Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
by Logitech
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Our Price: $139.98 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Customer Review: Very few flaws
Summary: 5 Stars
Well I bought this mouse a few weeks ago and I'd have to say I'm extremely happy. Enough so to bother writing a review on it. I've owned the Logitech mx518 and G5, the Microsoft MSIE 3.0, Razer Deathadder and Salmosa. Out of the above, I was happiest with the Salmosa for its light weight and great finger control. Then I got this, the g9, on sale. My control and accuracy has greatly improved. However, it did require a good 3 days of getting used to the feel and fine tuning the dpi and sensitivity to my liking. But that should be expected from any new mouse.
The mx518 and G5 were accurate, but the molding of the mouse and lack of space for my pinky would cause my hand to cramp after an hour or so of use, and my hands aren't the largest out there. The Deathadder fit the best in my hand, if you like palming mice, but it just lacked the accuracy I needed in first person shooters like CS source. AND, it would skip when playing on a lower sensitivity which Razer claims it was designed for (fail). The MSIE 3.0 fit great but had issues with the scroll wheel going off when moving the mouse as well as the right click button, and the Salmosa was a tad too light and small. I could move quick to get my cross-hair on the enemy, I just couldn't keep it on the enemy. But the g9 fixed all this for me.
The wide stance of the g9 allows me to grip with my thumb and pinky to stabilize the mouse but without having to squeeze very hard. The shorter length keeps the back of my wrist on the mouse pad allowing easy, slight side to side aiming for perfect control. The lazer engine has been spot on with no skipping and it never feels like I overcompensate and aim past a target. Great response and with the acceleration turned off, it actually feels like there is no acceleration unlike some other mice. The weight of the mouse is perfect enough without the additional weights. Light enough for quick movement, but heavy enough to not be out of control. If you want it heavier for more control but potential slower response time, the option is there. Note: my ability to spray in CS Source has improved twofold. The dry rough textured cover is slim to give me more of that fingertip control that I desire, while the wide smooth grip has more of a fuller palm feel (but not 100% like a palm mouse). There is no shortage of slide feet on this mouse unlike the small pads on razer mice. The main part of the mouse has two large feet, one front one back, for really great glide. The wide grip does have a small additional Polytetrafluoroethylene foot under the thumb to support the weight or force of your thumb when in use for an even smoother glide. Both grips feel great by the way and I've never experienced any hand cramps even after 4 hours of straight game play!
All of the buttons have a great click feel, none are too sensitive where I accidentally click them, but the wheel button is VERY stiff compared to other mice. Luckily for me I never use it. The dpi switch button is a little unorthodox at the back of the left click button. Not the greatest spot in my opinion, but isn't too hard to get used to. The thumb buttons on either cover are in decent spots, they stick out enough and also have a solid yet easy to push click. The button switch for the scroll wheel is on the bottom with the profile changer. To me this isn't a big deal. Most likely you will like 1 setting for the scroll wheel and keep it that way forever. I like the click scroll myself.
The weight system does load in the back of the mouse. This can make the mouse a little rear-heavy when loaded up. In my opinion it doesn't make the mouse awkward to handle since it is kind of short. The 28 grams should be more than enough for a heavy mouse user and the weights are easy to pop in and out. Plus with the cover on you don't need to worry about the weight cartridge accidentally popping out.
The new setpoint software is easy to use and is pretty much self explanatory once you open it up. It has lots of options to change your sensitivity, dpi, color, etc. The 5 different profiles are there and can be saved on the mouse if you travel a lot. So you can keep your settings when using a different computer. The only thing is, when you save a change it will reset your current dpi to whichever your middle setting is, so you then have to re-click to the dpi number you want. Not a big issue, just FYI. Also, unlike with the g5 setpoint, I have had no issues with my settings getting changed when I open different games or programs!
I think I covered most of everything. The price is a tad much. But if you can find it on sale for 60 or less then by all means pick this mouse up. Especially if you are looking for more of a finger tip controlled mouse.
Customer Review: A great mouse, but LED mice are better for FPS gaming
Summary: 4 Stars
PROS:
+ Excellent tracking at LOW speeds.
+ Very sturdy and comfortable for some people.
+ Profiles and customizability (e.g. weight adjustment) are unparalleled.
+ Mouse wheel is amazing!
+ On-board memory saves your settings for other computers.
+ Braided cord gives some improvement over plastic ones.
CONS:
- Like most laser mice, bad tracking at high speeds.
- Not suitable for left-handed users or those who use a "claw grip".
- Only 3 grips to choose from. Where are our new styles???
The quick version: Great mouse, but not for everyone. Make sure that the ergonomics suit you before buying. It starts skipping when doing very fast movements, so if you're a low-sensitivity FPS gamer, get an LED mouse (like the MX518) instead of a laser one like this.
The mouse is solidly designed. Even though it has multiple pieces, it doesn't feel flimsy at all. The grip design is excellent--switching the grips can be done extremely easily and quickly. The buttons have very good response, though I think that they may be a step down from mice with the MX form factor. For instance, the side buttons are basically on the same surface as where the thumb sits, meaning that they are much easier to hit, unlike the MX-style mice (MX518, G5, etc.), where they sit on a lip above the thumb. The sensitivity adjustment buttons are well-placed, and there is no way you would accidentally hit them.
The scroll wheel is absolutely exquisite. When the gear is engaged, it clicks very fluidly, without being too sensitive, and the buttons (down, left, and right) have very comfortable responses. When the gear is disengaged (via a button on the bottom), you can scroll through huge pages or spreadsheets effortlessly.
This mouse is designed for right-handed users. While the controls can be flipped, it becomes a bit more awkward. The angular grip isn't too bad, but the more popular "wide load" grip is very awkward for southpaws. Also, this mouse is fully designed with palm-grippers in mind. Many people I have talked to say that it is a poor choice for anyone with a "claw grip", where you hold the mouse primarily by pinching it with your thumb and ring/little fingers.
The G9 also has a braided cord, which is interesting. It's still a bit rigid, which doesn't make it a huge improvement over the plastic cords. It is thinner, though, and the slight improvement in rigidity makes it get in the way a bit less.
The SetPoint 2 software is excellent. It allows you to configure profiles, adjust the LED colors, adjust sensitivities, create macros, and even customize the cursor speed, acceleration, and polling rate for each individual profile. Profiles can be changed by pressing the button under the mouse or by using automatic switching.
Now, for the main disadvantages. This mouse, like most laser mice, is inferior to LED mice for low-sensitivity gaming. Low-sensitivity gamers favor accuracy by lowering the DPI to slow down the cursor. Thus, when turning quickly is required, the mouse must at surprisingly high speeds. This mouse skips at many of those speeds. I switched over from an MX518, which has perfect tracking at most high speeds, and no skipping at any speed I could manage on my QcK+ mousepad. The G9 does a very annoying bump any time you exceed a certain velocity. I had to increase the acceleration and force myself to slow down, which impacts accuracy. It's not a huge deal, but LEDs are superior to lasers in FPS gaming mice, period.
The ergonomics are a bit difficult to get used to. Even for right-handed palm-grippers (like me), this is a huge change from the venerated MX form factor. Unless you have tiny hands, your palms will barely be supported by the back of the grip, meaning that they will mainly rest on your mousepad itself, potentially causing friction issues. I could also raise my wrist, of course, but I never had to do this with my MX518. Also, the mouse is harder to control overall. The MX mice allow you to move the mouse fluidly with only your palm pressed down. Trying to move the G9 with only your palm causes the mouse to slip back and forth, meaning that more effort is required to hold it in place.
There are only a few other disadvantages. The LED only really has about 7-8 colors, despite all the different colors SetPoint supposedly offers. Having to turn the mouse over to click the mousewheel button is annoying. I have heard some other mice with this feature have a software switch. Finally, there are really only 3 grips total for this mouse: the two that come with the mouse, plus the "ID Grip", on which you may put a custom picture. This is available from Logitech directly.
Customer Review: Good Mouse for Semi-claw Grip
Summary: 4 Stars
Due to the recent $30 rebate I decided to replace my aging G5 with a G9. Out of the box it definitely felt weird. It's a very wide mouse and it does not sit in the palm of hand like most regular mice. However, after adjusting to the new feeling I was pleased with the shape. It fits very well with a semi-claw grip. I would not, however, recommend this mouse for people with a very pronounced claw grip. The end of the mouse is too far away from the buttons to allow for this, and you would need to have the mouse all the way in the palm.
The two grips included are also quite nice. The gaming one has the advantage that it is less likely to become slipper from sweat and also shows less of the oils. The regular one feels slightly nicer to touch and has the benefit that it keeps my thumb off of the surface which helps keep it more comfortable. It's too bad that Logitech did not do what they did with the G5 by creating a hybrid of these two grips. I wouldn't mind having the areas that are gripped more be the slip-resistant compound.
The G9 is definitely rich in features. Unlike the early G5's, the G9 has both forwards and backwards buttons which help make day to day browsing/computing a lot nicer. The fast scrolling is also an absolute pleasure. I don't think I want to go back to regular 'click' scrolling for day-to-day use. The wheel stays spinning for a long time, so what used to be a lot of ratcheting to get to the bottom of the page (or a number of annoying scroll-bar clicks) is now two actions: a flick to get the wheel spinning and a stopping action once there. The mouse responds to these changes quickly too, so there is no need to worry about overshooting what you are looking for if you are alert. Only occasionally (and during games) is it necessary to switch back to a 'click' scrolling mode. The button for this is unfortunately in an annoying location, and for a while I needed to flip the mouse over to see where it is. Eventually I did manage to get used to where it is and now I can do it blind.
As with the G5 the cord is very nice. By not being a rubber cord it does not get stuck like regular cords and slides with ease over most surfaces. This means that it is hard to jam it never gets stuck under the mouse.
The sensor also seems to be a good one. As with the G5 it works on plenty of surfaces, including ones with small defects that optical mice simply can't deal with. As far as I can tell the DPI boost is not very relevant as in practice there really isn't any noticeable difference between 2000 and 3200 DPI. It's just nice to know that the mouse can handle high precision.
The part where things take a turn for the worse is the DPI settings. Like predecessors, this mouse lets the user select from 5 user-set DPI sensitivities. That part is not at all a problem. A quick adjustment in the software and it is done. What does not work very well is the change of profiles. To change profiles (which has a new set of 5 DPI presets) another button on the bottom needs to be pushed while pushing the + and - buttons on the top. This is not exactly a simple motion and is the main reason I basically stick to one profile (which is enough anyways). I guess what does help is that the software can be set to automatically change profiles depending on what other programs are running, but setting this up is a total pain and requires a lot of patience. If you are considering buying this mouse for its multi-profile feature, you either need to have a lot of patience in setting everything up or you should keep on looking.
For the rest the buttons have a nice feel and so far are not showing any weakening. They have a very definite click but are not very hard to push so you get a lot of feedback while still allowing for some fast and easy clicking. The feet on the bottom give a nice low resistance, although they do seem to wear out quick on rougher surfaces. I would recommend using this mouse primarily on smooth surfaces to help increase the lifetime of the product.
Conclusion: Overall this mouse is a good mouse. I would recommend this to almost anyone as it is a nice product that has features useful to almost anyone. It also feels like a quality product, which at this price is always a nice thing to have. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is that it has the trouble with the buttons on the bottom. If Logitech had just fit them somewhere else I think I would have given it the full 5.
Customer Review: Logitech G9
Summary: 5 Stars
Purchased through Amazon approx. 3 months ago. For newer FPS games works BEAUTIFULLY. Being able to switch dpi settings mid-game is an incredible feature I'm not sure how I survived without! Allows you to select up to 5 different settings ranging from 200dpi to 3200dpi. At 3200 dpi the cursor SCREAMS across the screen...not sure why you would purchase the 4000dpi+ models currently available: I haven't found much use for anything above 2500 dpi- while speed is great you can't sacrifice all of your control; However in Battlefield 1942 some of the tank turrets are so slow the 3000dpi setting is nice, the problem arises when you are being attacked and leap from the tank just before it blows apart- you don't really get the time to switch settings and there are 2 or 3 enemies standing on the ground waiting to pummel you - you're almost a sitting duck at high dpi setting b/c you spin around so quickly - I find the 2500dpi to give a satisfactory turret speed and quick ground response.
Interesting feature I've not seen broadcasted: The dpi settings on the X axis (left/right) and Y axis (up/down) are able to be adjusted INDEPENDENTLY from each other! So you could have a dpi of 200 on the X axis and 3200 on the Y axis! (Why, you may ask? Don't ask...just know it can be done!) There is also a setting that lets you control both axis at the same time so that they are on equal settings.
The microgear switch is on the bottom of the mouse. I don't find it any bother- mostly I leave it in the free-spin style and switch to "click" feature only when playing a game. Heard lots of complaints about the switch on the bottom...c'mon people, is it THAT difficult to turn the mouse over and push a little button once in a while???
I like the weight tuning feature, I love the "precision" grip's rough moisture wicking skin, the braided cloth covering over the cord provides a touch of sophistication not seen on other computer mice and the color LED screen provides enough feedback to inform the user of profile settings and dpi setting selection.
The LED screen is customizable...the colors are created from the green, red and blue LEDs and so when the LEDs combine to make various other colors you will sometimes see some "bleeding" of one of the primary LED colors through the window. For example, on some shades of purple you will see the blue bleeding through and so it will almost look like the top portion of your screen digits are blue with a fade to purple. Play with the different shades to minimize the effect. Not enough of a gripe to knock off a star.
I won't touch on the profile settings, self-explanatory and enough said by other reviewers.
The only complaint I have (if you can call it that) is that it is choppy on the menu of some of my old classics. On Mechwarrior3 you have to set it to a very low dpi setting to navigate the options menus and the menus where you customize your Mech. Once entering game play the mouse functions as smoothly as ever. Not quit sure why yet, but it only happens with the very old games. But that is akin to griping that a product designed exclusively for Windows Vista will not operate properly in Windows 95. Based on the age of the games this phenomenon occurs with and the games that are actually meant to be played with this mouse, I find it more impressive the mouse works at all. Considering the range of customization allowed on this mouse, it is probably a user error (i.e. MY fault). I should try turning down the USB report rate (another of the many features I have not touched upon in this review).
Overall, a wonderful product. Some friends who are avid Razer users have declared they will purchase this mouse after giving mine a test-drive. Would I recommend this product to anyone? YES. Would I purchase this product again? YES. Will you regret purchasing this mouse over another brand/model? NO.
A 5 star product.
Customer Review: Solid Piece of Hardware
Summary: 4 Stars
If a gamer takes a step back and looks at himself, he may boggle at why he spent so much money on a gaming keyboard or mouse. But then he goes back to his Warcraft battleground or Call of Duty match and remembers why he made the investment; if you play anything more than Solitaire or Luxor on your PC, you'll want to consider making this investment too. And at the moment, the average gamer will need to look no further than Logitech's G9. I can't say the G9 will be remembered by gamers as fondly as the once-almighty G5, but once again Logitech has made a mouse which strategy, RPG, and shooter fans all can love.
This mouse's pricetag is a bit of a disappointment; it's steeper than both of its competitors, the Sidewinder and Lachesis. Not only that, but some of these features just aren't necessary. There are two grips, but wide load (the default one) is clearly the better one. Its smooth surface is more comfortable than the precision's drygrip alternative, and feels less awkward in your hands. The cord (which all gaming mouses really need for the extra precision) is braided with a durable fiber, and slides more easily than any mouse cord I've seen (though it would be nice if something to clip the unused length were included). There are two side buttons, which are easy enough to click; it would have been nice, however, if there were more side buttons. You can choose two different mouse settings; ratchet or free-scroll, but since even the lowest sensitivity for scroll is essentially out-of-control with free scroll, I don't see why anyone would want it. This is definitely Logitech's least flashy laser mouse (excluding notebook and early desktop models). It has a design that certainly demands respect at LAN parties, but it could have done with a little more flair in my opinion.
But probably the most important feature here is customization. Logitech has an easy-to-use system that lets you set up more mouse profiles than you would have any use of. Each profile can customize its LED color, individual dpi settings, scroll sensitivity, and key bindings. It's a bit hard to switch between profiles, but you really only need one, since generally speaking one type of game really only needs one dpi setting. You can have a maximum of 3200dpi, but in the current state of gaming, no one but an FPS fanatic with surgically-sound control of his hand would need more than 2200. For strategy/MMOs I use 1400-1600,FPS's in the 1800 range, with regular use at 1200-1400, just for people who need a reference point.
Ergonomically, this mouse really seems to be aimed at people with medium to medium-small hands. I have hands which anyone would call bigger than average, and the G9 isn't the most comfortable mouse I've ever held, but everyone who uses this for a day or two will easily become acquainted with the design. Wrist/forearm users will love this mouse, as will finger-grippers, but it's not exactly designed for people who move their whole arms. Large-handed gamers who use their whole arm are better suited for the Sidewinder. And of course, this is most certainly not a mouse for lefties. The main mouse buttons feel very comfortable, though it would be nice if they didn't click as much
With dpi switching that is easy to use, but not easily done by mistake, a great grip (and another which is bound to appeal to some), a durable cord, and great customization, this mouse is easy to recommend to almost any gamer.