[lstodd]

It's fine. Even if you just push a screwdriver in, the resulting hole does not affect performance. I did that multiple times on my logitech m500s. But for extra kink you can just unglue the pads with some isopropanol.

Usually either the wheel wears out, or electronics fail before pads become a problem.

[stavros]

In fact, you probably should punch a hole in the Teflon. Whenever I've taken the pads out, I've never managed to put them back on and have it work as before. Usually, either some glue or some plastic catches somewhere, and the mouse's feel gets noticeably worse.

[lstodd]

well yes, you can in fact glue them back in with some special glue and much effort, then clean up with a scalpel, then ... but it's not worth the time.

just punch it.

[stavros]

Yeah, I could use UHU Por and it would come out good, but what happened was that one of the Teflon corners turned downwards while I was pulling it off, and that kept catching on the mat forever after.

[ce4]

Yep, had that before. So i decided to cut away the Teflon around the 5 screw holes using a fresh (=really sharp) carpet knife. Nothing bent, no protruding corners, same gliding performance with just a different look from the now exposed holes at the underside...