Need a fast, comfortable mouse

August 22, 2007 9:24 PM

I am looking for a good computer mouse with certain criteria. It should fit my hand well (I like the rounded but flat mice like the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. An "arrow-shaped" design is also an option.) And it needs to have a high-resolution sensor, ideally 2000dpi or higher.

I like to have a comfortable mouse. And I like to have the cursor move very quickly in relation to the physical mouse movement, to the point that other people have a really hard time using my computer without adjusting the mouse. (After getting used to being gentle with the mouse, it really cuts down on wrist strain for me.)

Following are the last three mice of a long series that I have tried. All are corded, and I'm planning to stay that way.

Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000: Very happy with the shape. Cord is thin and flexible, which is good. Eventually broke. Sensor is kind of slow.

Razer Pro v1.6: Sufficiently fast sensor. Pretty crappy mouse shape for me -- the mouse is very long and narrow, which does not give me enough room to rest my entire hand, while I have to reach very far forward to click the buttons, and especially use the scroll wheel. Cord is kind of wiry.

Microsoft/Razer Habu: The 2000dpi sensor is about as fast as I want to go. On-the-fly speed adjustment is a nice plus. The mouse is a little big overall for me, and a little too tall, but the shape itself is good. The cord is nice and flexible. The drivers and control panel are absolutely craptastic and unusable, but the mouse works fine without them; I just wasted a few hours realizing that I shouldn't use them.

Nice pluses: No visible lights on the mouse. The two Razer mice have blue LEDs shining in every direction, which is annoying at best, and looks unprofessional at work at worst. Lightweight. I think that's all I can think of right now.

I looked and looked for a detailed review site dedicated to mice or input devices and haven't found one. If one doesn't exist, I am liable to start one up!

posted by qvtqht to computers & internet (9 comments total)

Thank you in advance for your help.

I have looked through the previous mouse questions, and I haven't found the right one.
posted by qvtqht at 9:24 PM on August 22, 2007

Well, not having seen your hand, we'll need your help to understand what shape of mouse will work for you.
posted by jjg at 9:50 PM on August 22, 2007

I'm really not writing this to snark, but in good faith that this might clarify your options and (perhaps) save you money. You can easily make any mouse to be faster or slower than its DPI using software controls. In other words, you don't to invest in a fancy mouse to have one that is responsive to minute wrist movements.
posted by ori at 10:07 PM on August 22, 2007

Some shapes I've liked in the past:

A long time ago, I found the Microsoft Wheel Mouse to be pretty comfortable to hold.

I also remember the Logitech First Mouse being pretty comfortable.

I remember trying and loving my friend's IBM (now Lenovo) Scrollpoint Pro Mouse (it's the twisty-looking one).

These options probably won't work for me due to the low-resolution sensor.
posted by qvtqht at 10:13 PM on August 22, 2007

ori: I am aware of the software controls, but there is only so much they can do. At some point, the cursor starts jumping over pixels, and that can be very inconvenient. (And the slower mice are still not fast enough for me at that point.)

To give you an idea, I am currently using the Microsoft Habu (2000 dpi) at the maximum sensitivity setting in Windows XP with the "Enhance pointer precision" setting turned off.

Yes, I am sort of a freak...
posted by qvtqht at 10:16 PM on August 22, 2007

By the way, thank you both for your responses. :)
posted by qvtqht at 10:16 PM on August 22, 2007

I like the Logitech mice line. The are simple and very comfortable. Better ergonomics than any other mouse I've tried.

The G5 is 2000 dpi with good adjustability. Many gamers swear by it's precision.

But I like the MX 518 for it's simplicity, but it is a 1600 dpi sensor.
posted by Argyle at 10:57 PM on August 22, 2007

Trackball mice are my favorites. Just flick your fingertips over the ball, your wrist doesn't really get involved. The one disadvantage is they don't seem to come with a scroll wheel, but this may have changed since last time I shopped for one. I think I'm using a Logitech marble mouse, it's gotten a little tough to read the label at this point. No lights on it either.
posted by yohko at 12:04 AM on August 23, 2007

Hm. FWIW I also strongly prefer the shape of the old MS wheel mice, and anything smaller than my current Intellimouse Optical 1.1 just feels wrong in my hand. Personally, I have never used a Logitech mouse that felt right. Ever. I haven't ever seen a mouse company make more obnoxious software, either, on any platform. Unless it really feels right in your hand, avoid them.

Also sounds like for your needs a wireless or Bluetooth isn't going to cut it, due to the slight delay between mouse movement and detection, unless there have been dramatic improvements in response since the release of the last models I used.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:52 AM on August 23, 2007