Logitech G500s Laser Gaming Mouse Review

This is obviously a very different type of mouse compared to the G100s. It’s got more features and, consequently, more capability.

Not surprisingly, then, form follows function: This is a much more robust item compared to the G100s. The G500s is perfectly suited for a palm-style grip. Its size seems to be perfect for most people’s hands, the only exceptions being young children or a giant like Shaquille O’Neal. It’s very comfortable to use, as its shape is very ergonomically conscious.

You can adjust the G500s’ weight and center gravity by fitting weighted disks into the cartridge, but even at stock configuration it’s a well-balanced and weighted mouse. I may not have experienced any benefit from playing with the provided ballast, but I’m sure there are end users who would take advantage of this feature.

All of the buttons have great feel and action when clicked, with just the proper stiffness and good travel all around. The scrollwheel rotates with a satisfying ratcheting action that’s neither too loose nor too stiff. And, as with the G500s, it glides smoothly on most surfaces, with the sole exception again being plain white Bristol board. Mind you, I only mentioned this in point of fact, and not as a complaint of any sort. I seriously doubt that any end users would ever use Bristol board as a mouse pad (I do because my photography table doubles as my test bench these days). This feels like a high-quality mouse under your hand.

I want to highlight the textured surface on the G500s’ flanks. Whoever it was at Logitech that chose this material and texture should be commended, since I truly enjoyed handling this mouse. It’s not a tacky, sticky surface, but it really has an ideal amount of grip and friction. I wish the G100s was given the same exact treatment; indeed, most mice would probably be enhanced had they been endowed with the material Logitech uses on the G500s.

It excels in every usage scenario. I used it in games, I used it at the office, I used it while browsing the Web. No matter what I used it for, it is consistently enjoyable. It tracks accurately, every button does what it is configured to do. It just plain works. Honestly, although it may sound like a blasé throwaway line, it’s meant to be very high praise indeed. There’s nothing worse than something that doesn’t really work as promised.

As it was with the G100s, the LGS is well-integrated with the G500s. It’s easily the most user-friendly configuration software that I know about. It’s elegant and fully-functional.

The only complaint I’ll bother to register is, again, its rather goofy decorative graphics. It’s eyecatching, sure. But pretty?

At least the G500s’ asymmetrical shape doesn’t make it look like an insect the way the G100s does, in my eyes.

So what do we make of this $69.99 G500s? Based on build quality, ergonomics, and features, I think Logitech’s G line has another winner. It’s obviously not a stripped down sports car-type like the G100s is. Rather, I think this is a bit more like a BMW M5: It’s got capabilities beyond what just a “normal” mouse (ten buttons and adjustable ballast and weight distribution aren’t exactly standard features, you know) would typically have, and the build quality is outstanding. It feels like a luxury item compared to its stripped down G sister, the G100s, but it never feels fat or that it’s weighed down with excesses. It can handle the serious business as a utilitarian mouse could, and it can handle more fun activities like gaming with equal aplomb.

It’s easy to award the Logitech G500s Techgage’s Editor’s Choice award.

Logitech G500s Gaming Mouse