Logitech Refurbished MX Revolution Laser Mouse (Black)

by Logitech

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0014TJSMM
• Item model number: 996-000006
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 25, 2008

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer Mice have come a long way since the early days of the Macintosh, with its innovative roller-balled brick. Fast forward 22 years and meet the Logitech MX Revolution. With innovative scrolling technology, rechargeable batteries, and improvements that make it easier to do common tasks, the MX Revolution is definitely a big step in the right direction. Whether or not this mouse is a revolution is up for debate, as it doesn't completely change the way we interact with our computers like the Macintosh mouse did, but it's clearly an important step in the evolution of one mankind's most indispensable tools.

Feels good in the hand, and the intelligent scroll wheel is a revelation.

Just remember to turn it off. This baby is a power gulper, not a sipper.

The mouse feels great in small and large hands

Ergonomics and Design
The first thing you'll notice about the MX Revolution is the distinct shape, which is very reminiscent of a cresting wave. Fortunately, the design does more than look good. The mouse feels great in small and large hands, and the curved channel--which accommodates the thumb nicely--makes it easy to use the document "Quick Flip" dial on the side of the mouse. Above the Quick Flip control you'll find a pair of thin, customizable buttons that by default operate as forward and back controls for Web pages.

The top of the mouse houses Logitech's tour de force, the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel, which dynamically controls the speed and resistance of your scrolling tasks. Side scrolling and a scroll wheel-based button press are also supported. Just behind the scroll wheel sits the quick search button, which pops you into the search engine of your choice.

The "Quick-Flip" thumb wheel makes it easy to quickly switch between active windows.

All in all, it's a surprisingly simple layout for a device that offers a great deal of functionality. Lefties beware, though. You'll find it awkward to use the quick flip dial that's located in the channel on the left side of the mouse. Although Logitech has designed a small ridge on the right side of the mouse that lefties may find supportive this is obviously a mouse built for righties first.

The MicroGear Scroll Wheel
Logitech says that the MicroGear Scroll Wheel "represents the single largest engineering effort ever undertaken by our engineering team," and their hard work shows; the scroll wheel is not only well designed with a smooth, progressive feel, but it is also surprisingly intelligent. Need to quickly scroll through large Web pages and documents? Place the scroll wheel in "freewheel" mode and give the wheel a quick, frictionless spin. The action feels much like a well-oiled roller-ball and offers blazing speed. Need slow scrolling for browsing photo libraries or spreadsheets? Switch to ratchet mode for precise movement. The included SetPoint software can automatically switch modes--a feature called SmartShift--or you can switch modes manually with a light press on the scroll wheel that shifts "gears." A note for Mac users: The Mac version of the MX Revolution Software does not appear to support SmartShift.

The action feels much like a well-oiled roller-ball and offers blazing speed

Quick Flip and Fingertip Search
Two other nifty functions make the MX Revolution a great tool for productivity freaks and power users. The included software installs an application switcher that is linked to the mouse's thumb wheel, an action called "Quick-Flipping." Clicking the thumb wheel brings up a window listing all currently active application windows. Rotating the wheel and then pressing it again when you've reached your selection brings up the window of your choice. The Fingertip Search, which relies on a small button just behind the scroll wheel, allows you to input any copied text into the search engine of your choice. For OS X users, the action brings up a Spotlight search window.

Connection and Power
Connecting the MX Revolution couldn't be easier. The included wireless USB dongle was immediately recognized by Windows and Mac machines, and after switching on the power switch on the base of the mouse, we were mousing almost instantaneously. Wireless mice are often a pain when it comes to battery life and replacement. The Revolution MX solves one of these problems by integrating a rechargeable battery. The included charging stand is simple and stylish, although it requires wall power--no USB charging. You'll be using the stand a lot, as we couldn't squeeze much more than a day's work out of the mouse before the low battery indicator appeared. The mouse does not appear to have a sleep mode when it's not active (or when folks inevitably forget to turn it off), a notable omission from a device that is otherwise a home run--as long as you're a right hander.

Pros

• Great ergonomics
• MicroGear scroll wheel and fast application switching
• Nifty charging stand

Cons

• Mac support not on par with Windows
• Poor battery life
• Don't bother if you're a lefty

What's in the Box
Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse, recharging station, AC power cord, USB micro-receiver, Logitech SetPoint software CD, user's guide, and a 90 day limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 90 Day warranty, not 3 years, March 13, 2008

By 

Dinubabear (Landover, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Logitech Refurbished MX Revolution Laser Mouse (Black) (Personal Computers)

the Refurbished Model does not have the advertised 3 year warranty, it is only 90 days despite what Amazon claims. It broke early, they patched it up and are trying to pass this lemon onto someone else with a short waranty. I picked up one for under thirty and it stopped working right in less than 4 months, right after the waranty ran out. If the extended waranties can be added (and I'm not sure they can on refurbished) it might be worth it, since it was a pretty nice mouse while it worked.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very comfortable, very configurable, very good price!, March 27, 2008

By 

S. Lionel (NH USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Logitech Refurbished MX Revolution Laser Mouse (Black) (Personal Computers)

I have tried a large number of wireless mice. Most, I find, have one design flaw or another and cause my hand and arm to hurt after a short time. I was specifically looking for a mouse that had a thumb button that could be configured as double-click, as this is a function my wife depends on. I also wanted a smooth scroll wheel, and a design with some sort of thumb rest and a slight angle to the right. The Logitech MX Revolution seemed to fit the bill and, refurbished from Amazon, was a bargain as well!

The mouse arrives in a plain brown box, which is fine with me as I'm tired of disposing of reams of plastic overpackaging. In addition to the mouse, charging stand and USB receiver (all of "like new" appearance), there was an instruction sheet, warranty note (90 days), and software on CD. [...]

I set the mouse up and found it very comfortable. But when I went to configure the thumb wheel as double-click, I found that this was not an option! Only a few actions could be assigned to the thumb wheel. Worse, neither of the two buttons above the thumb wheel could be set as double-click! So close, yet so far...

Before packing the mouse up to return it to Amazon, I went to the Logitech user forum and looked to see if someone else had a solution for this. Not finding one, I posted a query. The next day I got a response from a Logitech support rep suggesting a non-Logitech tool called "Uberoptions". While cautioning that this was not affiliated with Logitech, a quick web search found it. Uberoptions is a free tool that allows supreme configurability of recent Logitech mice and keyboards, including the MX Revolution. And, yes! Double-click for the thumb-wheel was now available! Saved!

So I'm keeping the MX Revolution. My wife likes it (though she comments that it's a bit big for her smaller hands) and it performs well. The free-wheeling scroll wheel is interesting and it works as advertised. I will find this very handy. I have little interest in the search button.

As for battery life, it's a bit too early to tell and perhaps I'll update this review later as I get more experience.

Viva la Revolution!

Edit six months later: I'm still lovin' the Revolution. Battery life seems quite good, though most days I put it back on the charger when I close down for the night. The only oddity is that once every several weeks the mouse stops responding - unplugging and reconnecting the transmitter fixes this. Haven't had to do it in a month or more, though - hardly worth mentioning.

I find the shape of the Revolution extremely comfortable.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dead on Arrival, April 7, 2008

By 

Matthew Townsend - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logitech Refurbished MX Revolution Laser Mouse (Black) (Personal Computers)

Just got this in the mail, refurbished. Serial number is Sharpie'd out, which might be normal, but what isn't normal is that it just plain doesn't work.

I look very carefully and I see the laser is active and clicking the scroll wheel cycles between the free-spinning and ratcheting modes, but there's no response from my computer. Meanwhile, the dongle plugs in and (after installing the software) is recognized as a MX Revolution dongle but there's otherwise no response.

My roommate has the same mouse, bought new. Theirs works on their computer. Theirs works on my computer. Mine doesn't work on their computer. Mine doesn't work on my computer.

My guess: mismatched dongle and mouse. Some sort of communication issue there.

I can't believe this passed whoever is doing Quality Control on this stuff.