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A tale of three ‘ergonomic’ mice

By Tribune News Service (TNS) - Jun 23,2018 - Last updated at Jun 23,2018

Photo courtesy of dokonline.com

Aside from a flickering monitor, there is nothing quite as irksome as a balky mouse. The term “ergonomic” is used freely for mice these days, but decidedly many are not. And those that are truly ergonomic will help protect your hand and wrist from injuries without having to pay an arm and a leg.

I tested three different mice that call themselves “ergonomic”. I also tested two trackball mice that stay stationary on a desk — the cursor is controlled by rotating the trackball with a thumb. I sidelined the trackball mice when I experienced intense shoulder pain after about a week of use. Before you spend upward of $100 ($80 on Amazon) for the Logitech Ergo rollerball, you might want to order one from Amazon that costs about $20 — the Logitech M570, for example. I couldn’t tell the difference between the two; they both caused shoulder pain.

Most mice these days are wireless, although there still is a market for wired mice. Some connect via Bluetooth, while others have a tiny USB Bluetooth device that controls the mouse.

So here goes the tale of three wireless ergonomic mice.

The Logitech MX Master 2S mouse, at $100 ($80 on Amazon), is the priciest of the three. It connects to a PC or Mac via Bluetooth or USB device. Supposedly, it will control three devices and allow you to copy material from one PC to another. I couldn’t make those features work at all. It has buttons all over the place that can be programmed. As mice go, it’s gimmicky overkill. It’s heavy (10 ounces) for a mouse and it has a ridge where the thumb rests. Despite trying every setting that comes with the mouse, the cursor travelled too fast, and I kept opening unwanted pages because the left-click would react to the slightest touch. The battery is rechargeable, making a USB cable necessary. The cable is included. The other mice in this review rely on disposable batteries.

The $40 Logitech M510 ($18 on Amazon) was the best deal. At 4.55 ounces, it’s the lightest of the three and feels like it. It’s also the smallest, which is a negative for people with big hands. I hardly classify it as ergonomic — it’s downright uncomfortable. The mouse has been around for ages, and while it has extra programmable buttons, it’s just too small and light to be of much use to me. Back on the shelf with its trackball step-brothers.

Then there’s my favourite, the $60 Microsoft Ergo Sculpt ($33 on Amazon), which weighs a few hundredths of a kilo more than the Logitech M510, yet feels far more substantial. It runs on two AA batteries, tracks beautifully, has a thumb rest and a Windows key — no fancy-shmancy gimmickry here. When I recently sold my old PC, I threw in the Sculpt I had been using (trouble-free) for more than five years, thinking I’d get something more contemporary. In fact, Microsoft has a new edition of the Sculpt, the Sculpt Comfort, which is smaller than the Ergo Sculpt. After twiddling my thumbs for a month, I ordered the Ergo Sculpt, and it was like reuniting with an old friend. I can use it all day with nary a complaint from my hand, wrist and shoulder. It’s been around for years, and I plan to keep my new one for years, too.

I thought of reviewing the mice blindfolded — sort of a three blind mice exercise — but that wasn’t practical. Instead, I spent several days with each of them, and came through with a winner, a mouse that is truly ergonomic.

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