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I am a game developer who mouses quite a lot for programming, audio editing, graphics editing, video editing, gaming and many other tasks.

I need a good and reliable wired mouse I can use with either hand, as I am constantly switching hands when working.

Features I need:

  • ambidextrous
  • at least five buttons
  • scrollwheel that gives feedback
  • wired
  • reliable enough that lasts for a few years of heavy mousing
  • reliable scrolling
  • plug and play. No drivers so it works out of the box in whatever operating system I choose

Things I don't need (but can live with)

  • lighting
  • programmability
  • high dpi
  • strange designs

Things I don't want

  • drivers
  • wireless
  • tons of buttons

So in general I am looking for an advanced professional mouse as opposed to a gaming mouse. Not unlike the das keyboard for keyboards.

For many years I used the IntelliMouse optical, which was great except for some scrolling issues until Microsoft decided to can it.

The proposed replacement, which I believe was the Comfort Mouse 4500 had a very loose scrollwheel that scrolled just by resting your finger in it.

After some research I moved to the SteelSeries Sensei RAW, which pretty much has everything I need, but the scrollwheel very often scrolls incorrectly, enough for it to be annoying. This has happened with two separate mice, and many users report similar problems.

I know the scrollwheel is a difficult part to get right, as it moves a lot inside and out of the mouse, catching dust and other stuff, and that is why I am looking for a well built mouse to stand the rigors of scrolling a lot.

I also wonder, why isn't there a category of high quality non-gaming mice?

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  • Something worth considering is how broad it is. I used to have a roccat xtd which I'd recommend outside being horribly unreliable. On the other hand my razer taipan is awesome but just too narrow for my liking.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Commented Mar 28, 2016 at 9:54
  • I had a few Logitech mice with MicroGear scroll wheels that I found reliable. Have you tried these? Do you have a reason for not mentioning or considering Logitech?
    – LiveWireBT
    Commented Mar 28, 2016 at 12:06
  • @LiveWireBT: The only mice I've used since 2001 are those three I mentioned. I have not considered Logitech because I have yhe impression Logitech makes budget hardware and cuts lots of corners everywhere they can. This is totally unfounded, si I will definitely look into that.
    – Panda Pajama
    Commented Mar 28, 2016 at 17:16
  • Thank you for your reply. I just did some research and found that Logitech doesn't currently offer a 5 button corded mouse with MicroGear scroll wheel that can be used with both hands, even though this technology was introduced almost 10 years ago (mid 2006). Wired options are the M500 and the G502 (core version with blue LEDs and spectrum with RGB) with a slightly different variant of MicroGear. Wireless ambidextrous mice with this kind of scroll wheel aren't easy to find either, the mouse of the Dell KM714 probably is one and then there is the recently announced and overpriced G900.
    – LiveWireBT
    Commented Mar 28, 2016 at 20:36
  • The KM714 desktop set should arrive here shortly (I needed a new keyboard and somehow found this set, which I wouldn't have found otherwise, apparently it is made by Logitech and has unifying technology, it's an expensive option though if you're not going to use the keyboard). Just for clarification I'm a Linux user, so I expect my input devices to be plug and play and not rely on software. I also had a few Microsoft mice in the past. Writing an answer only for the currently unavailable G900 seemed ludicrous to me.
    – LiveWireBT
    Commented Mar 28, 2016 at 20:55

2 Answers 2

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The Logitech G300 (or G300S) is an ambidextrous mouse that has served me very well for years now. It's branded as gaming but hasn't got a ridiculous design. I also do pretty much everything you mentioned doing and it's never failed me.

The only potential drawback I can see is that you need the Logitech software to map the extra buttons, but that's a given. Regardless, it can still be used in the plug-n-play style you're after.

It's also fairly cheap at £30 brand new.

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Tons of Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer mice available on eBay. I currently use the 3.0 version but others are available.

If you really like the Intellimouse mice, perhaps stocking up with a lifetime supply might be wise. I have several of them myself for this very reason.

Also be aware that replacing the micro-switches (when they go noisy or intermittent) is quite easy if you are handy with taking stuff apart and with soldering small traces. I've never yet had the actual electronics fail but have replaced many switches and cables over the years.

Current price the the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 on eBay is about US $30.

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