My favourite feature of any mouse that I’ve ever used is the automatic infinite scroll wheel mode. This is a mode where the scroll wheel, in its normal clicky mode, is flicked with enough force, and then continues to spin freely for a while, eventually slowing down and returning to normal mode.
It’s a productivity enhancer that lets me rapidly scroll through long documents. It’s a gaming enhancer that lets me rapidly zoom cameras or fly through weapons. It’s a mental health enhancer that gives me a fidget spinner to play with.
This YouTube video shows the feature in action:
The clip is worth watching, as the feature is frequently misunderstood and mischaracterized as the common ‘infinite scroll’ mode that many mice have. That plebian mode requires the barbarian mouse user to press a button to engage it, which puts the scroll wheel into free spin mode; aforementioned regressed caveman then needs to press the button again to disengage it.
That is not the feature I’m interested in. The automatic switching between modes is the prime feature I’m after. The automatic infinite scroll mode is referred to as ‘SmartShift’ by Logitech, and ‘Smart Reel’ by Razer.
In all my searching, there are only two viable options I’ve found that have been worth considering. The Logitech MX Master 3, and the Razer Basilisk V3.
The Logitech MX Master 3 is very good for work — it’s wireless, has a decent heft, and its movements can feel ponderous. It’s great for productivity and development, though I’m not a fan of the vertical scroll barrel tacked on the side, and that I have to keep their shitty software running for any customizations to be remembered. However its build quality has been very good for me.
For reasons unknown, Logitech have sat on their infinite scroll patent for almost 20 years, and don’t seem to be doing much with it. I would have thought that Smart Shift would appear in some of their G series gaming mice as an ‘enhanced’ gamer feature, but not even a whiff.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is decent for gaming; it’s lightweight, and its scroll wheel is well designed. The smart reel is my favourite of course, and so is the side-to-side tilting wheel which lets me scroll or click vertically.
What it does have over the MX Master is that its configuration is stored right on the mouse itself, so I don’t have to keep their shitty software running for customizing button mappings or scroll wheel modes. It’s also possible to configure the mouse on Linux using OpenRazer (for keymaps and enabling smart reel), and Polychromatic (to tone down the gaudy gamer ‘aesthetic’), after which it’s saved to the device.
Sadly, Razer is often associated with poor build quality, and indeed the scroll wheel on my current Basilisk V3 has started to show signs of impending failure a little over 2 years after purchase, which coincidentally is their warranty period.
I will now again contend with the dilemma of a 21st century consumer: hyperfixating on one specific feature over all others, one which isn’t even guaranteed to be present in the next iteration of a product and may not even be a footnote in a product team’s mind somewhere as they themselves hyperfixate on finding ways to mention ‘AI’ in their next release.