Customer Reviews

MC VM3W-R TM VerticalMouseTM 3 Wireless Mouce 5xButton

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have repetitive stress injury from computer use for more than a dozen years now, and wanted to try this product out from the time I first saw it online several years ago. The concept is a good one and this is a great device that lived up to my expectations. I bought this for home use a couple weeks ago and now hope to get one for work as well (the connection on my Intellimouse explorer just gave out last week - a cable bent too many times?).

The VerticalMouse lets your hand assume a completely neutral, relaxed position. Yes, it can potentially make a dramatic difference if you get hand pain from using a conventional mouse. It is taller than it is wide, however nearly all the weight is at the bottom to keep a low center of gravity and I do not ever feel like it might tip over. Like the Kensington ExpertMouse, they've nailed the button click responsiveness just right. There are three buttons plus a scroll wheel on the right side and a single thumb-click button on the left.

I have tried out many mice and trackballs over the years and this mouse takes it's place alongside the Kensington Expert Mouse and the Kinesis Contoured keyboard as my all-time top choices for ergonomic computer input devices (I have used my other two favs daily for over a dozen years along with trying out the feel of dozens of others). I have used both the Microsoft intellimouse and Logitech trackman marble extensively, however I consider VerticalMouse far better than either of these. Most of the time a computer mouse requires you to turn your hand palm-down, which causes more strain in your hand and forearm than the natural and neutral position your hand takes when it hangs at your side (palm sideways, facing towards your body). I often carve slanted pieces of foam rubber wristrests to tip a trackball or mousepad at an angle which improves this somewhat. For the same reason the Microsoft Intellimouse has some tilt built into it which is an improvement. However the Vertical Mouse tips a full 90 degrees and the result is so much better.

This wireless version uses a quite small USB receiver (barely over 1/2 in wide, 1.5 inches long, and 1/4 in thick) which is small enough it does not block any USB ports right next to it. The receiver flashes a small blue light to indicate when it is receiving signals of hand movement. I have plugged the USB receiver into a Belkin laptop 4-port USB hub (rather than directly into one of the laptop's USB ports) and there are no problems so far with my MacBook recognizing the device at startup or any other time (I have occasionally had problems at work with mouse drivers not recognizing an input device if it is plugged into a USB hub rather than directly into the computer).

It is deceptive that the description for this device says it is compatible with both Mac and PC, because when I opened the packaging I discovered there is no included software for the Mac. One of two shareware products are available online which allow Macs to program the buttons. This needs to be clearly described when I purchase the product that unlike a Windows PC owner, a Mac user may have to pay another $20 for shareware product on top of paying $110 for the hardware. I downloaded USB Overdrive and it has worked great.

What's more, the included software for the PC is on a mini-CD, and if your computer does not handle these size of discs then you may have difficulty reading the included software even if you use Windows. I expect the software is available for download from the manufacturer's website if this is a problem. The CD drive on my MacBook does not have a platter that comes out of the computer, and I had to use a plastic zip-tie to safely to carefully prod it back out of my CD drive slot without risk of scratching something in the process.

Aside from the misrepresentation about Mac compatibility and the mini-CD for included software, this is an excellent, innovative piece of design which appears to be well-built. I have the right-handed wireless version. The corded version is also available in a left-hand design - I am not sure whether or not a left-handed option is available for the wireless version. The topmost button must remain programmed to be a single click. Using USB Overdrive I have programmed the top and bottom buttons to both be single clicks (hey - this allows me to trade off fingers), the middle button is a double click, and the thumb button is a click-and-drag.

I will put rechargeable batteries in when the first set wears out. Otherwise a new set every 3 months wastes a lot of batteries. I knew this device ate batteries from the manufacturer's website when I bought it (unlike the shareware issue which was not mentioned anywhere...). However I really liked the idea of being able to remotely control DVD movies played on my MacBook to be displayed on a flatscreen monitor or TV. Because of the blue indicator light on the USB receiver, it should be more obvious when batteries are fading compared with other wireless input devices I've used before with some frustrating experiences.

Bottom line: this one might seem pricey compared to a lot of other input devices out there but like the Kensington expert mouse, it is worth it for the high quality - particularly if you have a repetitive stress injury or any hand-pain that might be the early signs of one developing. The corded version is a more reasonable $60-70 on Amazon. This is a case where you get what you pay for, and given how many hours I spend on a computer every week, I consider the extra $20-60 for a top-notch design and responsive clicks to be a small price compared with the effects of hand pain from extensive computer use.

I've used almost every wireless mouse out there over the years, and I really wanted to like this one. I've started having some carpal tunnel symptoms, so I bought it, set it up, and resolved to give it a try for at least 3-5 days before reaching a conclusion.

The good news: it feels good in my hand and some of the software features are really, really nice -- like the ability to immediately switch between profiles, so you can set up fast tracking in one profile, and slower, more accurate tracking in another, and switch via hotkey. I also like the ability to have the software remind me to take a break every so often. After a few hours, using a mouse in vertical position proved easy enough, and i started to enjoy it.

The bad news: I just cannot get the tracking to work well enough, so i'm abandoning this mouse. For general "large movement" tracking, it works just fine. But when i try to position with precision -- like to click a specific icon on my Browser's toolbar, it's really difficult. I decided to ignore that for a while and see if it got better, but it didn't. I'm actually straining my wrist to zero in on locations that i can instantly get to with my microsoft or logitech wireless mice.

Other problems:
1) i keep telling it to set the middle button as right-click, and the right button as double-click, and it does for a while, then reverts
2) if I unplug the wireless transceiver and plug it into a different usb port, it thinks i want to reinstall the Evoluent software. This same thing happens if I plug in a different wireless mouse
3) it was pretty insistent that i remove my old mouse drivers before installing the Evoluent software, which sucks. I can understand a wireless mouse not coexisting well with another mouse that's active, but having the software installed should not be a problem

Oh well, it was worth a try, albeit an expensive one.

- G

There are lots of comments about how this mouse eats batteries. Someone suggested that the company should put an on/off switch on it. Got mine today and it includes an on/off switch.

After evaluating in person every kind of ergonomic mouse available in stores I still wasn't satisfied. I did thorough research online and I narrowed it down to the Evoluent mouse. Everything about it sounded just right for me, but I had doubts about ordering something that I couldn't actually test first. I decided to go ahead anyway. I have used it for nearly two years. I HAVE NO REGRETS WHATSOEVER!!! It may take you a couple of days to get used to the new hand position since we are all so sadly used to torturing our hand in the wrong position when using a regular mouse. I have small hands but colleagues with large hands who may occasionally sit at my desk find it very comfortable too! My occupation requires constant use of keyboard and mouse. I had carpal tunnel syndrome surgery about five years ago so I am very careful about the ergonomic products I select. In my experience a pair of AA batteries lasts for about 3 months(give or take depending on the battery brand). It has an on/off switch at the base but I don't really use it. I am a truly satisfied user of the Evoluent wireless mouse.

Update December 10, 2011

I wrote the review above two years ago. I still stand behind every word of it. This mouse rocks!

I've used the 1st generation of this mouse until it fell apart (literally), but it took about four years and I got it used on eBay for $10. The 1st gen does what it advertises and saved my wrist. The wireless version is not only overpriced, it's a piece of rock that weights ALMOST HALF LBS. Its weight not only increases the pain from carpal tunnel, its slippery material makes it impossible to lift up the mouse for reposition cursor without triggering the back button. Wireless version is a total design fail, but the wired version is just perfect (it's expensive for a mouse, but cheaper than doctor's bills).

Teflon mouse pad helps, but lifting the mouse is still an issue.

Update 8/30: After almost a month, I'm very disappointed with this mouse. Teflon mouse pad (around $30) solves the rock pushing issue. The tracking is pretty poor for precision work such as CAD, Photoshop..etc. It's alright for general usage.

I work on a computer for 8+ hours every day, Had an ergo evaluation and the mouse was the biggest problem. It did take a little bit to get use to but now love it. Biggest differance is the neutral posture of the hand. Had pain in the wrist from old style mice.

I got this for work since the company I worked for thought it was too much. Every other computer tech that came by the desk had to try it. Such a demand that the company paid me back, ordered 7 more and before they even showed up there became a waiting list and they ordered an additional 7. All buttons are programable. Buttons respond good to click and software even has bilt in micro break system.

This is a great mouse. It's doing exactly as it should. It's one of those products that you can definitely love. I hate the mighty mouse, I love this. I use it for office stuff, 2d and 3d graphics, gaming. It's good. I bought some eneloop rechargables and I'm good for over a month, so batteries aren't annoying like I thought they'd be. Evoluent is a good company and I'll keep upgrading if they do.
One thing...
It might just be my desk, but though the dongle is just a couple feet away, my mouse kept getting jumpy. For so long, I thought it was my desk surface or the driver. But as soon as I brought the dongle to the front usb port it had a better line of view, no more jumpiness. It has a good range otherwise, I was messing with it at about 12 feet just now, perfect. just something with it being in the back of my computer. The manufacturers were pretty surprised, so I think it's mostly just me. Make sure and change dongle positions and use other computers before you assume there is a problem.

i have had the evoluent wired mouse for 4 years and it is one my most favored products in my life. I got it while in architecture school when I was using my mouse at least 15 hours a day, clicking, clicking all day long, and developed wrist, elbow, shoulder and back problems. the wired version of this mouse made a huge difference immediately because my arm was not twisted.

HOWEVER: I had to buy an additional one because now I have two workstations, so I thought I would give the wireless one a try. the problem i found is that the 2 AA batteries it requires can make it feel heavy, and I found I had to push it around a lot, which hurt my wrist and arm, ironically! so I ditched it within a week and ordered the wired one. it came today and I am so very happy to have the lightness that the wired mouse has.

maybe if you have a ton of upper body strength this will not be an issue for you.

Go this for my better half, she really likes it. Very easy to install. would recommend a 6 foot usb type A extension cable, so that that the receiver is close to the mouse for better performance.

Pros:
The vertical orientation took the stress off my arm immediately and in a few days the pain was gone. The thumb button was a big productivity help, too, once I programmed it to be the browser "back" button. The wireless connection was reliable and the USB connector is slim and doesn't interfere with adjacent USB ports. The mouse ran close to two months on batteries. In spite of the size and orientation, picking up the mouse when you reach the edge of the pad isn't an issue at all; I never even realize I'm doing it.

Cons:
You position this mouse with your arm, not your wrist, so it took about a week to get to where I could point it effortlessly. This mouse is BIG. You'll think twice every time you put it in your briefcase. I was also always afraid I'd lose the USB wireless connector. But those things are minor, and if they were the only problems this would be a 4 or 5 star review. The biggest disadvantage is the scroll wheel: It's slippery and requires a fair amount of pressure to roll. Because of that, my finger either slipped, or I'd press too hard and it'd click the scroll wheel button. The result is that I had to turn off the scroll wheel button and scrolling is slow.

Other thoughts:
Overall, I wouldn't buy this mouse again, for any price, though I'm on the hunt for another vertical mouse. A working scroll wheel is just too important. They might fix this with a more textured scroll wheel or simply less friction on the wheel axle.