I know you asked for an alternative, but I genuinely don't think there is one.
The G502 is such an incredible mouse, especially at the price. If you had to buy a new mouse for 40$ every 6-7 years, I think that's a pretty solid deal.
I personally use the "lightspeed" wireless one, and couldn't be happier with it. The form factor and general feel is very good too, I like how it feels in the hand.
Well I suppose that's true haha. As for the basilisk, I remember it feeling "off" in my hands, though that just might be me being super used to the G502 form.
It's frustrating because Logitech, who was at the forefront of mouse tech/design not too long ago, has fallen behind.
The current trend addressing the exact issue OP has is optical switches. They hurt battery life a little on wireless mice, but will last a lot longer without physical contacts to corrode/wear out. Optical scroll wheels are also becoming popular.
These are actual innovations that improve the quality of the product in a meaningful way, unlike nonsense like 8,000 hz polling rates or DPI values so high nobody will ever find a practical use for them in video games.
You are absolutely not wrong. I've had three G502s in my Amazon cart -- I like them so much, as frustrating as they currently are, that I'd get another one 😅 -- for the last several days.
But, I'd at least like to look at and consider the competition!
I think every G502 owner has seen that particular video. But as a counterpoint to taking it apart entirely and dealing with the replacement rubber, the least amount of effort that still has tangible effects is to take a toothbrush and just scrub the thing down between all nooks and crannies. It solves plenty of problems on its own and you can decide to open it up afterwards anyway if it didn't help.
typical. looks fun to take apart, though. I'm a magic trackpad kinda guy -- but there's gotta be a mouse with switches instead of those flimsy things, right?
quick edit: behold!! The Leetgion Hellion -- its ugly, has blue switches, and a dial for profiles!
10 years ago, the G502 used the exact same Japanese omron switches advertised on that hellion mouse. They were high quality and guaranteed to something like >100 million clicks.
Then enshittification happened and in the name of a quick buck, Logitech switched to Chinese Omron switches that had an advertised tenth the lifetime and in reality, lasted even less than that. I'm no materials scientist but I imagine some cheaper coating was used on these switches internal components that just wears down faster.
I looked for the Japanese Omron switches but they were either ridiculously overpriced/unnecessary quantities (like 16 switches at 50$) or no sources within Canada or the US. At least for people like me who like fixing things, there are Kailh micro switches that have compatible footprints and are almost as long lasting as the original Japanese Omron switches (75 million clicks I believe) and more readily available. That's what I currently have in my G502 and I need to make the same replacement in my M570 as well as it's exhibiting the same symptoms. Along with the rotary encoder in my G610 keyboard...
You know maybe it's time I start moving away from Logitech...... I'm just a hard ass for right to repair and actually doing it I guess hahaha
that's wild. It's so lame that they take an absolute shit on their own product to save a few cents per unit.
From a quick look, there does seem to be a modest DIY mouse scene, but not nearly as big as the keyboard one. Anyway, thanks for this info! sad but interesting.
Then enshittification happened and in the name of a quick buck, Logitech switched to Chinese Omron switches that had an advertised tenth the lifetime and in reality, lasted even less than that
I think a major part of the problem is also (ironically) power efficiency. Microswitches need a minimum current flow for long-term reliable operation; it breaks up oxidation that could otherwise cause contacts to stick. Unfortunately, that kind of current flow obviously increases power draw, and designers normally want to eliminate it.
This also operates hand-in-glove with a switch to cheaper switches. If the cheaper switches are coated differently (or if their oxidation-resistant coating is thinner and wears through more easily), then the problem of low-current actuation is worse.
The uhhh, "percussive maintenance" technique, only seems to work for like a day or two, sadly...
But I'll def check out the video to see what can be done. I did see something on reddit about cleaning up contacts or something. I will likely open these suckers at at some point.
the cleaning and all doesn't seem too bad, but the actual part that clicks looks crazy flimsy. I'm surprised they work at all. This got me down a very shallow rabbit hole of custom made mice. the scene isn't big, but the mice look cool, cost a lot more than most mice, and require a medium amount of skill wrt soldering, etc. Not nearly as accessible as they keyboard side.
There's another (easier? better?) solution to replace the omron switch with new ones. Some soldering required though. Maybe my g502 is different because I don't remember those flimsy metal things at all.
Both solutions involve taking the mouse completely apart which is an annoying process that I will not do again despite enjoying a good tinker every now and then. So. Many. Tiny. Screws.
I'd be willing to try to clean the contacts or whatever -- I've done that before with a Google Nest Mini speaker where the power switch got "dirty" or something and it kept power cycling itself without even me touching it -- but I feel soldering is too much. I have soldered before...Very poorly. But it did work!
I recently switched to a Razer Basilisk V3 which has a similar form factor to the G502. It's longer than what I'm used to (coming from a Steel Series 100 that lasted a good 9 years) but I am quite happy with the performance. Can't comment on the long-term reliability, feels sturdy though. There's plenty of different configurations available to match budgets, wired/wireless, upgraded sensor, etc.
I went the other way when it comes to gaming mice. I had a Basilisk v3 for years, loved it except that after a while the scroll wheel wore out. I could no longer reliably click the button, which I use frequently when navigating a web browser. Eventually the scroll itself stopped working as expected and I had to replace it. I got a second one because "Ehh, why not?" and then it developed the same problem again, but faster.
I've had the G502x for a while and it's worked great for me. I've been super happy with it. I haven't had any issues with double clicking crop up yet, which is nice. I think that we all stress our hardware in different ways. I'm apparently rough on the middle mouse scroll wheel/click mechanism. Others must have heavy clicking fingers. Who knows, but it's interesting to see people transition in both directions.
After my last two Logitech mice developed a double click, I said no more and looked at other brands. I settled on the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2, and I absolutely love it compared to my previous mice. Highly recommended.
A while back I decided to de-Logitech my life, and the g502 was the hardest thing to replace. I tried a lot of things, and eventually found the Roccat Kone XP. it satisfied all of my needs, including the two additional index finger buttons and multiple on-board profiles. Roccat then got purchased by Turtle Beach, and apparently the build quality took a dive after that, but not before I bought a half dozen of these babies to use as backups and office mice.
Barney | a month ago
I know you asked for an alternative, but I genuinely don't think there is one.
The G502 is such an incredible mouse, especially at the price. If you had to buy a new mouse for 40$ every 6-7 years, I think that's a pretty solid deal.
I personally use the "lightspeed" wireless one, and couldn't be happier with it. The form factor and general feel is very good too, I like how it feels in the hand.
TaylorSwiftsPickles | a month ago
Aside from the additional/optional weights and the very heavy wheel, Basilisk v3 and G502X are possible alternatives/upgrades in my view
Barney | a month ago
Well I suppose that's true haha. As for the basilisk, I remember it feeling "off" in my hands, though that just might be me being super used to the G502 form.
babypuncher | a month ago
It's frustrating because Logitech, who was at the forefront of mouse tech/design not too long ago, has fallen behind.
The current trend addressing the exact issue OP has is optical switches. They hurt battery life a little on wireless mice, but will last a lot longer without physical contacts to corrode/wear out. Optical scroll wheels are also becoming popular.
These are actual innovations that improve the quality of the product in a meaningful way, unlike nonsense like 8,000 hz polling rates or DPI values so high nobody will ever find a practical use for them in video games.
[OP] JCPhoenix | a month ago
You are absolutely not wrong. I've had three G502s in my Amazon cart -- I like them so much, as frustrating as they currently are, that I'd get another one 😅 -- for the last several days.
But, I'd at least like to look at and consider the competition!
tomf | a month ago
you've probably seen this, but it presents two viable options -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVlhNlZWTuw
either seems to have great success :)
CptBluebear | a month ago
I think every G502 owner has seen that particular video. But as a counterpoint to taking it apart entirely and dealing with the replacement rubber, the least amount of effort that still has tangible effects is to take a toothbrush and just scrub the thing down between all nooks and crannies. It solves plenty of problems on its own and you can decide to open it up afterwards anyway if it didn't help.
tomf | a month ago
typical. looks fun to take apart, though. I'm a magic trackpad kinda guy -- but there's gotta be a mouse with switches instead of those flimsy things, right?
quick edit: behold!! The Leetgion Hellion -- its ugly, has blue switches, and a dial for profiles!
sparkle | a month ago
10 years ago, the G502 used the exact same Japanese omron switches advertised on that hellion mouse. They were high quality and guaranteed to something like >100 million clicks.
Then enshittification happened and in the name of a quick buck, Logitech switched to Chinese Omron switches that had an advertised tenth the lifetime and in reality, lasted even less than that. I'm no materials scientist but I imagine some cheaper coating was used on these switches internal components that just wears down faster.
I looked for the Japanese Omron switches but they were either ridiculously overpriced/unnecessary quantities (like 16 switches at 50$) or no sources within Canada or the US. At least for people like me who like fixing things, there are Kailh micro switches that have compatible footprints and are almost as long lasting as the original Japanese Omron switches (75 million clicks I believe) and more readily available. That's what I currently have in my G502 and I need to make the same replacement in my M570 as well as it's exhibiting the same symptoms. Along with the rotary encoder in my G610 keyboard...
You know maybe it's time I start moving away from Logitech...... I'm just a hard ass for right to repair and actually doing it I guess hahaha
tomf | a month ago
that's wild. It's so lame that they take an absolute shit on their own product to save a few cents per unit.
From a quick look, there does seem to be a modest DIY mouse scene, but not nearly as big as the keyboard one. Anyway, thanks for this info! sad but interesting.
majromax | a month ago
I think a major part of the problem is also (ironically) power efficiency. Microswitches need a minimum current flow for long-term reliable operation; it breaks up oxidation that could otherwise cause contacts to stick. Unfortunately, that kind of current flow obviously increases power draw, and designers normally want to eliminate it.
This also operates hand-in-glove with a switch to cheaper switches. If the cheaper switches are coated differently (or if their oxidation-resistant coating is thinner and wears through more easily), then the problem of low-current actuation is worse.
[OP] JCPhoenix | a month ago
The uhhh, "percussive maintenance" technique, only seems to work for like a day or two, sadly...
But I'll def check out the video to see what can be done. I did see something on reddit about cleaning up contacts or something. I will likely open these suckers at at some point.
tomf | a month ago
percussive maintenance is a fantastic term.
the cleaning and all doesn't seem too bad, but the actual part that clicks looks crazy flimsy. I'm surprised they work at all. This got me down a very shallow rabbit hole of custom made mice. the scene isn't big, but the mice look cool, cost a lot more than most mice, and require a medium amount of skill wrt soldering, etc. Not nearly as accessible as they keyboard side.
TommyTenToes | a month ago
There's another (easier? better?) solution to replace the omron switch with new ones. Some soldering required though. Maybe my g502 is different because I don't remember those flimsy metal things at all.
Both solutions involve taking the mouse completely apart which is an annoying process that I will not do again despite enjoying a good tinker every now and then. So. Many. Tiny. Screws.
[OP] JCPhoenix | a month ago
I'd be willing to try to clean the contacts or whatever -- I've done that before with a Google Nest Mini speaker where the power switch got "dirty" or something and it kept power cycling itself without even me touching it -- but I feel soldering is too much. I have soldered before...Very poorly. But it did work!
And oof, not looking forward to all the screws.
tomorrow-never-knows | a month ago
I recently switched to a Razer Basilisk V3 which has a similar form factor to the G502. It's longer than what I'm used to (coming from a Steel Series 100 that lasted a good 9 years) but I am quite happy with the performance. Can't comment on the long-term reliability, feels sturdy though. There's plenty of different configurations available to match budgets, wired/wireless, upgraded sensor, etc.
hungariantoast | a month ago
That's what I've been using for years now. I wrote a comment a year ago about why I like the Basilisk V3:
https://tildes.net/~tech/1lqp/looking_for_a_new_mouse_maybe#comment-es2o
TLDR the mouse is comfortable to use and has a ton of interesting and useful features.
NonoAdomo | a month ago
I went the other way when it comes to gaming mice. I had a Basilisk v3 for years, loved it except that after a while the scroll wheel wore out. I could no longer reliably click the button, which I use frequently when navigating a web browser. Eventually the scroll itself stopped working as expected and I had to replace it. I got a second one because "Ehh, why not?" and then it developed the same problem again, but faster.
I've had the G502x for a while and it's worked great for me. I've been super happy with it. I haven't had any issues with double clicking crop up yet, which is nice. I think that we all stress our hardware in different ways. I'm apparently rough on the middle mouse scroll wheel/click mechanism. Others must have heavy clicking fingers. Who knows, but it's interesting to see people transition in both directions.
Qgel | a month ago
If you like the shape of the G502, I recommend checking for similar shaped mice on eloshape. I personally find that's the hardest thing to evaluate if you are shopping online.
Bront | a month ago
After my last two Logitech mice developed a double click, I said no more and looked at other brands. I settled on the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2, and I absolutely love it compared to my previous mice. Highly recommended.
NPC | a month ago
A while back I decided to de-Logitech my life, and the g502 was the hardest thing to replace. I tried a lot of things, and eventually found the Roccat Kone XP. it satisfied all of my needs, including the two additional index finger buttons and multiple on-board profiles. Roccat then got purchased by Turtle Beach, and apparently the build quality took a dive after that, but not before I bought a half dozen of these babies to use as backups and office mice.