Originally posted by: NightBane
Anyone ever used one? curious how it compares to say the mx518
I posted this on HardForum as well, and rather than retype I'll just copy & paste my impressions...
On the outside, the G5 is nearly identical to the MX518. Except there is no adjustable weight system on the MX518 (no big deal IMO) but it does have on-the-fly DPI switching like the G5.
I had an MX518 and G5 rev.1 -- ended up keeping the MX518 because of two main things. The 2nd thumb button (which is no longer an issue on the G5 rev.2) and the fact that the scroll wheel was much easier to click...in both ways. The MX518's wheel had less resistance when scrolling and seemed easier to scroll up/down. In fact I sometimes found my finger sliding down the back of the G5's wheel without turning it because there was so much resistance and the wheel was slick. This could have been remedied by either using less resistance for the X axis mechanism, a la the MX518/MX700/etc. or a tackier/less slick material for the wheel. Or even putting notches on the wheel rather than making it smooth.
Also, the wheel on my G5 was, I felt, unnecessarily difficult to press down (mouse click). It required significantly more pressure to click down, which was somewhat tolerable in games but made opening new tabs in a web browser a chore. The wheel on my MX518 is much easier to click down, but not so much that I ever have to worry about clicking it accidentally.
Now, the G5 is a fine mouse...and for this price, an excellent mouse. And my particular sample might have just had an overly combative wheel, I'm not sure. But in the end I simply preferred my MX518, and although I'm glad the extra thumb button returned on the G5 v.2, I'm not the biggest fan of the "cRacKeD eARtH L337 gAMeR" look and preferred the silver/orange finish on the first version...but to each his own. The newer version is kinda cool but I prefer the more understated, classier look of the MX518.
But I must admit that my MX518 is in danger of being supplanted. I went crazy this past week and purchased pretty much every highly-rated gaming mouse available to see if any of them could take the MX518's place. The list of contenders include: Razer Lachesis, Razer DeathAdder, SteelSeries Ikari Laser, Microsoft SideWinder, Logitech MX1100, and yes, the Logitech G9. I also picked up a Logi LX8 to take to work but I never planned to use it exclusively for gaming.
So in short, I'm tempted to pick up the updated G5 at this price but I want to know if the scroll wheel has been improved...otherwise there's no way that it could be a contender for my mainstay mouse. Even a couple of reviews noted that the wheel was harder to manipulate than other Logitech mice, and to me it was a step backwards.
Then you have the Microgear Precision wheel that Logitech is using on a lot of their newer mice, and on my VX Revolution it turns almost too easily (even when not in free-spin mode). So much so that I have accidentally scrolled down a notch when trying to do a mouse wheel click.