# Why aren't mouse glide feet thicker?



## RejZoR (Jul 1, 2015)

I've been wondering this for quite a while and never bothered to ask anywhere...

Why are computer mouse glide feet always so thin? The problem is, to me it seems like plastic on the bottom makes friction with the mouse pad along with the mouse feet. I had this problem with Logitech G3 and I'm noticing it now with G502. In fact I've noticed it with ALL mice from the past. It's annoying because I can just feel it that mouse is not gliding as it should. I'm using Razer Goliathus mouse pad.

Why the hell don't they make glide feet 2+ mm thicker, lifting the rest of the mouse underside higher. It would eliminate underside friction with the mouse pad guaranteed while not compromising stability since mice already depend on the glide feet to be stable.

Stop being so greedy and saving on the feet thickness. Also, can I buy quality thicker aftermarket mouse feet for my Logitech G502 anywhere?


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## RCoon (Jul 1, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> can I buy quality thicker aftermarket mouse feet for my Logitech G502 anywhere?



You can buy an entire sheet of the stuff and cut it to shape, it works out 10x cheaper, and you've got plenty to spare.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IUJV08Y/?tag=tec053-21


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## RejZoR (Jul 1, 2015)

But it'll be of the same thickness as all the crap plus cutting it yourself means it won't have smooth edges. Mouse feet shout be thick enough that there is NO way any part of the mouse frame would touch the mouse pad. Ever. maybe over the years of usage when they wear down. And even that would last longer for obvious reasons...


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## rooivalk (Jul 1, 2015)

You could buy a set of mousefeet and put it on top of the original mousefeet to make it thicker. It's common practice.
Side note, applying thicker/thinner mouse feet will make your lift off distance different. Sometimes it's better sometimes it's worse.

3rd party replacement:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SC6F1QC/?tag=tec06d-20

and yes, mousefeet is G502 achilles' heel


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## wizyy (Jul 1, 2015)

I've returned G502 exactly because of horrible glide feet.
I cannot believe how badly this mouse moves at ANY pad because the gliders are so badly made. I've compared several gaming mice to G502, not one had this problem - it felt like G502 bottom surface constantly was catching pad and made an audible scratching, swooshing sound while moving at any pad, hard or soft.
I have chosen Steelseries Rival instead, and I'm extremely satisfied with its glider feet and overall performance.


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## Haytch (Jul 1, 2015)

I guess it depends on the quality.  I remember the Razer Copperhead mousefeet lasted for over 3 years before I replaced them with the ones that came with the mouse which lasted for a further 4 years.  Between this time frame, I ended up purchasing a few more of the Copperhead because I just love that mouse. (If anyone has any new ones, let me know).  7 years for a mouse is not bad in my books.


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## Vayra86 (Jul 1, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> I've been wondering this for quite a while and never bothered to ask anywhere...
> 
> Why are computer mouse glide feet always so thin? The problem is, to me it seems like plastic on the bottom makes friction with the mouse pad along with the mouse feet. I had this problem with Logitech G3 and I'm noticing it now with G502. In fact I've noticed it with ALL mice from the past. It's annoying because I can just feel it that mouse is not gliding as it should. I'm using Razer Goliathus mouse pad.
> 
> ...



This is not about greed...

Lift-off distance is what this is all about. Every sensor has a specific lift-off distance at which it won't register movement any longer. Bad/cheap mice have a really high lift-off which means that while you pick up the mouse, the cursor could still move around abit. Gaming mice tend to have much lower lift-off distances. My Zowie FK1 is tailored for extremely low lift-off distance and also barely has 'feet', it is 0.1mm off the mouse mat and ANY kind of lift won't register movement. So if you start ghetto modding mouse feet, look at thickness and check the lift-off distance of your sensor, it's nice when they match. Feet that are too high will cause jitter.

Zowie gave me a set of extra feet with this mouse, go figure 

You could also have a look around for mice with ceramic feet. I've had a Sharkoon Darkglider (horrible POS btw, don't buy it) that came with both plastic and a set of ceramic feet. The latter won't wear at all, just need a clean once in while (and will destroy cheapo mouse mats over time, ceramic always wins the friction battle )


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## RejZoR (Jul 1, 2015)

I've lifted my mouse for few mm and it's registering just fine. Surely they could make feet 1-2mm thicker without any side effects other than superb gliding...


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## Vayra86 (Jul 1, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> I've lifted my mouse for few mm and it's registering just fine. Surely they could make feet 1-2mm thicker without any side effects other than superb gliding...



Your mouse must be more of a palm-gripper, where lifting the mouse is barely necessary. But the drawback of a mouse 'high on its feet' is also that the angle of your hand > arm changes to less relaxed position which is less ergonomic.

(Your TS asked why, these are the main reasons )


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## rtwjunkie (Jul 1, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> But it'll be of the same thickness as all the crap plus cutting it yourself means it won't have smooth edges. Mouse feet shout be thick enough that there is NO way any part of the mouse frame would touch the mouse pad. Ever. maybe over the years of usage when they wear down. And even that would last longer for obvious reasons...


 
If you search amazon and e-bay carefully, there are a number of suppliers (search for the mouse model and mouse feet) in China, who will send you teflon feet and usually there are several varying thicknesses, already cut for your model.  Just peel them off and stick!  I've ordered several.  They have come in dubious hand-written envelopes, to me after several weeks, but I have always gotten what I ordered.  They work great too!


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## sneekypeet (Jul 1, 2015)

You could also simply change the mouse pad you are using to one with less squish to it. Something like a silicone rubber backing instead of the denser thick foam style, or even move to a solid surface.


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## Bill_Bright (Jul 1, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> Why are computer mouse glide feet always so thin?


I don't understand the problem. Are you using your mouse on a flat, smooth surface? If so, even if the pads/feet are just .5mm thick, that is still plenty to lift the mouse enough to ensure only the pads (and not the mouse's belly) are touching the mousing surface.

Thicker pads does not equal less friction. Thinner pads does not equal more friction.

The Teflon (or whatever) material used to create the pads, the smoothness of the pads, and the smoothness of the mousing surfaces are the key factors. But not the thickness.

I have seen on some mice where the edges of the pads are lifted up a tiny bit by the double-stick tape used to stick the pads to the bottom of the mouse. And with blue-laser mice that let you mouse on almost any surface (like carpets and upholstered arm chairs) when using those mice on fabric surfaces, those exposed edges can snag a thread. But that has nothing to do with friction, or the actual thickness of the pad.

I have also seen where the glide pads/feet became roughed up and scratched and were no longer silky smooth. That will surely increase friction and drag. But that too has nothing to do with pad thickness.


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## Frag_Maniac (Jul 1, 2015)

What are you using a plush pad or something? Even most fabric pad surfaces are hard and smooth enough to only contact the glides on the mouse.

Over time though the glides can lose their slickness. Every once in a while you can polish them with something like ArmorAll, or even furniture spray works in a pinch.

Just slightly dampen a rag with the stuff, apply it, and buff it out with a dry part of the rag.


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## Bill_Bright (Jul 1, 2015)

Frag Maniac said:


> What are you using a plush pad or something?


Yeah, that's where I was coming from.


Frag Maniac said:


> Every once in a while you can polish them


Never thought of polishing them before now but I think that is a good point.

Note for many years I've used a small dab of plain white tooth paste on my thumb to successfully polish and rub out scratches in CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks and even the crystal face of my watch. Works great because it is not too abrasive - but with enough patience and elbow grease, is very effective. You can feel it working by the heat that builds up under your thumb.


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## AsRock (Jul 1, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> But it'll be of the same thickness as all the crap plus cutting it yourself means it won't have smooth edges. Mouse feet shout be thick enough that there is NO way any part of the mouse frame would touch the mouse pad. Ever. maybe over the years of usage when they wear down. And even that would last longer for obvious reasons...



You just put the feet over the new stuff and use one of these.


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## RejZoR (Jul 1, 2015)

I'm using Razer Goliathus mouse pad as stated above...


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## rooivalk (Jul 2, 2015)

Bill_Bright said:


> I don't understand the problem. Are you using your mouse on a flat, smooth surface? If so, even if the pads/feet are just .5mm thick, that is still plenty to lift the mouse enough to ensure only the pads (and not the mouse's belly) are touching the mousing surface.





Frag Maniac said:


> What are you using a plush pad or something? Even most fabric pad surfaces are hard and smooth enough to only contact the glides on the mouse.


It could be the edge of mousefeet is jagged or not rounded enough.

I've the same problem with brand new CMStorm Recon mousefeet in a _hard _pad (plastic not alu / glass). It scratches. 
I put 3M tape all over the bottom except the mousefeet and sensor hole and it still scratches.

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Logitech-G-Mice/G502-Mouse-feet-issues/td-p/1239532


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## R-T-B (Jul 2, 2015)

Haytch said:


> I guess it depends on the quality.  I remember the Razer Copperhead mousefeet lasted for over 3 years before I replaced them with the ones that came with the mouse which lasted for a further 4 years.  Between this time frame, I ended up purchasing a few more of the Copperhead because I just love that mouse. (If anyone has any new ones, let me know).  7 years for a mouse is not bad in my books.



The copperhead is/was kickass, as was the original Deathadder.  I don't know what Razer started smoking lately, but their latest stuff does not compare.


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## Frag_Maniac (Jul 2, 2015)

The G502 doesn't have the best glide shape for resisting friction, esp the rear glide, which is chevron shaped. That "Goliathus" pad also isn't the best to use if you're looking for the slickest feel.

The Goliathus is described as having a heavily textured weave that is "the right amount of friction". That should have been a clue to you that it is NOT designed to feel super smooth and slick.

Furthermore, such a pad could actually become even less slick over time if the textured weave surface starts developing a slight fuzz to the edges of the bumps.

My Allsop fabric pad has the standard smooth and slightly slickened print surface, and has been in service several years. I've used it so much the print in one spot started blurring, so I turned it upside down just to ensure consistent sensor tracking. The funny thing is though, that worn spot is not frayed and only looks blurred. It's actually noticeably slicker feeling than the rest of the pad.


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## Atomic77 (Jul 3, 2015)

I have a cheap mouse the Logitech m100 and have had no issues with feet or anything.


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## Rowsol (Jul 3, 2015)

I hear ya.  Mouse feet are so thin and wear out too soon.


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## AsRock (Jul 3, 2015)

What the hell are people doing ?, using their feet to use the mouse.

I wish my problem with them was silly little pads lol


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## FordGT90Concept (Jul 3, 2015)

Funny story: by the time I got rid of my MX 518, it had no feet and I couldn't tell/didn't care.  Granted, I had no pad either.  It slid just fine on my counter.


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## rtwjunkie (Jul 3, 2015)

I use a hard S&S Steel mousepad, and it's a nice surface for gaming, but I find I have to have several spare sets of feet since they wear out regularly.


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## rooivalk (Jul 3, 2015)

Atomic77 said:


> I have a cheap mouse the Logitech m100 and have had no issues with feet or anything.


Mousefeet of those cheap mouse will disintegrate itself in time 
Not much worse without mousefeet though, a little bit scratch-scratch feeling.


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## RejZoR (Jul 4, 2015)

It was so annoying I'm now using it on a desk. It glides so much better. I guess I'll just have to buy more feet since they'll probably wear out faster. Just reminded I should recalibrate the surface...


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## kn00tcn (Jul 5, 2015)

no need to make them thicker, they should make the bottom of the mouse concave

that said, i'm on a kinzu v2 with a really old mousepad, before that was a logitech 'click', i dont want too much gliding or else it feels out of control (you also have perceptual friction & weight depending on your mouse sensitivity)

i mentally calibrate my brain to every mouse & mousepad i use, so it just has to be consistent


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## Naito (Jul 5, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> The copperhead is/was kickass, as was the original Deathadder. I don't know what Razer started smoking lately, but their latest stuff does not compare.



First time Razer owner here ; I had always viewed Razer products as overpriced gimmicks (still are, to a degree), but decided to take the plunge when my left M8000X button went. Overall I find the DeathAdder Chroma a very solid, well-built mouse. Not too light, not too heavy, great matte coating and superb rubber side grips. Back on topic, I believe even the mouse feet to be of very good quality; thicker than my previous Gigabyte and seems to be made of stronger material. Using a Razer Goliathus mouse pad too. No issues with friction.


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## R-T-B (Jul 5, 2015)

Naito said:


> First time Razer owner here ; I had always viewed Razer products as overpriced gimmicks (still are, to a degree), but decided to take the plunge when my left M8000X button went. Overall I find the DeathAdder Chroma a very solid, well-built mouse. Not too light, not too heavy, great matte coating and superb rubber side grips. Back on topic, I believe even the mouse feet to be of very good quality; thicker than my previous Gigabyte and seems to be made of stronger material. Using a Razer Goliathus mouse pad too. No issues with friction.



I hear there is an eventual doubleclick issue, though my 2013 hasn't acted up yet...  good luck regardless.


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## Naito (Jul 5, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> I hear there is an eventual doubleclick issue, though my 2013 hasn't acted up yet...  good luck regardless.



If that does eventuate, that'll be because of the Omron switches, not Razer. I'd blame Omron.


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## micropage7 (Jul 5, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> Why the hell don't they make glide feet 2+ mm thicker


i guess it related to optical sensor on it, the thicker feet would give bad response since the distance between the sensor and the surface is far, so why they put thinner feet


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## remixedcat (Jul 5, 2015)

@Mussels has had lots of #Logitechdrama over mouse feet


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## Atomic77 (Jul 7, 2015)

I would think it would be very hard to walk with out feet lol.


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## de.das.dude (Jul 7, 2015)

this.... is a good point.
but I don't face any problem., sooner or later the bottom of the mouse gets polished and smooth as well.
I use a g400


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