Non-Logitech replacement for G502 mouse?
My G502s are starting to exhibit the dreaded double-click problem. Now they're old -- I think one is around 10yrs old, the other 6-7yrs old -- so I've gotten solid use out of both. And G502s are cheap enough these days (like US$35 on Amazon) that it'd be inexpensive to replace them with new G502s.
But I'm still annoyed that this is happening. Plus, this isn't my first time having problems with Logitech gaming peripherals. I've had issues with my G305 wireless mouse (dongle stopped working), and I will never buy Logitech gaming keyboards again since replacement keycaps can't be purchased; gotta buy a whole new keyboard. So yeah, trying to avoid Logitech if possible.
Anyway, I like the G502 because it has multiple buttons, particularly the main thumb button (G6), which I use for PTT on Discord/Teamspeak. I then use the other two thumb buttons (G4/G5) as forward/back in browsers or game bindings (along with G7/G8).
Any good alternatives? Let's say ≤US$80. Preference is wired, but non-BT wireless is fine, too. If wireless, ideally it'd AA/AAA batteries so I can quickly swap rechargeable batteries. Lastly, I'm right-handed.
TIA!
I know you asked for an alternative, but I genuinely don't think there is one.
The G502 is such an incredible mouse, especially at the price. If you had to buy a new mouse for 40$ every 6-7 years, I think that's a pretty solid deal.
I personally use the "lightspeed" wireless one, and couldn't be happier with it. The form factor and general feel is very good too, I like how it feels in the hand.
Aside from the additional/optional weights and the very heavy wheel, Basilisk v3 and G502X are possible alternatives/upgrades in my view
Well I suppose that's true haha. As for the basilisk, I remember it feeling "off" in my hands, though that just might be me being super used to the G502 form.
You are absolutely not wrong. I've had three G502s in my Amazon cart -- I like them so much, as frustrating as they currently are, that I'd get another one 😅 -- for the last several days.
But, I'd at least like to look at and consider the competition!
It's frustrating because Logitech, who was at the forefront of mouse tech/design not too long ago, has fallen behind.
The current trend addressing the exact issue OP has is optical switches. They hurt battery life a little on wireless mice, but will last a lot longer without physical contacts to corrode/wear out. Optical scroll wheels are also becoming popular.
These are actual innovations that improve the quality of the product in a meaningful way, unlike nonsense like 8,000 hz polling rates or DPI values so high nobody will ever find a practical use for them in video games.
you've probably seen this, but it presents two viable options -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVlhNlZWTuw
either seems to have great success :)
I think every G502 owner has seen that particular video. But as a counterpoint to taking it apart entirely and dealing with the replacement rubber, the least amount of effort that still has tangible effects is to take a toothbrush and just scrub the thing down between all nooks and crannies. It solves plenty of problems on its own and you can decide to open it up afterwards anyway if it didn't help.
typical. looks fun to take apart, though. I'm a magic trackpad kinda guy -- but there's gotta be a mouse with switches instead of those flimsy things, right?
quick edit: behold!! The Leetgion Hellion -- its ugly, has blue switches, and a dial for profiles!
10 years ago, the G502 used the exact same Japanese omron switches advertised on that hellion mouse. They were high quality and guaranteed to something like >100 million clicks.
Then enshittification happened and in the name of a quick buck, Logitech switched to Chinese Omron switches that had an advertised tenth the lifetime and in reality, lasted even less than that. I'm no materials scientist but I imagine some cheaper coating was used on these switches internal components that just wears down faster.
I looked for the Japanese Omron switches but they were either ridiculously overpriced/unnecessary quantities (like 16 switches at 50$) or no sources within Canada or the US. At least for people like me who like fixing things, there are Kailh micro switches that have compatible footprints and are almost as long lasting as the original Japanese Omron switches (75 million clicks I believe) and more readily available. That's what I currently have in my G502 and I need to make the same replacement in my M570 as well as it's exhibiting the same symptoms. Along with the rotary encoder in my G610 keyboard...
You know maybe it's time I start moving away from Logitech...... I'm just a hard ass for right to repair and actually doing it I guess hahaha
I think a major part of the problem is also (ironically) power efficiency. Microswitches need a minimum current flow for long-term reliable operation; it breaks up oxidation that could otherwise cause contacts to stick. Unfortunately, that kind of current flow obviously increases power draw, and designers normally want to eliminate it.
This also operates hand-in-glove with a switch to cheaper switches. If the cheaper switches are coated differently (or if their oxidation-resistant coating is thinner and wears through more easily), then the problem of low-current actuation is worse.
that's wild. It's so lame that they take an absolute shit on their own product to save a few cents per unit.
From a quick look, there does seem to be a modest DIY mouse scene, but not nearly as big as the keyboard one. Anyway, thanks for this info! sad but interesting.
The uhhh, "percussive maintenance" technique, only seems to work for like a day or two, sadly...
But I'll def check out the video to see what can be done. I did see something on reddit about cleaning up contacts or something. I will likely open these suckers at at some point.
percussive maintenance is a fantastic term.
the cleaning and all doesn't seem too bad, but the actual part that clicks looks crazy flimsy. I'm surprised they work at all. This got me down a very shallow rabbit hole of custom made mice. the scene isn't big, but the mice look cool, cost a lot more than most mice, and require a medium amount of skill wrt soldering, etc. Not nearly as accessible as they keyboard side.
There's another (easier? better?) solution to replace the omron switch with new ones. Some soldering required though. Maybe my g502 is different because I don't remember those flimsy metal things at all.
Both solutions involve taking the mouse completely apart which is an annoying process that I will not do again despite enjoying a good tinker every now and then. So. Many. Tiny. Screws.
I'd be willing to try to clean the contacts or whatever -- I've done that before with a Google Nest Mini speaker where the power switch got "dirty" or something and it kept power cycling itself without even me touching it -- but I feel soldering is too much. I have soldered before...Very poorly. But it did work!
And oof, not looking forward to all the screws.
I recently switched to a Razer Basilisk V3 which has a similar form factor to the G502. It's longer than what I'm used to (coming from a Steel Series 100 that lasted a good 9 years) but I am quite happy with the performance. Can't comment on the long-term reliability, feels sturdy though. There's plenty of different configurations available to match budgets, wired/wireless, upgraded sensor, etc.
That's what I've been using for years now. I wrote a comment a year ago about why I like the Basilisk V3:
https://tildes.net/~tech/1lqp/looking_for_a_new_mouse_maybe#comment-es2o
TLDR the mouse is comfortable to use and has a ton of interesting and useful features.
I went the other way when it comes to gaming mice. I had a Basilisk v3 for years, loved it except that after a while the scroll wheel wore out. I could no longer reliably click the button, which I use frequently when navigating a web browser. Eventually the scroll itself stopped working as expected and I had to replace it. I got a second one because "Ehh, why not?" and then it developed the same problem again, but faster.
I've had the G502x for a while and it's worked great for me. I've been super happy with it. I haven't had any issues with double clicking crop up yet, which is nice. I think that we all stress our hardware in different ways. I'm apparently rough on the middle mouse scroll wheel/click mechanism. Others must have heavy clicking fingers. Who knows, but it's interesting to see people transition in both directions.
I fixed one of my Logitech mice using some replacement switches from Aliexpess and it was definitely a fuss to work on but once I got it swapped out my issue (intermittent double and failed clicks) was fully solved. Replaced the feet/glides while I was at it. Felt good to repair it and I'll get years more of life out of it now, and still have a couple of extra spare switches if it needs it again.
One of my favorite wireless mice right now is the Ajazz AJ159 (and similar models) with charging base. That said, it's probably not in your set of needs as it's more basic in terms of buttons. I don't know if there are more complex models or not.
I've been putting up with single clicks releasing early or being monetary double clicks, but I've been putting off a fix, even though I bought in the switches ages ago (splurged on switches from Mouser, but I bet there's a good chance your AE ones rolled off the same production line). How much of a hassle was it? Did you follow a specific guide? My mouse isn't a G502, it's an MX Ergo, but they apparently use the same crappy switches in a tonne of devices. It's ridiculous, but I remember watching this video (which is 7 years old!) years ago discussing exactly why this problem occurs (and has been for YEARS). Back then I got a friend to solder in new microswitches on an M570.
Here's a Reddit link discussing the issue with a link to the video I mentioned.
G305 is the model I fixed, using these glides and these switches (the Kailh-GM 8.0 "color"/variant)
I used this disassembly guide or something like it (this is a good one though) which gave enough detailed disassembly steps, that everything made sense in how it comes apart / goes back together and how to swap out the part in question.
The most difficulty I ran into had to do with certain parts that were a bit difficult to get to come apart, or very small or tensioned pieces (like a metal spring to give the click mechanism some bounce) that just, with my dexterity level, felt a bit frustrating. Was able to work through that though and have success. Felt very satisfied and proud afterwards.
I would say despite the small frustration, the process was relatively simple/easy enough that it's worth it (to me) instead of replacement, because although I have not the best history with Logitech mice (I used to like MX Masters, but have had multiple of them now have problems, etc), I really like the G305 and in recent years I've been wanting to be more repair/longevity-minded, especially for products I enjoy using, but just in general, because I want a world full of people (so I am trying to embody that which I want to see) whose first instinct when something fails is to fix it rather than replace it.
Looks like iFixIt has a good MX Ergo guide. For me, seeing a part-by-part disassembly made "how the repair needs to go" automatically intuitive just based on where the part I'm replacing needs to be in that process. It looks like the Ergo's switches are mounted directly to the PCB rather than being on their own and connected via wires, so I'm not sure if soldering is necessary for the Ergo switches or not
If you like the shape of the G502, I recommend checking for similar shaped mice on eloshape. I personally find that's the hardest thing to evaluate if you are shopping online.
After my last two Logitech mice developed a double click, I said no more and looked at other brands. I settled on the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2, and I absolutely love it compared to my previous mice. Highly recommended.
A while back I decided to de-Logitech my life, and the g502 was the hardest thing to replace. I tried a lot of things, and eventually found the Roccat Kone XP. it satisfied all of my needs, including the two additional index finger buttons and multiple on-board profiles. Roccat then got purchased by Turtle Beach, and apparently the build quality took a dive after that, but not before I bought a half dozen of these babies to use as backups and office mice.