kairyl's Full Review: Logitech MXâ„¢400 (931638-0403) Mouse
What do I use a mouse for?
*I used to FPS game quite a bit (in the Quake era)
*I mainly looked for a desktop mouse for work
*I use Windows exclusively, and various multimedia and web-based apps
*In my past experience, a wireless mouse cannot
* I like to customize the extra navigation buttons to my needs
Why did I buy this mouse?
*I like wired-USB mice for day-to-day work. They're fast, no batteries required
*scroll-wheel is a must
*the Forward/back buttons are a must for my needs
*the scroll-wheel buttons for left-right and 'down' options are quite nice, but not critical
*I LOVE the ability to use the scroll-wheel left-right options for moving TABs within Firefox
*The price was relatively inexpensive, and the Logitech build-quality has been good in the past
*The laser-option was a 'selling point', but more on that later
Laser "eye" vs optical:
This was a selling point, because I'd only had mechanical-ball and optical-engine mice. I'd never actually had a laser-mouse, so I was intrigued. In practice, there's VERY LITTLE real difference that I could tell between my old Logitech optical vs this new 'laser'. It's really a matter of preference. It's not really more accurate in-practice, it just felt 'different'.
I noticed that the laser-eye had problems tracking on some surfaces, particularly 'old-style' mouse pads that are soft-rubber-like bottoms, with a soft logo on top. I called Logitech support, and they confirmed that the laser can't track on some materials, and they recommended a plain white piece of paper. Come on Logitech... I'm NOT going to use a piece of paper for a mouse pad! It slips all over the desk, and is not soft (some people like it that way). So I changed to a mouse pad with a printed logo that had a plastic top, and it seems to work great.
The laser tracks well on most desks, but my desk is an opaque glass, so it barely tracks (NOTE: opticals don't work well on glass either, but i've seen some new mice will work well on glass even! but i haven't tried them yet).
The laser-tracking problems are probably the single-problem with this mouse. If you use an 'appropriate' surface/mouse-pad, then it's beautiful.
Physical attributes:
It's a good weight for a desktop mouse. Not too heavy/light. It is primarily for right-handed people, and is easy to pick up and move across the desk if needed. I have an above-average size hand, and it is still comfortable to use for long-periods. It glides beautifully (even after 1 year of use). But main buttons are pretty standard. The left-side forward/back buttons feel like second-nature placement. And the left-right options for the scroll-wheel (via software) are simply magic to save time when navigating different TABs within apps (like within Firefox). The USB cable is decent length.
Software attributes:
I didn't customize the software much. But the best things are that you can customize the buttons (if you choose). But it's nothing spectacular. It just works.
Overall:
I would buy this mouse again. For the price, I didn't really see any brand-name mouse on the market that matched the navigation-button features.
Performance Laser Tracking provides state-of-the-art laser technology for unmatched precision and control Unique comfort grip with gently contoured si...More at Amazon Marketplace
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