When comparing Logitech G500 vs Zowie FK1, the Slant community recommends Zowie FK1 for most people. In the question“What is the best gaming mouse?” Zowie FK1 is ranked 5th while Logitech G500 is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose Zowie FK1 is:
The standard lift off distance on a cloth mouse pad is 1.5-1.8mm though it will be a bit higher when using a plastic pad being 2.2 - 2.4mm. To enable the plastic pad setting a certain button combination has to be pressed on the gaming mouse itself.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Adjustable weight
This gaming mouse also comes with weights (6 weights of 1.7g, 6 weights of 4.5g) that can be added on with a maximum of 27g of weights at a time.
Pro Thumb-rest
The Logitech G500 has more an edge on the left side for users to rest their thumbs.
Pro Braided cord
The Logitech G500 gaming mouse comes with a braided cable.
Pro Great for palm grip
Clearly designed specifically for palm grip.
Pro Onboard memory allows saving settings on the gaming mouse itself
The onboard memory will allow the user to store on custom profile no matter what PC they plug the device into.
Pro Dual-mode scroll wheel
This mouse has two scrolling modes - notched and freescrolling. The modes can be switched on-the-fly with a button located just below the scroll-wheel.
Pro The thumb buttons that are close enough together to be used in FPSs
Pro 10 programmable buttons
There are ten programmable buttons on the device.
Pro Horizontal click scroll wheel
The mouse wheel can be clicked down in the center or to the left and right. This created three different buttons in one.
Pro On-the-fly CPI switch on the side of the left click
There is a switch on the side that allows for on the fly CPI switching.
Pro Great value
Pro A low lift-off-distance of about 1.5-1.8mm
The standard lift off distance on a cloth mouse pad is 1.5-1.8mm though it will be a bit higher when using a plastic pad being 2.2 - 2.4mm. To enable the plastic pad setting a certain button combination has to be pressed on the gaming mouse itself.
Pro Excellent 3200 CPI optical sensor
The Zowie FK1 gaming mouse uses an Avago 3310 optical sensor which is regarded as one of the best in the world. It has no built-in acceleration and no angle snapping. It’s practically jitter-less when set at 125 and 500Hz polling rate, and has barely noticeable jitter at 1000Hz.
The Avago 3310 has no native CPI, it is made to have each step of 50 CPI work as well as the previous one. With CPI steps of 400/800/1600/3200 for the FK1, all CPI choices should work equally well.
Pro Can be used by both righties and lefties
The Zowie FK1 gaming mouse uses an ambidextrous design with a wide base for the palm rest.
Pro Comfortable for most grip types
FK1 has a very universal shape and size, making it a safe choice for most people regardless of grip type and hand size. Except for people with large hands who use the palm grip, who may need a larger model of the mouse.
Pro No unnecessary functionality
Zowie has kept the mouse remarkably simple. There's no RGB lighting, adjustable weights, or superfluous buttons that end up only getting in the way. It's plug-and-play and requires no additional software. You can customize only the essential settings such as lift off distance, polling rate, or switch between left or right-handed modes with just a combination of specific button presses.
Pro Ships with a set of replacement feet
The Zowie gaming mouse has an extra pair of mouse feet in the box so users can replace their old ones when the time comes.
Pro Switches have a bit harder press so you don't accidentally kill your teammates
Cons
Con Not produced anymore
Logitech G500 was replaced by G500s in 2013 and that in turn was replaced by the G502 Proteus Core in 2014.
Con Old
Con Too heavy even without weights
Con Scroll wheel is too loose
Clicking the scroll wheel is not precise and often the user will left or right click the wheel instead of actually clicking the center click.
Con Suffers from acceleration
All Avago ADNS-S9500 laser sensors suffer from acceleration issues and being that is the sensor used in the Logitech G500 it is a problem that this mouse suffers.
Con No driver for Mac
Con Two of the side buttons are unutilized in normal use
While the mouse has four side buttons, only two of them can be used at a time, depending on which hand you are using it with.
Con A bigger model might be needed for large handed people who prefer a palm grip
Due to its short height and the small hump on top of the mouse, it might not be suitable for people with large hands who prefer using a palm grip.
Con Slight lens rattle
There is some lens rattle when you pick up the device and shake it.
Con Only 4 DPI settings
Even though the ADNS-3310 sensor supports DPI settings in increments of 50, the FK1 only lets you choose between 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 DPI.
Con Not quite as comfortable as a non-ambidextrous mouse
Due to its thoroughly ambidextrous design, sometimes the ring and pinky fingers can touch the side buttons. Even though they are deactivated and won’t cause mispresses, they are still not as comfortable as non-ambidextrous designs.
Con DPI switch can't be used on-the-fly
A DPI switch is available, but it's located under the mouse, so it can't be used on-the-fly.
Con Pressing the main buttons may feel tiring after some time
Though it’s usually a matter of preference, the main buttons are a bit harder to press compared to other mice, which some people may find tiring after long periods of use.
Con Cord can break easily
The cheap rubber cord might be prone to breaking easily.