Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
by Microsoft
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Our Price: $129.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $99.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
Customer Review: Best mouse in terms of value per cost.
Summary: 5 Stars
This mouse is very good, I've gone through 4 in the past 6 or 7 years. Mainly my fault for not cleaning them ever/slamming them on my desk really hard. Either way - the mouse has great quality and can take a lot of punishment.
Best things about this mouse: You can overclock it (really easy to do, plug it in to a USB port and follow a guide for mouse overclocking such as this: [...]) to 1ms response time (1000hz) - which rivals the top gaming mice right now. I used this mouse at 1ms response time and on the 7th notch in windows mouse speed panel (6th dot is the original DPI of the mouse, 1000 in this case, and the 7th loses a bit of precision but makes the mouse acceptable in 800x600, and the 8th dot loses a bit more precision but makes it acceptable in 1024x768, and also acceptable with the overclock and 8th dot in even 1920x1080)
I love this mouse, I am moving on to the DeathAdder though for the following reasons:
-The lower side button on this mouse is too flimsy. It's hard to press, the top one is sturdy and good but not in a good place for me to press.
-The DPI of the mouse is too low to enjoy true precision at high-resolutions.
But not-withstanding, this mouse is still incredible. This is easily the best mouse in it's price range, and is honestly only rivaled by the DeathAdder in my honest opinion. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you've mastered this mouse - you will never want to go back to the other mice (unless your left handed or something - sorry guys!) There's honestly NO cons to this mouse in comparison to ANY other mouse in this price range. I've tried several of the logitech mice, and none of them (even the expensive ones) can touch this mouse in terms of precision and accuracy. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this mouse for anyone who doesn't want to pay $50 for a DeathAdder.
NOTE: There is one little defect that I've noticed throughout testing of several of these mice, I'm not sure if it's in every one of them or just in some of them but it's not a big deal for the most part. Sometimes the middle mouse button will click for no apparent reason (has something to do with moving the mouse, probably it hitting the ground too hard - but not THAT hard at all really.) I've gone through 4 of them myself and only noticed it in the most recent mouse I have. I've used a few others elsewhere and have only noticed it one other time. It doesn't even happen very often, but it can be annoying. That being said, I think it's just a defect in a select few of them and if you notice it you should probably be able to use the warranty on it - but I don't know for sure since I've never had to use the warranty myself as it's never bothered me enough to stop using my precious baby long enough to get it "fixed")
Customer Review: Very pleased
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had my Intellimouse Explorer since the 3.0 model was first introduced- I'm a big gamer, and when I'm not gaming I'm almost always doing something else on the computer; I often spend all day on it, even through meals. I can appreciate a solid, dependable design- especially when it lasts me through four computers and innumerable hours of pounding. It has only been in the last few months that my old unit started to conk out (the scroll wheel started registering multiple clicks when only pressed once), and I've been looking for a replacement.
This thing is durable, folks- even under constant, intense use for years, the scroll wheel is the ONLY issue I've ever had with it, and that's very recent compared with the unit's lifespan. To give you some idea of just how much use the old one has had... well, it changed color over the years from all the caked-on grunge; it was silver-gray when I got it but is now a well-worn yellowish tan. I've dropped it, squished it, spilled things on it, and yet it still works. The side buttons, which people knock for being so flimsy-feeling? They really aren't; they may have a bit of extra spring but you'd have to submit them to far more abuse than I've been able to in order to break them.
Cleaning the mouse is incredibly easy compared to other models; the four phillips-head screws which hold the cover on are concealed beneath the feet, which are easily pried off by a standard head or a knife. After that, the entire shell of the mouse lifts off; all the working parts are attached to the base while the upper section just houses the plastic buttons. From there, you can clean the whole assembly with a q-tip- the scroll wheel is easily detachable once the cover is off too, just in case some hair or something gets stuck in it (I have two cats in the house; this is more important than it seems). Re-assembly is just as easy; you won't have to move any wires around to clear the casing like with some other mice. Since mnay mouse problems are done away with by a good cleaning, the value of a mouse which can easily be taken apart without risking damage to the unit cannot possibly be overstated.
I was very happy to discover that this model was still available, and the moment I saw that it was I ordered one. I've been so satisfied with this design in the past that I'm very tempted to buy another so that I'll have one on hand years down the road when my replacement finally dies- an event which I'm sure will be years away, as the design has changed very little since the first generation- a good thing, in my mind, since it has served me so well. This mouse is definitely one of those woefully rare examples of "got it right the first time."
Customer Review: Great mouse at a good price!
Summary: 5 Stars
Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary:
***** Highly recommended with warm fuzzies!
I finally bought another one of these to replace the same Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 mouse that came with an Alienware computer that I bought way back in 2003. Starting last year in 2008, it started getting erratic with both the left and right buttons. The left button would sometimes give double clicks when I clicked on something once, and the right button would sometimes not maintain its hold while I clicked-and-dragged within a graphics program. The two side buttons never had any problems; but then again, they are far less used then the top left and right buttons. The double click problem was tamed somewhat by adjusting the "Double-Click Speed" in the mouse settings, but the sporadic misfires by both left and right buttons became annoying enough that I bought a replacement. Both on my previous old mouse and its new replacement, on-screen tracking and precision are, and have always been, excellent. Ahhh... life is good again.
I have been using this same mouse model since 2003 with a 3M Precise Mousing Surface with 3M Gel Wrist Rest Blue Water Design 8.71 in x 9.21 in and, combined with the mousepad's built-in gel wrist rest and adjusting my chair height, I feel totally locked into both this mouse and my keyboard at my desk. This mouse fits my hand perfectly. If you have small hands and/or if your chair is too low or your desk is too high so that you have to cock your wrist upward to use the mouse, you may find the mouse's fit to be too large for you. Lately, it seems that all of the manufacturers are making even far-larger-sized futuristic-looking mice that look like a miniature Darth Vader sitting in a Ferrari. Some of these mice are marketed to hardcore gamers. I have tried all of the really fancy mice out at the stores, but keep preferring this model still. And I cringe at the thought of spending more than $30-40 for a mouse; I do not need a custom paint job and flashing lighting effects on my mouse, thank you.
As with any mouse or keyboard, don't just read the reviews. You need to actually try holding the mouse in a store to see if its shape, size, button clicking, and wheel scrolling all appeal to you specifically.
Customer Review: A living legend, plus, only low sense gaming mouse on the market.
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all...
They fixed the scroll
The newest revision of the IME 3.0 has fixed the scroll wheel problem people were reporting.
This is great news.
Pros
1.2mm lift off distance on every surface
Perfect comfort and shape
5 buttons
Works perfectly at 400dpi
Cons (of course)
Only 400 dpi...desktop resolutions are like, 1920x1200, and anything less than 1600 dpi feels sluggishly slow on a desktop. 400 dpi is awesome for games...but come on, can't be helped though.
Only 5 buttons...gaming mice these days like to have at least 7 fully programmable buttons, 5 is standard though. Not many games need 7, I have ten PC FPS and RTS games...and I only use 7 mouse buttons in Gears of War.
Other Thoughts And Comparisons
Many people get a Razer DeathAdder or MX518 because they want an Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 with high DPI, that can switch to low DPI.
Unfortunatly what happens is that those mice, in their low DPI modes, do not perform the same as the IME 3.0, they don't track as well, they force straight lines, and in general are not as accurate.
If you want a faster mouse, or more buttons...
Microsoft Habu is the way to go.
It's the only mouse that has the Intellimouse shape, and the build quality behind it to make it good enough to compare.
Cons on the Habu though...
Need a hard pad to make it track good.
2.4 mm lift off on most hard pads. 1.2mm is the perfect lift off, and you can pretty much only get it with the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
Please buy this mouse if you're hardcore into gaming.
Use it seperate from your high DPI mouse, use this mouse for gaming, and the other mouse for desktop use.
Unless you're used to 400 dpi desktop mice...then you win all over.
They fixed the scroll wheel problem.
This mouse is a legend.
Original unopened go for over $200 on eBay.
SteelSeries limited editions go for over $100 on eBay.
Don't pass this up, it's getting rare again.
Customer Review: Very comfortable mouse at a great price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 for several years and I absolutely love it. I have looked at other mice but always find this mouse more comfortable. It's not loaded with buttons or special features like some gaming mice but it still has enough buttons for most gamers. This mouse has the scroll wheel button, two buttons on the left side, and of course the left- and right-click buttons. The mouse works on all of the surfaces I have put them on which include different mouse pads, plastic, and wood.
This is my second Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 and I will explain why I had to buy a new one after several years of use. With my desk, the cords have to stretch a long length (it's a big desk!), and I tend to remove my computer tower fairly often because I'm always adding/replacing hardware parts or connecting peripherals to the back IO panel. When I pulled the tower out so I could disconnect everything on the back this would pull my mouse back and when I went to go reconnect everything I had to pull on the mouse to bring it to the front of the desk and sometimes the cord would get stuck. Of course, I pulled on the mouse and not the cord which caused the cord where it connects to the mouse to get loose over many years of doing this and eventually it stopped working if I didn't keep pushing the cord into the mouse. This could happen to any mouse if you have a person like me who uses it. :)
The new Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 is a little cheaper than the old Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0, but they look almost the same. For one, the buttons on the side are now plastic and have no rubber on them anymore. The scroll wheel seems cheaper and what I mean by that is the wheel makes a "clunking" sound when scrolling up but it's not as bad when scrolling down. This is a minor issue and would not stop me from recommending this mouse to 90% of gamers or computer users out there.