Home > Consumer Reviews > Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer

I decided to shell out for what I believed to be a 'quality' mouse after putting up with cheap mice for many years. My first IntelliMouse v3 lasted about 6 months until the mouse wheel started misbehaving. It would occasionally scroll down a single line when I wasn't touching it. It started soft but over a few weeks got much worse. I took it back and got another one. This too lasted about 6 months until the same problem started up. In addition the back button is exhibiting the 'double-click' problem (where it sometimes goes back two pages even though i only clicked it once). And of course now it's no longer under guarantee!

If it wasn't so badly built this mouse would be excellent. It's very comfortable to use and I love the extra buttons. Unfortunately I really cannot recommend it as it is.

I too bought an original explorer mouse and liked it. After about a year it died.
I've had the Explorer 3.0 for about a year, and it has started exhibiting the "double click" problem, which, as has been said elsewhere, renders the mouse almost unusable. I liked the design and usability, but I need to find a more reliable manufacturer...

In short, I'm writing primarily to second Tinderbox's excellent review on all the PROs and CONs.

Also, if you're currently using this mouse and like the extra buttons, I recommend installing Intellipoint 4.0 instead of the more recent Intellipoint 5.0

More on this below...

quick partial summary of Tinderbox's review:
PROs:
1) good tracking
2) good ergonomic shape
3) well-placed extra buttons
CONs:
1) over time: sticky scroll-wheel
2) over time: left-click started registering multiple clicks when single-clicking
3) quick wear

and now for some of my experiences...

Mouse #1: corded Intellimouse Explorer
I bought the original corded Intellimouse Explorer for Win XP and loved it. It tracked well, felt good ergonomically, and I came to the point where I couldn't live without the added buttons. Personally, I mapped the small thumb button as my "back" button, and the larger thumb button for "ALT-TAB" to recall my last used window.

After about a year, the mouse mysteriously died. I'm not quite sure why, but since I've become so enamored of this mouse by this point, I decided to get another Intellimouse Explorer.

Mouse #2: corded Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
By this time, they no longer sold the exact version of my original mouse. Microsoft released v3.0 of the mouse. The only physical difference I noticed was that the thumb buttons were much thinner than the original Intellimouse, which originally irked me, but I quickly got used to.

Within a year, the tracking started going haywire and the cursor would jump erratically. I tried to clean the contact surface, but it did no good. Trashed it and got... another one...

Mouse #3: corded Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
However, within about a year and half, I experienced the exact symptoms mentioned in the Tinderbox review: sticky-like feeling on the mouse-wheel, additional random clicks registering on the left-click button. The latter problem rendered the mouse virtually unusable.

As silly as this sounds, I was almost considering getting the same mouse again, just because I liked the feel and features, however, Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 are no longer readily available, since they have been replaced by the newer Intellimouse Explorer 4.0 (with Tilt-wheel). I tried v4.0 out at a store and could not stand it. Personally, I didn't like the fact the mouse-wheel moved left-to-right. But on top of that, Microsoft removed the "clicks" on the mouse-wheel, which just doesn't feel right to me. The thumb buttons are also placed a bit higher on the 4.0 mouse which lessens my comfort factor.

All in all, the old Intellimouse Explorers were nice when they worked, but (at least for me) they seem to wear out a bit too frequently. I'm currently looking into the Logitech MX 510.

As for the INTELLIPOINT software:
If you do own or plan to own this mouse, I HIGHLY suggest tracking down a copy of the Intellipoint 4.0 software instead of using the most recent version 5.0

PROs of Intellipoint 4.0:
1) had a larger set of preset options in the pull-down menus for each button function
2) allowed you to input your own keystrokes

CONs of Intellipoint 5.0:
1) reduced the number of preset options, adding a few new ones, but removing a LOT of old ones
2) no more custom keystroke mapping to buttons. For example, I could no longer map my buttons to ALT-TAB or "recall window" with Intellipoint 5.0

This mouse is somewhat old by the time of this writing, but hopefully this info will be of some use to someone.

Just hope it doesn't short out where the wire goes into the mouse like the previous models after about 2 years.

The mouse is excellent. I've owned it for about a year and a half and I don't think I'm going to replace it any time soon--although the tilt wheel is an interesting idea.

(However, the tilt wheel version seems to have it's own problems based on some reviews--thumb buttons moved back to an awkward position for no reason, and middle button click not working most of the time--goes off to either side, scrolling left/right instead of doing a given action.)

Again I will say this mouse is excellent--it has a practically flawless optical sensor that only causes trouble on very uneven surfaces--such as a ruffled bed sheet. I mainly use it for my desktop, but connecting to my laptop is cake. I have a decent knowledge about hardware and software, and installing programs is no big for me--but this is easily alleviated if you're using Windows XP Home or Pro Edition. You can simply plug the mouse in and you will be able to use it in about 10 seconds, along with the middle mouse button, and two thumb buttons.

Setting up the more advanced features of the mouse takes a few minutes though, and usually requires the use of the software CD (outdated now) or software from Microsoft's website. It normally works well in FPS and other computer games, but occasionally you won't be able to set the thumb buttons or the middle button--which I obviously have to knock off points for, my old mouse's middle button was always fully compatible.

I've barely cleaned the thing--and it's remained in perfect working condition. The sensor never gives me trouble and the buttons still work like brand-new. Especially the scroll and middle mouse button that some people have complained about. The clicks you feel in the scroll wheel are what make this mouse really great in my opinion. Some mouse wheels scroll too easily, or some scroll without any feel to them--this one is perfect and has good resistance to it. The middle mouse button works like it should, with about the same resistance as the two main mouse buttons, and the same quick response. Using it in games (it should work for practically all programmable games) is a breeze.

The ergonomics are great, and the only thing that could really improve is perhaps the height of the mouse. While I love the feel of the hump, it may be too tall. It's slightly large for me, and could be really small for someone less than 5'9" or so with "average-sized" hands. Also, the hump/bump could have been placed further back on the mouse, so it would rest right underneath your knuckles--whereas most of the time my fingers are split in half by the horizontal line where the two mouse buttons end, with a mix between the lower part of my fingers on the hump and my palm slightly touching the back of the mouse, along with the bottom of my hand resting on the given surface.

The mouse looks great, feels pretty good, and is slightly cheaper now if you can still find it--I don't have any significant problems with it--great in Windows ME (when I started using it) and XP.