Long lasting mouse?

[IBI]

My current mouse is on the brink of collapse so I'm looking for a new one but I'm tired of mice that die after five years. This time round I'm hoping to buy something that'll outlast USB, or at least make it to 2024.

Usage-wise, the following applies:

• Low Sensitivity, I typically use my current 200-2000dpi mouse at 400dpi on a 1920x1200 display
• Microsoft Mice seem to suit my hand shape. I loved the Intellimouse Explorer 1.1 (the 3.0 not so much) and my current Sidewinder is nice too. Generally I find big mice to be better.
• I do have an un-removable wrist rest on my desk, so anything designed to be gripped low down won't work
• I have a nova master mousepad, the white feet on my current Sidewinder seem to work the best for that, although I'm not sure what they're made of.
• Must be wired, batteries are evil.
• I am a gamer, but I haven't found most of the gamer features to be worth much. A clicky (or otherwise precise) scroll wheel is about all that's required
• Thumb buttons would be good, but only if they're actually under the thumb. I used them on the Intellimouse 1.1 but haven't on subsequent mice where they've been placed out of the way

I've had a look around generally but the high end wired mice seem to be almost exclusively 'gamer' models which in my experience translates as 'guaranteed not to last so you can buy the latest thing to show off with again in a few years'.

I've also been looking at industrial mice but I'm not sure what's what and I don't want to end up with something with squidgy rubber buttons or similar.

I'm in the UK, I'd prefer models available from a UK retailer for returns purposes.

In short, what's the best candidate for a large, wired mouse that'll still be functional in ten years time?

[damorgue]

Having taken apart a few mice from different manufacturers lately, I can tell you that most of Logitech's mice are made to last, whereas several others are designed to fail. It appears that they have designed solutions where they intend for them to fail within a certain time frame. Eg Razer's scroll wheel is only held at one end of the axis with the other end hovering freely and unsupported above a switch. When pressed, the entire assembly flexes and the axis can press the switch. Most of the flex occurs in the fine tolerance rotary encoder which is specced to not withstand any forces in those directions. I'd go for Logitech if you are looking for longevity. My MX500 was recently retired after 8 years of heavy use but not because it had begun to malfunction in any way.

[tp4tissue]

I use a high dpi for ergonomic concerns, so I don't have to move the mouse too far... 2700

[Canious]

If you want long lasting definitely go with the Logitech brand mouse - those lasts forever. Stay away from razor, while they have great dpi and grip their rubber grip falls off within about a year and numerous horror stories about mouse dying. The G35 mouse series i have is over 5 years old and still going strong.

[vun]

If you want long lasting definitely go with the Logitech brand mouse - those lasts forever. Stay away from razor, while they have great dpi and grip their rubber grip falls off within about a year and numerous horror stories about mouse dying. The G35 mouse series i have is over 5 years old and still going strong.

I'm pretty sure there's an error in there somewhere; G35 was a headset last time I checked.

But yeah, Logitech is a good bet for solid mice, although if you want it to last long you'll probably want to avoid the more feature-laden ones.

[fuzzybaffy]

Gotta agree about Razer. I love my Razer Deathadder, but longevity is definitely not the reason I bought it. I love Razer designs; I hate their build quality.

If longevity is your goal, I have to agree with everyone else, and say Logitech is your best bet.

[Pro542]

Using the Logitech MX518 right now. Had it for more than 6 years, been through a lot of usage
I have the g400 also, but something seems different about it than the MX518. Anyways a Logitech office mouse is my recommendation 

[IBI]

Have logitech improved that much in the last few years? Logitech to me is a name that conjures up painted on letters that are gone after a few months and rubber finishes that peel off.

Having taken apart a few mice from different manufacturers lately, I can tell you that most of Logitech's mice are made to last, whereas several others are designed to fail.

Which logitech mice have you taken apart and, other than razer, what are the brands you recommend I definitely rule out?

My MX500 was recently retired after 8 years of heavy use but not because it had begun to malfunction in any way.

Unfortunately I did use an MX500 (or possibly 510/518) for a while a long time ago and found it very uncomfortable so I think I'll rule out the G400s and G500s.

According to logitech's website that leaves:

LS1
M90
M100
M105
M500
G100s
G300
G600

I don't know about build quality, but logitech's website certainly hasn't improved. For half the mice they don't list DPI/scroll wheel clickiness, and don't list sizes for any as far as I can see.

Does anyone have any experience of those models with regards to the criteria? I'm off to look at reviews.

[damorgue]

Have logitech improved that much in the last few years? Logitech to me is a name that conjures up painted on letters that are gone after a few months and rubber finishes that peel off.

Which logitech mice have you taken apart and, other than razer, what are the brands you recommend I definitely rule out?

MX500, MX510, MX518, G5, G300, MX Revolution and Performance MX are the ones I have taken apart at one time or another and I have always been quite impressed by their build quality. I tend to distinguish segments of a brand, e.g. the pc case department of Corsair knows their build quality, Corsair's PSUs are usually not made by them and instead by Seasonic which are great, but Corsair's mice department is just not up to par (or they don't use the best subcontractor which makes it for them if that is the case). I limit my positive comments of Logitech's build quality to their mice department.

The only mice brands I have taken apart enough models of to reliably state that they consistently use good/bad practice is Logitech and Razer respectively.

[IBI]

Update:

M500 is definitely off the list, I know someone who has one and having tried it the shape doesn't suit me at all. It's hard to find decent reviews for the cheaper mice, but I found one for the LS1 which talked about poor feedback so that's gone as well.

A lot of the reviews point out that the G100s and G300 are small mice so I'm not sure they'll suit me. The G600 looks promising shape-wise but I'm not all that convinced about the quality, legitreviews points out that the surface has got scratched and worn just during the course of their review testing.

Does anyone have any experience of this sort of medical/industrial mouse? I'm guessing they make the shell themselves rather than subcontracting it out but whether the rest of the quality of the innards is any different I'm not sure.

[vun]

A lot of the reviews point out that the G100s and G300 are small mice so I'm not sure they'll suit me. The G600 looks promising shape-wise but I'm not all that convinced about the quality, legitreviews points out that the surface has got scratched and worn just during the course of their review testing.

Just want to mention that the surface on my G600 still looks like the day I got it, the review you link mentions that it got scratched while being in a bag, and this will happen to pretty much all mice with some sort of surface coating(meaning most, if not all, gaming mice and the majority of decent office mice.)

My G600 has seen a fair bit of use, and the coating holds up far better than the stuff used on older mice for normal use. Mine's white, which might hide some of the wear, but I can't actually see any wear at all on it. And when it hasn't been sitting on my desk it's been sitting in a drawer with a bunch of other mice, still no scratches.

[Kamen Rider Blade]

A lot of the reviews point out that the G100s and G300 are small mice so I'm not sure they'll suit me. The G600 looks promising shape-wise but I'm not all that convinced about the quality, legitreviews points out that the surface has got scratched and worn just during the course of their review testing.

Just want to mention that the surface on my G600 still looks like the day I got it, the review you link mentions that it got scratched while being in a bag, and this will happen to pretty much all mice with some sort of surface coating(meaning most, if not all, gaming mice and the majority of decent office mice.)

My G600 has seen a fair bit of use, and the coating holds up far better than the stuff used on older mice for normal use. Mine's white, which might hide some of the wear, but I can't actually see any wear at all on it. And when it hasn't been sitting on my desk it's been sitting in a drawer with a bunch of other mice, still no scratches.

As somebody who's own 2x Logitech G600's, each one connected to a different PC, the G600 is solidly built. There's been no scratches from regular use, no noticeable fading after 9 months. Logitechs claims of the mouse being built for durability has held up so far.

I also have a Logitech G602, my personal favorite mouse with a balance of features that will fit most users scenarios.

As for Razer, I have gone through
2x Razer Boomslang 2000's
Razer Copperhead
2x Razer Habu
Razer Lachesis
Razer Imperator

Each mice has failed in < 3 years for one reason or another or has developed a significant flaw or issue that caused me to stop using it.

Every previous Logitech mice aside from the 3x gaming line mice that I own still work, the only reason I got new mice was either higher DPI, more buttons, etc.

So take my user experience as another sampling point.

Razer not built to last

Logitech is built to last longer than Razer, and especially the gaming line.

[Coreda]

Haven't had enough mice to say, but my Apple Pro mouse from 2001-ish lasted all this time and it had a Logitech sensor IIRC (the newer models didn't).

I also have a Kensington laptop mouse from 2002 that works just as well. Maybe things were made better then, or I just got lucky.

[Elrick]

Usage-wise, the following applies:

• Low Sensitivity, I typically use my current 200-2000dpi mouse at 400dpi on a 1920x1200 display
• Microsoft Mice seem to suit my hand shape. I loved the Intellimouse Explorer 1.1 (the 3.0 not so much) and my current Sidewinder is nice too. Generally I find big mice to be better.
• Must be wired, batteries are evil.
• I am a gamer, but I haven't found most of the gamer features to be worth much. A clicky (or otherwise precise) scroll wheel is about all that's required

In short, what's the best candidate for a large, wired mouse that'll still be functional in ten years time?

My mrs wanted the original WMO 1.1A but that is getting hard to find on Ebay everywhere so I just came across this guy selling that shaped mouse quite cheap here;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/390753628765?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Nothing grand or expensive so I bought 4 to have them shipped to me, he will combine ship any large amounts quite easily while some others on ebay would rather gouge your wallet to ship anything (more than one purchase) to your place.

She has been using her WMO rodent for more than 8 years now and she loved it to death (it has now passed away poor thing  ).

If you are serious about only wanting THE Microsoft rodent of all time then get an WMO version as soon as possible.  I only bought a few from that ebay seller due to the fact when her original one died and the tears never stopped for days.  I sure hope these new ones will work for her, nothing sadder than witnessing a woman lose all control for her lamented WMO.

[Coreda]

For anyone after the WMO mouse here's a seller who has them in stock (minus the packaging) brand new for $12.90 shipped. Found the link via the gaming mouse enthusiast site ESReality.

I tried the WMO once but it didn't suit my claw-grip style and felt too light for it's size. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

[Elrick]

For anyone after the WMO mouse here's a seller who has them in stock (minus the packaging) brand new for $12.90 shipped.

Brilliant thanks. 

You're sure he's selling the updated 1.1A version?  A lot of sellers on Ebay are putting up older 1.0 versions and keeping quiet about that vital piece of info.  ONLY 1.1A's and above, are worth buying.

[Coreda]

Brilliant thanks. 

You're sure he's selling the updated 1.1A version?  A lot of sellers on Ebay are putting up older 1.0 versions and keeping quiet about that vital piece of info.  ONLY 1.1A's and above, are worth buying.

From reading ESR many report that seller stocks real WMOs, but some fail after 4 months, while others last (some buy a few just in case). See this thread on ESR. The guide linked there has some useful info regarding the WMO versions, including there is no difference between the 1.1 and 1.1a except the latter is OEM and the former boxed (I've read this multiple places as well).

Best you can do is google for more info.

[Elrick]

See this thread on ESR. The guide linked there has some useful info regarding the WMO versions, including there is no difference between the 1.1 and 1.1a except the latter is OEM and the former boxed (I've read this multiple places as well).

Yeah the 1.1 versions are boxed but the majority of Ebay sellers seem to have version 1.0's or they don't know what they're selling - which is typical.  The best one to get is the original boxed version but they're harder to come by now, maybe some WMO frankenstein mice may start to turn up due to the increased interest in these old rodents.

All office workers seem to love these mice because they are small, perfect for women to use and all they had were just 3 buttons (as it always should be).