I've been using optical mice (wired, USB) for quite a while, usually the cheapest I can find so I can afford to keep spares on hand, and I sure don't miss having to clean the rollers frequently (very dusty here, plus I'm a smoker). I've found that they tend to vary considerably as to what kind of surface they're happiest and most reliable with.
My desk-top (desk, not computer) has a varnished surface with a very faint wood-grain pattern, and most opticals aren't happy with that at all. My son taught me the trick of taping down a few sheets of plain white paper which usually does the trick, but my current mouse doesn't like that and is happiest, surprisingly, with an old-fashioned plain mouse pad.
My only real objection to what's happened with the evolution of mice is the switch from PS/2 to USB ports. I'm not hurting for those ports (3 USB-1 and 1 USB-2), but while they too are in the back, the old PS/2 ports are much easier to access since they used to be the standard for keyboards and mice. (Or if you're old enough, you might even remember the mouse going into a comm port.)