Can I have recommendations about the trackball / mouse?

Question

My mouse was broken a few days ago, so I need to buy a new mouse.

I am interested in a trackball or vertical mouse because professional writers say that is better for my hands and that it's a good alternative to a normal mouse.

I don't want to spend too much money, so I am planning to buy one of the following two products:

• Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
• Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse

I usually do web surfing, and I sometimes work on office suite programs. Sometimes I do a little coding and rarely play games like Minecraft.

I would like to have recommendations about the above two products, and if you have any alternative products that you think are better than those two, please let me know.

Answer 1

Vertical mouse is OK only if you never take your dominant hand off the mouse. Regular users tend to keep moving their hand between mouse and keyboard. Vertical mouse is very bad for this as it takes extra time and effort to both let it go and grab back again. Trackballs are bit better, but if you do follow the common click-click-type-type-click-clik pattern then regular mouse is the best.

The exercise of moving your hand back and forth between mouse and keyboard already is the best thing for your health. Super-ergonomic mice solve a problem that you don't have.

I recommend that you buy regular mouse (eg Logitech RX250, around $15). To be blunt: for regular users regular stuff usually works best : ) Consider better mouse when you have the money to burn.

If you insist on buying one of the mentioned products then check out customer rights in your (and store) jurisdiction. In many places you are entitled to return a product bought online after a short time simply because you don't like it. This is exactly the situation lawmakers had in mind. Yet, I think you really should buy a decent, entry-level mouse first. At least as a backup plan.