Logitech mice

[ajz3d]

I must be the most unlucky man on Earth when it comes to choosing the proper mouse to work with, because every single wireless Logitech mouse I purchase ends up in the exactly same state: with a malfunctioning left mouse button.

This nasty button seems to wear an tear way too fast when compared to low quality Chinese mice from brands like A4 Tech, Genius, etc. at a price of a mere several dollars (when compared to almost a hundred for high end cordless Logitech mice). Malfunction manifests itself with unwanted double clicks, or even triple clicks despite the fact that my ears clearly register a single mechanical click when the button is depressed.

Has anyone experienced similar problems with Logitech mice?

Also, has someone had any experience with Logitech's support? How does their replacement procedure look like? Do they send a replacement mouse the moment you fill out the support form? I have two bloody cordless high-end mice that require replacement and are still on warranty, but the only thing that stops me from sending them to Logitech is that I'll be left without a mouse until they agree with my complaint, pack the new replacement mouse in the box and send it back to me. This may take weeks and I'm not too eager to spend my money on a temporary no name mouse that I will use until the new mouse arrives. No, no.

[TimmyZDesign]

My recommendation is to just switch over to a pen tablet for doing most everything. I used to think that a mouse was better for certain things, but the pain of working for hours and hours and hours nonstop with a mouse is extreme. When I use a pen tablet for long periods, I suffer much less. Finally I got a Cintiq last year, and that is the absolute best. I hardly touch my mouse anymore.

I actually don't like using my keyboard much either, so I have been using an onscreen keyboard a lot lately, or only leave my left hand on the physical keboard if I must...

But as far as mice go, I like Logitech the best, but I don't use the wireless ones because it seems like they have a lag, or my button clicks don't get registered or something; it's as if the wireless signal gets lost sometimes... The laser mouse with the wire is my favorite if I must use one.

Best of luck! I hope you find a happy end to your woes!

[AbnRanger]

Yeah, I'm still using my Wacom Intuous 3, bought several years ago. Never looked back to using a mouse since...unless on a latop. And I got a smaller wacom tablet version for that, too. They are certainly worth the investment.

[L'Ancien Regime]

I just use the cheapest $10.00 OEM logitech mouse with USB plug in and that is all I ever will use.

[JimB]

I just use a Microsoft Comfort Optical mouse 1000 when

I'm not using my tablet.

[bisenberger]

A corded logitech gaming mouse works goods. Extra buttons, extra precision and more responsive than a wireless mouse.

[BeatKitano]

I completely agree with the full stylus movement here. In fact I spent several years (can't recall how many exactly but it's around 10 years) using only the stylus (even in games).

The only reason I bought a mouse back (less than one year ago) is because I wanted to go full cintiq and needed something to quickly interact between my screens and the cintiq.

But overall I still prefer to use a pen, besides as I learned with going back to mouse is how easy it is to get wrist pain... something I never felt in years with a stylus and got back with less than a year of mouse use, simply crazy.

[Ruth Spacecookie Andrews]

I've had the same thing with Logitech mice though mine were always wired, but each that I bought ended up with that malfunctioning button problem. I bought a cheap mouse other than logitech this time, and this one actually looked nicer, and maybe a bit more 'flashy' than the logitech, which is not usually a selling point as far as I'm concerned, because I'm quite practical about such things, yet it's lasted well so far and it feels nice too. It's got sort of red chromey bits, with matt black other parts and a scroll wheel which glows

I also have a wacom mouse, but hardly ever use it as some software just doesn't work well or even at all with wacom mice.

*Edited to add: This is the mouse I have now, free of problems since I bought it the middle of last year to replace a dysfunctional logitech:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wintech-93200-GB-Optical-Mouse-USB/dp/B000WL7K8M/ref=sr_1_139?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1350534435&sr=1-139

[popwfx]

Actually I've no problems with my Logitech mouse. I got an MX Revolution and loved it so much I had to buy another one off ebay since they discontinued it (only becuase I used it so much the rubber and plastic started to wear). It works like a charm along with the Intous 4 & 3D Conexxion SpacePilotPro.

The absolute best thing about this MX Revolution mouse is this awesomest gear-shifting mousewheel. It is digital click rolling like most mousewheels, but if you click to disengage (or set it up for particular apps) it goes into free rolling mode and it just flies with weighted momentum. So you can gear shift to mousewheel precisely or disengage to free spinning mode, give the mousewheel a swipe and long web pages or documents go flying down the screen and then I just catch the spinning mousewheel with my finger to stop the page. I have no idea why they took this feature out of the new Logitech mice - its so awesome. Plus it's wireless and has a week long charge and a docking station. I highly recommend one if you can find one...

[BeatKitano]

They didn't, I got the same thing on my g500. I agree it's nice, but the sound of it... it looks like it's not meant to last (sounds like frail plastic parts waiting to wear and break).

[ajz3d]

Photonvfx, my PerformanceMX has this gear-shifting wheel too and I agree with you - it's very useful and fun to use. Sometimes I catch myself spinning it quickly without a purpose, just because I can.

I remember some of the older Logitech cordless mice, manufactured five years ago or so, had this switch placed at the bottom of the mouse, so in order to toggle it you had to pick the mouse up and turn it upside down. And it wasn't even a button, but a sliding switch you had to move with a fingernail. Fortunately they recognised their mistake eventually and began to place this button near the wheel.

[popwfx]

Photonvfx, my PerformanceMX has this gear-shifting wheel too and I agree with you - it's very useful and fun to use. Sometimes I catch myself spinning it quickly without a purpose, just because I can.

I remember some of the older Logitech cordless mice, manufactured five years ago or so, had this switch placed at the bottom of the mouse, so in order to toggle it you had to pick the mouse up and turn it upside down. And it wasn't even a button, but a sliding switch you had to move with a fingernail. Fortunately they recognised their mistake eventually and began to place this button near the wheel.

wow that's bad design - on the underside of the mouse? what were they thinking?

On mine there is no button to engage or disengage the gear - you either set it up via its control panel software on a per appilication basis, or you can press the actual mousewheel down and "shift gears" then as well. And you are right, it is fun. It's the weight of the spinning wheel that feels "real" and gives momentum to the movement - and luckily, the on-screen scrolling matches the real-world physics of the spinning mouse wheel.

BeatKitano: I'm not sure about the g500 - is that the same mousewheel as in the mx revolution? Because mine doesn't seem fragile at all, it feels well-engineered and with strong parts - it's lasted years so far -- maybe the g500 was an earlier or cheaper revision??

[Spincycle]

I have a G500. I really like being able to change the DPI.

[popwfx]

Btw, I was doing extra hours and a lot of precision retopo work for a few weeks and started to get hand cramps but they went away as soon as I got one of these:

It's just the palm support and thin flat mousepad (the mouse pictured above is not included - you use your own mouse). The palm rest has slidey feet on it so it slides smooth; and it connects to your mouse and your hand rests on it making those micro-movements much easier to make without cramping your hand gripping the mouse. I normally have no problems or RSI with mice, but most mice are too small for people with big hands and it's usually only when I am doing a lot of precision work without rest when I have trouble, This has solved it though.

In the past I tried that Evoluent Vertical Mouse, but it was crappy and I couldn't design well with it. So I sold it on eBay for more than I ended up buying it for - people like those, but I gather they aren't media people who buy them...

[michalis]

I use a Logitech G5 usb mouse. Bought it in 2005 and still works perfectly. I learned Maya with this one LOL, blender, etc etc

Though a full Wacom user I prefer this mouse on a typical 3d edit mode. The best mouse ever used. Designed for righties only.

(The weighting system isn't the only customizable feature of this mouse, you can adjust the resolution of the sensor on the fly, without installing any software 400-2000dpi).

Wacoms are great, but you don't have to work on DTP or on CAD or on audio-video apps with them, right? The wacom mouse isn't that good as the G5.

[ajz3d]

I too prefer using a mouse in everything but sculpting and texturing.

About that micro-gear again. I've dug out my old MX620 - one of the first mice that had it. Take a look at the photo of the switch. It was a terrible idea indeed.

I bought the mouse back in 2008 and the left mouse button started malfunctioning after three years (same problem I'm experiencing with an almost two-year old PerformanceMX), but apart of this issue and the funny placement of the micro-gear switch, it was an very good mouse. It came with a 5-year warranty which still has not ended, so I'll be sending it back once I find the USB receiver that I misplaced somewhere.

That's a one nice looking wrist support. You mean it actually moves with the mouse?

[BeatKitano]

BeatKitano: I'm not sure about the g500 - is that the same mousewheel as in the mx revolution? Because mine doesn't seem fragile at all, it feels well-engineered and with strong parts - it's lasted years so far -- maybe the g500 was an earlier or cheaper revision??

The wheel feel solid, it's the switch button that click "fragile" to my hear.

It's the thing in the middle:

[popwfx]

I too prefer using a mouse in everything but sculpting and texturing.

About that micro-gear again. I've dug out my old MX620 - one of the first mice that had it. Take a look at the photo of the switch. It was a terrible idea indeed.

I bought the mouse back in 2008 and the left mouse button started malfunctioning after three years (same problem I'm experiencing with an almost two-year old PerformanceMX), but apart of this issue and the funny placement of the micro-gear switch, it was an very good mouse. It came with a 5-year warranty which still has not ended, so I'll be sending it back once I find the USB receiver that I misplaced somewhere.

That's a one nice looking wrist support. You mean it actually moves with the mouse?

Yup that wrist support moves with the mouse and feels surprisingly natural.

That switch on the bottom is a terrible idea - weird.... But I love that my MX Revolution I can just engage the gear by clicking on the mousewheel...

[popwfx]

The wheel feel solid, it's the switch button that click "fragile" to my hear.

It's the thing in the middle:

Ahh so that's the G500?

This is the MX Revolution and its wheel and buttons seem well-engineered:

[ajz3d]

Here's a funny thing.

I bought a Gigabyte GM-M7700 wireless mouse as a temporary replacement of my Logitech Performance MX. Turned out to be a terrible mouse: fits a child's hand, stutters on move... Almost impossible to work with.

I've cleaned the MX's plastic body up and put it away for a while. After several days of struggling with M7700, I turned on the MX just to realise that the LMB works again correctly (sic!).

It's been a week now since I've been using the MX again and it still operates properly. How about that guys? I'm not sure how could this be explained. Magic perhaps?

[popwfx]

there has once in awhile been a USB freakout where inserting a particular kind of USB card reader into another slot killed my mouse. But if I just pulled the logitech dongle out and immeditately reinserted it, then it came back to life. try that. I'm not sure what your original issue with the performancemx was?

[ajz3d]

A malfunctioning LMB that was registering double or triple clicks (or no click at all) when pressed only once. It also prevented me from drag-n-dropping items by releasing them in the middle of an operation.

I tried inserting the Unifying receiver to various USB ports: at the back of my PC, at the front, to monitor's USB hub. It did not help. And now it works like nothing happened. Maybe the plastic material or some conductors were "tired" and after resting for a couple of days began functioning correctly again? Can't explain it really. It's weird, really weird. I wonder how long it will last.

[philnolan3d]

I saw this a little late but I also had a problem with the left mouse button on my Logitech Mouse. Mine was an MX Revolution. On mine the problem was with "drag and drop" or press and hold dragging like you might do to navigate in 3DC and LightWave. If I pressed too hard, the button would randomly "let go", while I was still holding it. This caused all kinds of problems. However, I talked to Logitech over email, they asked like 2 or 3 questions to confirm the problem. After I answered them they sent me a brand new mouse in retail packaging. Didn't even ask for the old one back so I use the old one as a back up for my laptop.