I have been a predominatly mouse user all my life, at the beginning there was no choice as all we had were desktops, even if I was able to learn to use vi on Unix/Linux terminals. However as laptops have become cheaper and more capable, they have become primary computing devices for many including myself, and however big the trackpads are they still feel unwieldly.
This is sharing my experiences trying out and finding mice that work for me
Sony 2 Button mouse aka your regular mouse
This is the basic mouse everyone starts with, USB wires, basic point and click device that just works
HP Wireless Mouse 250
This was my first foray into more than basic mice, a wireless mouse shaped to fit into my larger than average hands. I used this one for about 2-3 years and still works, the AA battery lasts 6 months or so
Apple Magic Mouse
When I moved to a Mac environment I had the HP Wireless mouse 250, however I had the opportunity to invest in the Apple mouse after all it was from the world’s best design company. It did not work for me, could not fit in my hands and my brain could not connect with its design
Apple Trackpad 2
This was a big jump basically an external trackpad, which was moved to the side where a mouse would be. I loved, and still love this trackpad however the pinch and move, double finger and other combinations of finger movements were too much for my brain which craved for a proper mouse
MX Master Series
The day I touched an MX Master 2S, I just had to have one. There was no going back, here was a mouse which fitted in my hand, had the controls my muscle memory would remember, plus the side scroll wheel that worked great for wide spreadsheets, and TweetDeck (I have 10 columns I follow). The battery life is amazing over 70 days such that I charge it when I feel guilty it is missing out on being charged
I have had the 2S and now 3, they are an indispensible part of my computing accessories and workflow
The ease of switching between laptops (just a button at the bottom) along with Flow (when I want to show off), plus USB-C charging as I work make this series of mice a must have.
There are lots of additional app-specific configuration options that can be made via the Logi Options app, but I am not yet there, the basics work fine for me
MX Vertical
This is a new addition to my workflow, 4 hours usage and inspiration for finally writing this post, and I love it… Seems like my wrist and shoulders are happy too. A strange shape but one which is so natural I am wondering why I never had one before. I will keep updating here how my experiences pan out over the next few weeks
MX Ergo
A new addition to my collection started as an experiment, but I have made it the primary mouse for my home workstation, a tad different from my previous mice experience. Being much heavier, it is more cumbersome to move around, so it is my fixed home workstation mouse.
Not having to move my hand is very interesting mentally and now I am familiar with the trackball even for DrawBattle games that kickoff our weekly team standup, the scroll which has up and down, with left and right tilt of the scroll bar giving a scrolling motion (what I need for the many columns in my XPro former Tweetdeck, and large Excel sheets)
This leaves the MX Vertical as the mouse I move around with in my laptop bag for mobile usage away from my home workstation.
Mouse Usage Hacks
The following hacks are what I use to improve my mouse usage over time
- Gimars Memory Foam Mouse Wrist Rest Support – https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07KD7SCQG/ helps a lot with preventing carpal tunnel injury and means you can use your mouse for long periods without stress-related pains
- Increase the size of your cursor, mine is at maximum, so I never have to look for it anywhere on the screen
What is your mouse journey and experience, what else have you tried that seems to work?
Update – March 2024: Added the MX Ergo experience
