ambidextrous mouse for graphic designer
July 1, 2013 6:55 AM Subscribe
I would like to purchase a high quality ambidextrous mouse for my wife to use with her 13" MBP. She will mostly be using it for graphic design (Adobe cs6, etc).
Wireless is preferred, but I'm open to wired if that's what it takes. Bonus points if she can use it with her Dell laptop for large spreadsheets, too. She's not particularly concerned with having a bunch of programmable buttons - just a quality, comfortable mouse that is highly accurate with adjustable tracking speed.
Thanks in advance!
Wireless is preferred, but I'm open to wired if that's what it takes. Bonus points if she can use it with her Dell laptop for large spreadsheets, too. She's not particularly concerned with having a bunch of programmable buttons - just a quality, comfortable mouse that is highly accurate with adjustable tracking speed.
Thanks in advance!
I think the majority of Razor's lineup is ambidextrous. They're targeted at FPS gamers, so they're pretty expensive, but I'd imagine that a gamer and graphic artist would have similar requirements in a mouse: precision and accuracy.
Other than that? Just go to Staples or Best Buy or something. Mice are something that you're going to spend enough time touching that buying one without holding it in your hand is never something I recommend. There are still a ton of mice out there that aren't biased for one hand or the other, and these stores will have them.
posted by valkyryn at 7:01 AM on July 1, 2013
Other than that? Just go to Staples or Best Buy or something. Mice are something that you're going to spend enough time touching that buying one without holding it in your hand is never something I recommend. There are still a ton of mice out there that aren't biased for one hand or the other, and these stores will have them.
posted by valkyryn at 7:01 AM on July 1, 2013
Since she has an MBP, why not go with the Apple Magic Mouse? I use it all day for doing graphic design and have no issues with it. It's as ambidextrous as anything.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:05 AM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Thorzdad at 7:05 AM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Magic trackpad!
It takes a bit of getting used to, but I use it day in and day out on design software, vector illustration, occasional photo retouching. I also find it very useful for text editing/coding because the pointer stays exactly where you left it when your hands go back to typing/hotkeys.
posted by fontophilic at 7:06 AM on July 1, 2013
It takes a bit of getting used to, but I use it day in and day out on design software, vector illustration, occasional photo retouching. I also find it very useful for text editing/coding because the pointer stays exactly where you left it when your hands go back to typing/hotkeys.
posted by fontophilic at 7:06 AM on July 1, 2013
May I suggest two mice? Like pipeski I use Microsoft mice and find that having two (and an ergo keyboard) makes a huge difference to comfort by making it trivial to alternate sides.
The Apple Magic Mouse is really good, but unfortunately it doesn't fit my hands so well as the MS ones.
posted by anadem at 7:24 AM on July 1, 2013
The Apple Magic Mouse is really good, but unfortunately it doesn't fit my hands so well as the MS ones.
posted by anadem at 7:24 AM on July 1, 2013
Magic trackpad!
She already has a trackpad on the MBP. I also have a Magic Trackpad, though, and find it somewhat cumbersome for the precise sort of work design requires. General mousing-around, yes. But, for fine-point precision, a mouse still wins.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:36 AM on July 1, 2013
She already has a trackpad on the MBP. I also have a Magic Trackpad, though, and find it somewhat cumbersome for the precise sort of work design requires. General mousing-around, yes. But, for fine-point precision, a mouse still wins.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:36 AM on July 1, 2013
Look into bamboo pen tablets...IIRC there is a set that also includes a wireless mouse. Nothing beats pressure sensitivity when it comes to art programs...the pen will allow for realistic brushstrokes and they often come with some great painting software, like ArtRage, thrown in as well.
posted by sexyrobot at 7:43 AM on July 1, 2013
posted by sexyrobot at 7:43 AM on July 1, 2013
Sorry...bamboo is a line of products made by wacom...didn't mean actual bamboo :\
posted by sexyrobot at 7:44 AM on July 1, 2013
posted by sexyrobot at 7:44 AM on July 1, 2013
For Ambidextrous, go with the Logitech M515 Couch Mouse.
I love, love, love Logitech's "Hyperfast" weighted scrolling wheel. I could not live without it at this point. The M515 is the only ambidextrous model featuring it - it's also wireless, and has a sealed bottom, so you can use it on fabric surfaces if required (hence the name).
It's discontinued, but still available new for $25 or so on Amazon and other places.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:46 AM on July 1, 2013
I love, love, love Logitech's "Hyperfast" weighted scrolling wheel. I could not live without it at this point. The M515 is the only ambidextrous model featuring it - it's also wireless, and has a sealed bottom, so you can use it on fabric surfaces if required (hence the name).
It's discontinued, but still available new for $25 or so on Amazon and other places.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:46 AM on July 1, 2013
Response by poster: Just some more information: she has a Wacom tablet and likes the trackpad on the MBP, but she still wants to use a mouse a lot of the time.
posted by LizardOfDoom at 8:14 AM on July 1, 2013
posted by LizardOfDoom at 8:14 AM on July 1, 2013
For gaming mice, you might look into Steelseries's Sensei mice: they look less silly than the Razer stuff and are typically smaller, which may be good if your wife has small hands.
You might also look at trackballs. Logitech has an ambidextrous model, and Kensington's trackballs seem to be all ambidextrous. Kensington also has a wireless model.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 8:35 PM on July 1, 2013
You might also look at trackballs. Logitech has an ambidextrous model, and Kensington's trackballs seem to be all ambidextrous. Kensington also has a wireless model.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 8:35 PM on July 1, 2013
ah...I haven't used the wacom mouse myself, but it might be worth checking out in case it has any handy features that work with the tablet in some way...
also, 'adjustable tracking speed' is a setting on the computer, not the mouse, and they all have it...no need to look for that feature...
posted by sexyrobot at 9:53 AM on July 2, 2013
also, 'adjustable tracking speed' is a setting on the computer, not the mouse, and they all have it...no need to look for that feature...
posted by sexyrobot at 9:53 AM on July 2, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Probably best to find a well-stocked bricks-and-mortar place and try a few out though. Everyone's hand is different, and some people seem have much fussier hands than others in terms of comfort.
posted by pipeski at 6:59 AM on July 1, 2013