Let’s talk about old gaming mice. But first, a prelude into the topic at hand…

If you’ve wanted a dog, but didn’t know how to obtain one without spending hundreds of dollars on a purebred, or found yourself skeptical of purchasing a puppy from a shady retailer, chances are, you’ll seek the advice of a dog-owning friend or relative. There are hundreds upon hundreds of elderly dogs living in no-kill shelters in need of new homes.

Old gaming mice ought to be treated just the same.

The Logitech G Pro Wireless.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll limit our topic to Logitech’s assortment of gaming mice. Logitech is arguably one of the best manufacturers in the gaming mouse market. Their new e-sports inspired ambidextrous G Pro Wireless Gaming mouse comes with the new Hero™ sensor, one of the best sensors on the market, a DPI range of up to 16,000, a 1-millisecond report rate, up to 48 hours of battery life with RGB enabled, weighing only 80 grams, and… its retailing at $149.99.

Loyal Logitech fanboys (and girls) will tell you that if you want the best, you’ll have to own the best. But, does that logic ring true for the casual gamer, or for the gamer without an incentive of becoming a professional?

Like the aforementioned analogy, gamers in the market for a gaming mouse, not wanting to shell out $80 to $100 plus dollars, should look on websites like eBay.com or Amazon.com and find reputable sellers selling old gaming mice. Remember, you should always ask sellers as many questions as possible before buying. Any credible seller should more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Now, there are a few factors to take into account before purchasing a used gaming mouse: measure your hand size (here is a good guide on hand size to mouse ratio by RocketJumpNinja); find out the sensor type, the dimensions of the mouse, whether any extra accessories included. Also, nearly all manufacturers, especially Logitech, keep their mice specifications on their website.

Now, you might be asking, “why purchase an old mouse when a new one will do?” It’s in the manufacturer’s best financial interest to make and sell newer mice than their previous iterations. Logitech did just this with the inclusion of their Hero™ sensor in the popular G502 and the G Pro line. Aside from a few flaws, like an aging sensor or outdated micro switches, there is nothing wrong with owning an old, used gaming mouse and retaining it for years and years, despite the production of newer models. So, save your money.

Here are a few recommendations…

The Logitech G400.

The right-handed gamer searching for a versatile gaming mouse should check out the Logitech G400. Released on June 19th, 2011, the mouse features an Avago ADNS-3095 optical sensor, a polling rate of 1,000 Hz, a 200 to 3,600 DPI range, and weighs 109 grams. The mouse measures 73mm (W) by 131mm (L) by 43mm (H). The mouse was a successor to Logitech’s wildly popular MX518. The G400’s eventual successor was the Logitech G400s. The Logitech G400 originally retailed for $49.99, but you can find it now for as little as $30 used on eBay.