I need a gaming mouse. Not just any gaming mouse, you understand. Sitting next to me as we speak are two of the little squeakers, and they are both what I’d call fine. Due to a recent house move in which half my stuff mysteriously did not seem to make it the full 60 miles between my old abode and the new I have misplaced my trusty old Logitech MX Master, and am now left with two budget options that are perfectly acceptable yet completely uninteresting. I have a hankering for something wireless, something premium, something that I’ll truly enjoy using for the next few years, and I’ve narrowed it down to two: the Logitech G502 Lightspeed and the Razer Basilisk Ultimate.

In the US right now these two titans of gaming mouse excellence are at a heavy discount, with the Logitech G502 down to just under $90 and the Razer coming in just shy of the $80 mark. Just ten bucks difference between two high-performance gaming mice from respected manufacturers. But which to choose?

It’s time to get technical.

Let’s start with the G502. For a start it’s got buttons, by which I mean lots of buttons. 11 of them to be precise, fully customisable and ready to be programmed with all sorts of macros that I’ll forget even exist the second I start actually playing a game. Nevertheless, options are a good thing, and those of you with a better memory than my own are sure to make use of them in clever and interesting ways that will cause me to lose my next multiplayer match against you. So that’s nice.

Beyond the plethora of customisation options, the Logitech G502 makes use of the Hero 25K sensor for super-precise movement tracking, a “hyper-fast” scroll wheel, and full PowerPlay wireless charging support. It’s also got a techy, nerdy, clicky kind of aesthetic that I happen to appreciate, and I’ve been very impressed with the durability and long-term comfort I’ve experienced with Logitech products I’ve used in the past. 

An interesting extra feature of note is the inclusion of six weights, designed to allow you to change the feel of your mouse at a moment’s notice. A customisation monster then, and a serious contender in any list of premium gaming mice. In fact when we reviewed the G502 our only major critique was that it was a little pricey. Not so at the moment it seems.

However, before we get too excited, here comes the sinister good looks of the Razer Basilisk Ultimate. It’s a beautiful looking peripheral, to my eyes at least, and in my brief time with one I found it to be immensely comfortable and satisfying underneath your hand. In terms of customisation it also features 11 programmable buttons, although you won’t find any adjustable weights to mess around with here. No, the Basilisk Ultimate might not be the most adjustable of devices, but it represents a very different approach to high-end wireless mice in comparison to the G502. What you get here is purity of vision, a peripheral that knows what it’s good at and sticks to it.

Beneath those good looks and comfortable design features the Basilisk Ultimate contains some very serious hardware that should prick up the ears of anyone looking for a high-performance mouse. It features Razer’s very own optical mouse switches with light-beam based actuation, which are capable of registering your clicks in an absolute instant. Razer Hyperspeed wireless technology means it has a very low-latency and is resistant to interference, and with a super fast 8,000Hz polling rate this mouse means business when it comes to competitive gaming. 

So which to choose? It’s a difficult one for sure. If ultimate customisation is your goal then I think those adjustable weights in the G502 might swing it for you, and as someone who likes a heavier mouse for better accuracy I have to admit the feature is sorely tempting. There’s also that legendary build quality, and those sci-fi industrial good looks.

But I can’t deny, something keeps drawing me back to the Razer. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a sheer black aesthetic, but in my hands-on I couldn’t, well, keep my hands off it. It’s just such a nice object to hold, and it looks somewhat intimidating and sinister sitting on your desk. There’s no denying its high-performance credentials, and ultimately when it comes to a gaming peripheral there should be something drawing you to it, something desirable that ensures you feel really good about your purchase.

Not that I wouldn’t feel that way about the Logitech. Ah dammit. Here I go round again.

Ultimately, either of these meeses will serve you, and me, very well indeed no matter your requirements. They’re so close in feature set, so similar in price that you may as well boil it down to aesthetic preference, or even flip a coin. It is perhaps a reflection of just how far peripheral technology has come that we now spend a lot of time debating our choices rather than immediately picking obvious winners. Whichever you go for, both these mice are a great deal at these prices, and I think you’d be happy with either one.

Screw it, I’m going for the Razer. There, I said it. It’s done.