diff --git a/docs/less.html b/docs/less.html
index d2e083c2e0..dc0e834435 100644
--- a/docs/less.html
+++ b/docs/less.html
@@ -468,11 +468,6 @@
         <td><code>@opacity: 100</code></td>
         <td>Set, in whole numbers, the opacity percentage (e.g., "50" or "75")</td>
       </tr>
-      <tr>
-        <td><code>.reset-filter()</code></td>
-        <td><em class="muted">none</em></td>
-        <td>Resets any IE filter</td>
-      </tr>
     </tbody>
   </table>
   <h3>Forms</h3>
diff --git a/docs/templates/pages/less.mustache b/docs/templates/pages/less.mustache
index 6478e3b2fe..1aec06c2c2 100644
--- a/docs/templates/pages/less.mustache
+++ b/docs/templates/pages/less.mustache
@@ -403,11 +403,6 @@
         <td><code>@opacity: 100</code></td>
         <td>{{_i}}Set, in whole numbers, the opacity percentage (e.g., "50" or "75"){{/i}}</td>
       </tr>
-      <tr>
-        <td><code>.reset-filter()</code></td>
-        <td><em class="muted">none</em></td>
-        <td>{{_i}}Resets any IE filter{{/i}}</td>
-      </tr>
     </tbody>
   </table>
   <h3>Forms</h3>
diff --git a/lib/buttons.less b/lib/buttons.less
index d97f044cfe..7f5a91b990 100644
--- a/lib/buttons.less
+++ b/lib/buttons.less
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 // BUTTON STYLES
 // -------------
 
-// Shared colors for buttons and alerts
 .btn {
   // Set text color
+  &.primary,
+  &.primary:hover,
   &.danger,
   &.danger:hover,
   &.success,
@@ -13,17 +14,36 @@
     text-shadow: 0 -1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.25);
     color: @white
   }
+  &.primary {
+    .buttonBackground(@primaryButtonBackground, spin(@primaryButtonBackground, 15));
+  }
   // Danger and error appear as red
   &.danger {
-    .gradientBar(#ee5f5b, #c43c35);
+    .buttonBackground(#ee5f5b, #c43c35);
   }
   // Success appears as green
   &.success {
-    .gradientBar(#62c462, #57a957);
+    .buttonBackground(#62c462, #57a957);
   }
   // Info appears as a neutral blue
   &.info {
-    .gradientBar(#5bc0de, #339bb9);
+    .buttonBackground(#5bc0de, #339bb9);
+  }
+}
+
+.buttonBackground(@startColor, @endColor) {
+  // gradientBar will set the background to a pleasing blend of these, to support IE<=9
+  .gradientBar(@startColor, @endColor);
+
+  // in these cases the gradient won't cover the background, so we override
+  &:hover, &:active, &.active {
+    background-color: @endColor;
+  }
+
+  &:active,
+  &.active {
+    // IE 7 + 8 can't handle box-shadow to show active, so we darken a bit ourselves
+    background-color: darken(@endColor, 10%) e("\9");
   }
 }
 
@@ -47,7 +67,12 @@
   &:hover {
     color: @grayDark;
     text-decoration: none;
+    background-color: darken(@white, 10%);
     background-position: 0 -15px;
+
+    // transition is only when going to hover, otherwise the background
+    // behind the gradient (there for IE<=9 fallback) gets mismatched
+    .transition(background-position .1s linear);
   }
 
   // Focus state for keyboard and accessibility
@@ -55,27 +80,18 @@
     outline: 1px dotted #666;
   }
 
-  // Primary Button Type
-  &.primary {
-    color: @white;
-    text-shadow: 0 -1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.25);
-    .gradientBar(@primaryButtonBackground, spin(@primaryButtonBackground, 15));
-  }
-
-   // Transitions
-  .transition(.1s linear all);
-
   // Active and Disabled states
   &.active,
   &:active {
     background-image: none;
     @shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.15), 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.05);
     .box-shadow(@shadow);
+    background-color: darken(@white, 10%);
+    background-color: darken(@white, 15%) e("\9");
   }
   &.disabled {
     cursor: default;
     background-image: none;
-    .reset-filter();
     .opacity(65);
     .box-shadow(none);
   }
@@ -84,7 +100,6 @@
     // def because IE8 and below will drop it ;_;
     cursor: default;
     background-image: none;
-    .reset-filter();
     .opacity(65);
     .box-shadow(none);
   }
@@ -101,10 +116,6 @@
     font-size: @baseFontSize - 2px;
   }
 }
-// Super jank hack for removing border-radius from IE9 so we can keep filter gradients on alerts and buttons
-:root .btn {
-  border-radius: 0 \0;
-}
 
 // Help Firefox not be a jerk about adding extra padding to buttons
 button.btn,
@@ -113,4 +124,4 @@ input[type=submit].btn {
   	padding: 0;
   	border: 0;
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/lib/mixins.less b/lib/mixins.less
index b58571e6a1..b8c969ea8f 100644
--- a/lib/mixins.less
+++ b/lib/mixins.less
@@ -266,10 +266,9 @@
     background-image: -o-linear-gradient(left, @startColor, @endColor); // Opera 11.10
     background-image: linear-gradient(left, @startColor, @endColor); // Le standard
     background-repeat: repeat-x;
-    filter: e(%("progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='%d', endColorstr='%d', GradientType=1)",@startColor,@endColor)); // IE9 and down
   }
   .vertical(@startColor: #555, @endColor: #333) {
-    background-color: @endColor;
+    background-color: mix(@startColor, @endColor, 60%);
     background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(top, @startColor, @endColor); // FF 3.6+
     background-image: -ms-linear-gradient(top, @startColor, @endColor); // IE10
     background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0 0, 0 100%, from(@startColor), to(@endColor)); // Safari 4+, Chrome 2+
@@ -277,7 +276,6 @@
     background-image: -o-linear-gradient(top, @startColor, @endColor); // Opera 11.10
     background-image: linear-gradient(top, @startColor, @endColor); // The standard
     background-repeat: repeat-x;
-   filter: e(%("progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='%d', endColorstr='%d', GradientType=0)",@startColor,@endColor)); // IE9 and down
   }
   .directional(@startColor: #555, @endColor: #333, @deg: 45deg) {
     background-color: @endColor;
@@ -289,7 +287,7 @@
     background-image: linear-gradient(@deg, @startColor, @endColor); // The standard
   }
   .vertical-three-colors(@startColor: #00b3ee, @midColor: #7a43b6, @colorStop: 50%, @endColor: #c3325f) {
-    background-color: @endColor;
+    background-color: @midColor;
     background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0 0, 0 100%, from(@startColor), color-stop(@colorStop, @midColor), to(@endColor));
     background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(@startColor, @midColor @colorStop, @endColor);
     background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(top, @startColor, @midColor @colorStop, @endColor);
@@ -297,7 +295,6 @@
     background-image: -o-linear-gradient(@startColor, @midColor @colorStop, @endColor);
     background-image: linear-gradient(@startColor, @midColor @colorStop, @endColor);
     background-repeat: no-repeat;
-    filter: e(%("progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='%d', endColorstr='%d', GradientType=0)",@startColor,@endColor)); // IE9 and down, gets no color-stop at all for proper fallback
   }
   .radial(@innerColor: #555, @outerColor: #333)  {
     background-color: @outsideColor;
@@ -319,11 +316,6 @@
   }
 }
 
-// Reset filters for IE
-.reset-filter() {
-  filter: e(%("progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(enabled = false)"));
-}
-
 
 
 // COMPONENT MIXINS