Logitech MX518 Legendary Review

The legend has returned, same great design from 2004 only now with the latest in gaming technology.

Today is the day we are reunited with everyone’s favourite FPS gaming mouse, Logitech’s Mx518 Legendary. The nostalgia levels in the office right now are at a high and we can’t wait to see what the latest iteration of the old fan favourite has to offer. Most will be delighted to hear Logitech has kept the exact same shape and design that so many loved from back in 2004. The only difference in design is the logo which has changed from the old school Logitech stamp to the more current G we all now know. However, this is where the similarities end and the newly improved version of the Mx518 has been equipped with what is widely considered the best optical sensor available, the HERO Optical.

First impressions suggest this is going to be a brilliant mouse. I was a huge fan of the MX518 and used it for many years through my Counter-Strike 1.6 and source days where it was known by many as the go-to gaming mouse before sponsorship took over. That being said we sit down and put the new MX518 Legendary through its paces to see if it can stand up to the competition.
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Pros

  • Brilliant design
  • Great hand feel
  • Top Optical Sensor
  • Perfect Weight Distribution

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Cons

  • Scroll Wheel Feels A Little Tacky
  • Over 100g

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Logitech MX518 Legendary Mouse Review

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Mouse Size & Weight

  • Weight: 101g (without Cable)
  • Size: Medium
  • Length: 13.1 cm -5.15 inches
  • Width: 7.3 cm – 2.87 inches
  • Height: 4.3 cm – 1.7 inches
  • Hand Orientation: Right-handed

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Mouse Tech

  • Sensor: Hero Optical
  • Buttons: Omron D2FC-F-7N(10M)
  • DPI: 100-16000 DPI
  • Polling Rate: 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000Hz
  • Connection: Wired

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What’s in the box

Logitech MX518 Legendary Box

Like the design, Logitech has tried to keep the packaging as simple as possible using a matte grey box with eye-catching electric blue for the exterior. Inside you will find reinforced cardboard surrounding a plastic shell that houses the MX518 legendary. The cable has been neatly bundled in such a way that eliminates any kinking and everything is held in place with the user manual. All very typical of Logitech.

  • Logitech MX518 Legendary gaming mouse
  • User manual

Shape & Texture

Logitech MX518 Legendary Side Profile

Due to the massive popularity of the MX518 Original, the guys at Logitech decided to keep the exact same shape and size for the in-demand Legendary. They have described the new MX518 as the “Legend being reborn” and to look at it you certainly wouldn’t disagree. However, with the ever-growing popularity of smaller gaming mouse (Logitech G Pro and Razer Abyssus V2) the MX518 is considered on the large side, similar to the likes of the Zowie Fk1+ and Razer Lancehead TE. For me, the design has, and always will be, super comfortable and brings back serious levels of nostalgia when using it. The thumb groove feels absolutely perfect and is situated in the perfect position to boost levels of comfort. Further to this the hump, which reminds me of Zowie EC1-B, feels really comfortable when using both palm grip and claw. I use a hybrid Claw grip and the mouse kind of ‘hunkers up’ into the ball of my palm which makes the feel of control much greater. The hump slopes gently down towards the 2 primary mouse buttons designed with the classic right to left slant which was engineered with ergonomics in mind and does the trick fantastically. A controversial area of the design on both the MX518 and it’s legendary iteration is the ridge on the right-hand side where your ring finger and little finger reside and has been known to feel uncomfortable for some. I’ve never experienced any discomfort but I suppose it all comes down to your hand size and grip style. The texture has the same polished finish as the original and everyone will be familiar with the gradient tonality of the colour scheme which goes from black to grey. Not forgetting the sparkle effect. The side panels are manufactured high-quality plastic with a subtle rough matte finish which really helps to add grip.

Size & Weight

Logitech MX518 Legendary Side Profile 2

The Legendary comes in at 101g (5 grams lighter than it’s predecessor) and has an excellent weight distribution which sits right in the centre of your palm. The perfectly balanced feel of the mouse really creates the idea of total control when using the MX518 in-game. Logitech designed the old version with FPS gamer’s in mind and by keeping the design identical the same can be said here. However, they’ve tweaked the weight to allow for longer gaming sessions whilst not putting as much stress and pressure on both your wrist and arm. It comes in at a shade over 13cm’s long and 7.3cm’s wide which falls just outside of that magical 2/1 ratio, however, take nothing away from the MX518’s design as it has widely been considered one of the most comfortable mice in the last 15 years. All being said the MX518 Legendary still has all the charm and charisma of the legend itself but has been trimmed back in weight to try fit in with today’s standards.

Buttons

The Mx518 has been equipped with 8 programmable buttons which can be customised using Logitech G Hub or LGS to program your favourite commands, binds, and macros. The 2 primary mouse buttons are integrated into the main shell of the mouse and are not separate. The switches are Omron switches with a lifespan of 20 million clicks and have a fantastic tactile feel which requires moderate pressure to actuate them. This being said most of the mice released within the last couple of years have 50 million click life spans. I really enjoy how the buttons feel though and the feedback you get from each click has a satisfying sound which is definitely underrated. They have a gentle slope and feel great with the classic polished finish. The thumb buttons feel identical to those of its predecessor, if you remember the old thumb buttons you will remember the subtle mushy feel that they acquired and the new edition is no different. The actuation point of the thumb buttons is quite deep which I found helpful as it stops you accidentally pressing them. The DPI buttons are situated above and below the scroll wheel and there are 3 of them. DPI up, down and reset. They function perfectly but my recommendation would be to use them for in-game commands as they are located perfectly and can be used with the minimum of fuss. Finally, we have the scroll wheel and its the only button I would consider changing. The steps are a little too sensitive and the whole thing has a slightly cheap feel to it. It does, however, function great and if you don’t need accuracy in between each step you will be happy to know it has the exact same feel and the original.

Cable

The guys at Logitech have decided to scrap the ever-popular braided cable for lightweight thin plastic which not only feels great but almost eliminates the need for a bungee. However, it is worth mentioning that we did pair in the mouse with a Razer bungee and I had no problem straddling it up. The lightweight design helps the cable glide across most surfaces without resistance or abrasion. The cable is coated in plastic which feels decent but not spectacular. They have equipped the MX518 with a 2.1m cable that has your standard USB connectivity.

Mouse Software Section

As with most Logitech products these days, you are forced to download Logitech’s latest form of product software when first connecting the mouse to your PC. Even though this feels an inconvenience you’ll be happy to know that the Legendary comes with its own onboard memory which has the capacity to save up to 5 profiles. How does this help the consumer? Well, it’s simple, create your desired profile(s) and simply save them to your MX518. Once you’ve completed this you no longer need to load the software as everything has been saved within the mouse’s brain. All this being said Logitech’s G hub is probably the best product software on the market at the moment. Super easy to use, really user-friendly and not buggy.

Mouse Performance & Sensor

Logitech MX518 Legendary Rear

When Logitech released the new and improved MX518 Legendary they were quoted saying they wanted to keep the design as close to the original as possible and they’ve done exactly that. If it weren’t for the new logo stamp and cool new gradient colour scheme you would absolutely think this was an MX518 from 2005. However, this is where the similarities stop. Underneath the shell of this fan favourite design sits Logitech’s finest sensor to date, the HERO optical, which has true 16,000 dpi capabilities, has a capture rate of 17,000 frames per second and achieves 400+IPS across the entire range of 100-16000 dpi. I’ve tested this mouse exclusively for almost a week now and the sensor has got to be the stand out feature for me, it tracks perfectly and can boast absolutely zero smoothing, filtering or acceleration. Now, pair this great sensor with a truly brilliant design that ergonomically fits most hand sizes and grip styles and you’ve created a truly fantastic gaming mouse. I think by equipping the new MX518 with their latest HERO sensor not only highlights how great the original design was but also caters towards the competitive gaming market of today. It’ll be interesting to see how many of today’s top-level gamers decide to pick this one up.

To quickly touch on specifics, the switches are Omron developed and have a life span of 20 million clicks which can be considered decent but not the best available. The polling rate is as standard with most top-level gaming mice, 1000hz and has 400+IPS. The connectivity is a wired USB as mentioned above and seems to work very efficiently. The mouse has been designed for FPS gamer’s predominantly but could be customized for other game styles as well. The lift-off distance is set at 1 CD but can be optimized using Logitech’s product software LGH. RGB is none existent with this one but I won’t lose any sleep over that one.

Our Verdict

So, what did we think of the long-awaited return of the mighty MX518? Well, it’s simple really, if you were a fan of the original version of this mouse then you are going to absolutely love the new and improved model. The Legendary has been designed with all the charm of the old favourite in mind but has been revamped with the latest gaming technology to make it one of the best new mice available today. The feel of this mouse is really great and you can thank the ergonomic design for that, my aim across the board on FPS was up there with my favourite mice (Razer Abyssus + Logitech G Pro) and it’s going to be difficult to decide which one to use going forward. To conclude, if you want a high-performance gaming mouse that will be at home on any stage and love the design of the Legendary MX518 then this is the mouse for you.