My MX518 has started failing!

Kerplunk · 29 Jan 2018 at 22:20

Hey guys, not sure if anyone can help/point me in right direction, but my trusty MX518 mouse has stopped working properly, the mouse wheel no longer scrolls! Ive tried cleaning it as much as possible, but think its aged now

I have looked for a replacement, but they are £100+!? i bought this one about 6-7 years ago!
Is there another out there, similar? Ideally, Logitech, i love the feel of it so dont really want to change it too drastically....

ShortWarning · 30 Jan 2018 at 10:07

I think they're that price because they don't make them anymore.

I went from a mx518 to a G502, they have completely different shapes but somehow it feels similar in my hand and I much prefer it.

Thekwango · 30 Jan 2018 at 10:15

Kerplunk said:
Hey guys, not sure if anyone can help/point me in right direction, but my trusty MX518 mouse has stopped working properly, the mouse wheel no longer scrolls! Ive tried cleaning it as much as possible, but think its aged now

I have looked for a replacement, but they are £100+!? i bought this one about 6-7 years ago!
Is there another out there, similar? Ideally, Logitech, i love the feel of it so dont really want to change it too drastically....

Having been in the same situation as yourself, I'm afraid I have nothing but bad news.....

you will hear folk saying 'try mouse X it has the same grip' or 'try mouse Y, the have the same design' all sorts of nonsense like that. the cold hard reality is that there is nothing that comes close to being a replacement for the MX518. get whatever other mouse you like the look of and take some time to get used to the change because that is all you can hope for, to get used to the change. your MX518 is gone, you won't find the replacement you are looking for. sad times I know, but you just have to let the pain go

On Holiday · 30 Jan 2018 at 10:27

MX518 / G9 were the best mice!

The Logitech G402/G502 are both very good replacements though.

varkanoid · 30 Jan 2018 at 10:33

I have a Logitech G3 and it still works fine the pads have been replaced 3 times and its still going strong. I think its about 10 years old. I must have tried 10 or so different mice now as I thought maybe I should upgrade my mouse and none have come close to the comfort of the G3 so I still have it. Goodness knows what I will do if it fails.

d_brennen · 30 Jan 2018 at 10:35

RIP MX518

mattyfez · 30 Jan 2018 at 13:35

I'm still rocking an mx518..
Same boat, you'd think they'd reissue it given its cult like status.

panda_uk · 31 Jan 2018 at 10:21

I was a massive fan of the 518. The closest thing I've found to is the Logitech G703. Plus it's wireless which is great. Highly recommend it.

Hotwired · 31 Jan 2018 at 10:27

I find it terrifying to see the price of the ones that are left on the market.

Not just the MX but the G400 and the G400S which are basically the same mouse.

Ended up buying a second hand one and ripping it up for parts to fix my first one.

DrBombcrater · 1 Feb 2018 at 13:28

Hotwired said:
I find it terrifying to see the price of the ones that are left on the market.

I wish Logitech would just start making MX518s again. Best mouse I've used in a long time. When my 518 finally died with a cracked PCB that refused to be patched up again, I eventually settled on a G700s, which is very good mouse but quite expensive and a little heavier than I'd like.

LabR@t · 2 Feb 2018 at 21:34

I still have a ms intellimouse in the cupboard, used to live that mouse. Had my 518 for an age, shocked to hear they don't make them still.

Kerplunk · 2 Feb 2018 at 21:41

Well, I have looked, pondered and I still cant pluck up the courage to buy a new one and ditch my MX518, Ive been getting by without a scroll wheel (which isnt the end of the world)

We should start a petition for Logitech to start making them again

Thekwango · 2 Feb 2018 at 21:41

Kerplunk said:
Well, I have looked, pondered and I still cant pluck up the courage to buy a new one and ditch my MX518, Ive been getting by without a scroll wheel (which isnt the end of the world)

We should start a petition for Logitech to start making them again

that is a petition I would gladly sign!

mattyfez · 2 Feb 2018 at 21:45

Cynical hat on.

They were quite cheap mice at the time, what were they about £25 or £30?

Given how good they are maybe it would discourage people from buying more expensive models in the range.

Shame really, I honestly don't know what I'd want to to replace mine with, but fingers crossed, it's still working fine.

d_brennen · 2 Feb 2018 at 22:08

Just sparked a memory...

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/another-win-for-logitech.18290315/page-2#post-19468849

Mid 2011... The spare I bought lasted til 2016, daily abuse. Sad times

andy_mk3 · 2 Feb 2018 at 22:14

Have you taken it apart to clean it out? The scroll wheel is pretty simple in how it works, might just be a bit of dust blocking the sensor? I've cleaned mine out a few times now. It's getting tired but still in daily use for my work laptop

God knows how long I've had it, longer than I can remember!

Kerplunk · 2 Feb 2018 at 22:16

I cant see any way to take it apart, there are no screws that I can see?

murmur · 3 Feb 2018 at 02:00

There are screws under the plastic "stickers". I had the same issue with mine (scroll wheel stopped). Some hunting around on YouTube revealed some teardown/cleaning videos. I think this is the one I used: https://youtu.be/ZDHKqewO4GE

I managed to source some replacement stickers (and an spare MX518!) on eBay. That was a number of years ago now though!

Good news was that, after taking it apart and giving it a clean, it was back in 100% working order. If you make the holes in the "sticker" pads carefully, they shouldn't interfere with mouse operation, and still allow you to get at the screws.

The spring/metal lever bit inside the mouse for the scrollwheel can be a bit tricky to put together. I recommend hunting on YouTube first to find a decent video of it. Navigating YouTube without a mouse the first time was a bit of a pain!

LabR@t · 3 Feb 2018 at 12:02

add gaming to name, make look tacky then charge extra £50?

Kerplunk · 3 Feb 2018 at 12:25

murmur said:
There are screws under the plastic "stickers". I had the same issue with mine (scroll wheel stopped). Some hunting around on YouTube revealed some teardown/cleaning videos. I think this is the one I used: https://youtu.be/ZDHKqewO4GE

I managed to source some replacement stickers (and an spare MX518!) on eBay. That was a number of years ago now though!

Good news was that, after taking it apart and giving it a clean, it was back in 100% working order. If you make the holes in the "sticker" pads carefully, they shouldn't interfere with mouse operation, and still allow you to get at the screws.

The spring/metal lever bit inside the mouse for the scrollwheel can be a bit tricky to put together. I recommend hunting on YouTube first to find a decent video of it. Navigating YouTube without a mouse the first time was a bit of a pain!

Ive done this and its fixed!!!! The scroll wheel is now operating once again, the MX518 lives another day! I owe you a beer sir

My only question is, is the scroll wheel "feel" meant to be a 'smooth scroll' or it is mean to be, like ridgy? (if that makes sense) - Just its very smooth when scrolling, just wondering if I put it back together right!! and I cant remember what it used to be like

Woo hoo!