Review: Logitech G9 ID Grip

I got the Logitech G9 ID Grip last weekend, heres my review:

Logitech G9 ID Grip Review

Purchase:
I purchased it from Logitech for $19.99, free shipping.
Here's a link.

Info:
-Designed for Logitech G9
-Extra Palm Support
-Custom Glossy Image
-High Quality Fade and Rub Resistant printing

Unpacking:
Being just a grip I didn't really expect it to come in anything special; but Logitech suprised me and packaged it in a appealing, and informative (as informative as it could get :P) small box.

Appearance:
In my opinion this is a pretty good looking mouse grip; it has an streamlined shape, and smooth curves. Other than the new shape, it really isn't that different from the Wide-Load grip that came with the G9.

Custom Image:
One of the coolest features about the Logitech G9 ID grip, is that you can customize it with whatever image you want. You just upload it to their site, position it on the virtual grip, then they custom print it and send it to you. They suggest family photos, photos of personal items or a clan name. By the suggestion of my friend I decided to put my Gamer/Online ID image I made a while ago on the mouse.

Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was the low-resolution printing job. It's very high quality in appearance and color, but you can see jagged edges on what was a very smooth image. I also noticed that the black areas weren't ultra-dark, though they were still decently black. Here is the original image:

Shape and Size:
The G9 ID grip has a much different design than the two grips that came with the mouse. The ID grip is much longer, slightly taller and has a more rounded design. All that put together makes for a mouse that supports your palm very well. Here is a comparison between the ID Grip and stock grips:

As you can see the grip is about 1.5CM longer and about 4mm taller.

When Logitech released the G9, many gamers were disappointed in the small, claw-grip focused design. If you have ever been on their support forums, there were numerous complaints about the current size and shape, and requests for the classic Logitech shape (i.e. more like the G5, MX518). With the ID grip they finally delivered; here is a comparison with a MX510:

The shape is much closer to that of the classic Logitech mice, and should satisfy most of the gamers out there.

Performance:
After using this grip for two days I am thoroughly satisfied with it. The same ultra-smooth rubbery surface (also on the Precision Grip) is back on the ID grip. The shape is perfect for what I wanted, and remained comfortable through long Photoshop and gaming sessions. I don't know if there is an actual difference, but I feel like I am ever so slightly more accurate in my games also. It is however, not completely perfect; I have two minor complaints. The first and most negligible is the height of the mouse; I felt that it pushes the top of my palm upward a little too much. The second, and slightly more annoying, is the glossiness of the custom image. Because it is glossy it makes that surface prone to sweating, and it can sometime get in your way. Though it does look very cool glossy, I would've preferred a more flat print with a surface closer to that of the rest of the grip.

Conclusions
Overall I think Logitech's first new Grip for the G9 is a success. It is (for the most part) customizable, looks good, is built well and is comfortable. It is not without its flaws though; the custom image resolution needs to be much higher, the grip is a little too tall and the glossy image makes for a sweaty surface. These cons however, did not take away too much from my overall enjoyment of this new grip. If you own a G9 and are looking for a more palmy grip or one you just want to put your image on, I would definitely recommend spending the $20 for this grip.

Pros:
-Great shape that is more palm focused
-Shaped like the G5 and earlier mice
-High Build Quality
-Custom Image Options
-High Quality Image

Cons:
-Slightly pricey ($20)
-Image is high quality, but low resolution
-Glossy surface over image allows for sweating


Objective Score/Subjective Score
Build Quality: 10/10
Appearance (Grip): 10/10
Appearance (Image): 6/7
Performance: 8/8
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8.4 / 9.0

-Indybird

nice review-looks like an interesting product. Cheers!

Vision

Wow you would not believe what happened, check this out:
Since I got my grip and had used it for a while I decided to go back to the Logitech forums where I had been discussing the grip before I got it. Since I was a little disappointed with the print job I mentioned it:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Indybird

Yay! I just got mine in the mail today! I love the shape, and though my the print on my image wasn't as good as I thought it would be, it is still very cool.

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Then one of the representatives from the Logitech Product Team come in:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CharlesB

The all black backgrounds are tough to print, but also, what was the size of image you uploaded?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Indybird

The image I uploaded was 2048x1920. It was close to the biggest sized image the uploader would let me upload. I wanted to make sure it didnt get pixelated the way it did.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CharlesB

unfortunately, if you scale too much either way, it can cause problems. I have an idea. I'll PM you.

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So as he said, he PMs me:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CharlesB

I would like you to email me another version of that image. If you could, in your software, please scale it to about 1K pixels square, then email it to [his email]. I'll see what I can do :)

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I do as he suggests, I resize the image and send it to him via e-mail. About 30 minutes later I get a message saying hes going to have them print another one for free! He says this time he's even going to have them check the print job before they send it to me again.

I have never in my life seen such a dedicated customer support/relations team. When I get the new grip I'll update my review.

EDIT: Actually believe it or not this is not the first time they've done such a thing for me. The first was when I contacted them about my fading G15 keys. I sent them a picture, then all they did was ask for my address. A week later I got a (Retail Packaged) brand-new G15 keyboard. They sent me a whole new keyboard! The awesome part is they did this again for me. When my Precision grip for the G9 was peeling, they sent me a whole new grip for free.

Yeah, Logitech have pretty incredible tech support. I fired off an email a bit more than a month ago when my LX710's receiver cacked it, explaining the symptoms and what I'd tried... sent a high-res photo of the receipt when asked... and got a new retail-packaged combo via DHL two weeks later, right when the support agent said it would arrive. I've never had an experience this positive, with a support team that actually listened, and no worthless auto-reply before.

From now on, I'm going out of my way to support these guys. Maybe I need a new mouse for one of my backup machines after all...

yup logitech is one bad ass company for sure. i really like that the new shell is bigger then the other two and i might actually get one.

i had my Z5500 control back light start flickering on me twice and the second time they sent it back via DHL and i got it within 2 days.

+rep for the find too and review!

here is a picture of what i was thinking for mine. i will be changing the name font, size, etc. its just a quick draft.

EDIT: surprise surprise.... stupid us only....

Fantastic Review! Digging the Personalized ID Grip. +Rep
Was unaware the Logitech G9 comes with 3 different mouse shells. Cool.

EVERYONE GO AND BUY THIS GRIP!!!!

i sent a email to logitech wondering about shipping to Canada and they took a long time to respond, about 2 weeks or more. they finally contacted me and after several emails back and forth about my image they are sending me a grip!!!!!!!!!!


Logitech is by far one of the top 3 companies out there for customer support in my books. thanks logitech!!

I have fallen in love with logitech products. All that I have used have been grade A. Never even had to deal with their customer support yet, which is a good thing, but good to know that they are excellent in that end as well. Sweet mouse grip and good review too! :D

got mine in the mail today and its lookin' sick!

nice

That's a very nice review but perhaps you should edit it and mention that you have to upload your pic before you order it. While reading, i had assumed that you printed your own image and inserted it into the grip.

Excellent review, i might have to buy a G9 now :) +rep

Quote:

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Originally Posted by J-Roc

That's a very nice review but perhaps you should edit it and mention that you have to upload your pic before you order it. While reading, i had assumed that you printed your own image and inserted it into the grip.

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Thanks for the tip, I updated the main post. +rep

-Indybird