While I was generally satisfied with my previous Logitech mouse, I experienced two instances of the same model running into an annoying issue. I was happy to give an otherwise-solid mouse a second chance, but it would be foolish to buy the same problem a third time.
I’ve now switched to another brand and am happy with the experience thus far. Here’s hoping this new mouse will serve me for years to come.
My history with Logitech mice
Prior to the problematic Logitech mouse, I was using the Logitech Performance MX, a predecessor to the beloved MX Master line. I loved this mouse; it’s super comfortable and has an extra button under where your thumb rests.
The feature I used most, however, was switching between segmented and fast scrolling. Pressing a toggle button lets the wheel flow freely—incredibly helpful for spreadsheets, long emails, endless pages, and similar.
My Performance MX was a champion until it started having wireless interference issues. I tolerated it for a while and tried various fixes, but nothing worked.
One day, I got fed up, went to Best Buy, and decided to buy whatever mouse was wired, on sale, and looked solid. I didn’t (and still don’t) need a wireless mouse; I wanted the reliability of a wired model.
The mouse I settled on was the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum. It checked all my boxes: affordable, wired, lots of extra buttons, and an adjustable scroll wheel. And the mouse experience was great—until it wasn’t.
The G502’s crucial flaw
The Logitech G502 is a solid mouse that isn’t overly expensive. It has tons of buttons, which are all customizable (I mapped tons of shortcuts to the mouse’s buttons). The RGB effects are minor, but pleasant. It’s a comfortable mouse to hold, with removable weights inside the body, and I never had any tracking issues with it. It’s a good example of gaming mice making great productivity tools.
Logitech’s G Hub software isn’t amazing, but it’s workable. The biggest issues I had were it taking too long to load (so your sensitivity and configurations don’t take effect immediately after booting) and updates getting stuck, which required an app reinstall.
But the key feature I mentioned earlier is also this mouse’s biggest issue: the scroll wheel. Like the Performance MX, the G502 features a button to switch between normal “notched” scrolling and endless freeform scrolling. This is fine at first, but over time, the scroll wheel became loose. And it’s not just me—I saw many threads online about this problem.
This makes the normal “clicky” scrolling much less precise. When you want to move one line at a time, it’s hard to stop the wheel properly, because it’s so loose. Moving it slightly can cause the whole screen to wobble back and forth several times. Even setting your mouse down or bumping it can move the wheel, causing unintended scrolls.
I bought my G502 in August 2017. After putting up with the loose wheel for a while, I purchased a replacement in April 2022: the latest edition of the same mouse, called the G502 Hero. It had only minor differences, like a non-braided cable and an updated sensor.
It might sound stupid that I bought the same mouse I already had problems with. But I was willing to try it again, since I liked everything else about the mouse. I figured after nearly five years, they might have fixed the problem, or maybe I got a faulty unit the first time.
Unfortunately, I had the same scroll wheel issues with the second unit. I don’t recall how long it took the issue to appear. But eventually, I decided I was sick of it.
The problem doesn’t make the mouse unusable, but with how much I scroll for work, it’s a huge hassle. Plus, the wheel is uncomfortable to use when loose, including the left/right wheel pushes that I have bound to copy and paste.
Locating a mouse successor
I wasn’t going to deal with this problem a third time, so I expanded my search to other mice. I’m not much of a PC gamer, so when looking to buy a mouse, I’m focused on using it for productivity.
I discussed the question with my colleagues, where the Logitech MX Master 4 (thanks to the Actions Ring) came up as a top recommendation. Given this is a descendant of the Performance MX, I considered it. But I couldn’t justify the price, given I don’t care about my mouse being wireless. The horizontal scroll wheel is cool, but not worth the cost.
I saw many compare the MX Master 4 to the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro (which we reviewed). This caught my eye, but again, wireless mice are much more expensive and not worth the cost for me. However, the Basilisk V3 was a fraction of the price, and is near-identical to its Pro counterpart aside from being wired.
After checking some reviews, I decided to go for the Razer Basilisk V3. I selected a “Like New” model on Amazon, as it was much cheaper, and I don’t mind an open box.
I’ve had good experiences with refurbished/renewed items before, and I stick to reputable sellers when buying them. Given that this mouse came from Amazon Resale, I expected a similar experience.
Like “Used”
However, what I got could in no way be described as “Like New”. There were finger marks on either side from what looked like months of use, plus scratches on the left side and underneath. I was upset about this as soon as I took it out of the box, but the real problem came when I plugged the mouse in: it did not function.
The mouse constantly connected and disconnected, making it unusable. The light on the mouse flashed every second, and the cursor only moved during brief blips. Opening the Device Manager caused the list to constantly flash. I performed mouse troubleshooting like reinstalling Razer Synapse, using another USB port, and rebooting, but nothing fixed it.
I complained to Amazon and returned the device, then ordered a brand-new model (which had since dropped in price) to avoid this issue. Thankfully, it works fine, and I’ve had a pleasant time with the mouse since.
I’m happy with the Razer Basilisk V3 so far
This is my first Razer product, and I’m pleased with the initial experience. Its design is similar to the G502 (with the thumb rest) and feels comfortable in my hand. The all-important free scrolling has a feature my prior mouse didn’t have: automatic toggling between free and notched scrolling.
When you flick the wheel, it changes to free-scrolling mode, then goes back to normal scrolling once you stop. This is a lot more convenient than the constant toggling I did on the Logitech mouse.
I find the RGB more pleasant on the Razer mouse; the scroll wheel is lit, plus a line of lights underneath shows a cool glow where the mouse sits. It has two fewer buttons than the G502, but those are easy to work around (and give me a reason to put my Stream Deck to better use for productivity).
The buttons all feel clicky and responsive. Customizing my shortcuts with Razer Synapse was straightforward, and I haven’t had any problems. I like the mouse’s light weight. The thumb button’s placement means it’s slightly harder to press than the G502’s, but that’s minor.
I’m thrilled that I was able to find a mouse around the same price as the G502 that has the features I care about most. I’ll see how this one stands up to time; apparently, the issue the “Like New” mouse had is caused by the mouse wheel sensor failing.
Hopefully, I don’t have this problem in the future, but for now, it’s a suitable replacement. Even if you’re not a gamer, I recommend upgrading your mouse to something more comfortable that offers extra buttons and speedy scrolling.