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Comment by deanclatworthy | Hacker News Reader

For those interested, Logitech recently resurrected [1] their most famous mouse. The MX518. At least I was able to now buy it from retailers in Europe :) I love it. Could never get used to the more bulk Logitech mice such as the one in OP.

[1] https://www.techpowerup.com/review/logitech-g-mx518/

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For MX518 lovers, I've got a strong recommendation for G400s. The shape is almost the same and it's amazing how durable it is. The cable issue is still there, just like in MX518, and eventually (I am guessing) that's the reason I'll have to switch to something else.

I've been using both of them for years and years. Amazing.

Yes, this was my replacement mouse when I built a new computer and couldn't find another 518. It's a great wired mouse - this is one of those designs that just works.

I prefer the G400s over the MX518 as I like the more grippy shell.

You can get cable replacement kits for the MX518/G400/G400s for $9 from eBay that includes new feet and a USB cable. So I'm really not worried about longevity.

P.S. You should take the mouse apart and clean it probably at least once per year. I cleaned my MX518 after about 5 years when the scroll stopped working consistently. I was shocked how much hair was on the inside, blocking the scroll sensor.

Yep. I just bought a new USB cable for mine myself, and switched to a spare I had.

I find I need to clean my scroll wheel maybe twice a year. It gets more stuck with gunk over time, and it becomes harder and harder to scroll.

>For MX518 lovers, I've got a strong recommendation for G400s.

but both are discontinued

That sounds right IIRC the g400 was the old mx518 but without the peely plastic skin issue. They stopped selling old mx518 and I ended up with the g400. Both mice seemed close enough to me. For some reason the g400 was only considered a spiritual successor.

The latest one makes my MacBook Pro emit an extremely annoying high pitched noise when moving. I think it’s due to the high refresh frequency of the mouse versus more traditional ones.

It sounds like a squeaky wheel or a squealing (real, animal) mouse.

Other mice do not cause this problem. I mask it out with noise canceling headphones but I’d love a nice mouse that doesn’t cause this behavior. I’ve tried ferrite loops but they do nothing.

You can turn down the polling rate of the mouse using the software.

Then the sensitivity goes down and you gotta compensate by increasing the sensitivity elsewhere. Can never get it quite right.

Does it really? It shouldn't but it could be flawed.

I imagine the poster is probably thinking of DPI rather than polling rate - two different things.

I have the same problem! What the hell is that? I've been mystified at that noise for ages.

Do you have an upgraded GPU? I think it’s the Radeon 560 in mine.

I have a desktop computer running Linux, I think the monitor is what's whining, but I'm not entirely sure.

Looks like a number of Logitech mice suffer from whine, though whether it's the same whine as parent is describing I do not know. Apparently caused by a poor choice of capacitor: https://jdc.koitsu.org/logitech/ (you'll have to scroll down a bit).

Oh huh, so it is the mouse... Thanks for the info!

I still have a pair of G5 mice that I use at home and work. It’s good to see Logitech bringing back that design! Other than the MX Master 2S I carry around for mobile use, I’ve never had a mouse fit my grubby paws do perfectly.

Other than a cable replacement and a switch cleaning, both of those original G5’s are still perfectly operational after over a decade of regular use.

Worth noting that even though the Logitech G502 looks very gamer-y, when you actually hold it, it feels like a G502/MX518.

Quite similar, but not exactly the same. The reissue of MX518 has a noticeable difference, too (using one right now, had 10 years of fun with the original one).

I had 3 of these mice over the years and each one eventually the cable would go bad/loose, I think including my G5, and I'm no fast twitch fps gamer. Looks like they changed he cable on this new one.

Ironically I switched to the MX series (multiple mx2 and mx2s, home/work) and I absolutely love them apart from the problems I used to have where they'd stutter on every OSX machine I used them on. I haven't had that problem in maybe a year, though. Logitech or OSX BT update maybe.

I can't go back to a non MX scroll wheel. I love it.

It’s the fidget spinner among mice. I use it mostly when working on windows where the Magic Trackpad isn’t really an option

There's a non-Apple driver for the trackpad that works reasonably well.

Do you happen to know what it's called? I was looking for this yesterday and couldn't find a good one with what I was Googling.

I pay $13/year for this: https://magicutilities.net/ They have a 30 day trial so you can test it out.

I tried the open source drivers on my MS Surface but I never got them to work.

Same one mentioned in the other reply. It has an annoying subscription and bind-to-device thing. On the other hand, it's cheap and it works.

Are there any good mice with replaceable cable? I no longer buy keyboards without replaceable cable (usually mechanical), surely the same could be applied for mice, how would one combat obsolescence otherwise.

Aren't all cables replaceable if you have a soldering iron?

I meant swappable, i.e easily replaceable. A regular user would not solder a new cable, you go and buy a new mouse. For better keyboards it's slowly changing, why don't we see the same for mice then? SteelSeries was doing that, but it should be more common with standard usb connection cable.

Oh, I see. Do new keyboards have a micro USB port and you can just get a new cable? I haven't seen this, but I've also never had a cable go bad on me so this isn't a problem I've had.

Most decent mice already use a connector between the cable and the board, its just not designed to be hot swappable.

The cable finally wore out on my old Logitech G5 and I was able to order a replacement for a few dollars. I also had to replace the skids since they covered the screw holes. All it took was a screwdriver and five minutes.

Wake me up when they resurrect their most famous trackball: The Trackman Marble FX.

The Logitech MX Ergo might be worth a look. Definitely works for me. Probably not great for gaming though.

Yeah, I can recommend it too. I experienced wrist numbness and pain, and they went away completely after I started using it. Originally I just wanted a vertical mouse, but MX Ergo is both vertical and a trackball. Go with MX Ergo Plus if you can, it has an additional wedge increasing the angle even more.

The only thing I have a problem with on this is the rubber coating on the metal plate. It's not sticking any more to the one I have at home. It seems like it's not a problem with the Plus but since I didn't know it even existed before your comment and I bought 2 of the normal ones (in case they go out of production...I have large hands and there are not many good products out there), it's not a solution for me.

Not a fan of thumb balls, personally.

The Logitech Trackman Marble is my go-to now, but its nowhere near the legendary FX.

Check out Elecom trackballs.

https://www.amazon.com.au/ELECOM-M-DT2URBK-Trackball-Finger-...

Wireless, uses AA batteries. Not as expensive as the latest Logitech trackball.

I have that exact trackball.

Its not anywhere close.

Mine was an MX510 and mine also broke down after a cable issue... and then the second one after that. I'm not particularly conspiratorial, but that's 3 out of 3 anectoble circumstances.

The new mx518 is not as good as the old one. It required some software that did not work properly on macs.

Mine's running perfectly on MBP15 2019 model, with no extra software.

I still use my Mx518 and 310 for LoL and PuBG. They’re still superior in my eyes.

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