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Ask HN: What Mouse Do You Use/Suggest?

6 points by ericb ↗ HN
My simple Logitech optical mouse is flaking out and disappointing me (it misses cursor movements, etc). I'm looking for recommendations for a new mouse, especially one that will be easier on the tendon of my index or "mouse-click" finger? Suggestions?

41 comments

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tortilla
I'm an Apple fanboy, but I use this MS Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 with my Macbook Pro:

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wireless-Laser-Mouse-8000/dp...

I like it because I can switch to my right and left hand (I'm right handed). I used to get the sore finger and shoulders, so I switch sides often (every hour).

The Bluetooth works without using the USB dongle but it's a bit flaky connecting sometimes. So I use the dongle now and I rarely have any connection problems or lagging.

The rechargeable cradle works great and stays out of the way.

Since I'm on OSX, I have to use SteerMouse to be able to customize all the extra buttons. http://www.plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/

wenbert
for my macbook pro, i am used to using the trackpad - even while Photoshoping ^_^ i dont have the multi-touch though...
tortilla
I like the trackpad, but I'm hooked up to a monitor and a keyboard 80% of the time.
brianloveswords
I actually try very hard to do everything with the keyboard. I'm an emacs zombie, though I'm sure the vim-o-nauts would agree: mousing is just really inefficient.

BUT! It depends on what you do. Occasionally I have to break out the graphic design “skills” and for that, I have my Mighty Mouse. I don't know that I would recommend it, it's pricey, some people like having a tactile right click (me, I just disable the shit because it's a fucking farce on the mighty mouse anyway, getting it to work reliably is impossible and I have no problem with holding down an extra key for context menus). It depends on what you plan on mousing around on. My advice is to just keep getting the cheap $7 Logitech opticals and try more keyboard, less mouse.

qwph
That's interesting. I recently bought a (cordless) Mighty Mouse, and I'd never noticed any problems with the right click on mine. Perhaps yours is a bit flaky? It sounds like it's not affecting your usage anyway.

I do agree with maximizing keyboard usage (as I tend to spend most of my time in Vim). I was suffering from "mouse thumb" and recently did an experiment with my office PC. I removed the mouse completely and turned on the MouseKeys accessability option (using the numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer around). After a couple of days, it felt as natural as using a mouse, and my thumb felt a lot better.

jonny_noog
For my main desktop PC, I have for some time now had a Logitech G5, which I love. Coupled with my fUnc Surface 1030 mouse pad, it's awesome. Super light buttons and super smooth movement.

I also have a Logitech G15 keyboard to go with, which is equally as awesome, mainly due to the feel of the keys, they too are very light and easy to use.

All these products were originally bought by me for gaming reasons, but I have not had time to game for a very long while now, and have found that these products, while billed as gaming centric (which they are), are also excellent for general purpose use.

brianloveswords
Wow, I used to have own a fUnc Surface 1030 back in the proverbial day when I had time (an a machine that was able) to game. That was the best mousing surface I've ever used, hands down. I'd actually recommend it if you're doing graphic design, the surface really is super smooth allowing for precise and accurate motion (which makes sense, it was designed for headshots).
Oompa
I have the same mousing setup as you, and I have to agree that it's awesome. I have an Saitek Eclipse instead of a Logitech G15, mainly because I dislike the size of the G15, which can be a pain for LANs, which I still have time to attend :)
jonny_noog
Yes, the G15 is a little big, If there was another keyboard that had the same feel when typing, but was smaller, it would be cool. There's the newer G15 that they've got as well now, which appears to be slightly smaller... Thought probably not enough to really make a difference.

I have no time for LAN parties anymore. :(

rkowalick
I also own a fUnc 1030 mousepad. It does kick a lot of ass. It is amazingly smooth and seems to last forever. I've had mine for 5 years and it looks pretty much the same as the day I got it.

As for mice, I was told by someone while playing counterstrike about the ultimate mouse: the Logitec Mouseman Dual Optical Mouse.

It was only 30 dollars and let me tell you, it's ridiculous. It came out during a time when 800 dpi were top of the line. In fact, it was the only mouse that had 2 of them! It was also about 20 bucks cheaper than most other mice with a single 800dpi sensor. It was discountinued not long after I purchased it, and there doesn't seem to be many of these mice floating around.

It's shape is also really nice and seems perfect for most hands. It also has a conveniently located but hard to accidental actuate thumb button too.

This mousepad/mouse combo has given me optimum performance ever since my high school gaming days. It has honestly spoiled me which explains my disdain for using any other computer for web browsing.

I am getting better at using the keyboard for a lot of things, but web browsing seems to be designed around the concept of a mouse. I have tried vimperator, and it just didn't seem natural (not to mention certain mode-change oddities).

jonny_noog
Yep, can't say enough good things about the fUnc Surface 1030, it's the best mouse pad I've ever owned. Yeah I guess it is expensive for a mouse pad, but I think it's so worth it. I have also had mine for some years and it's still just as good now as the day I bought it.

Mine's an original Surface 1030, but they've also got the F-Series and the Archetype now.

ivank
I use both the new G5 and the G9, alternating when I get tired of one or the other. However, all the new Logitech mice have inferior rigid cords (non-plastic), and it's fairly hard to middle click on either mouse.
Zak
IBM Trackpoint. I'd use a Trackpoint keyboard with a desktop if I regularly used a desktop.
wenbert
I always prefer those wired optical mice. They light and very responsive. I never liked those wireless ones. SO heavy :-(
bjclark
Call me crazy but I like my bluetooth mighty mouse.
xlnt
razer diamondback mouse. on mac, the razer proclick mac drivers work for it.

it's designed for gamers. i like the mousing accuracy. i used to have a cheap mouse. one can tell the difference; this is much nicer.

s_tec
My main computer three pointing devices, a mouse, a trackball, and a tablet. If my hand gets sore from using one device, I just switch to another one. This works pretty well, since all three devices need different hand positions and muscle motions.
wmeredith
I've used all three of the Logitech Revolution mice and I recommend them to anyone I meet who uses a computer. Simply put, they are badass.
silencio
I absolutely love my logitech MX Revolution, except it's for right handed mousers (I like using both). I use a razer copperhead for gaming.

To be honest, I prefer my tablet or the touchpad on my laptop. Feels more natural and comfortable.

bprater
Absolutely love my MX Revolution. At one point, I lost the dongle that connects it to my computer and I went out and burned another $100 to get another. Only thing I wished was that the scroll wheel was a bit heavier.
silencio
couldn't contact logitech support about buying just that?

this is actually my second mx revolution. the first one got wonky on me, but logitech quickly replaced it.

only wish their driver software was as good as their hardware..their OS X software is jawdroppingly awful.

allertonm
+1 on the MX revolution. I've tried just about everything and they really are the best (Mac user, BTW, don't get me started on the Mighty Mouse.)
silencio
Hah. I'm a Mac user too. You couldn't pay me to use a Mighty Mouse. I can't believe someone would honestly be willing to use it because it's so uncomfortable.
stcredzero
I have a Logitech VX Revolution, and I just love it. The free-spinning scroll wheel is very smooth and natural to use, and it's as fast or slow as you want.
silencio
the MX revolution has the free-spinning scroll wheel (configurable per-app/globally) as well, if you're talking about what I think you are.
ihartley
I have a logitech vx revolution and I love it. The freespinning mouse wheel is pretty awesome, and it has a few configurable buttons. The logitech control center on OS X sucks really hard, though. I recommend SteerMouse to solve that problem.
timcederman
My 3M ergonomic mouse takes away 90% of my RSI pain.
elsewhen
i couldnt be happier with the logitech v470 laser bluetooth mouse. if you have a laptop with built in bluetooth, this little mouse is fantastic. excellent mouse features (back, forward, scroll, and middle click) and the batteries last for weeks even with heavy usage. it takes AA batteries, so you can just use rechargeables.
apu
I really love the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105...

It's a 5 button corded optical mouse. Some people don't like the symmetric extra buttons, but they're really awesome for web-browsing (forward and back), and in other applications too. It has great accuracy and the mouse wheel 'clicks' when scrolling (so you know how many increments you've scrolled).

Your tastes may vary.

Xichekolas
I have this very mouse, and have for years. It's great because it's comfortable to grip and very light. A lot of mice these days are so heavy I don't know how people can use them for 8-10hrs at a time. Also, it has just enough buttons to be useful without having so many it's annoying (you don't accidentally hit them).
hs
How about trying to repair your mouse first?

Just open it. Most of the time (microsoft wheel mouse in my case) the prism lens is not aligned to the LED. Securing these with ducktape solved the problem

But really, use keyboard more and just ditch the mouse (or use less) so that u don't worry about it -- the biggest advantage being able to survive in environment where mouse is unavailable (say dead batteries while using wireless mouse)

gizmo
Laser is a must. It's inexpensive and is that much more reliable. Less frustration => less wrist pain.

I use a G5.

(If the tendon of your index finger is an issue RSI is on the way. This might be one of those cure the problem not the symptom situations.)

ra
Kingston Expert Mouse :- The sturdiest, healthiest most hacker friendly, RSI defending pointing device ever built.

Worth their weight in gold (and they're quite heavy).

sb
i have to totally agree on that one. i have had a very heavy tendonitis for the last three weeks. i took measures to alter the strain loads by buying a kingston expert mouse trackball (which was actually an interesting discovery: seems like everybody using a trackball knows that a mouse is an unergonomic, unhealthy device...). additionally i bought a kinesis freestyle keyboard and am very happy with both devices...
MaysonL
Contour Perfit Optical Mouse (5 sizes righty, 4 lefty) three finger buttons, thumb-op scrollwheel + 2 thumb-op buttons.
edu
I switched to a trackball a couple of months ago. I own the Logitech Cordless TrackMan Wheel: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/trackballs/d...

It's a pretty awesome piece of hardware, big and very comfortable and with a nice touch. It uses an optical sensor so almost no cleaning is needed. Being cordless, the battery is not a problem as you're not supposed to move it around.

mhb
Is there a way to keep crud from accumulating on the low-friction pads on the bottom of my mouse? I thought that getting a Wowpad would take care of this, but it hasn't. Maybe the Surface 1030 that was mentioned solves this?
cpr
I love the "IBM USB Optical Scroll Travel Wheel Mouse" (search ebay with those terms to see what I mean). $1-2 each (I buy them by the dozen and spread them around liberally to friends and family; when they wear out (scroll wheel gets sticky or clunky) I just throw them out like a used-up pencil).

Wonderful, small, responsive mouse with smooth scrolling. Works on any machine. (I use them with Macs as I'm a fanboi.)

jacobroufa
I highly recommend Logitech's VX Nano. I've had mine for almost 6 months now still using the original batteries, and I use it every day! It's small which I thought would be a pain at first (remember Apple's infamous "hockey-puck" mouse?), but it really feels natural in my hand. Also, it is precise on any surface I use it on, using the laser sensor. I really like the dual scroll wheel (clicky until you press down and then it freesrolls through any doc in 2 seconds) and the forward/back buttons. Its receiver is so tiny I just keep it plugged into my laptop and never worry about it. I could go on and on and on, but you get the point.