3M Ergonomic Mouse, Optical, USB/PS2 Compatible, Large Size, Black (EM500GPL) by 3M
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Digital camera reviews of 3M Ergonomic Mouse, Optical, USB/PS2 Compatible, Large Size, Black (EM500GPL)
Digital camera Review: Good for my hand, but a little cheap
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a lot of pain due to "digital tendon entrapment syndrome", or "trigger finger". This is kinda like carpal tunnel, except the tendons bind in my palm rather than my wrist.
This is the only mouse I've found that doesn't require any movement of the index and middle fingers. You can curl them around the body of the mouse, or leave them straight - it doesn't matter. If you're like me, and have your hand on a mouse 8 hours a day, this is a big deal.
My only complaint is that the thing is a little cheap. For a person like me, that has a dozen almost new mice, trackballs, touch pads, etc. sitting in a desk drawer, because they hurt my hand, an extra few bucks for better construction wouldn't have been a big deal. In fact, you can buy a ten of these for the price of a cortisone injection.
Looking at the picture, you might think that you grip this mouse like a joy stick. Actually, you rest your hand on the base, and curl your little finger around the "stick". Your thumb works the left click, center off, right click rocker switch on the top, and your other three fingers can be in whatever position you want. There is a long switch going up the stick on the left side, that you use to operate the scroll function, but I don't use it, since I have a scroll wheel I can operate with my left hand on my keyboard. I can't bend my stiff fingers enough to operate it anyway.
Digital camera Review: Good for wrists, bad for thumbs
Summary: 2 Stars
This mouse certainly reduced my wrist pain. However, even with the small version, it ended up hurting my thumb.Digital camera Review: Good idea, needs improvement, awkward scrolling
Summary: 2 Stars
I have tried to use this mouse for about a week now. I am running it at the same time as my Logitech wheel mouse that I was trying not to use because of the horizontal hand position.
Pros: The 3M mouse has a good hand position.
Cons: The 3M mouse has awkward scrolling (I don't know how people deal with non-wheel-based scrolling while Web surfing with any mouse). When I use the 3M mouse, I find myself scrolling with the keyboard instead, definitively a major drawback since my arrow keys are on the same right hand. The 3M mouse software does not produce any of the advertized extra scrolling features for the lower second-finger button in Windows XP. The movement seems to require lifting the mouse when it wanders into a corner, which is harder and heavier to do than a conventional mouse. It is hard to get back to the keyboard (same for all vertical mice but this one has a tall stick to lift over).
Other opinions: I am not convinced that left and right clicking should be done with one digit (3M uses the thumb which I find less accurate than a finger and more tiring). Their advice to have your forearm on the very deep desk goes against other ergonomic advice I have gotten, especially the Deborah Quilter books. I believe it would be hard to use with detailed mouse work like Photoshop.
Advice: get the small mouse if you have a hand width on the edge (3.5 inches I think) of their guide.
Summary: try it, but like me you may find yourself grabbing for the old wheel-based mouse instead. I will return it but don't know if I'll buy the smaller presumeably better-fitting 3M mouse. This mouse has made me appreciate my old mouse more.
Digital camera Review: Good quality, good price
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have wrist/elbow pain, or carpal tunnel syndrome, you can try using this. I tried because of tennis elbow, caused due to improper posture while handling mouse. This is of good quality and definitely the change of position relieved the pain associated.
PROS:
* Encourages the movement of shoulder and whole body instead of just the hand or the wrist
* Game device like hold
My suggestions:
* Become ambidextrous (using both hands)
* Switch hands for a few days while using mouse
* Change to a natural, pain-free position
* Build up the muscles in the forearm
Digital camera Review: Great Mouse For Carpal Sufferers!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using this mouse since 2000. I work in the I.T. profession. Having worked on all of the "Y2K" updates of all of our computer systems for so many hours caused me to get a very bad case of Carpal. I thought for SURE I would need surgery! Switching to an ergonomic keyboard and this mouse made a TREMENDOUS difference!
I still suffer from carpal, but the symptoms have subsided considerably! Symptoms reappear within 30 seconds of using a "regular" mouse!