http://www.evoluent.com/vm3.html Anyone ever tried that sucker? I’ve never really seen any in depth reviews but it always looked interesting.
Yeah, I have the Evoluent VM3 on my desk right now. Both it and a Death Adder are hooked up at the same time. I switch back and forth to give my arm a break.
The evoluent takes about 2-3 days to get feeling natural. After that, I really liked it a lot. One thing it did make me aware of his how frequently I pick up my normal mouse to center it on the pad. Pretty much constantly. The VM3 requires a different motion to do that, so it became apparent how often I did it.
Anyway, the mouse weighs about the same as other regular mice. The grip fits your palm nicely and your hand won’t cramp while you’re using it. One thing though is that you MUST have a computer desk where the mouse surface is not above the height of your elbow when your arm is at your side. You can’t rest your forearm on the desk and get much motion out of the vm3, and having your desk above the horizontal plane of your forearm means it’s gonna drag on the desk and it just won’t work for you. With a regular mouse, my whole arm lays on the desk and I just move my wrist and fingertips. Can’t do that with the vm3.
The reason I got one was because of the wicked case of mouse shoulder I was getting. It helped a lot with that.
Thanks for that. I have RSI big time. I think I’ll pick up one of those in the next couple of weeks.
Ned & others: Thanks for the additional comments. Although there isn’t a Costco near me, I’m leaning more towards getting the G5 now, especially after seeing a few more pictures of the G9 and realizing it’s not as compact as I’d imagined. I think I need to get my hands on both models before I decide.
bear in mind, also, that the G9 comes with two different shells. One of those shells made my hand sore, so they are significantly different in feel / shape, is my point.
wumpus: Does the G9-Precision feel narrower than the G5? It’s hard to get a good impression from side-by-side pictures or from the listed dimensions, but I would like a mouse that’s closer to the G1/G3 in terms of bulk.
Also, regarding the shell looseness you mentioned in your comparison, would it be possible to put a shim in between the shell and body?
I couldn’t find a G5 for $30, but I did end up getting a G9 for about $75. I’m glad I did, since it feels great, and I’m not having to compromise on my grip like I did with the G5. Without either of the shells attached, the G9’s profile is surprisingly close to that of a G1, which suits me just fine. With the narrow shell clipped on, it feels just about perfect (though I do love the texture of the rubber on the alternative shell). The fly/scrollwheel is everything it’s cracked up to be, and I’m really enjoying the spin/stop motion versus the old way of ratcheting down a page.
It’s only been a few hours, but for now it’s my new favorite.
I’m still loving my Sidewinder. Comfortable shape, and I really like the configuration of the side buttons, and the beefy, metal wheel is great. Also, the wheel has detentes; I hate freewheeling mice–a smooth-scrolling wheel is an automatic deal-breaker for me.
Over two months later, I say thank you!
I’m going to have to change my habits then, because dammit I do the same thing.
Just to be clear, the G9 lets you switch between freewheeling and detented scrolling. It feels great either way, though I wish I could automatically throttle down the vertical scroll speed as soon as I toggle the spinny mode. I’m also wishing the G9 had another inch in the back for a little bit more support.
Tiger Direct has the G9 for $55 plus shipping (sales tax in FL, IL, NC, TX); there’s also a $15 rebate. Both the sale price and the rebate end 12/13, though obviously it could sell out before then.
Some additional info for anyone still looking for a mouse: It was selling for about twenty bucks and I’ve always wanted to try it out, so I recently bought a Logitech G3 to use as my work mouse. I still love the old Optical Mouse/MX300 shape, and it’s perfect for smaller hands and those who move the mouse with their fingertips. It looks and feels great, too, and goes well with my red/black Mizuho-branded mousepad. The only minuses are the horribly placed side buttons, which you will mistakenly press very frequently. Just don’t map any important functions onto them, lest you feel the pain of hitting the browser “back” button while finishing up a forum post.
Today only, Newegg has the Logitech G9 for $80 with coupon code EMCLNNR56; there’s also a $25 rebate, making it $55 total.
Interesting that this got bumped. I recently tried using my G9 again and have actually grown accustomed to its stubby shape. I particularly like the weights that give it a little more heft without making it too heavy and the tracking is top-notch, better than the DeathAdder I’d been using.
Sweet! At that price I picked up two. Great mouse.
Been waiting to pick this one up. Thanks!
Great thread. I have noticed my original G5 has been feeling draggy lately. Holy smokes! I’ve got worn marks on the bottom of the mouse! I might try putting on some silicon, but I think it’s time for a new mouse.
I like wired, and I’ll probably try out the mouse at the local Best Buy before buying it from my favorite vendor, newegg.
At any rate, buying a new mouse will be doing my part for the economy! :p
Short story: just bought a Death Adder and was wondering if I should invest in a mousepad. Any ideas?
Long story:
Never used a pad before, just had my old mouse (Intellimouse 1.1) directly on the desk (wooden). This was never too ideal, as the the wood wasn’t that smooth and I had quite a bit of friction…
Now that I have a propper mouse, I’m looking for a mousepad to go with it. On the old mouse my sensitivity was generally on medium so I’m used to moving the mouse around quite a bit. Thus I think I should look at the larger pads (?)
Being used to the hard wooden table surface, I suspect a hard pad might be the best transition. Though again, having never used a cloth covered one, I might just enjoy the different feel. (And, before anyone suggests this, I have no gaming friends, so I can’t go and try out what they have…) Sorry to get so detailed, but I guess it might help in recommending me a decent pad (not too pricey hopefully - not more than 30$/25€)
Any advice?