Laser Mouse Roundup

Reviews: Peripherals

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Laser Mouse Roundup

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Bradford Day
Kurtis

Apr. 30, 2006

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Introduction

They've been on the market for several months now and I've had a chance to play with all of them. Laser mice are definitely here to stay. Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to have gotten to play with 5 different laser mice from the likes of Microsoft, Razer and Logitech. And now that I've had more time to think (and frag) it over, I'm going to give you my impressions of which ones are hits and which ones you should avoid. I present to you: TheTechLounge Laser Mouse Roundup.

Since I'm sure you've all read up on my previous reviews of these mice, there is no need for me to repeat myself ad nauseum. But, if necessary, you may take a few moments to review the material. Go ahead, I'll wait... Ready? Ok good. What, do you ask, are the methods with which I will grade these 5 competitors? Well, similar to their individual review parameters I will be making comparisons based on desktop usage, design and ergonomics and of course in-game usability. I might throw some other tidbits of information in there too, just to keep you alert.

Here are the contestants, in no particular order. From Redmond, Washington we have the Microsoft Wireless and Wired Laser Mouse 6000. These two brothers from the Pacific Northwest are cheap, no frills entries created by the world's foremost computer powerhouse. Next up is a pair of mice sent to us by Logitech, the G5 and its wireless sibling, the G7. These sculpted beauties are a tough act to beat with features galore and a reputation brought to you by the people who invented true laser mouse technology. And finally, the upstart independent, the Razer Copperhead. An evil looking jet black and neon blue contender born from the lineage of such superb gaming mice as the Boomslang and Diamondback. Let the games begin.

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Desktop and In-Game Usage
Page 3: Design and Ergonomics / Conclusion

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7 User Comments

1 - Posted by CTM420 on May 1, 2006 - 2:12 pm

I wrote a little user review. Essentially I agree with your round-up. The G5 won me over too, but I think buyers should test mice themselves to get a real feel for whether it's something they will want to use every day.

2 - Posted by handrail on May 1, 2006 - 4:07 pm

i agree with your points about the G5 as well. it is definitely my favorite and the one i'm keeping.

again, i do make mention in the main reviews that smaller handed users might like the copperhead or 6000 series better than the G5...but i don't think anyone can dispute that the Logitech mice are better in terms of software. and it really does have the best ergonomics, in my opinion. the razer is a great mouse, but isn't at all curved to the shape of my hand.

one other shining example of how much the G5 rocks is the fact that practically every gaming station we passed at CES this year was using the G5...nVidia, Dell...the Logitech rep told us that they sold a bunch of G5s just to be used for displays at CES.

3 - Posted by Dyrewolph on May 1, 2006 - 9:49 pm

I just went and picked up a dvd burner for dad for his birthday... one of the guys there was talking about the mice he has at home and was complaining that he had to change the battery daily on his G7... if that's the case, and I didn't notice it in your review when i skimmed through it late last night, then I'd rather use my MX1000 over the G7... at least mine's only outta batteries about once every week or two (depending on usage) and it only takes a while to charge enough to keep playing... so yeah... MX1000 for me...

4 - Posted by handrail on May 1, 2006 - 9:55 pm

his battery must have been spent then because i left mine on for several days and never had to change out the battery. from my original review:

"The G7’s battery life is more than adequate. After a 10 hour initial charge on the normal setting, I was able to get many days of use (3-5 hours a day) without even losing a bit of charge. "

it's possible logitech had some problems with the batteries though. i thought the battery life of my G7 was nearly the same as the mx1000, except that you can swap out the packs quickly instead of having to wait for the thing to charge in the cradle...i don't like the mx1000 cradle thing.

if you don't intend to use your wireless mouse entirely for gaming, i would suggest the mx1000, it is a better desktop mouse than the G7. the mx1000 definitely has a better button layout and more of them.

brad.

5 - Posted by Kurtis on May 2, 2006 - 2:08 am

speaking of the mx1000, i still use mine and i love it. overall i like the ergonomics of it better than the G5 and G7 which revert back to the MX700's smaller body. it's a matter of preference really. and i don't game that much, so it makes an excellent desktop mouse as brad noted.

6 - Posted by handrail on May 2, 2006 - 8:07 am

yeah, the mx1000 is a bit larger than the G7...but mainly in the thumb rest area.

7 - Posted by Brian on May 2, 2006 - 11:56 am

I agree with Kurtis about the MX1000. The G5 and G7 rock, but I am big on ergonomics and because of that, I prefer the MX1000 over most other mice. I am also very picky about the wireless speed, and while the G7 seems to have no lag at all, I have no problem with the minute lag of the MX1000. Although I would probably prefer a G5 or G7 if I was a big gamer.

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