My MX Master 1 just died after 8 years - here’s why I still think it’s a BIFL product

Submitted by joshjoshjosh42 t3_10rnpis in BuyItForLife

Perhaps this post will be somewhat controversial since it hasn’t been barely used, is not rare and still buyable today, and won’t be posted on this sub 40 years from now like most posts here. But here’s my hot take on why this mouse is a real BIFL product even though it failed after “only” 8 years:

  • I used this mouse heavily for 8 years, 4-12 hours almost every day. I used this mouse all the way through architecture school, into post-grad and at work, for CAD, art, photo editing and rendering. I put a lot of wear on mice. Our software is often mouse-dependent, panning, navigating and zooming. For those that know, I somehow killed a Microsoft Intellimouse. This mouse outlived it.
  • Ergonomics are superb. Literally using any other kind of mice for my work has given me uncomfortable wrist pains. I bought this mouse after my physio (treating me for RSI) recommended it. This mouse is super ergonomic and I can comfortably use it all day without issues.
  • The scrollwheels, buttons and features aren’t gimmicks. The scrollwheel can change from smooth to ratchet, so great for flicking through 300-page PDFs. Dedicated sidescroll wheel for scrolling sideways in Excel, or as an extra modifier in CAD. Extra buttons in the perfect places that are easy to reach, but not in the way, and highly customisable. The mouse can pair to multiple devices over Bluetooth and the included dongle, with a dedicated switcher button. Great for multiple computers. This thing is a productivity machine.
  • Some caveats. The side button died after 3 years (not a big deal), and the microUSB port (sigh) after 8 years. If the port hadn’t died, the rest of the mouse was otherwise working perfectly and I could’ve kept using it for a lot longer.
  • You can buy the newer, better version of this mouse today. They fixed the flimsy side button, and replaced microUSB with USB-C. It’s a genuinely superior product. I use it everyday at work, and I have no doubts it will probably outlive the computers I use it with.
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entrailsAsAbackpack t1_j6wrl4g wrote

I still wouldn’t consider it buy it for life but definitely its a great and durable product. But better that you posted something that you use heavily unlike others who post electronics that they never use and say it BIFL. My mx mouse is still going strong and i hope it get to the 8 year mark

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plasticBarista t1_j6yn9k5 wrote

Mine’s battery died after 7 years. Replaced with IKEA Ladda 2450. Working s and charging perfectly for 6 months.

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Asleep_Painting6103 t1_j6wqshq wrote

Surely by definition this is not BIFL?

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Fantastic-Alps4335 t1_j6wsms5 wrote

By strict definition only solid metal items with no gears or connections are BIFL. But talking about only hammers , axes, and anvils gets old quick.

A focus on quality that lasts and performs better than average, or is economically superior via an amalgamation of quality and price,…

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Asleep_Painting6103 t1_j6x68ij wrote

I get that, but (correct me if I'm wrong) doesn't BIFL stand for 'buy it for life'? If there isn't a reasonable expectation that the item should last decades at a bare minimum, what are we all talking about here?

Context: I own an MX Master 3. The plastic/rubber coating has HEAVY wear after only a couple of years. There is no way I would ever consider this thing BIFL under any circumstances. But I can think of a whole bunch of ways its design could be improved to focus on greater longevity.

I understand that most products are so far away from BIFL these days that the term has become a bit of a chimera, but sometimes there are some real head-scratchers on this sub.

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joshjoshjosh42 OP t1_j6y7iz7 wrote

My (admittedly loose) definition of BIFL is something that genuinely lasts as long as it possibly could within your lifetime, either through repair, ease of maintenance or within a reasonable time period of use.

Nothing is truly "BIFL", hell even rocks aren't BIFL since they wear down and break.

As others have said, computer mice can't expected to last decades of heavy use, in the same way that we don't expect shoes to last 80 years (but 20-30 years is pretty good). It's just not possible for the kind of product that it is - they will wear eventually. Reason why I posted this product is because I think it is one of the best built, most durable products of all the mice, certainly lasting much longer than anyone would expect a mice to.

That being said, I'm disappointed to hear the rubber coating wearing faster than expected - shame, because all the components inside have been reinforced for durability and longevity. I'm about 2 years into my MX Master 3 and haven't come across anything other that cosmetic wear on mine.

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Asleep_Painting6103 t1_j6x6g7s wrote

Should add: I own mechanical computer keyboards that I would consider BIFL, because they are made of far more durable materials and can be serviced by a competent user even if they switches wear out (which is unlikely). Keycaps can be easily replaced by anyone as they wear out. I just don't see the same emphasis on long-lasting quality in ANY pointing device you can buy today.

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RokieVetran t1_j6y6gww wrote

The controller will eventually die... But you could do a entire PCB swap...

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Asleep_Painting6103 t1_j712wvw wrote

Yep, and I have a spare PCB. This keyboard will last the rest of my career (unless I get bored of it and swap it for something else...)

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Jussapitka t1_j760xdk wrote

The clock on my wall has gears and is older than any human alive. I think that counts as BIFL...

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93OctaneGrass t1_j6x5cum wrote

Non-removable rechargeable battery, capacitors, and electron migration are all things make most electronics hardly BIFL.

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RokieVetran t1_j6y6clq wrote

Yup, you can try as hard as you want they'll eventually die....

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leereKarton t1_j716ibh wrote

Battery is replaceable, just not easily. But yeah, not realy BIFL

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ItsNotTheButterZone t1_j6wjxjs wrote

My MX510 still hasn't, helps to be dissembleable for cleaning.

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Fantastic-Alps4335 t1_j6wt9h2 wrote

I see the newer versions 2, 3, 3S are out now. Any opinion if one is better functioning than the other?

Function is my focus as the number of hours in use makes its cost per day tiny.

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Asleep_Painting6103 t1_j6x6mjf wrote

I have an MX Master 3. The rubbery material they use on the exterior surface wears really quickly. There's no way I'd consider it BIFL.

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Sound_Doc t1_j6x9bd1 wrote

I've have the origional MX Master, a couple 2S's, and a 3S (going to order another likely today)...
Function wise, there really isn't any difference between all three versions that I've found, and all of mine still work/charge fine. My reason for upgrading was that my origional MX master started to miss some clicks after years of use/abuse, my 2S's are on my desk and in my bag in use at work daily, and I recently (4 months?) got a 3S from a vendor.
At work I've set users up with probably 20-30 over the years, I've never heard of a battery issue with them and have only replaced one due to a broken charge port.
From the "1" to 2S there was nearly no physical change, a slight color difference, but they nearly doubled the battery life and upgraded the sensor which makes its tracking on any and every surface much better.
From the 2S to 3S the biggest change that took a few days to get used to was how frickin silent it is. My wife nearly killed me a few times clicking away while watching TV with the 2S, the 3S ratcheting scroll and clicks are nearly silent. my biggest gripe would be that they re-arranged the thumb area so back/forward are now in front/behind each other instead of up and down, and they moved the horizontal scroll up a bit to where you almost need to feel for it/intentionally reposition your hand.
That said, I'm kinda in love with the 3S now, and if they could do "something" to fix the issue I have with my pinky getting a divot from how I hold it (every one of my mice has a wear spot about 1.5 inches in from the back right corner from my pinky rubbing) it'd be perfect lol.

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joshjoshjosh42 OP t1_j6y8jco wrote

2 is similar to 1 but with minor improvements. The design of 3/3S is going well for me, I'm on year 2 and it's aging pretty nicely for me. Some discolouration in the silicone, but pretty much anything in contact with your (sweaty) palms will degrade or discolour over time. Functionally, the 3S seems to be the best. Takes all the functional improvements of the 3's design (USB-C, better ergonomics, buttons, magnetic scroll wheel) and then makes all the switches silent and extremely long life.

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Androoideka t1_j6zs6y3 wrote

I've had a bad experience with the 2S. Mine died within 2 years because the thumb button fell through and kept registering as held constantly which meant moving the cursor didn't work anymore. The weird thing is I didn't even use the thumb button, I guess it disloged itself because of wiping with wet wipes too much.

Function wise the mouse is good though, plenty of buttons and the secondary scroll can be useful sometimes. I used to use it on my phone sometimes too.

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joshjoshjosh42 OP t1_j7827wt wrote

This happened to me too - I ended up prying the button out with a Phillips screwdriver and never using it again.

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USERNAMETAKEN11238 t1_j8100dm wrote

I have owned all three. Once I bought a wired swift point with onboard memory they all went in the drawer. I miss the scroll mouse wheel, however none of these mouse compare to this imo.

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CosmicRambo t1_j6xnwre wrote

I'm pretty sure most mouse aren't BIFL, they wear down when you click so it<s just gonna crap at some point.

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TheRealTeeHill t1_j6wo95y wrote

Can’t really vouch for the longevity of my x2 MX master 2 but both are still solid after years of use… fully expecting the same as OP, either the micro usb breaks or the internal battery gives up (I’m sure this can probably be an easy fix). But I can vouch for all the other points made, they are an excellent piece of kit 👍🏼

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shannon_g t1_j6wq6hc wrote

It’s the best built mouse on the planet. Have had two sinse 2007 and only replaced became the new version was Bluetooth and paired easier with multiple devices

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xenon_rose t1_j6wxhns wrote

I looked and don’t see a wired version. Anyone have problems with the battery or wireless?

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crusader104 t1_j6x9ipj wrote

I have the MX Master 3s (only for about a month or so now) and several other Logitech products, their wireless is always excellent and have only had to plug to charge once so far (it comes with a usb wire of course that you can use if you prefer wired)

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joshjoshjosh42 OP t1_j6y7su8 wrote

Nope, both are perfect on my 1 and 3. After 8 years, battery life was still pretty good. You can also pair over either Bluetooth or dedicated 2.4GHz, so stability has never been any issue.

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ozyri t1_j6xbcul wrote

Now add the mx keys keyboard. The ultimate work setup.

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straylight_dev t1_j6xewy1 wrote

Got shout out to the 3dconnexion mouse for cad. Only one available with a proper middle button. Five years on mine so far and love it to bits.

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joshjoshjosh42 OP t1_j6y7xfi wrote

I'd love to buy one of those - although I'd have a hard time convincing work to buy me one given how expensive they are!

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straylight_dev t1_j6yc8sb wrote

My hand is wearing away the chrome on the metal base, but hey, it's a metal base. I may paint it.

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RandoUser81 t1_j6xh6hy wrote

I adore my MX Anywhere 2S!

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remington_noiseless t1_j6xmf3z wrote

I have a MX Master 1. The battery started to die (wouldn't last for more than a day or two). So I poked around online and found some instructions on how to replace it. $5 in parts from ali express and my mouse now has a battery that's over twice as large as the original battery. Now one charge lasts for months.

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CrazyBarks94 t1_j6yvxoq wrote

Good suggestion, and a good argument for belonging here among the greats.

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Ok-Wasabi2873 t1_j6z1xen wrote

I have the Master 1 and Master 2S. I prefer the MS1. Polling rate is 1500 on the M1 and M2S is 1000. You can feel the difference. My wife had been using it for remote work the last two years and now there’s indents of her grip. So check the polling rate on your next mouse.

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motie t1_j6zw67b wrote

What is the replacement version, OP?

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joshjoshjosh42 OP t1_j781o20 wrote

The MX Master 3/3S! Replaces the port with USB-C and fixes the button. Apparently the rubber wears fast acoording to some commenters, but having a look at mine 2 years in, it's mostly cosmetic for now.

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ThirdeYe1337 t1_j6zzrt8 wrote

I have a few MX Masters (a 2S and a 3) and for some reason they really bother my hand/wrist after a few hours of use. Not sure if it's the weight, or the angle it forces my hand into. I love the clicks and the scroll wheel on them, though. I find that the Logitech G502 or Razer Basilisk V3 work a lot better for my hand without making it hurt after a while. Logitech does make great products though. I used a G400s for 7 years and it still works great, I just wanted something different. Also used a G602 at work for a few years before wanting something with an infinite scroll wheel. I'm also pretty hard on my mice as my work requires a lot of clicking, scrolling, etc.

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rg1283 t1_j6wjjgu wrote

Yeah. No.

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