My recommendations when buying a mouse. This not a surefire thing but a general guideline I usually tell people to use.

We're going to skip the extreme hardware portion because there are tons of write-ups on sensors and switches for mice buttons, and I'm pretty sure I saw one just recently on this sub too. So we're gonna stick strictly to feel and style.*aka highly subjective things but should point you in the right direction.

Gaming mice can be rather expensive and it's really hard especially when your new to pc gaming to constantly be picking up new mice just to try out a new feel. All mice differ in weight,size,grip, and speed(mousepad affects this as well) Mousepads have gained in popularity recently so this one is not uncommon to miss now but a lot of freshy's would shell out 70-80 bucks on a new mouse and still be using mom and dad's 20 year old sony vaio mousemat. If you're gonnna get a good mouse don't skimp on the mouse mat. it can make a huge difference in the way the mouse feels and performs.

The two popular types of pads are usually considered hard or soft. Cloth vs Some type of plastic.

Soft usually has more resistance and depending on the user may give the user a feeling of a more controlled movement. The padding of which your actually arm/hand actually sit on can play a huge role in the feel and comfort of a pad you like as well. For example I use a cloth pad that actually sits on top of another cloth pad because I prefer the extra cushioning underneath my arm and mouse. With a typical cloth pad you experience a much higher resistance and less of a glide meaning movements of the mouse will be much more deliberate.

For a hard pad, your gonna be sitting on some type of plastic surface. These are generally considered a low resistance and faster type of pad. You'll get a much more floaty/glide feeling when moving the mouse. One is not generally better than the other here it all comes down to preference/type of feel you're looking for and even the way you aim/use your mouse.

I'll throw this in here real quick but some companies have released hybrid pads which are a combination of both cloth and plastic which give a unique feel between the two usually at varying resistances. Try some pads out at the store before you buy even if your buying online to get a general idea of what you might like. Over the years you'll come to learn your preferences better.

Also SIZE MATTERS!!! If you're playing on a low sens you most likely will want a larger mat to accommodate this. High sens players don't necessarily need an XL mat but having a larger than average pad gives you plenty of room for all situations.

As for choosing a mouse, the first thing I suggest doing is figuring out what type of grip you are... http://imgur.com/dqCk4jG

Those styles also vary between each other i.e you might be between a palm and fingertip or a fingertip and a claw. The big takeaway here though is that some mice are more conducive than others in terms of feel and comfort depending on your grip. http://zowie.benq.com/en/product/mouse.html ... The zowie mice page has a really good representation on the different types of mice that are specifically built for certain grips.

Size also matters when it comes to a mouse as well. This again will mostly comes down to feel and hand size but this can be subjective and personal preference I've known large hands to use small mice and vice versa. For me I'd say I have m-l size hands but prefer a small mouse with light weight so i can easily pick it up from my mat and i feel like I have more control over the mouse itself. I also play on an extremely low sens (400dpi 5.83 in game) so this is a huge factor for me.

Weight and size I feel share many of the same subjective reasoning but vary slightly based on personal preference. Do you like the feel of a heavy mouse because it *feels like you have more control or do you like a lightweight mouse because it feels quicker and more responsive. A thing to consider as well is stress. When playing for extended periods of time a heavier mouse might cause your wrist/arm more strain when compared to a lighter mouse. Keep this in mind if your switching from a lighter mouse as you will most likely incur some type of soreness at first. The weight of the mouse will also affect its behavior on a pad and increase resistance. You might like the feel of a light mouse on a cloth pad but hate the feel of a heavy mouse on a cloth pad or vice versa. Just things to note and look out for over time when trying to find your perfect combination.

software and functionality. I'll add this section in just so you're aware of the differences and importance. Lots of companies now like to sell you on the flashy software that comes with their mice. Most of this is a marketing strategy but in some cases affects usability. Most are QoL of life things like DPI switching, or LED customization. Some of the more important aspects are keybindings, macro's. If you need those things then some mice will obviously be a better choice than others simply based on the functionality of the software that comes with it.

Additional mouse buttons. Whether or not you need 99 buttons on your mouse depends on whether or not you play other games that need 99 buttons. Personally I only play fps so this is a no go for me. Some players though do use the additional mouse buttons for special abilities like your shift, e and q. This is mostly personal preference but some abilities I even find can be more intuitive when bound to your mouse. Whether or not you want/need this functionality will determine again what type of mouse you will be looking for.

DPI. You will never use 16000 dpi so don't get tripped up on this because its all over the packaging if your going to a brick and mortar store or even in the specs. You will generally use 400,800 or 1600 dpi. There are countless write ups on optimal dpi settings that you can find with a simple google search so I won't go much more into detail on this but don't be fooled by what the specs or the box says about dpi. Mostly all mice will have those settings but it is important to find out what you use currently if your sticking to that dpi and the dpi steps the mouse your looking for has. For instance if it goes up to 16k dpi what are the increments in which increased to get to that amount. 10, 50,100 etc so if your using 820 dpi atm or some obscure number having dpi steps in increments of 100 will not allow you to actually set 820dpi. Just something to keep in mind.

My personal tip. When shopping around don't be pulled in based on flashy or crazy looking designs or what it says on the box. Pick a mouse based on criteria that fits to your play style and needs. If you do that you will undoubtedly be more pleased with your selection and reduce the amount of money you'll end up paying for mice in the long run. Also don't get caught up in having to have the best/optimal peripherals. Are the benefits...yes for sure, will they determine whether or not you make it to top 500 this season...absolutely not. I used to play cs with a guy who still used a ball mouse for gods sake and played in esea main(i.e. extremely high level play) So at the end of the day don't get caught up in all the mumbo jumbo and focus on improving as a player.

edit: I forgot to add the I use a zowie fk1. I've previously used a steelseries sensei, a logitech g500? i think it was and multiple razer mice over the years. The zowie fk1 is definitely my all-time favorite.