's been very helpful.

I think I've narrowed it down to 2:

Roccat Savu or Zowie FK.

Both have their pros and cons.  The Zowie website is terrible... it's really hard to find out info about their products!
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: davkol on Sat, 15 March 2014, 07:33:44
You don't look for info at vendor's website, you browse forums like OCN.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Lain1911 on Sat, 15 March 2014, 13:49:21
I like G500.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: dustinhxc on Sat, 15 March 2014, 13:55:50
Ooo never looked at the FK... hmm dont like that yellow. Wish it was orange!
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Lighthouse1 on Sat, 15 March 2014, 14:00:02
Another shout for  Roccat. I use a Roccat Kone Pure, it might not suit if you have big hands as it is on the smallish side (which is why I bought it) but its a great little rodent. It does have a logo light..you can just turn it off. I use a red one (too flashy probably) but they come in black as below. It feels very smooth in the hand. I used to be a DA fan until I got the new one and it was getting red hot under the logo light and making my hand sweat (I don't have sweaty hands, it was uncomfortably warm) so I switched to this and I wish I had done it ages ago. I am a dev and bought one for work too.

http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Mice/ROCCAT-Kone-Pure/
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: dustinhxc on Sat, 15 March 2014, 14:07:10
Quote from: Lighthouse1 on Sat, 15 March 2014, 14:00:02
Another shout for  Roccat. I use a Roccat Kone Pure, it might not suit if you have big hands as it is on the smallish side (which is why I bought it) but its a great little rodent. It does have a logo light..you can just turn it off. I use a red one (too flashy probably) but they come in black as below. It feels very smooth in the hand. I used to be a DA fan until I got the new one and it was getting red hot under the logo light and making my hand sweat (I don't have sweaty hands, it was uncomfortably warm) so I switched to this and I wish I had done it ages ago. I am a dev and bought one for work too.

http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Mice/ROCCAT-Kone-Pure/

Whoa, I like that cat... Wish the stupid buttons wernt below the scroll arg. I love simple mouses. That cat image is sick though..
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: ideus on Sat, 15 March 2014, 14:09:16
Quote from: naxtek on Fri, 14 March 2014, 18:03:52
Just doing some searching and this typifies what I hate in a mouse:

Show Image
(http://brain.pan.e-merchant.com/7/4/06764347/l_06764347.jpg)


WTF?!


It was called the RAT for a reason.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Grim Fandango on Sat, 15 March 2014, 18:58:46
OP , check out this thread http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=53945.0
Maybe it will be of use

Quote from: dustinhxc on Sat, 15 March 2014, 13:55:50
Ooo never looked at the FK... hmm dont like that yellow. Wish it was orange!

If you are looking for a decent mouse with that color scheme, perhaps the Kana V2 is a good option.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: dustinhxc on Sun, 16 March 2014, 04:09:36
Quote from: Grim Fandango on Sat, 15 March 2014, 18:58:46
OP , check out this thread http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=53945.0
Maybe it will be of use

Quote from: dustinhxc on Sat, 15 March 2014, 13:55:50
Ooo never looked at the FK... hmm dont like that yellow. Wish it was orange!

If you are looking for a decent mouse with that color scheme, perhaps the Kana V2 is a good option.

Whoa, the orange looks fantastic on that! Thanks!
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: zig_ziglar on Thu, 20 March 2014, 17:20:02
Kana is a good mouse. If you have average sized hands, the shape is more comfortable than you'd imagine by looking at it.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: pr1me on Sat, 22 March 2014, 15:32:41
Kone pure optical!!
A great mouse!
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Protato_Tubby on Sat, 22 March 2014, 17:46:24
An option that is a bit LED-ey but that none-the-less looks classy, is the Mionix Naos 8200. It is a very good mouse also.(https://eu.mionix.net/product_images/uploaded_images/naos-8200-rubbercoating.jpg)
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: daerid on Sat, 22 March 2014, 19:07:29
Go with Zowie. No software to hassle with. Great sensors
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: divito on Sun, 23 March 2014, 22:57:40
Not exactly "high quality" but MS 3.0 gets my vote. I've already bought a back-up and will probably buy a few more in case they disappear again.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: mkawa on Sun, 23 March 2014, 23:29:08
cm storm xornet? same outline as the spawn, but slightly lower cpi.

anyway, mouse fit is highly personal. one of the brilliant things that razor figured out and worked successfully to the nth in their marketing. for example, i love my spawn, and when cptbadass visited, he loved it so much he bought two. however, i mention it to some people (tj, for example), and they hate the fit. so it's really a "find a place to try a bunch out" sort of thing. good simple mice are pretty expensive though. so if you can narrow it down to like 2-3, you can just buy and try them and sell the ones you don't like.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: zig_ziglar on Mon, 24 March 2014, 20:56:06
I don't have the Kone, but I have the Pyra and I can attest to the quality and intelligence that is behind Roccat products.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Vibex on Mon, 24 March 2014, 21:09:58
I'd go for a Zowie FK, or something similar. Also, the RAT series of mice are not that bad. They are way overbuilt, but they are the most comfortable mice I have ever used. If they could fix the sensor problems, I'd probably buy another.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Dyslexic on Tue, 25 March 2014, 10:31:26
If you need a driver agnostic mouse you should probably consider a Zowie as mentioned above. I have an EC2 EVO and it's a lovely mouse, the best part being that there is absolutely zero requirement for drivers. Plug and play with 3 dpi settings and polling rate can be changed while plugging the mouse in by holding down the thumb buttons.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Nixietube on Wed, 26 March 2014, 13:28:00
get a logitech g400. it looks simple, it is a great mouse and it has no frills and bows
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: Bucake on Fri, 28 March 2014, 07:48:51
Quote from: naxtek on Sat, 15 March 2014, 06:34:32
I think I've narrowed it down to 2:

Roccat Savu or Zowie FK.

Both have their pros and cons.  The Zowie website is terrible... it's really hard to find out info about their products!

TLDR: zowie fk or logitech g400/g400s.
(i have also read great things about the razer deathadder 2013 and steelseries kana v2.)

..i vouch for the zowie fk. i own one.
i also own a logitech g400, another mouse i vouch for.

both mice use the best optical sensor and have no acceleration.
both mice do not need drivers (although they are available for the g400).
both mice have buttons to change the dpi on-the-fly with.

which one you'd like more just depends on your preference of shape/size, weight/weightdistrubution, materials, switches and scroller.
unfortunately you're have to guess which one that would be.
the switches used in the g400 tend to be more universally liked, but the g400 has a relatively weak cable. the g400s is supposed to have a less weaker cable than the g400.

extra info:

Zowie FK:
Zowie FK (true) DPI steps: 450 = 477, 1150 = 1188, 2300 = 2386
Zowie FK native DPI step: 2300(2386)
Zowie FK default polling rate: 1000hz
Zowie FK uses Huano switches.
Zowie FK has a slightly lower lift-off-distance (thus the weird 'true DPI steps').

you can change the polling rate on the zowie FK on-the-fly by (unplugging it and then) plugging it in while holding a specific button (combination).
- hold front (left) side button: 1000hz
- hold back (left) side button: 500hz
- hold back (left) and front (left) side button: 125hz

G400:
G400 DPI steps: 400, 800, 1800, 3600
G400 native DPI steps: 800 and 3600
G400 default polling rate: 1000hz
G400 uses Omron switches.

there's a newer version of the g400; the g400s. i presume the g400s is just as good as the g400 but i haven't looked up the specifics on it. i think the only real change is the last DPI setting is 3600 on the g400 and 4000 on the g400s.

bonus info on the g400:
angle snapping(prediction) on the g400 snapping was removed as of PID LZ13333.
any g400 that has a full serial number and not a PID has angle snapping disabled.
any g400s has angle snapping disabled.

edit: i probably have already given alot more info than you wanted, but feel free to ask me if there's anything else you'd like to know about either of these mice :j
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: PolaBurrr on Wed, 02 April 2014, 19:10:40
I own the kana v2 and xai, owned zowie fk and ec1 evo and deathadder. I could not get over the deathadder smoothing. Makes it feels like your mouse cursor is sliding on ice, and has slight delay in changing directions. The fk was an excellent mouse, except it was a tad bit too low at the hump, so I was not 100% comfortable with it. The ec1 evo was better than the deathadder imo, but it was harder to pick up with dry hands as the right side of the mouse was quite slanted \, so my pinky and ring finger would slight up. The kana v2 has the best tracking performance imo (given that you use the tape trick), because it is more flexible with dpi settings than the zowie mice and lets me use my preferred 800 dpi. However, the size is a hair, and I really mean a hair, too small for my "perfect" size, so I use my xai for everyday tasks and homework, and take out my kana v2 when I am about to do some serious esea cs:go :D If only steelseries would come out with an ambidextrous mouse the size of the Xai, but with the adns3090 sensor, that would be my optimal mouse.
Title: Re: Simple but high quality mouse
Post by: blackbox on Thu, 10 April 2014, 12:59:43
Quote from: Nixietube on Wed, 26 March 2014, 13:28:00
get a logitech g400. it looks simple, it is a great mouse and it has no frills and bows

Agreed, simple and solid buildt mouse. I have an mx510 (I have also tested the g400). Had it for a long time (7 years or so) and It still works like it was new.