Other ergonomic mice to consider
There are many more options to consider in the market. These didn’t make our top picks for one reason or another, but we still like them enough to recommend.
Razer Pro Click V2 for $120: The biggest draw of the Pro Click V2 (7/10, Wired recommended) is its size: It’s sleek, sophisticated, and comfortable. Instead of the sharp edges and angles of the Razer Basilisk, the Pro Click V2 has the curves of a typical mouse and is just as comfortable in an office setting as it would be in a gaming setup. And that’s what makes Click unique—you can use it everywhere, for everything. The size is comfortable for regular use, the design is intuitive yet satisfying, and the mouse has most of the usual features of a productivity mouse: an ergonomic shape, dual-mode mouse wheel, multidevice Bluetooth connectivity, and a slot on the bottom to store the dongle. Plus, it has the features of a gaming mouse: 1,000-Hz polling, 2.4-GHz connectivity, full programmability, rubberized grips on both sides, and bright RGB lighting on the bottom. The Pro Click V2 also features horizontal scrolling via the mouse wheel, where it can be tilted to either side to scroll left and right. It’s not as fast or intuitive as the MX Master’s thumb wheel, but it’s still nice. While it doesn’t match the Basilisk in performance, the Pro Click V2 is more affordable and a professional option that still has the strong build quality and Razer sensor it’s known for.
Logitech MX Master 3S for $110: The previous generation MX Master 3S is still worth considering if you can find it on sale for significantly less than the MSRP or price of the MX Master 4. You’re not missing a ton from the latest model, although the soft-touch plastics won’t feel as good after a few years of use (something the MX Master 4 addresses), and it doesn’t have a haptic-enabled action ring. It’s still an excellent mouse and was previously ranked at the top of this guide.
Photograph: Henry Robbins
Elecom Deft Pro for $65: Arguably Elecom’s best offering, the Deft Pro is a simple and robust trackball that operates with your index finger (as opposed to your thumb). This allows for more precise movements, but is not as intuitive. I found it comfortable to use for extended periods, but I had a few gripes – the scroll wheel is awkward to use with the thumbs, and the right-click button (located on the far side of the ball) is thin. Still, once you get the hang of it the overall shape is comfortable.
Contour Design RollerMouse Red Wireless for $394: This is a very niche and expensive product, but I was impressed by the build quality and usability. It is a wrist rest with an integrated mouse pad, which operates using a cylinder at the top. You move the mouse left and right by sliding it along its track, and up and down by moving the cylinder back and forth. It’s incredibly well built and surprisingly sleek. Below the spacebar are a set of buttons, including a dedicated copy/paste button, a double-click button, and adjustable sensitivity that points towards you when you press the button. While the ergonomics feel unnatural at first, I quickly adapted to them and was able to navigate the windows with ease within an hour or two of testing. However, as you might expect, any form of high-intensity gaming is out of the question: Halo CE felt less like a normal gaming experience and more like a walking challenge with a drumset. The biggest advantage of this device is that you can completely navigate your desktop without taking your hands off the home row. It works wonderfully and is a much more elegant solution than the trackpoints featured on keyboards like the HHKB Studio. With a high price and unconventional user experience, it’s not for everyone. I have a hard time saying it’s worth the price. However, these are specialized devices, and are often expensive due to limited demand, high development costs, and low production numbers. If you want something like this, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Photograph: Henry Robbins
Elecom Giant Trackball for $55: This trackball… is huge. It takes up a large amount of space on my desk and is meant to be used as a full experience. You would expect a “Giant” branded trackball to be made for larger hands, but the opposite seems to be true. There is an obvious way to use it, and it is No Compatible with larger hands. In my testing, when my hand was placed in the “correct” position (my palm was centered and my wrist rested completely on the device), my thumb and fingers moved beyond the mouse’s buttons, to the extent that I couldn’t reach the scroll wheel or back button. When moving your hand back, the ergonomically shaped functionality was limited – it felt no more effective than using a smaller trackball. However, I asked several people with smaller hands that it was comfortable enough for them. I recommend purchasing from a site with a fair return policy. The build quality is solid, the buttons feel attractive and responsive; There is a little stickiness to the ball before it starts moving. The rattling of the mouse wheel is subtle, but still present, and all the buttons are made of textured matte plastic that allows some grip without friction.
Photograph: Henry Robbins
Elecom RollerMaster IST for $40: It’s not a perfect trackball by any means, but for the price it’s perfectly serviceable. The bearings are a bit high, the materials don’t feel the most solid, but the functionality is all there, and the ergonomics are comfortable for different hand sizes. The trackball is easy to navigate, without any of the initial stickiness (sometimes called “stiffness”) that some more premium models have – a trade-off for faster handling of the ball. The roller bearing can also be easily removed and replaced with the included tool; However, a set of three replacement rollers nearly halves the mouse’s price at $18, and a set of “advanced” ball bearings is $25.
Keychron M6 for $70: If you like the design of the MX Master line, but would prefer a more gaming-oriented mouse, the Keychron M6 is a good choice. While the M6 doesn’t have Logitech’s advanced gesture controls or soft-touch exterior, it maintains the dual-mode scroll wheel, horizontal wheel, and general ergonomics while adding a 4,000-Hz refresh rate and shedding almost half the weight of the 3S at just 78 grams. However, some minor build quality issues and loss of functionality make it a less-than-ideal choice for most users – the dual-mode scroll wheel rattles during use, and the mouse feels light at some point. The higher-performance models’ wireless receivers require a USB-C cable to connect to the device, which is much less convenient for laptop users than the low-profile dongle included with 1,000-Hz models (and most other mice today).
Keychron M4 for $70: While you can realistically carry any of the mice on this list in a backpack or computer bag, I was impressed by how compact the Keychron M4 is. I could easily slip it into a laptop bag or jacket pocket without any problems, and I even used it as a travel mouse for quite some time. Although the shape isn’t great, or even ergonomically good, I found the claw grip quite comfortable, even during long gaming sessions. However, it’s not good enough that I’d recommend it to anyone for daily use on a desktop setup unless they want the lightest mouse possible. My only real complaint with this mouse was the dongle: The 4,000-Hz model comes with a small keyboard-sized receiver with a USB-C port on the back, which means I needed a cable to connect the receiver and a flat surface to place it on. Meanwhile, the 1,000-Hz model came with a simple USB dongle that could be plugged into the side of the laptop.
Logitech Pro X SuperLite 2 Dex for $180: Although this mouse is meant for high-intensity competitive gaming, I found its sculpted shape practical and comfortable for any long-term use, and its lightweight (60 grams!), no-frills design was quick and fast for both spreadsheets and shooters. The mouse feels incredibly sturdy despite its weight, and the 8-kHz polling combined with the 44k-dpi sensor makes it the best-performing mouse on this list. While expensive, the SuperLite DEX is a great single-mouse solution for those who work from home and queue up immediately after getting work done. It has a far more gaming-focused lean than the Razer Basilisk V3, which isn’t bad, just means you’re sacrificing a little more productivity in exchange for gaming performance.
Logitech MX Vertical for $120: While both the shape and general size of this mouse feel good for regular use, I found the shape a little uncomfortable to hold and lift as a whole: a prominent ridge on the back dug into the space between my thumb and index finger, and the shape was a bit narrow to get a good grip. However, the MX Vertical is still comfortable to hold with a loose grip, and it’s perfectly serviceable for general office work and browsing, while putting less pressure on the wrist than a standard horizontal mouse.
$80 for Logitech Lift: As one of the smaller vertical mice on this list, the lift is a little too short. I found it difficult to hold this mouse comfortably for prolonged use, and friends with smaller hands felt the same. That said, WIRED Reviews editor Julian Chokkattu says his 5’2″ wife uses the Lyft and finds it perfect for her smaller hands, so your mileage will vary. Regardless of hand size, a larger vertical mouse is generally more comfortable for most people. It’s worth noting that the Lift is one of the only vertical mice I’ve tested with a left-handed configuration.
to avoid rats
Photograph: Henry Robbins
Protoarch EM11 NL for $25: Protoarch’s EM11 NL looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, but falls short of real-world expectations. The sensor is a low-quality laser sensor that’s prone to jitter, and the bottom of the mouse doesn’t lie completely flat—the sample I received was wobbly like a chair with uneven legs. The size of the mouse, although useful for small hands, makes it practically impossible for medium to large hands to use it comfortably. The overall size is too small to hold comfortably (the bottom of my hand is pulled to the desk the whole time), and the flared back, presumably to provide a wrist rest, is too angled to hold the hand properly. There are some positive aspects to this mouse, like multi-device connectivity, a USB-A dongle, and adjustable sensitivity, but these struggle to make up for significant issues with build quality and ergonomics; The issues I would argue are deal-breakers at any cost.
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