A good mouse for around $40 or under?

Okay, I'm in the market for a new mouse. Requirements:

  • Optical preferred
  • Corded, not wireless
  • 5 buttons (left, right, middle/wheel, two for browser back and forward)
  • Good for gaming, meaning a fast enough scan rate and sensitivity

Any ideas, guys?

Logitech MX518 is what I got, I think it was $30 or $40 when I bought it, but I know it's not "new" any more. And there's actually 8 buttons. 6 is the "menu" button, 7/8 are the "increase/decrease" sensitivity buttons, which is nice, because that happens at the hardware/driver level, so in BF2 I can go from super-sensitive 1600 dpi for running the tank around to a more manageable 800 for non-sniper sniping/CQB with one button click, no game-settings needed.

Amazon.com has the Logitech MX610 Laser Cordless Smart Mouse for $43 - $15 rebate [Exp 8/28] = $28 with free shipping. It extends battery life by turning on and off when your PC does (as if that is special?).

Amazon has the MS Laser Mouse 6000 for $37. I use this one, and I've got no complaints. I also a lefty, so the symmetrical design really matters to me.

duckilama wrote:

Logitech MX518 is what I got, I think it was $30 or $40 when I bought it, but I know it's not "new" any more.

How old is it now? The Amazon reviews have a number of complaints about longevity and durability.
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Edwin wrote:

Amazon.com has the Logitech MX610 Laser Cordless Smart Mouse for $43 - $15 rebate [Exp 8/28] = $28 with free shipping. It extends battery life by turning on and off when your PC does (as if that is special?).

Well, my old Logitech MouseMan stays on while the computer is off. Still, I'd prefer a cord mouse to a wireless one.
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Hemidal wrote:

Amazon has the MS Laser Mouse 6000 for $37. I use this one, and I've got no complaints. I also a lefty, so the symmetrical design really matters to me.

I'm right-handed, so this isn't much of an issue to me. Looking at the pics, I'm not impressed with the looks of the 6000. Reviews seem to come down hard on its design, particularly its shallowness and the placement of its buttons.

I like my MX518, it's nice and sturdy. I've had it for about 6 months now, with no problems. I still have my MX510, which I use now for my laptop. After a year or 2 of use, the left click tends to stick sometimes (rarely), but aside from that, it still works just fine.

I also have an MX518 that I've had for going on two years. No issues.

In fact, it's superior to the G5 in two ways:

1. The 518 has forward and back buttons. The G5 has just a back button. This decision completely confuses me, since the physical designs of the mice are essentially the same. WTF Logitech?
2. The 518 has 5 small little "slider pad" things on it. They work great. The G5 has three huge ones. After a while they kind of get little dimples in them, they accumulate a little bit of dirt or whatever else, and then suddenly the mouse doesn't slide as smoothly as it used to so you end up cleaning it every so often, just like back in the day with old-school ball mice.

I'm seriously considering dumping my G5 and going back to my 518.

Or maybe I'll just wait for the Intellimouse Explorer with Razer guts in it. That should be good stuff.

I'll jump on the MX518 bandwagon here. I've had one for over a year now with no problems. Sensitivty switching is nice (although not used by me) and it works really well.
$38 w/ free shipping at Zipzoomfly.

Or maybe I'll just wait for the new Intellimouse Explorer with Ra...n it. That should be good stuff.

Microsoft and Razer together FTW!

This will probably be the best mouse EVAR!!@#!@#!

Okay, the MX518 sounds like a winner. Thanks, guys.

TheGameguru wrote:

Microsoft and Razer together FTW!

This will probably be the best mouse EVAR!!@#!@#!

Logitech has a new one coming out too, but it looks absolutely ridiculous.

I'm in total agreement about the Microsoft/Razer pairing though. That mouse looks like it will be awesome.

I'm really hoping the Razer keyboard turns out well too. I've heard a lot of positive things about it being better overall than the G15, and not being so big you have to park it in your garage. Rumor is that will appear in October. I think it's the same for the mouse. I may just end up with both. The G5's little flaws are slowly starting to wear on me.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Okay, the MX518 sounds like a winner. Thanks, guys.

Good choice

Yeah, turns out my coworker and BF2 player (LSD_Wash, for those of you who remember him) also uses an MX518.

Yeah, I liked my MX518 until my dog chewed through the wire.

G7 all the way baby.

IMAGE(http://www.dvhardware.net/news/logitech_g7_mouse.jpg)

Now all I need is a new pc to use the damn thing on.

Our cats only chew my wife's wires.

My MX518 arrived today. You guys on BF2 tonight are TOAST!

Really enjoying the MX518, though I do wish it had a bit more heft to it.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Really enjoying the MX518, though I do wish it had a bit more heft to it.

The G5 is, at least form wise, the same as the MX518 but with the added option of weights. You can make it probably the heaviest mouse you've ever used if you want... the problem is that the little skid pads on it just don't work as well as the 518's. And the middle button sucks. And you don't get a forward button.

Yeah.

I like my forward button.

For posterity, I also bought an MX518 based on this thread.

My Logitech MX310 it a nice mouse with a quick response and a good feel.

It has a few 'extra' buttons - one on each side and an application button below the scroll wheel. Typically those buttons are hit accidentally, causing me to curse when they force my browser to go 'back' and somehow erase the temp files for a page that took five minutes to load, or closing whatever application I'm in, or minimizing a program with no built-in minimizing capability, crashing my computer, so I try to avoid hitting them. Devil's work, those buttons.

Still it has a good feel, nice response, and snappy aesthetics. My local Staples™ retail store has just reduced the price to about $19. Hurray!