In my opinion, M$ has been making the best general-use mice around since the early 90's when mice started to become common place. M$ Explorer with a ball and wheel is the sturdiest (I have many that are 10+ years old at this point, still going strong) mouse I've ever seen, the weight and tracking speed are great. It's a quality product.
That said, I tried a more recent M$ optical mouse w/RF wireless. Very comfortable and well build, but would at least once a day cause my cursor to fly to the corner of the screen or cause me to 'spin' in any 3D game. Very annoying. I'm using a $5 wung-fung-chu brand from a wholesaler instead.
I'll try the M$ and Logitech laser mice in the future. Here's to hoping that M$ can produce another mouse as good as the Explorer.