Customer Reviews

Kensington 72128 PilotMouse Optical Pro 5-button USB/PS2 Mouse for Right-Handed Users (PC/Mac)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was shopping for a cheap mouse to replace an old three-button Microsoft mouse that no longer works, when I discovered this. For just $18, it was a deal I couldn't pass up: many mice with fewer buttons cost more than that!

I am certainly glad of my purchase. The two extra buttons on the side are a welcome addition to my workflow, and it's nice to be able to customize the buttons for each and every application (I use a Mac). The mouse is sized perfectly, and the buttons are pretty well placed (though the Back button is occasionally awkward to use).

That said, there are some minor flaws. First of all, there is no way to chord anything besides the L and R buttons and the Back and Forward buttons. This means I can't assign a task to the scrollwheel button and the right button. However, I think this is a software issue, not a problem with the mouse itself. Moreover, there is some kind of a barrier between the Back and Forward buttons, which means in order to chord you need two fingers, since this barrier prevent you from hitting both buttons at once. Other problems are that is is pickier about the surfaces it uses than the old mouse I had, and that there is the slightest lag between when I hit a button and when the computer knows, that wasn't present with other mice. This could just be a problem with my computer though.

Lastly, the "4-way scrolling" advertised on the box is not really 4-way scrolling: the scroll-wheel is solely one-dimensional. What the 4-way scrolling is referring to is that you can assign a button to swapping scrolling directions, meaning you can scroll up, hit a button, and scroll right. Nice, but not nearly as useful as true 4-way scrolling in other, more expensive mice.

Despite these problems though, the mouse is a GREAT bargain. Though not perfect, it is probably the best mouse that you could find at this price point.

I love this mouse. The rubber padding makes it comfortable to hold, and the programmability is excellent. The two buttons on the side for the thumb are helpful (on the Mac, I use them to control Exposé). It is plug-and-play on the Mac, but I highly recommend you install the excellent Mouseworks software for maximum programmability. It's very easy to program.

The other thing I like about this mouse is its size: it fits nicely in large hands. That's not to say it wouldn't work with small hands, but it doesn't feel small or flimsy, which I like. Plus, it looks nice.

For almost 25 years now the relatively tiny Kensington company, headquartered amongst the Big Boys in Silicon Valley, has been making the best trackballs --- input devices where the base of the device stays put and you move a ball with your finger/thumb to move the cursor around --- in the business.
But compared to behemoths like the big Swiss outfit Logitech and the galaxy-gobbling entity known as Microsoft, Kensington's had a hard time letting folks know its mice, wired and wireless, are as good as any being made these days.
Well, folks, let this 25-year veteran power-user of computer peripherals make it real plain and simple: Kensington's current crop of mice are as good --- AND as reasonably priced --- as any you're likely to find.
I bought this Pilotmouse Optical Pro to replace my much-loved Logitech MX500 (which had cost me nearly double in 2002 what the Kensington did in March of this year), primarily because its shape was so simliar to the MX500's that I knew it would be a comfy fit for my XXL mitts.
Well, friends, not only is the Kensington as comfy as the MX500, it equaled or surpassed the (admittedly superb) Logitech product in speed, accuracy, flexibility AND looks. This mouse can keep up with the MX500 in every game scenario you can think of --- Counterstrike, Call of Duty, Age of Empires, the Sims, I mean EVERY game scenario. And what's more, after epic all-night MMORPG sessions, my hand and wrist felt fresh as daisies.
I've read the other reviews here, and frankly I don't know what caused the negative experiences with this fine mouse that they encountered. All I have to say about that is this: For under $30 you will NEVER find a better-performing mouse than this one. Period.
Buy one, right now!

First off, let me start by saying I'm using this on Mac OS X. Using the Kensington software (most recent can be downloaded) it behaves perfectly. And I love being able to program the buttons to act differently for different applications. I've only been using it for about a day and I'm already hooked. I could never go back.

For $20, how many other electronics devices make that much of a difference?

This mouse is bigger than Mouse-in-a- Box which I am used to. It's too big for my hand! I started having arm cramps/pains within the first day of use. I gave it away to my husband, who seems to like it........

this mouse was great until my dog chewed the cord off of it.

i should penalize kensington one star for making the thing look so tasty.

this mouse is better than you'd expect...5 buttons, and it is pretty comfortable. rubber sides and buttons make it nice to hold. the wheel is NOT awkwardly placed; it's perfect for users who use their index finger to use the wheel, and i don't see how it's any worse - it clicks, the window scrolls. acts like normal. only gripe is that it DRIFTS...like the mouse is still, and no matter what surface the cursor drifts to the left/top of screen...annoying, probably a lemon since ive never read anyone else having that problem.

all in all, if i had one that didn't drift id give it 5 stars. easily competes with the best of mice.

I have had many a "mouse" in my day. Many. I started using Macs when Macs first came out and PCs didn't know what a mouse was. I have had Macs since the early 80's and have used Windows PCs at work since the early 90's. I bought this PilotMouse Pro some years ago, and it was by far, by FAR the best mouse I ever had. This is because 1) it worked great on my iMac (only works with OS X not OS 9 btw); 2) it felt great and 3) it looked good. Didn't match aesthetically with my Mac but who cares.

But the little guy is getting old, and the glue that holds the wonderful rubber grip on the sides is no longer holding. The rubber grips are peeling off with goop behind them. (Or maybe it's not rubber but a soft form of plastic, but it's one of the mouse's best features, making it very easy to control.) I am not sure if this is something I can fix... I'd have to clean out the goopy stuff and try some form of glue that bonds rubber & plastic.

But I need more anyway, because I have both an iMac Intel and an HP Touchsmart, and I'd like to duplicate this mouse. I do have the wireless version and the grip is good but I HATE WIRELESS MICE. It takes a full minute or two of jiggling and clicking to wake up the computer and reconnect the bluetooth so you can control your cursor again, and you have to replace the *@!&* batteries every week. Don't talk to me about rechargeable batteries either, you have to replace those even more often, even if you don't have to buy as many. This mouse has a USB wire. Big deal. I don't notice it, it doesn't get in the way, and I'd rather have immediate control of my computer and not worry about battery life all the time.

Unfortunately it would appear that this beloved mouse has been discontinued by the hapless (or should I say wireless) marketing "geniuses."

So long old friend.

I rather liked this mouse, until I had to use it all day: severe persistent pain in the first joint of the finger used for scrolling. So, back to Mac Mouse.

I have purchased quite a few of these Kensington "mouses" with good reliability and increased functionality for several of my Macintosh computers, and for others. I use the scroll and right click extensively, which has simplified computer use for me. I love my Mac, but I love it more with the Kensington mouse! We have not had a product failure in over two years.