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As an everyday object you frequently use as part of your day-to-day computing experience, having an ergonomic mouse can make a world of difference for long-term comfort. There are a lot of excellent mouse options out there that are great at their primary goal of being a mouse, but they are not great at reducing muscle strains.
If you are someone who spends hours a day sitting at a computer, using an ergonomic mouse is a must and will help you avoid potential injuries like carpal tunnel or just general discomfort. Finding the right mouse doesn’t have to be difficult, so let’s take a look at the best ergonomic mouse options available today.
- Best Overall: Logitech MX Master 3S
- Best Left-Handed: Logitech Lift
- Best Gaming: Razer Basilisk V3
- Best Trackball: Logitech MX Ergo
- Best Vertical: Logitech MX Vertical
- Best Design: Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse
Best Overall: Logitech MX Master 3S
- 8000 DPI sensor with customizable sensitivity
- Quiet Clicks (90% less click noise )
- Magspeed scrolling
- Ergonomic design
- Upgraded customization software
Logitech has long been at the forefront of the mouse game for both PC and Mac and the Logitech MX Master 3S is no exception.
For just under $100, you get a fantastic mouse that takes everything mouse fans loved about the MX Master 3 and made it better. Everything from the design, customization, and the sensor makes the 3S a must-own for anyone looking for the best ergonomic mouse you can buy today.
Offering your hand a natural position, the larger body of the Master 3S helps create a natural wrist posture as well as placing all of the necessary controls you might need right at your thumbs. That it works on any type of surface including glass, thanks to its 8000 DPI sensor, makes it ideal for use anytime, anywhere.
Speaking of use, the Logitech comes equipped with cross-computer control so you can keep the mouse synced to a computer (or multiple) and a tablet at the same time and work on both. Up to three devices in total can be connected at once across Windows, ChromeOS, Linux, and macOS. With a rechargeable battery built-in, you can expect around 70 days of battery life on a full charge while one minute of recharging provides an extra three hours of use.
Grab the Logitech MX Master 3S mouse today from Amazon here.
Best Left-Handed: Logitech Lift
- Lift yourself up: When the desk life gets you down, lift yourself up with Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse - a great fit for small to medium left hands
- Raise your hand into comfort: Rest on Lift upright mouse throughout the day, with a softly textured grip and snug thumb rest sculpted for left hands
- 57 degrees of sooooothe: Lift vertical shape helps wrists feel like “ahhh” at work, and promotes a more natural posture in the forearm, for day-long comfort and productivity
- Relax into focus: Settle into work with a wireless computer mouse featuring easy-to-reach customizable buttons, whisper-quiet clicks, and a SmartWheel for smooth, seamless scrolling
- Ergo-certified: Lift wireless vertical mouse has been designed, developed, tested, and approved according to criteria set out by leading ergonomists
Most mice are designed to be used for right-handed people which can make them ergonomically unfriendly to left-handed users. Thankfully, the Logitech Lift exists, and it’s the perfect ergonomic solution for left-handed computer users.
This is a mouse that is made for comfort with the overall design engineered to ensure your hand is rested in a comfortable position and one that is far different than a traditional mouse. Lifted to a 57-degree angle, your hand is placed in an almost “permanent” handshake-like position and, by all user accounts, getting comfortable with the different design takes no time at all.
Besides its heightened ergonomic comfort levels, you can customize any of the four physical buttons on the Lift to work with different apps or perform different tasks. The Lift also connects to up to three separate devices at a single time, regardless of operating system.
The 4000 DPI optical sensor ensures it works on just about every type of surface you can think of while the single AA battery lasts up to two years before replacement.
Pick up the Logitech Lift from Amazon here.
Best Gaming: Razer Basilisk V3
- Ergonomic design with thumb rest
- 11 programmable buttons
- Hyperscroll tilt wheel that free-spins until it's stopped or switch to tactile mode for more precision and satisfying feedback
- 11 Razer Chroma RGB lighting zones: Customize each zone from over 16.8 million colors and countless lighting effects, all while it reacts dynamically with over 150 Chroma integrated games
- Optical mouse switches Gen-2: With zero unintended misclicks these switches provide crisp, responsive execution at a blistering 0.2ms actuation speed for up to 70 million clicks
With so many different gaming mouse options on the market, choosing the best can be challenging, but the wired version of the Razer Basilisk V3 stands out.
Razer’s signature form factor has long been popular for its ergonomic design and heightened levels of comfort for lengthy gaming sessions. Not only does your hand and thumb fit naturally but the button placement has been crafted to ensure quick access with as little stretch as possible.
Eleven total buttons allow for easily programmable functions to help activate essential functions that can be used across gaming like push-to-talk or for use in everyday tasks. Of course, this is a gaming mouse, so more buttons also give way to more colors with eleven total RGB lighting zones offering numerous lighting effects during gameplay.
The 26,000 optical DPI sensor works on any surface and provides pixel-precise accuracy for more than 70 million possible clicks over the Razer’s lifetime. As a wired mouse, you don’t have to worry about battery use or any lag that could stem from a Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connection.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is available from Amazon right here.
Best Trackball: Logitech MX Ergo
- Ergonomic sculpted design - unique adjustable hinge allows you to customize the trackball angle from 0 to 20 degrees for a more natural, comfortable hand position, and reduced muscle strain
- Cross-computer control- game-changing capacity to navigate seamlessly on 2 computers, and copy-paste text, images, and files from one to the other using Logitech flow
- Dual connectivity- use with up to 3 Windows or Mac computers via included Unifying receiver or Bluetooth smart wireless technology
- Rechargeable battery- up to 70 days of power on a single charge; Nominal value : 380 dpi
- Precision scroll-wheel - tilt and middle click wheel allows for precise scrolling and other Convenient controls such as horizontal scrolling
Mice with giant trackballs might not be the most aesthetically pleasing option but they are absolutely ergonomically friendly. The Logitech MX Ergo wireless mouse is a terrific choice to ensure high levels of comfort for quick computer sessions or for all-day use.
The trackball angle can be adjusted anywhere from 0-20 degrees in order to help you find the most natural hand position that ensures you feel the least amount of muscle strain. Throw in an adjustable precision scroll wheel and you have a very ergonomic trackball mouse that will last for years.
Beyond its comfort, the MX Ergo also stands out for being able to sync simultaneously to two computers or three devices separately via Bluetooth. That’s true for both Windows and macOS users as the Logitech MX Ergo is very much cross-platform.
The rechargeable battery lasts for around 70 days of use depending on how frequently you make use of the eight separate customizable buttons. The only downside to the Ergo is that the trackball requires infrequent cleaning which should be done once every few months to remove lint or dirt.
The Logitech MX Ergo is available today from Amazon here.
Best Vertical: Logitech MX Vertical
- ADVANCED ERGONOMIC DESIGN - Places your hand in a natural handshake position using a unique 57-degree angle, preventing forearm twisting and reducing muscular strain by 10 percent (As compared with a...
- HYPER-EFFICIENT TRACKING - 4000 DPI high-precision sensor provides precise tracking that requires 4x less hand movement compared to a traditional mouse with a 1000 DPI sensor
- CROSS-COMPUTER CONTROL - Game-changing capacity to navigate seamlessly on three computers, and copy-paste text, images, and files from one to the other using Logitech FLOW
- THREE WAYS TO CONNECT - Use with up to three Windows or Mac computers via included wireless USB unifying receiver or Bluetooth smart technology or the included USB-C charging cable
- RECHARGEABLE BATTERY - With quick charging: Stays powered for 4 months on a full charge – and get 3 hours of use from a 1-minute quick charge (Battery life may vary based on user and computing...
Like the Logitech Lift for land-handed users, the Logitech MX Vertical is a vertically designed mouse that’s extra comfortable thanks to its 57-degree angle hand placement.
The wide-body design might look intimidating to anyone who used a more traditional mouse for years but Logitech promises muscle strain is reduced by ten percent once you start using the MX vertical. The design is best for those with smaller to medium hands so anyone with larger hands might want to look at non-vertical choices.
Ergonomics aside, the MX Vertical has plenty of other positives including a 4000 DPI sensor that requires four times less hand movement while working on just about any kind of surface. Battery lasts for four months on a single charge while adding over three hours of extra use from a one-minute charge. Four customizable buttons including two accessed via your thumb make it easy to quickly access critical functions or open up important applications.
The MX Vertical can connect using Logitech FLOW to three Windows or Mac computers at once while cross-computer control enables simultaneous work across two devices.
Grab the Logitech MX Vertical from Amazon right here.
Best Design: Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse
- Advanced ergonomic design with thumb scoop encourages natural hand and wrist postures.
- Mouse angle and height are designed to place wrist in a comfortable position.
- MicrosofTrack Technology in the mouse gives you precise control on virtually any surface.
- Windows button for one-touch access to the Start Menu.
Yet another uniquely designed mouse, the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse is balanced somewhere between a vertical mouse like the Logitech MX Vertical and more traditional mouse designs.
That’s good news for ergonomics as the spherical shape adds a nice degree of curvature which encourages a more natural hand placement along with a thumb scoop to help boost correct ergonomic hand placement. This is also great for both wrist and forearm posture as well, so any stress injuries derived from a regular mouse are hopefully alleviated with this sculpted design.
Along with ergonomics, the Microsoft Sculpt stands out thanks to its deep integration with Windows including shortcuts for one-touch access to the Windows start menu directly on the mouse. Four-way scrolling works great within any part of the Windows interface as well as a dedicated back button for easily going back a page on a web browser.
Battery life lasts up to twelve months on a single charge, and with a three-year warranty, you are sure to get the maximum potential out of the Microsoft Sculpt.
Pick up the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse from Amazon right here.
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How to Pick the Best Ergonomic Mouse: A Step-by-Step Guide
When choosing the best ergonomic mouse, there are a few considerations to look at before making a purchase:
- Comfort
- Buttons
- Sensors
- Battery Life
Comfort
Comfort is a pretty wide-ranging way of saying that you should look at everything from the design of the mouse to how your hand will fit. You need to consider whether a vertical mouse design that puts your hand at a handshake-like angle is right for you. For many people, it’s a jarring adjustment after years of using more traditional mice, but it’s also a transition that could be great for muscle relaxation.
Ergonomics also consider the comfort of where your thumb lies whether it’s on the side of the mouse or if there is a padded area for this finger. Separately, you also want to consider if you have to stretch to reach any buttons as that too could have a dramatic impact on comfort.
Buttons
Speaking of buttons, how many buttons you need is also a big consideration. Many mouse users are likely only familiar with a mouse that adds two to three buttons at most but some mice, like the Razer Basilisk V3, can add up to eleven different buttons. That’s a lot of quick access points for favorite apps, browser tabs, etc., so it can be a big time saver but also take some time to learn. Truth be told, if you have buttons, you are likely to use them but whether you want to experiment in the first place is a big consideration.
Sensors
Every mouse comes with a sensor and some are better than others. Nearly every sensor works great on a mouse pad but those aren’t used as frequently as they have been in years past. Today, you want to make sure you have a sensor that can work on a wood or glass top desk, and that’s where mice like the Razer or Logitech models come in as they are great at different types of tabletops.
Battery Life
Considering how long batteries will last is important as you don’t want a mouse, ergonomic or otherwise that requires you to frequently change batteries. You want something that you can plug in and forget about for a long time. Microsoft’s Sculpt Mouse offers up to 12 months of battery on a single charge and that’s pretty great for a mouse. Other mice like the Logitech MX Master 3S require a charge but add fast charging so they are ready to re-use in no time.
Using an Ergonomic Mouse: What It’s Like
There’s really no sugar-coating the idea that using an ergonomic mouse is a night and day difference over a mouse that doesn’t really put ergonomics first. Once you look at different options on this list and find one that works best for you, the immediate muscle relief you can feel is wonderful. Sure, options like the Logitech Lift are going to take a short adjustment period because its design goes against muscle memory, but once you are familiar with the hardware, it’s a huge difference for overall comfort.
The same goes for having extra buttons which can make a big impact on your day-to-day computing needs. Just the idea of being able to open up a browser tab with the click of a button or a new browser window with small little shortcuts is something you never knew you needed but now cannot live without.
Using a trackball is a bit more of a transition over a vertical mouse but it too immediately shows signs of positive ergonomics after a few hours of use. It won’t be right for everyone but it’s definitely interesting to use a mouse that doesn’t require any type of wrist movement overall.
