2010-06-17 Logitech LX8 Cordless Laser Mouse

Cordless Laser Mouse

Logitech LX 8

I bought the Logitech LX 8 Cordless Laser Mouse half a year ago together with the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard.

It is an ordinary mouse, not a gaming mouse. I found it very usable for a casual gamer like me, but I bought this mouse for intensive day-to-day use.

The Logitech LX 8 is a so-called HID-compliant mouse. It is compatible with both regular Windows application as well as those that use the DirectInput API. Upon connecting to the PC, it identifies itself to the operating system.

The design is a combination of black and a dark blue. The dark blue top has a silver Logitech logo on top and a medium grey scroll-wheel. The black plastic is rather shiny, but the dark grey side rubber panels cover a lot of it.

mini-receiver

The Logitech LX 8 is a cordless mouse, but unlike the mice included with the S510 and S520 keyboard & mouse combo packages, does not come with corded base station that takes up space on your desk. It uses a mini-receiver instead, which is a receiver inside an USB stick. It takes up an USB slot, but there is no wire or receiver cluttering up the desk. I was somewhat apprehensive about the USB receiver, and wondered whether I had to insert in one of the front USB slots, because of limited signal strength, but that was not the case. The receiver is in an USB slot on the back and although the entire bulk of the computer is between the mouse and the receiver, it works just fine.

battery life

The LX 8 takes two standard AA batteries, which I do not need to replace the every few days. There have been advances in battery power management and this time, the difference with slight older mice is dramatic. Logitech claims eight months of batteries life, which is probably how long the most expensive batteries they could find last when you keep the mouse on standby in a room with computer-controlled atmospheric editions. It is the usual overblown vendor claim, but I have found that the battery life is much better than that of older mice. I’ve used several different batteries, disposable and rechargeable, and they easily last weeks of heavy use, sometimes even more than a month. I even found that batteries that my digital camera claims are practically empty are good for more than a week.

Another not unimportant feature is that the battery door is easy to slide off and on again, yet doesn’t come off accidentally. Even more important is that it seems hard too break the battery door, but that if you manage it anyway, the mouse is perfectly usable without the battery door. Unless you shake the mouse, the batteries do not fall out.

feel

Like most modern mice, the LX 8 is responsive and very accurate, even on smooth surfaces, and the tracking speed is adjustable. It moves easily, it isn’t too big or too heavy. It has side buttons which I hardly use. I’ve never pressed these accidentally, but if you do, it is possible to disable them.

The side buttons do not get in the way of the comfortable feel of the soft side grip textured rubber panels along the sides. It is a rather thin layer, but it makes a real difference. The mouse never feels sticky. I never experienced a sweaty grip that I happens after prolonged use of all-plastic models.

An interesting feature is that the mouse wheel supports both vertical and horizontal scroll. You scroll vertical by rotating the wheel, and can scroll horizontally by exerting a small amount of pressure towards the left or right. I hardly every use this side-scrolling feature; old scrolling habits die hard and I keep forgetting it is there, but it works very well.

A small complaint is that the edges of the smooth pads on the bottom collect gunk quite easily, but it is not hard to wipe this off.

conclusion

The mouse seems very durable. I’ve had it for half a year now, but still looks and feels like new. I’ve been using the Logitech LX 8 together with the Illuminated Keyboard and I like them both. The one improvement I can think of is a closer match to the design of the keyboard by going for all-black mouse without any shiny surfaces.

It isn’t the cheapest mouse, but you feel where the extra money went. It is a quality mouse, and other than the fact the colour scheme does not match my Logitech Illuminated Keyboard perfectly, is hard to find anything wrong with it. I like the Logitech LX 8 better than any mouse I used before. A computer mouse has to fit your hand and your likes, so I do not unreservedly recommend it, but do suggest you try this mouse before buying some cheaper model. I believe this to be the best mouse Logitech made so far.

product details

property	value
product	Logitech LX 8 Cordless Laser Mouse
version	-
company	Logitech
website	Logitech
price	€ 37,99
requirement	Windows XP or later, USB port
note	uses two AAA batteries
Verdict	best Logitech mouse yet
Rating	excellent