[ncmncm]

What sucks most is that Logitech, which used to be a proud name (back when "Feels good / Feels better") has gone totally to shit. Even their mice are designed to fail in a year. (Spill on the desk, the mouse that only got damp on the bottom is dead, dead, dead. That can't be accidental.)

A full article on what went wrong at Logitech corporate could be enlightening, if not helpful.

[eropple]

Maybe I'm lucky, but I've got half a dozen Logitech wireless mice/keyboard-and-trackpad media keyboards in regular use, plus the MX Ergo trackball, plus a couple of G Pro keyboards, and I haven't been able to kill any of them even through pretty rough use on the mice particularly (they tend to get bounced around in the living room when the dog jumps on the couch, etc.).

"Can't be accidental" reads as conspiracy-huffing. Lemons exist, bad products happen, but this is a weird assertion without evidence. Like, I got bit by the MX518 double-click bug back in the day, but everything I've used from them since--and I won't buy Razer because their stuff's awful to look at, which has historically cut down the options a lot--has been unremarkably fine. Except for the MX Ergo. That thing is remarkably excellent.

[ncmncm]

You talk like you have never heard of Planned Obsolescence. But it has been in business school textbooks since probably before you were born.

Whirlpool refrigerators have a "light control" circuit board to make the dome light come on slowly when the door opens. It has two resistors carefully underspecified to fail after warranty end, requiring a $150 replacement board. (Lots of pics online.) Good for them, bad for us. A $2 transformer and diode would last forever.

Whirlpool washing machines have a Motor Control Unit board carefully designed so parts on it literally explode shortly after warranty end, requiring a $300 replacement. (Lots of pics with exploded parts online.) There is of course no need for the parts to explode, and commercial washers from the same manufacturer do not share this failure mode.

There is literally no legitimate reason why moisture on the bottom surface of an optical mouse should possibly have any effect on its operation or longevity.

[eropple]

> There is literally no legitimate reason why moisture on the bottom surface of an optical mouse should possibly have any effect on its operation or longevity.

Sure there is. You got a lemon with an unexpected gap in the base panel and electronics don't like water much. That happens; that doesn't mean it's a defect by design, and the shouting about it needs a lot more substantiation than "well have you heard of this thing in another industry entirely?". Tolerances exceed, stuff breaks, warranties are sometimes necessary. This sniffing about capital-P Planned capital-O Obsolescence when this stuff works in the main quite well for a lot of people (and, as mentioned, my own pretty wide array of hardware from them) has a long road to hoe to substantiate it.

You buy a dishwasher once a decade or so. You buy mice rather more frequently than that. From where I sit, there's more incentive to hand you a decent product so you come back and buy another from the same manufacturer--and, as it happens, that's much of why most of the input devices kicking around my house and my studio are Logitech, because they're generally a decent floor of quality.

[ncmncm]

There is no idiom "road to hoe".

Your Pollyanna view of consumer electronics and appliances is at variance from the reality. Are you by chance Libertarian?

[eropple]

Heaven forfend, an autocorrect typo spat out "road" instead of "row"! That's definitely a good-faith thing to jump on.

And, uh, no. I am very far from a libertarian. I am not, however, inclined to jump at shadows.

[ncmncm]

Your attempt at gaslighting is duly noted.

[Zetaphor]

Lifelong user of Logitech trackball mice, now using the MX Ergo. I also used a Logitech keyboard for many years, and am still using a Logitech webcam. I've had an equally pleasant experience of reliable hardware with good Linux support.

[xxs]

No need for conspiracy - their mouse buttons are run out of spec which guarantees the infamous double-click. This is an issue on pretty much all their (esp. wireless) mice.

[eropple]

Maybe I've been extremely fortunate, but since the MX518 I haven't seen it on any of my (pretty heavily used) mice.

[aksss]

> MX Ergo…remarkably excellent.

Great mouse but always am missing the scroll wheels from the MX Master. As soon as they release a new MX Ergo with upgraded wheels, I’ll be upgrading. Just smoosh the two together and it will be excellent.

[AngryData]

Their mice still have the same terrible button that they had 17 years ago when I bought an original MX 518 as far as I can tell. Ive fixed the button so many times on every mouse from them since them. I even made the mistake of buying the re-released mx-518 a year ago thinking that since they put this new fancy sensor in maybe they fixed the button finally. It took 4 months for me to get a double click problem from it again that required me to open it up and fix that damn microswitch. I don't know what mouse ill get next but ive completely given up on logitech.

[xxs]

One of the reasons their buttons suck is: effectively running the microswiches out of spec. D2f-01f requires min 5V with micro loads[0]. There would be a tiny spark during switching and over time that would prevent a perfect contact, the higher voltage helps penetrate through. Omron has factories in different countries, e.g. Japan and China - with the China switches "known to be not as good as the original ones". Of course the mice feature the China versions too.

In other words - your best bet is still replacing the switches to ensure longer life... I wonder if Logitech would ever consider stepping the voltage via capacitor charge pump to prevent double clicks.

[0]: https://omronfs.omron.com/en_US/ecb/products/pdf/en-d2f.pdf

[GekkePrutser]

True, it was a great brand when they were growing. Then they got big and the bean counters started shaving away at quality. See all the problems with the G815/915 keycaps (I looked into it because I was thinking of getting one)

I use Microsofts $5 "Basic Optical Mouse" mice now, which generally me for years and is surprisingly comfy (though typical $5 creaky plastic). I have RSI so I'm fussy with mice but this one is pretty good for me. So even with beancounting it's possible to make a quality and lastign product. I've only had to replace two of them in the last 10 years or so (and I have 6 of them in use). Both were still working even but the plastic was just getting too creaky and glossy from all the use.

[Pxtl]

The software is an abomination too - they switched from a native program to an electron app that I'd describe as "occasionally functional". And you do need to use the app to do simple things like checking battery of wireless headphones.

[23seaborn]

I'm still using my Logitech G9x that I bought 11 years ago. Apparently they stopped making them. I dread the day it dies.

[eropple]

The G502 is a reasonable replacement, though the shape's a little different. If you're good with wireless, I like the G602 as my normal go-to games mice.