I’m a stickler for quality. Given the fact that I spend most of my waking hours on a computer, when not at school – at least to me, having a quality mouse is mission-critical. If it bugs me, I’ll chuck it out and get a new one (which is exactly what I’ve done in this case – moving from a Logitech MX Revolution to the Logitech G9).
Some people say one can’t possibly justify spending £50 on a mouse. I disagree. As already mentioned, a mouse is a tool. If it aint the most easy to use – the most responsive, then in terms of productivity you’re losing out.
Advantages of the Logitech G9:
- Macro-assignable side-buttons (the forward button is set to show my desktop, the backward button to alt-tab – reminiscent of my Mighty Mouse Mac setup).
- Normal & Hyper-Scrolling modes (plus a fully functional middle-mouse button, which was what bugged me with the MX Revolution.)
- Easily distinguishable program profiles (all thanks to user-specified colour-changing LEDs on the front of the mouse.)
- One-touch DPI swapping (great for people who do alot of sensitive Photoshop work)
Let me expand on a few of these points…
Why The Hyper-Scrolling Is Such A Big w00t!
The macro capabilities, I think, should be obvious enough. The hyper-scrolling however, is a huge improvement over the Logitech MX Revolution for a few reasons.
- One flick of the scrollwheel can keep it going for over 30 seconds (to be precise, we got 31).
- When pressed down, the scrollwheel acts like it should. It doesn’t flip from clicky-clicky mode to hyper-scrolly mode, like the MX so unfortunately does (good concept as it was).
- Mode switching is on the bottom of the mouse, so again, no accidentally pressing the middle button – and no not getting the button you want, when you want it.
Program-Profiling, Über DPI & Funky LEDs
The DPI is pretty insane on the beast. A centimeter movement at the mouse’s highest setting (3600DPI), combined with my MicrOptic NovaKiller mousemat (specifically designed for laser mice to optimize performance, possibly contributing to the insaneness of the DPI), would move the mouse right the way across a 24″ monitor. Conversely, set at just 200DPI, I’d have to literally move the mouse a meter and a half to get from one side to the other. The sweet-spot in terms of desktop usage and gaming both seemed to be around 1,110DPI, but of course this will vary on both user-preferences and the surface you’re using the mouse on. A high-sensitivty one like the NovaKiller will change things majorly.
The most decisive feature contributing to the Logitech G9 winning my heart though, was the application profile-switching. When the mouse sees PhotoShop open, as per my settings, the LEDs go blue (from their standard red) and the DPI halves.
When I’m playing Call Of Duty (damn – there I go again, blowing my cover), the LEDs turn green and the macros assigned to the mouse change. The “show desktop” and “alt+tab” buttons become weapon switchers, the DPI-changing buttons become nightvision and reload. And of course, the hyper-scrolling wheel means I can fire off druganov-rounds at a gazillion-per-second (same goes for pistols, non-bolt action rifles and non-fully automatic weapons).
Misc Rockin’-ness Features
The Logitech MX Revolution was a wireless, rechargable mouse, with fancy stand. It’s battery life was epic. It’s response times as good as any wired mouse. But the fact it still did need recharging managed to pee me off (96-hour CallOfDuty… I mean, uh, serious work marathons… were interupted by blinking red battery warnings).
The reason I’d switched to wireless in the first place, brings me onto why the G9 is so utterly superior to anything else, pretty much ever.
The braided cord. Rather than have a plastic wire-casing (see: any wired mouse, bar the Razer Mamba, when one chooses not to use it wirelessly) – the Logitech G9′s cabling is coated in a smooth, friction-reducing lightweight fabric, which makes using it a joy – sliding it over surfaces, the wire not sticking to split fanta, and such. 
The swappable mouse covers. Interesting feature… you eject the top of the mouse off, a bit like a jetpack, only it doesn’t fly at all, and then slot a new one on. Included with the mouse are two near-identical ones. One is more slimline however and has practically no thumb-rest, whilst the other is slightly chunkier, still practically has no thumb rest, but at least has a little bit of one.
Unsurprisingly, I use the larger of the two for everything, and it still feels like I’m clawing the mouse (although since I purchased the mouse a few weeks back – I’ve definitely got more used to this and started to appreciate just why Logitech designed the mouse this way. Precision, baby.)
The larger of the two-included mouse covers (the one I’m using) feels alot sturdier and “controlable” than the other, which even for someone with small hands like myself, seems to constantly feel like it’s “slipping away”. Again, I guess one could get used to it.
The weights. These are included in a sexy-lookin’ tin (can’t believe I just said that) with the mouse on purchase. They come in two different weights. You get four 4-gram weights, and four 7-gram weights. The mouse itself holds four, so given you have four of each, you can make any combination you wish (or not at all, leaving the mouse incredibly light to the touch).
I’ve got a reasonably heavy weight-combination in my mouse. Two 7-grammers and two foursies. The slot-loading for the weights is rather swish, but inconvenient, requiring one to pop the mouse cover off their mouse in order to access it. Pain up the bum, really – and not worth it. I’ve not, and certainly can’t see anyone popping their cover off on a regular basis to change their weight configuration, but perhaps some sad soul could enlighten me.
All-in-all, the Logitech G9 comes…
Wilki.me has partnered with Costello & Sons Technology Insurance to make bringing this post to you possible. Feel free to leave comments below and ask any questions you may have!
Leave Your Response