Best Desktop Mice

Picking the best mouse to use is a pretty personal decision—it often comes down to taste and how the mouse feels under your hands, but there are definitely some stand-out models that most of us would recommend to friends if they asked us. Well, we asked you which desktop mouse you thought was the best, and this week we're going to take a look at five of the best, based on your nominations.
Earlier in the week, we put out the call for the mouse you thought was the best. You answered, giving us well over 400 nominations and dozens of different models and manufacturers. Like we said in the call for contenders, we had to consolidate some models that were like one another or successors of each other to keep things interesting, but sadly, we only have room for the top five:

Logitech Performance Mouse MX/MX Revolution

The Performance Mouse MX ($99.99 retail) is Logitech's flagship non-gaming mouse. The MX Revolution, its immediate predecessor, and the MX1000 just before that all share some of the same basic features and design, but the Performance Mouse MX was the first to roll them all into a neat and tidy package. The MX sports a Darkfield sensor on the bottom that can track on reflective and glass surfaces, a thumb-switch that activates Expose in OS X and a Expose-like app in Windows that Logitech ships with the mouse, a charging system that lets you use the mouse while it's charging, a long-lived battery, and a tiny Unifying Receiver that's designed to just be left in a USB port and forgotten while you use the mouse wirelessly. It's a pricey product, but it's the mouse of choice for most of us at Lifehacker HQ because it's just so comfortable and has just the right number of buttons.

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Logitech MX 518

The MX 518 ($98 at Amazon, no longer available from Logitech) is a model that stands out on its own. Many gamers consider the MX 518 the peak of Logitech's gaming mice, and while Logitech has been trying to push it aside in favor of the Logitech G400 (its design sucessor), the MX 518's incredible popularity keeps it on store shelves in a number of places. Its 1800 dpi sensor has been outmoded by newer models, but its on-the-fly resolution switching, thumb buttons and scroll buttons, and its completely smooth, curved design have earned it a bit of a cult following. It's not going to win on features, but I can't count the number of gamers—especially FPS fans—who just prefer the feel of the MX 518 over the G series that came after it. Grab it while you can though, odds are it won't be available much longer.

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Logitech G-Series (G5/G500/G700)

We had to consolidate much of the G series, partially because otherwise many of them would dominate the top five, but also because some of the models were sucessors of others—the G500 ($69.99 retail) descended from the G5 (which descended from the MX 518, mind you) and the G700 ($99.99 retail) descended from the G7 (itself a wireless version of the G5.) Still, the G500 and G700 feature Darkfield-enabled laser sensors with switchable resolution up to 5700 dpi. The G500 is wired, and the G700 can be used wired while charging or completely wirelessly, and both models feature programmable buttons, on-the-fly dpi switching. The G500 also features a weight tray and ship with an array of small weights so you can tune the heaviness of the mouse to your preferences. The G700 sports a few extra programmable buttons on the surface and large and smooth feet so the mouse glides across your mousepad or desk surface.

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Razer Naga

The Razer Naga ($79.99 retail) turned heads at first because it seemed to have a ridiculous number of buttons on the side, but it caught on really quickly with MMO fans and productivity nuts alike. Both groups adore the dozen-plus programmable buttons on the side of the mouse that can be programmed to in-game macros or complex actions in almost any application, from browsers to your word processor to your email client. The Naga also features interchangeable side panels so you can get a comfortable grip, a 5600 dpi laser sensor with switchable resolutions, and more. If the Naga isn't enough for you, you can always pick up the Naga Epic ($129 retail), a wireless version with a slightly altered grip, or the Naga Hex ($79.99), a version of the Naga with its side-buttons arranged in a hexagonal pattern designed for MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas) like League of Legends and DOTA.

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Saitek Cyborg R.A.T. Series

If you're looking for a mouse that you can completely customize and tweak to fit your specific hand, the Cyborg R.A.T. line (ranging from $59.99 for the R.A.T. 3 up to $149.99 for the R.A.T. 9, retail) is for you. Each model gives you some control over how the mouse is shaped, with a number of dials and toggles that let you extend a thumb-rest if you like, change the overall length of the mouse so it fits in your hands or work with your preferred grip, sports a set of weights in the underside that you can use to change the heft of the mouse, and a precision laser (variable dpi based on the model you buy) sensor with switchable dpi settings built-in. The mouse ships with interchangeable palm rests and grips, programmable buttons and programmable mouse-wide settings that you can switch with the touch of a button, and more. It may look scary at first glance, but it's an incredibly powerful—and customizable—mouse for the money.

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Honorable mentions this week go out to the Logitech MX1000, which is no longer widely available, so even though a great number of you liked it, we pulled it from the top five. If you want an experience like the MX1000, pick up the Performance MX or MX Revolution—the two mice that came out directly after the MX1000. Also worth noting is the Razer DeathAdder, which many of you praised for its affordability, comfort, and availability in both left and right-handed models. Trackball fans weighed in with support for the Logitech Wireless Trackball M570, perhaps the best—if not one of the few—richly featured trackballs still widely available.