Since my Mac Mini is my primary computer, I have been using an iBall keyboard and mouse combination with it, something that I purchased almost 2 years back with my PC. The keyboard has been playing well so far, the mouse however conked off a couple of weeks back. Since then, I’ve been stuck with a lame mouse which has a non-functional scroll wheel and is a mini mouse, so small that two of my fingers are enough to cover it completely. It was too plasticky and made weird clicky noises.

I’ve been trying to find a good mouse for the last couple of weeks and had zeroed in on the Logitech MX Revolution mouse. However, at a price of Rs. 5000, it didn’t seem worthwhile.

However, it was not until @shadez told me about the Logitech MX518 that I realized that I could get something as awesome as the MX Revolution at less than 25% of the cost.

@shadez was kind enough to lend me his mouse for the weekend so I could test it out on my Mac. I’m thankful he did that, since I got to know a lot of things about the mouse. I was happy with the performance and finally ordered one for myself today, which arrived in the evening. I paid Rs. 1275 for the mouse, excluding Rs. 50 for cash-on-delivery service at home from PrimeABGB. The Logitech MX518 is officially supported on Windows XP and VISTA only. You can, however, get it to work on a Mac too.

Unboxing:

Package contents:

1. Mouse
2. Software CD

I took some unboxing pictures of the mouse, which I have uploaded to a photo set on flickr. Go ahead and take a look here.

Specs:

The Logitech MX518 is a wired optical gaming grade mouse which boasts a 1800dpi optical scan engine. Along with the usual two buttons and a scroll wheel, it features 5 additional programmable buttons. According to Logitech, the features of the mouse can be highlighted as:

1. A high precision 1800dpi optical scan engine
2. Extremely light body
3. Polytetrafluoroethylene feet for frictionless movement over any kind of surface.
4. 8 programmable buttons
5. In-game sensitivity switching.

Ergonomic Design:

The mouse has a splendid ergonomic design that fits perfectly into an average human hand. The sides of the mouse are provided in such a way that they provide a firm grip while holding the mouse. Two buttons are provided on the left side, to be used by the thumb. The remaining 3 buttons are above and below the scroll wheel.

The bottom of the mouse features Polytetrafluoroethylene feet which enables frictionless movement over any kind of surface. The mouse glides as if a layer of butter has been laid over the desk.

Software:

One of the ‘unfeatures’ of the mouse is the fact that the Software CD provided along with the mouse has the SetPoint software for Windows XP and Vista only. Official support from Logitech is limited to Vista and XP only. Fortunately, you can easily get it to work on a Mac too.

Since the Logitech MX518 is USB powered, Mac OS X easily recognizes it as any other mouse and you can use it. However, to be able to program the buttons, set the precision speed and other options, logitech does not provide us with any software app. Fortunately, there’s SteerMouse. SteerMouse is an app that works with any USB and Bluetooth Mouse.

The app allows you to do the exact same configurations as Logitech’s official software does. I haven’t yet installed the SetPoint software for windows, but it apparently lets you do the same things as SteerMouse. SteerMouse however is a paid app and costs $20 for the license.

The Logitech MX518 is an excellent piece of hardware and worth every penny you spend for it.