most comfortable mouse?

Discussion in 'hardware' started by 1 2 3, Sep 7, 2010.

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  1. 1 2 3

    1 2 3 Registered Member

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    I want to replace my mouse

    looking for something that is -
    as lightweight as possible
    most comfortable
    not cordless

    not used for gaming or anything, just very basic activities


    thanks.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2010
  2. Spiral123

    Spiral123 Registered Member

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    Interesting question, I would also like to hear peoples opinions on this.
     
  3. Sully

    Sully Registered Member

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    I am a bit of a collector of mice. I have spent way too much money on them I am shamed to admit.

    I have large hands, perhaps even considered Xtra large. I will give you a rundown of the mice I can remember.

    Standard Logitech ball/laser (teardrop shape) - fair comfort, rugged, poor gliding, a bit narrow - good cheap mouse

    Standard M$ Intellimoust (old style - slightly curved) - good comfort, overall good mouse but newer versions are not as good in any area IMO.

    M$ trackball - good comfort, rugged, almost too large though, even for me

    Logitech trackball - great comfort (for me), a little small, but suprisingly not too small. rugged with good tracking. I use a cordless one of these every day. I have been through 2 corded and 2 cordless and will buy another when the current die. I use them at work and at home. I cannot say enough about them over standard mice - but they take some adjustment. Normal mice now feel like torture devices.

    As for highend mice.

    MS sidewinder I - a nice mouse, for big hands. Good thumb buttons and overall placement of all buttons IMO. This is one of those mice that you can palm rather than finger, especially for big hands.

    MS sidewinder II - an updated version of the original. Almost as good, but not quite on par with the first for comfort. Seems durable though.

    MS wireless sidewinder II - this is about the same as any sidewinder. The laser does well on glossy surfaces and seems as responsive as a wired mouse, just as advertised.

    Razer and M$ Habu - I have owned them all now. The copperhead was a good mouse, but low profile. Thumb buttons for me were not of much use. A finger mouse for those with large hands. Fair comfort but nothing above par IMO.

    Logitech G3/5/7 - this is a good mouse. Smaller hands work better than large IMO. Not for palming for large hands. Great quality, and many find great comfort with small hands. While it is a great gaming mouse, my hands cramped using them.

    Logitech MX400 - IMHO this holds the title for best gaming mouse. It is, by far and away, the best mouse you can buy today as far as optics are concerned. Having a couple dozen mice to choose from, and being geeky enough to want to test them all, this one offers the most crisp control of any mouse except one. Body is the same as the G3/5/7, so not the most comfortable for me, but one I would recommend over a laser any day. And don't be fooled by hype, a laser is not necessarily better than an optic.

    Logitech G9/G9x - a different mouse for logitech. I should not have bought the G9, but the G9x I like a lot. I use it quite a bit. It has very good tracking and good design. Comfort level is pretty good for such a small mouse. I love this mouse for how it is designed and what it offers.

    Steelseries - I have owned a couple versions of these. Tracking is very good. Design is an oversized and modified version of the G3/5/7, like so many are. I would rate it comfort wise in the same category.

    Various M$ mice - I can't even recall the models. Most of them are adequate, nothing standing out. I have one at work, an intellimouse or something, that is sort of fat. It is comfortable, but lacks detents on the scroll wheel (it does not tick when you scroll). M$ is generally very good quality though.

    Various other mice - wolfking, ocz, rocketfish, I don't know, lots of mice. Most of them fall in the G3/5/7 or Intellimouse category depending on the design. Some brands blow, some are actually quite good for the money.

    The strangest mouse goes to the R2 MarkII and MarkIII gaming mouse. It is a kick in the pants to use. The tracking on the thing is the best I've ever used. It is a sweet, sweet mouse. However, it is not a mouse really. Insanely difficult to control. I have had a mind on mulitple occassions to strip the guts and put it in some other body, but have not. I would not advise anyone to buy it, but if you had the money and time to try, you will see what I mean. The optics on it are sensational.

    So, which is most comfortable? For me, a trackball mouse that you manipulate with your thumb is about as good as it gets. Not having to move my hand but only my thumb suprises me at just how much more accurate I am. Not for gaming, because the whole hand mouse is still much better. But for everything else, I can outperform and outlast a standard mouse with a trackball.

    If I had small hands, and was getting a standard mouse, I would probably get a Logitech mx400 or G3/5/7. The comfort would likely be acceptible, but they are very smooth trackers with nice buttons that feel just right.

    If I had large hands and was getting a standard mouse, I would opt for either one of the fat Intellimouse versions or one of the M$ sidewinder versions. They are just big enough that you can palm them which can definately help reduce fatigue. Smaller mice, for me anyway, require more finger work rather than palm work.

    So there you have it, the confessions of a mouse addict. I have more than I mentioned, but forget now what they are. I have also given many away to friends and family that I did not like. BTW, the best time to buy a mouse is the week or two after christmas at best buy or similar store. People get them as gifts then exchange them. I have gotten razers for $7 in this manner, hardly used. Some logitechs for $15.

    Sul.
     
  4. YeOldeStonecat

    YeOldeStonecat Registered Member

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    1 2 3...the answer depends on you, and specifically...your hands.
    It's a personal preference....what's comfortable for someone else may not be comfortable for you, because of how you use your mice, your hands, your typical posture while computing, desktop surface, etc.

    I have really large hands, I have tons of mice due to my job....lots of demos and swag and promotions have accumulated over the years.

    My preference for PC input is Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboards and Logitech MX series mice. I also do like some of Microsofts larger mice.

    I never install the software, Windows drives the hardware just fine with built in drivers, and in the years and years of that I've been in IT/SMB consulting, I've found that installing the software for input devices can lead to quirks.
     
  5. linuxforall

    linuxforall Registered Member

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    MS Natural Keyboard and MS Mouse are the most comfortable around.
     
  6. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    No one can answer this question for you. The only way to find the mouse that feels right in YOUR hands is for YOU to try them out for yourself. Your mouse and your keyboard are extensions to your hands - not mine or anyone else's. You need to visit your retail outlets and touch and feel for yourself.
     
  7. axial

    axial Registered Member

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    Ditto on the Logitech trackball (TrackMan Wheel) that Sully mentioned above; it comes in both corded and cordless. I've used one for years, it's the only way I can avoid extreme mouse-shoulder and mouse-elbow which develops after just half an hour of movement with a regular mouse. Ditto on the extreme control possible with the thumb movements, esp. with 2 x 24" monitors at 1920x1200, lots of real estate to cover and the trackball can be "swooshed" by the thumb action all across the entire desktop in a flash.

    Honey-of-mine likes the Cordless Optical Trackman which is not thumb-controlled but instead it's by middle-fingers. Far, far less precision is possible with fingers vs. thumbs, though.

    http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/trackballs
     
  8. Searching_ _ _

    Searching_ _ _ Registered Member

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    Sully did a pretty good job of illustrating the differences that will help a shopper focus on his personal needs. The mark of a great salesman!

    Come on down to Mouse Hunters, where Sully's prices are...INSANE! :D

    Me, I will just re-invent the mouse.
     
  9. Fad

    Fad Registered Member

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    Not an endorsement or anything, but I have been using the battery free wireless mice from A4Tech for quite a while now.

    The pad supplies the "electromagnetic" power which is plugged into the USB port, and the mouse only works when on the pad.

    Other than that, they are lightweight with no batteries to worry about and recharging etc - yet they are effectively cordless.

    http://www.a4tech.com/products.asp?cid=142&scid=92
     
  10. ruinebabine

    ruinebabine Registered Member

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  11. ruinebabine

    ruinebabine Registered Member

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  12. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Glad someone else has recognized A4Tech. I've been long time fan of both their mice and keyboards - or their A-Shaped keyboards anyway. But A4Techs are hard to find in the US so test drives at a store are nearly impossible.
     
  13. Fad

    Fad Registered Member

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    @ruinebabine

    Is that the mini version you ordered ? (for laptops etc)

    I can`t quite tell from the image but it looks like it may be the smaller portable version - just wanted to check that you hadn`t mis-ordered and wanted the full size version instead.

    @Bill, they`re not that prolific here in the UK either, even less so now than they used to be, and some places charge over the odds when you do find one :thumbd:
     
  14. ruinebabine

    ruinebabine Registered Member

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    Hmm, now that you ask I am not sure anymore. :doubt:
    You can have a check on its specs at this page (it's not A4Tech's, but RetailPlus+' model):
    http://retailplus.com/products/wireless-optical-mouse-rfid/battery-free-wireless-optical-mouse

    Is this the mini you are talking about?
    http://retailplus.com/products/rf-optical-mouse/rf-mini-optical-mouse

    Edit
    [or maybe http://retailplus.com/products/keyboard-micemice/retailplus-usb-20-heart-shaped-optical-mini-mouse] :D

    Btw, this manufacturer have some real neat products in their catalog, but it will be my first experience with them.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2010
  15. axial

    axial Registered Member

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    Logitech Trackball fans, rejoice! New model, Unifying receiver, 18 months (yes, months!) of battery use from a single AA.

    Trackball M570
     
  16. Fad

    Fad Registered Member

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    I`m more confused than before now.

    It`s definitely none of the "mini" ones for laptops etc shown there, they really are just mini and do NOT use the specialised mat - but I am pretty sure there is one available that does use the mat but is smaller than the original one..if you see what I mean ! :blink:

    The specs don`t give any sort of indication of size, so I can only imagine it`s the standard one.
    I didn`t realise RetailPlus had started marketing those, I thought it was just a company you found as a supplier.

    (What confused me initially was the extendable inline USB wire gizmo on that image - I have never seen a standard one with that feature, but that could be just RetailPlus`s doing.)
     
  17. ruinebabine

    ruinebabine Registered Member

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    Yes confusing, isn't it. Any ways, thanks for your reply Fad. And I should receive it in some days, so will be able to update you by then.

    Edit
    And when I talked, earlier, of a supplier I meant that I bought this RetailPlus+ mouse from a redistributor, at a better price.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2010
  18. Creer

    Creer Registered Member

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    Logitech VX Nano for me so far.
     
  19. ruinebabine

    ruinebabine Registered Member

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    Received my package today. It's the little version, "Notebook Style" on the box! And I don't have a notebook :(
    So, I was thinking about a return/exchange. But curiosity got me and I opened the pack, telling myself that I could give it to someone else if I don't have a need (btw, I am already used to this kind of mouse's dimension because I own a wired mini optical mouse from ZIP-link).
    So, first verdict after a short run: wooh, this little puppy is really comfortable! I have a feel that I could become addicted fastly! : )

    Well, I will probably keep it, at least for a while long enough to give it a fair try.
     
  20. Fad

    Fad Registered Member

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    Something just made me think it was one of those, oh well - at least you`re used to having a small one so it`s not a total disaster. :thumb:
     
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