Microsoft MAIN-35956 Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse (L6V-00001)

Before this, I have been using the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort mouse for over two years. It has lasted well, but caused me some minor joint pain with my middle, ring, and pinky fingers with extended used. So when I needed a second mouse for a new laptop, I decided to try the Sculpt Ergonomic mouse instead.In short, I would recommend the Ergonomic mouse over Comfort mouse and might retire the Comfort mouse early in favor of a second Ergonomic mouse for my desktop.For the Comfort mouse, I prefer the slightly less stiff wheel and recognize it might be a better choice for either people who want a more traditionally shaped mouse, or people who want more mouse shortcuts (two swipe gestures and a button vs. the Ergonomic mouse's one customizable button), but the Ergonomic mouse is much more comfortable for long periods of time and feels like a more premium product.Although I've had it for less than a week so far, the Ergonomic mouse is much more comfortable. It's larger, a little heavier, and seems to have a little less resistance on my desktop (although that might be just because it's new). The base and battery cover is magnetic which is nice, but not an important difference. It also has a USB receiver instead of using bluetooth, which means I can more easily use it on different computers without the hassle of a bluetooth pairing screen, but could be a problem if you already are short on USB ports or don't want a bump sticking out of your laptop. The Comfort mouse also had occasional hiccups in connectivity (which might be due to my setup), but I haven't experienced this with the Ergonomic mouse.Overall, both are good, but a mouse should first and foremost be comfortable and reliable, and the Ergonomic Mouse is more comfortable and more reliable than the Comfort mouse in my experience.

This mouse really deserves five stars, but I am struggling with giving it that rating.This mouse is super comfortable, with the vertical orientation leaving your hand in a natural position as you use it. I've never had wrist or hand problems, but still I notice the positive difference in fatigue when I use this mouse. The mouse is very accurate, and the large glide surface makes it feel like it's floating across the desk. The buttons give great tactile feedback, and the wheel scrolls easily with the steps easy to stop on and easy to scroll from. This could be the most perfect mouse I've ever used, and is such a pleasure to use I bought one for home, too.So why the five-star struggle? This mouse is tall. Very tall compared to the mice I've used over the past 30 years. So tall, in fact, that occasionally (at least it's no longer frequently like when I first received it) when I reach for the mouse, I knock it off my desk. After so many years computing, and reaching for the mouse becoming a mindless activity, I'm so used to a mouse being a certain height, I simply don't reach high enough. So, the side of my hand bangs into the mouse, sending it flying (since the non-friction surface works so well). More often than not when this happens, the bottom cover pops off and the batteries come out. Of course, they never fall next to the mouse - no, I'm crawling on my hands and knees looking under chairs and desks.When I do this at the office it's a minor annoyance, since I have carpeted floors there. At home I have hardwood, and the mouse takes a beating when it falls. So much so that the wheel no longer works. I'm going to have to replace it, but this mouse is so great that I'm going to buy another one. But if I break it again, I may need to look elsewhere, just for my wallet's sake.

I am a knowledge worker who regularly spends full workdays in front of the computer. And since I am also working on a part-time CS master's degree on nights and weekends, I spend even more time in front of the computer than the average person. As I scaled up my career and began spending more time in front of the computer, I started to suffer minor wrist pain due to keyboard and mouse usage. Most keyboards and mice are usable by the majority of people who do not spend inordinate time in front of the computer (e.g. if you spend less than 4 hours per day on the computer, you can probably get away with anything).But I conducted a lot of research about ergonomics and bought a few products. By far the best products have been the ones coming out of Microsoft's hardware group (amazing, I know). I don't work for Microsoft, but my theory is that a small team of ergonomic experts in the corner managed to develop some great hardware and Microsoft somehow allowed them to bring their products to market.I use the Sculpt Ergo Mouse at work and at home. I have not had wrist pain ever since switching to this mouse.I additionally use the MSFT bluetooth Sculpt keyboard which can be purchased in a set with the mouse (the mouse and keyboard are both bluetooth and can be bound to the same black thimble that you put into the computer).You need to get used to the weird ball shape, but the shape forces you to hold the mouse in a healthy way. No more of those dumb wrist pillows (those simply adapt crappy hardware to healthier standards). This mouse has ergonomics built into the design.Also, it somehow lasts for months on two AA batteries. I cannot remember how often I need to change the batteries, but it's so infrequent that it does not bother me at all.