Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700

Packaging
The Packing was nice, not to difficult to open, fairly simple and less flashy than others.
So, here are a few pictures of the packing beginning with the front,

The Side,

The important stuff, the back


Contents of the box

Booklets taken out,

Mouse and USB next to my Samsung Galaxy Nexus for a comparison.


Physical
The first thing that impressed me was how small the USB dongle was. I can leave it wherever I want and it does not impose, at all.
It is small enough to be stored conveniently and safely in the battery compartment. It may seem like poor design putting the storage there but the extra work is worth it with such a small USB, Along with the Dongle there is a USB Male-Female adapter with feet to hold it in place. This is a nice gift even though for most users it is unnecessary. The charging cable is also nice. It is a thick coated wire but at the same time stays fairly flexible. It is about 5-6 feet long.
Now to the mouse itself. The shape of the mouse is very ergonomic and is comfortable even during long gaming sessions. All 14 buttons are very responsive. The left and right click buttons are very springy. My one gripe comes with the thumb buttons, they aren't tactile. like the noise feedback of a click. The lock unlock feature for the scroll wheel is useful for large documents. I enjoy the grip, it is a textured rubber that breathes well and doesn't make me sweat too much (This is strange because I am abnormally clammy in the palm region). I also enjoy the IR laser which is good so an idiot like me can't blind himself.

Software
I did a short run through of the software hereThe software is very easy to use. The onboard memory makes switching from my Desktop to my Laptop very easy. When you first install the software it allows you to choose from a heap of preloaded profiles to make setting them up even easier. Rebinding buttons is very easy because the software is super simple. The options to bind keys are very wide allowing macros, shortcuts, and key commands. Setting the DPI is also just a few clicks away. The mouse is super responsive no-matter what DPI it is set to.
My one complaint with the software is that the mouse gets messed up when plugging in the charging cable as it gets detected as a new device and takes around 30 seconds to transition back to a working state. This is quite avoidable as the battery lasts for days and sometimes weeks on a full charge.

Final Thoughts
The mouse is the best gaming mouse I have ever used. I got the mouse on sale for $45. I consider it money well spent and would make barely any changed. The cons are really sort of nitpicky and are not huge turnoffs from the mouse.

This is my first gaming wireless mouse and I have to say I'm very impressed. Its just as responsive as my Cyborg MMO 7, after I figured out the range issue. The mini-usb for the mouse is lacking in penetrating power and a little in range, so to compensate for this, they provide a cord that you plug into the usb slot, then you put the mouses mini-usb in the end and place it wherever you want, best place is probably behind your monitor. Then it works like a dream. The mouse is very comfortable, and thats coming from a guy who owned a modular mouse before. The 4 buttons on the side look a bit awkward, but they are actually very ingenius. When your not gaming, you can have your thumb rest on the nice smooth part below the buttons and very easily reach up to press the backward and forward buttons for web browsing. When you game, move your thumb inbetween the buttons, and its still quite comfortable, and very easy push them. The mouse wheel is great, as with all logitech G series mice, and can click a button to go between free-wheel and locking (standard on most mice).

The only real flaw, but I didnt dock any marks for it, is that I find it completely unplayable with the cord plugged in. Thats mostly because I have a really sticky mousepad, and a CRT monitor further restricting the movement. It also doesnt help that the cord isnt meant for moving with it (very sticky rubber), not that I blame them, it is a wireless mouse after all. Just charge it up during the night, and when you wake up, its good to go for about 5-7 hours of gaming.

I noticed that I was getting killed too fast on BF3 so I started looking for a good first person mouse. I wanted cordless and that left me with the Rat-9, Razer Mamba and this G700 by Logitec.
I have a slightly different way of researching items that I purchase online. I look at 5 star ratings and 1 star ratings. (usually on amazon because there is 10 times as many reviews as newegg on amazon) 1 star is dead on arrival , and 5 star is completely satisfied. I noticed that the mamba and Rat-9 have between 20% and 35% of their customer ratings rated at a 1 star , thats too high of % of failure
The G700 had only about 7% of people giving a 1 star rating, so I went with the 93% reliability of the G700
as for the mouse, I love it, it fits comfortably, cleans easily, has easy to find in the dark buttons,I had a G7 in the past , this has an even better ergo design.
I have it programmed BF3,windows and photoshop. The on the fly sensitivity adjustment buttons let you program in 5 increments of your choosing. I have low sensativity for outdoor maps , medium for close quarters maps , and if I hop into a tank , I can just crank up the sensativity so I can rapidly turn the turret.

The scroll wheel unlock lets you cruise through long mp-3 file lists for fast searches. I should have had this scroll wheel when it came out 10 years ago

I programmed photoshop , now I have an undo,re-do button
also I have auto exposure,auto color , auto contrast buttons this is great and saves time

after 3 months of use and 250+ hours of BF3 gameplay everything is still working great, I would recommend this to others and I would gladly spend the 80 dollars again

The only problems I have found so far is that I was only getting about 5 hours of gaming out of the mouse when set at a 500/sec report rate and power saver off. I noticed that half the time I was having to use the mouse while plugged in , and the chord they give you is very stiff and is not a standard USB cord . so you cannot swap it out, so I went to Wallmart and paid 15 dollars for a energizer charger that came with 4 AA batteries. Now , I never plug in the mouse , it always has fresh batteries, I leave the battery cover off the bottom of the mouse for quick battery swaps during long gaming sesions.

also , sometimes the scroll wheel feels like it doesent have enough resistance which causes me to scroll past my pistol and get killed
I look all over for the best price online and stupid best buy had it for 10 dollars cheaper. Go figure

Your cursor moving around on its own due to the force of the cable?

Your mouse is harder to move in some areas than others?

These issues are non-existent with the G700.

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Cons:

Weight:

The weight is a questionable issue since many individuals get used to it over time, but - the G700 is quite heavy weighting at 160G when in comparison to other wired mice such as the popular MX518 (106G) and the Intellimouse 3.0 (90G).

Mediocre battery life:

The battery life of the G700 is determined by the polling rate. At the stock rate of 500hz you can very well expect 24 hours use out of a single charge with a 2100mah battery, and as your decrease or increase your polling rate, the battery life will also follow. At the lowest rate of 125hz the G700 will provide up to 30 hours of battery life, and the max rate of 1GHZ you can expect the battery life reduce down to 14 hours.

While the biggest concern with wireless mice is the battery life, the G700's ability to swap out a standard AA battery makes this process less painful.

The stock package includes a usb charging cable that plugs into the front of the G700. (which really defeats the purpose of anyone getting a wireless mice) Purchasing a few rechargeable batteries to swap out is highly recommended for anyone who wants to go fully wireless. (Low self discharge batteries recommended, such as Eneloops or Sony cycle energy)

The G700 will be in wireless mode even while plugged in, the USB port is solely for charging.

Flaking nickel coating:

Lets be honest here - this mouse isn't cheap with a MSRP of $99.99. The scroll wheel of the G700 is plated with nickel that flakes after a month of use. Although it doesn't impact the performance of the mouse in any way, it just appears illogical for a flagship mouse to have a issue like this.

From what I can gather the first batch of the G700 has a softer anti-sweat coating that flakes similarly to the scroll wheel in heavy use spots, with the second revision the coating issue is fixed with a much more aggressive coating that is less soft to the touch, but the issue with the nickel flaking is still present - and it is very ugly.

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Pros:

Anti-sweat coating:

Those who have owned glossy plastic mice such as the MX518 will understand that inevitably the surface of the mouse will become a greasy, sweaty filth after a long gaming session - this isn't an issue with the G700. Similar to the feel of a chalkboard, the G700 has a anti-sweat coating all around that prevents sweat buildup and will maintain a clean, professional look after heavy use. (The coating is similar to the G500, but less rough)

13 Buttons/ Excellent Customizability via software :

Well, it has 13 buttons. With the setpoint software you can map any button you wish to do anything from commands to macros; An excellent feature for mouse oriented folks who wants to change songs, go back a page, or reduce the volume all in the plam (or claw) of their hands.

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Final thoughts: Drop by your favorite retailer, get a G700, a few rechargeable LSD batteries, and game on, gamer.