I had some spare cash and decided to replace my old mouse, a Logitech MX700 cordless optical mouse, since it was suffering from recharging issues. And despite those problems I decided for another Logitech mouse, mostly because the ones I’ve had before have been very comfortable. And from what I can from a few days of use, this is the most comfortable mouse I’ve ever had.

The general setup is the same as the MX700, a cordless mouse with a base station that fills the functions of wireless reciever and recharger. A small difference is that the cable from the AC adapter plugs into the base station intead of connecting to the PS/2 plug. I can’t say if that’s good or bad, there’s one more cable on the desk, but one less in the spaghetti behind the PC.

The scroll wheel, with “tilt” funtion for scrolling sideways, has a nice, smooth action, and sits between the “cruise control” buttons that also scroll the page. On the thumb side are the back/forth buttons – a feature I can’t live without after a few years, they are so useful I feel impaired when going online with a mouse that doesn’t have any – and a button for application switching. All the buttons have a feel that I think is best described with the word “quality” – not flimsy, and not to stiff. I havn’t bothered installing the software yet, and it seems the tilt funtion and application switching are driver dependent.

Logitech claims that the MX1000’s laser engine has 20 times the resolution of regular, LED based optical mice. I don’t put too much value in numbers like that, but after trying it with Photoshop and other graphics apps as well as a few games I can say that it feels much more accurate than my old optical mouse. And the ball mouse I used when waiting for the old, erratic mouse to recharge is on a stone age level in comparison.

I’ve mentioned the buttons, but the other aspects of the design of the mouse body are excellent as well. I thought the MX700 was a very comfortable mouse, but trying it after having used the MX1000 for a few days it felt almost as unwieldy as your average brick. The shape is just right – the thumb rests comfortably in the deep groove, the opposite side is easy to grip both with the little finger alone as well as with ring finger and pinky toghether (I alternate between those two modes of gripping depending on what I’m doing) – and the general hand position is very relaxed. The mouse’s “feet” are also good, it slides better over the pad than any mouse I’ve had.

I also think its appearance is quite striking, especially they way Logitech made the MX series’s left and right mouse buttons “invisible” by making the top part in one single piece. Makes the design stick out of the general mass of mice in a subtle way, you see it is different but it takes a moment to see why. I don’t now if it’s true for the regular blue version, but the top of the black/charcoal “Midnight” version I got has a glossy, laquer-like finish that’s a nice change from the regular matte plastic that computer hardware usually is made of. The plastic of the sides has a smooth, rubbery texture – and I can say from experience that that is better than the real thing, I had a rubber clad mouse that became a little icky after a couple of years’ exposure to skin.� The only thing that could have made it look better is if the battery LEDs were blue, but that’s probably just me being a sucker for blue LEDs in general.

So far, everything I’ve said has been positive and I havn’t found any traces of major flaws, but nothing is perfect. One slight annoyance is the battery LEDs I mentioned. It’s not that they are too bright, but the fact that they go out when the mouse has been inactive for 5-10 seconds, and I find that little glint when I switch from keyboard to mouse a bit distracting. Maybe it’s just me, and I guess I’ll get used to it pretty soon. Then there’s the non-replacable battery – I know from experience that though lithium-ion batteries live longer than older types they do lose capacity over time, and that could affect the possible lifespan of the mouse. The mouse is also relatively heavy (175 grams according to my scales), but personally I like the extra weight.

But overall, I think the MX1000 is simply excellent, and I don’t regret buying it a moment. Without doubt the best mouse I have ever used. The price might seem a bit high, but for anyone who spends a lot of time at the desk I’d say a comfort/performance mouse like this is well worth checking out.

Some links: Logitech product information, DesigntTechnica review, HEXUS.net review. I havn’t compared prices, but it’s availible at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk for those who like to shop there (and help amateur bloggers afford a nice cold beer or two by clicking their links ;)).