My quest for the perfect productivity mouse

Whenever you purchase a brand new PC, it’s simple to concentrate on the large three: Processor, graphics and RAM (sorry storage followers, that’s an in depth fourth). It’s the little issues which might be easy to miss. I say that with the arrogance of somebody that simply migrated over from a decade-old iMac to a part-picked PC. The rig I ended up with is strong, I had a pleasant keyboard already, however oh boy do I really want a brand new mouse.

Mice aren’t attractive laptop peripherals. But when, like me, you spend not less than eight hours a day along with your hand on one, they’re extra necessary than we give them credit score for. My outdated Magic Mouse might have made the transfer from MacOS to Home windows, however I used to be already negotiating some fairly unhealthy RSI and the inner battery was beginning to waiver. Not least of all, I wished one thing that I might cost and use on the similar time — the temerity, I do know.

To not point out, for the reason that introduction of gadgets such because the Stream Deck and the Loupedeck Reside I’ve developed a style for bodily, assignable controls. Additionally, as a latest convert to the world of mechanical keyboards, I hoped there was the same world of boutique, bespoke choices. It seems that mice are nonetheless a largely off-the-shelf affair, however I used to be decided to get via among the extra promising choices and discover one thing I might reside with, presumably for an additional decade.

My necessities? Pretty easy, however slightly extra than simply one thing I can comfortably click on hyperlinks with. High of the listing: Ergonomics. The Magic Mouse is… fantastic, however slightly low profile for my palming fashion. Given my RSI was solely in my mousing arm, I figured there’s a superb probability ergonomics had been guilty.

Second: I need one thing that’s fairly configurable. I don’t want to drag off a number of complicated gaming strikes; I simply wish to have issues like quantity management or the flexibility to change between desktops at my fingertips. Thirdly, battery life. I’m making an attempt to lose as many cables as I can, so the longer I can go between charging/and not using a cable round, the higher.

That’s kinda it. It’s not a giant ask however I quickly realized there was all the time some psychological bargaining happening looking for one of the best steadiness. I additionally wished to see what a contemporary mouse can provide past these necessities as, who is aware of, perhaps there’s one thing I by no means knew I wished or I’ve the sudden urge to get into Dota 2. Enter, the story I assumed I’d by no means write: An 11-way PC mouse shoot out.

The apparent candidates

Google round for “one of the best PC mouse” and also you’ll discover one reply: Logitech’s MX Master 3. You would possibly see just a few mentions of others — just like the Razer Pro Click and Microsoft’s Surface Precision mouse — however the evaluations are clear that the MX 3 Grasp is the one. Since we first printed this information, Logitech has launched the MX Master 3S which improves on the already in style system with a sharper sensor and quieter buttons. We’ve up to date this information accordingly.

I checked out all three of those, and truthfully, there’s not lots in it. All of them price $100 and all of them meet my fundamental necessities of first rate ergonomics, configurable buttons and strong battery life. The latter is the toughest to quantify because of how every producer likes to outline “time.” For Logi’s MX Grasp 3S it’s “70 days.” Razer then again touts the Professional Click on as lasting between 200 and 400 hours relying on whether or not you employ their USB dongle or Bluetooth respectively (that’s 8-16 “days” nevertheless it’s not clear if that is “in use”).

Microsoft’s Floor Precision is listed as “as much as 3 months” which I in some way learn with an implied shrug on their half. It’s laborious to know whether or not these are energetic use or “the mouse is on and it’s in your desk.” The higher information is that every one of them will be charged when you use them. In follow, I discovered the MX Grasp 3S to final the longest, but additionally needing a cost manner before its 70 days declare, in my expertise it’s extra like each 5-6 weeks.

Of this trio, the Professional Click on gives essentially the most configurable buttons (8). The MX Grasp 3S is an in depth second (7) however has the benefit of a second scroll wheel close to the thumb. In actuality, two of Razer’s “buttons” are side-clicks on the scroll wheel — usually these default to sideways scroll, the identical as Logi’s thumb dial does. The online result’s that I discovered the MX Grasp 3S barely extra configurable for my use circumstances. The thumbwheel is ideal for switching between desktops — one thing I do lots, which might occupy two slots on the Razer which means, successfully, the MX Grasp 3S has another spare button on this setup.

Whereas we’re on the subject of buttons, the brand new MX Grasp 3S has nearly no click on sound in any respect. It makes nearly each different mouse appear fairly conspicuous by comparability. It additionally means the clicking movement feels slightly smoother which all provides as much as a a lot nicer expertise.

Lastly, there’s a button on the MX grasp 3S positioned just below the place your thumb rests. This can be utilized for nearly something, however by default, it prompts one thing known as “gesture management,” which helps you to assign sure duties to, you guessed it, totally different gestures. I gave the gesture controls a spin they usually appeared fairly useful, however the usefulness quickly dissolved when I discovered I wasn’t all the time in a position to ace the gesture on the primary try.

For its half, Microsoft’s Floor Precision mouse gives six buttons and consists of left/proper clicks on the scroll wheel, placing it about on par with Razer and a shade beneath the MX Grasp 3S for configuration dorks like me.

All three firms provide companion software program — Microsoft’s is constructed right-in to Home windows. It’s price noting that Logitech makes a distinction between its workplace mice and its gaming mice which I’ll get to later (principally, totally different software program with totally different configuration choices). The brief model is every will get its personal software program and what you are able to do there differs which might be a key issue if contemplating quite a lot of their fashions..

I discovered Logitech’s Choices software program essentially the most simple with a deep choice of Home windows instructions, media controls, shortcuts and navigation instruments on provide. You too can assign keystroke combos if one thing you want isn’t listed. On high of that there are alternatives for app-specific buttons which implies you’ll be able to, for instance, have right-click do one factor in Photoshop however one thing completely totally different in Chrome. Logitech doesn’t provide full macros in Choices although, so extra complicated instructions are off the desk through the native software program.

Razer’s Synapse additionally gives app-specific controls alongside a wealth of predefined media and OS shortcuts, however maybe much less complete than these present in Choices. That stated, you do even have full macro help: Merely hit file and no matter you do subsequent will be transformed right into a single click on of the mouse. There’s even “HyperShift” which implies you’ll be able to add a second layer of instructions whereas holding down an allotted button.

Microsoft’s Mouse and Keyboard Middle isn’t any slouch both with some first rate shortcuts on provide and help for each macros and app-specific controls. Although, total, it’s maybe much less in-depth than each Logitech and Razer’s companion apps.

On a extra minor observe. Throughout my time with MacOS I joined the darkish facet of “pure scroll.” It’s not a deal-breaker for me, as I don’t thoughts common scroll, however Logitech and Microsoft each provide reverse scrolling as a setting, Razer doesn’t seem to — although you’ll be able to work round this in other ways after all.

All of the above mice provide the pliability of each Bluetooth and a couple of.4Ghz wi-fi connectivity, can be utilized whereas cabled and help multi-device (on the similar time) modes, if that’s your factor.

Winner: MX Grasp 3S.

Buy MX Master 3S at Amazon – $100
Buy Razer Pro Click at Amazon – $100
Buy Surface Precision mouse at Amazon – $100

Gaming mice for on a regular basis use

Simply because a mouse has a gaming focus, it doesn’t imply it’s no good for productiveness. That was my reasoning after I checked out issues just like the Logitech G502 Lightspeed and the G Pro X Superlight. From Razer, the Viper Ultimate regarded like one other robust choice.

There are some things that change when you go gamer it appears. First: Issues get a lot a lot lighter. The heaviest I attempted was the G502 which, at 114g is a hair heavier than the Razer Professional Click on (106g). However 26g lighter than the MX Grasp 3S. The G Professional X Superlight and the Viper Extremely are far more svelte nonetheless, weighing in at 63g and 74g respectively. This places the G Professional X at beneath half the load of its Logitech productiveness sibling.

The subsequent factor to think about is the shape issue. Gaming mice are more likely to have both a impartial or ambidextrous design. This isn’t a no-no for my RSI considerations (particularly when offset in opposition to the lighter weight) nevertheless it was one thing I used to be cautious about. Of those I’m testing right here, the G502 Lightspeed is essentially the most “ergonomic.”

Lastly, avid gamers need velocity and even 2.4GHz is a bit too laggy for some, so Bluetooth connectivity is uncommon to seek out on this class. That’s not a deal-breaker for me, however price understanding in case it’s for you.

I really had excessive hopes for the G502 Lightspeed. Not solely is it lighter and the same kind issue to the MX Grasp 3S, it gives a whopping 11 configurable buttons. What’s extra you’re in a position to assign full macros together with a slew of deep keyboard instructions to these buttons. From a customization standpoint, it’s fairly complete. The G502’s office-bound rival has most of what you want, however macros aren’t there and the keyboard instructions on provide aren’t as intensive as in Logitech’s gamer-focused G Hub software program.

I ought to point out the G Professional X Superlight right here, too, given it makes use of the identical software program because the G502. The G Professional X is semi ambidextrous (you’ll be able to palm it with both hand, however the further buttons are solely on one facet). There are solely 5 buttons complete, too.

The difficulty for me was actually all within the dealing with. I appreciated that each of those had been lighter, that’s a strong plus. However the wealth of buttons on the G502 meant issues had been slightly extra cramped. For instance, there are two proper alongside the left-click button after which one other two simply above the place your thumb rests. They aren’t laborious to find with out wanting, however total not as naturally positioned as these on the MX Grasp 3S, not less than in my view. Additionally, the scroll wheel on each the G502 and the G Professional X protrudes greater than any of the opposite mice on this listing which, once more, takes some getting used to. Neither was as fluid or comfy to me as these within the MX Grasp 3S or Razer Professional click on.

Furthermore, the G502 has a button to change between clean and ratchet scroll (quick, free gliding versus clicky gradual, principally). The MX Grasp 3S gives each sorts of scrolling however with a setting the place ratchet mode will seamlessly turn out to be clean mode which is far more apt for searching and navigating lists. I discovered scrolling on the G502 a bit annoying. A lot larger “clicks” and discovering the button to change to clean appeared to kill my move. I’m guessing it’s higher for avid gamers although.

The G Professional X, for its half, is a very nice choice if you need one thing gentle with a few further buttons. However with simply two extra ones over the usual two-plus-clickwheel it wasn’t fairly as much as my necessities.

Razer’s Viper Final, actually then again, is a surprisingly competent all-purpose mouse. For one, as alluded to, it’s really ambidextrous. At 74g it glides throughout the desk making it a pleasure to make use of for prolonged durations. With a 70 hour battery life it was joint first with the G Professional X for longevity on this class (the G502 gives round 50 hours).

The primary nitpick for me with the Viper is that the 2 buttons close to your ring finger and pinkie take slightly getting used to should you palm a mouse like I do. I needed to prepare myself to click on with the facet of my finger moderately than the tip. The online result’s that I used to be shocked to seek out myself gravitating towards the Viper Final most out of this class, regardless of the G502 being nearer to what I had in thoughts when setting out on this take a look at.

Due to gamery specs that I’m not going to utilize, equivalent to 20,000+ DPI sensors and 1000Hz polling charges, all the gaming mice do price greater than the “productiveness” choices. In truth all three price the identical: $150.

Winner: Razer Viper Final

Buy G502 Lightspeed at Amazon – $150
Buy G Pro X Superlight at Amazon – $150
Buy Viper Ultimate at Amazon – $150

Cellular mice

Let’s be clear, there’s nearly no probability any of the cellular mice on provide would make an excellent full-time desktop substitute. That stated, it’s additionally one of many extra attention-grabbing classes because of being free from the burden of getting to do the whole lot. A cellular mouse can get slightly wackier and do one or two issues rather well.

There’s additionally the truth that many people are working at house on the corporate laptop computer, so pairing that with a mouse could make the transition again to the workplace slightly smoother (and never everyone seems to be a fan of trackpads anyway). As such, a straight head-to-head feels much less applicable, however right here’s a rundown of 5 contenders.

Logitech Pebble

Logitech’s Pebble is a cellular mouse within the purest kind. At 100g it’s not the lightest on this listing, however that does give it a reassuring really feel in use. There are solely three buttons: The usual left click on, proper click on and click on wheel. You even have the selection between Bluetooth and a couple of.4GHz dongle connectivity. A pleasant contact is that you may stow the USB dongle beneath the highest plate as that’s additionally the place you’ll change the (AA) battery.

The Pebble has a slight angle to it which felt like my hand was arching ahead when in use. The ambidextrous design is welcome however I do have my considerations about how comfy it’s for prolonged use. The 2 aces up the Pebble’s sleeve, nonetheless, are its epic battery life: A claimed 18 months (although this can clearly rely on what batteries you employ) and the $25 price ticket, making it the most cost effective on this listing.

Buy Logitech Pebble at Amazon – $30

Logitech MX Wherever 3

Because the title suggests, the MX Anywhere 3 is the cellular model of the MX Grasp 3S. In contrast to its larger brother, the Wherever has a semi-ambidextrous design. It’s maybe a shade too small to chop it as desktop substitute, however within the cellular realm it feels premium, full with the auto-switching between ratchet and free-flowing scroll wheel — which at $80, it ought to.

With six buttons, it’s fairly configurable for one thing so small and at 99g it gained’t overstay its welcome beneath your palm. Although for the lifetime of me I can’t perceive why there is no such thing as a choice to stow the USB dongle contained in the mouse someplace. Given its cellular nature this looks like a no brainer. You may, after all, simply use Bluetooth if, like me, USB dongles appear to fade into skinny air until they’ve a house.

Buy MX Anywhere 3 at Amazon – $80

Razer Orochi V2

The winner of essentially the most forgettable-looking choice on this nest of mice goes to the Orochi V2. Or perhaps it’s simply understated? Particularly for a Razer product. Seems apart, the Orochi V2 is a really succesful cellular mouse with six buttons, Bluetooth or dongle connectivity and it really works with Razer’s Synapse software program, so any macros you would possibly have already got will be assigned right here (or make your personal!).

At 425 (2.4Ghz) or 950 hours (BLE) you get a good period of time out of every battery and you should utilize both a single AA or AAA. It weighs simply 60g, so it’s additionally fairly nimble. At $70, it’s edging into full-desktop mouse territory, however on condition that it’s sufficiently big to really use this full time, that appears much less stunning. Particularly given that you may stow the dongle beneath the highest cowl, which is greater than will be stated for the MX Wherever 3 (and even the MX Grasp 3S).

Buy Razer Orochi V2 at Amazon – $70

Microsoft Floor Arc

Who was betting on Microsoft having essentially the most trendy mouse on this listing? The Surface Arc is a delight with a “remodeling” design that pops into form (an “arc” no much less). When you’re carried out merely snap it flat once more for simple storage in a pocket of your laptop computer bag. You don’t even want to show it on as “snapping” it additionally acts as an influence change. Oh, and did I point out that the touchpad space does double responsibility as left/proper click on and vertical or sideways scroll (Magic Mouse fashion)? There’s even the choice for a “triple” click on to present the Floor Arc an additional, assignable button. All that, and it’s solely round $55.

As satisfying as it’s to click on into form, the hole space beneath the arc does imply that your thumb and little finger don’t have anyplace to naturally relaxation. I additionally discovered the curve of the arc led me extra right into a claw place over my traditional palm, which may be okay for you however gave me pause about utilizing this for longer durations. As a purely cellular mouse, although, it’s one of many extra pleasing, particularly should you like its semi-trackpad nature.

Buy Microsoft Surface Arc at Amazon – $50

Microsoft Trendy Cellular mouse

The Modern Mobile mouse is Microsoft’s reply to the Pebble. Streamlined, light-weight and with a concentrate on the fundamentals. There’s no 2.4GHz choice right here although; it’s Bluetooth solely. At $35, in comparison with the Pebble’s $25 it may appear a foregone conclusion however there’s lots to love about Microsoft’s tackle a conveyable mouse.

For one, its construct high quality feels far superior. It additionally appears extra trendy (if that issues). Extra importantly, it has a extra impartial place that feels actually comfy for a smaller mouse and doesn’t really feel prefer it’s craning my hand ahead. Throw in the truth that you’ll be able to nonetheless assign app-specific controls through Microsoft’s Mouse and Keyboard middle and you find yourself with one thing that’s smarter than it first appears.

Buy Modern Mobile mouse at Amazon – $35

Conclusion

If nothing else, I used to be shocked by the range of choices regardless of my preliminary concern on the contrary. Who knew that Microsoft had such fashion, not less than within the cellular class? Likewise, Razer, it seems, makes surprisingly adept productiveness mice regardless of its true-green gamer aesthetic. Logitech, then again, is a gentle hand throughout all classes.

Predictably, the MX Grasp 3S does appear to do many of the issues I need. BUT, solely actually because of that thumbwheel. It’s notably fitted to what I would like. That stated, I discover myself fairly taken by the Professional Click on, and regardless of missing a second scroll wheel, it just about matches the MX Grasp 3S in each different method. It’s additionally lighter which is a small optimistic in its favor.

For people who want light-weight choices (one thing that grew to become extra interesting to me the extra I examined), then the Viper Final from Razer impressed me with its steadiness of perform and kind. For those who don’t want as many buttons then Logitech’s Professional X Superlight lives as much as its title. I might fortunately reside with both of those mice full time.