So - what do we like for a wired 2-button USB mouse nowadays?

[SDGuy]

I've been using HP X500 mice for around a dozen years or so - I like them, but after ~6 years, mouse #2 has now developed the same problem that mouse #1 did: the scroll wheel stops scrolling. Disassembly and cleaning out of gunk/dust/etc. doesn't help.

So - time for a replacement. Are there any favorites amongst the groupthink?

Requirements:
- Wired USB (I abhor having another object that requires batteries)
- Two buttons
- Optical (don't think that needs to be said, but throwing it in, just in case)

Thanks in advance

[Robert M]

SDGuy,

The HP X500 is about $10 to $15 from most places. 6 years from an inexpensive mouse that you like isn't too shabby. If you like it, I'd probably just buy another one. If you want an alternate, I'd recommend finding a store like Micro Center that has a bunch of mice on display. Give'em a test drive. Your hand will tell you which one is the replacement mouse of choice. If your hand doesn't like it, don't buy it.

RTings did a rundown on wired mice:



It's worth a read. Amazon has an AmazonBasics mouse that meets your requirements and it's even less expensive than the HP X500. I'd no idea it existed until I gave the article a quick looksie.

If you're willing to consider a trackball, I have a basic wired two-button with a scroll wheel model from Sanwa that has proven a viable replacement for my beloved wired Logitech trackball.



Not as cheap as the HP x500 or AmazonBasics mouse but solid for nearly 2 months now.\

Robert

[SDGuy]

Robert M wrote:
...Give'em a test drive. Your hand will tell you which one is the replacement mouse of choice. If your hand doesn't like it, don't buy it...

Thanks for the reminder - getting flashbacks now of mice past that I absolutely abhored (too small/too big/wrong shape/etc.).

I think a trip to a physical store will be in my future - or maybe just get more HP X500s; like you pointed out, it works out to maybe $2/year for those.

[special]

I agree, if you like the HP X500, then get more. It is $11 shipped (with prime) right now.
The only question is: do they build them like they used to? what if they changed the contract manufacturer or something else in the process and new HP X500 are like crap? how can you tell? :dunno:

[AllGold]

I'm using a Logitech RX1500. I have no idea if it's still being made and available because I've been using it for several years. I have a spare in the closet in case this one dies.

[pqrst]

Whatever you decide on, I’d buy two more. And stash them away for future use. Mitigates a bit toward a less expensive model.

[SDGuy]

pqrst wrote:
Whatever you decide on, I’d buy two more. And stash them away for future use. Mitigates a bit toward a less expensive model.

Yeah - that's the plan; what prompted this thread was that my backup HP X500 died. Also, lookng at AllGold's favorite, it looks like it's been discontinued. I'll probably take the path of least resistance and buy three or four HP X500s (since I like that model), and hope for the best. If I'm still in the market for a new mouse when that stash runs out 20 or so years from now, I'll be glad to have made it that far, and probably won't be fretting over what the replacement will be.

[Tiangou]

Robert M wrote: Amazon has an AmazonBasics mouse that meets your requirements...

I have a half dozen of them.

I bring them to work and throw them at people who have Dell and HP mice that break.

They're cheap, reliable, and plug-and-play.

[Robert M]

Tiangou,

They look like good, solid, basic, utilitarian mice. Perfect to keep around as a spare pointing device. I'm probably going to grab a couple of them on my next office oder with Amazon. At that price, they'll do the job nicely.

Robert

[special]

And on the other side of the spectrum we have the $100+ gaming mice with multiple programmable buttons.