Hello all,
Sorry that this turned into a bit of a rant, but I felt I needed to explain my many years of frustrations with trying to find a reliable mouse for my computer.
I used to be a big fan of an older, wired, Logitech Trackman mouse. It lasted me somewhere between 5-10 years before it was stolen along with my computer. When I looked for a replacement, they didn't offer it anymore, and the closest I could find was the wireless
Logitech M570 ($50-$60). It was basically the same design, but wireless, so I figured it was good enough. And I liked it well enough until a couple years later I started having issues which indicate that the microswitch is failing in the mouse button(s).
1. Sometimes a click doesn't register at all.
2. Sometimes a single click registers as a double click.
3. Sometimes a click & drag registers as a single click & release.
When it started happening, it was so rare that I'd think it was just user error. But as time went on the problem grew worse and worse until every few clicks would result in one of the above symptoms happening.
So I bought a new mouse of the same model. Over the course of the next couple of years, the same issue would arise. So I bought a new mouse of the same model and repeated the process again. The primary reason for buying the same model again and again was because I wanted the trackball controlled with my thumb, and it was the only model I could find that was designed like that. I was annoyed that the microswitch kept failing so quickly, but to me the thumb trackball was a must-have feature. But eventually I started feeling pain in my thumb/wrist from my use of the trackball, so I decided to go for a more traditional style of a mouse to give my thumb a rest.
So then I got another Logitech mouse which I think was similar to the
Logitech M705 ($50). And within a couple of years I experienced the same issues as previous mice.
By this time I was tired of "throwing away" $50+ every couple of years on new mice when the mice I'd had in the past had lasted me longer than the computers I was using them on. So I decided I'd just go buy a crappy cheapo mouse and if it crapped out on me within 1-2 years then that wouldn't be any worse than the big brand mice I'd been using, and it would save me money along the way.
Somewhere in the middle of all this I started buying replacement microswitches and dipping my toes into the soldering required to replace them in my own mice, but of course the microswitches I bought off of places like aliexpress or Deal Extreme were cheap ones that began failing within about a year and the time and effort of doing the soldering myself made me look for the cheapest (and least time-consuming) way I could get a functional mouse again.
So I started buying the
AmazonBasics 3-button wired mouse for $6-$7 and was not disappointed. They're a little small, but they're functional, don't need batteries, and they usually last about a year or so before the clicking issue becomes unbearable. Really the only complaint (aside from the expected short lifespan) is that the small size can lead to some relatively minor hand cramping.
After going through several of those over the course of several years, I decided I'd try my luck with a more expensive mouse that might be a bit higher quality and last a little longer, so I bought the
AmazonBasics Gaming Mouse (~$25) advertised as having "gaming-optimized Omron mouse switches—durable up to 50 million clicks." From my perspective, this mouse was 3-4 times as expensive as the $6-$7 mouse, so it should last 3-4 times as long to be cost effective.
Within 9 months the clicking issues were already annoying me so much I wrote a negative review on Amazon about it. Then, just before the 1-year warranty was up, I got a free replacement in the hopes that the first one was just a fluke. Again, about 7-9 months after receiving the replacement, the clicking issues started becoming obnoxious again. It seems crazy to me that this "gaming quality" mouse has a shorter lifespan than the cheapest piece of junk mouse they sell!
So, desperate to find anything worthwhile, and willing to try just about anything, I decided to try the
Nulaxy Vertical mouse ($12-$15). I should have known not to trust an unheard of brand like Nulaxy, but I figured if it lasted a year or so then it might be worth it for the extra comfort that would come from the more ergonomic vertical design.
But nope! In the first week of use I already experienced the clicking issues, as well as other problems that make it unacceptable as my regular, every day mouse. I'm returning it.
Where are all the good mice? How come nothing I've bought in the past decade (or longer) has lasted me at least 2 years?
Right now I'm back to the tried and true, cheapo $7 wired AmazonBasics 3-button mouse and pretty much given up hope of finding any decent mouse that will last a good 5-10 years. Is there anything that lasts even 2-5 years anymore? I can get about 18 months of life out of this simple mouse before I feel it needs a replacement. I'm willing to spend more money on a mouse, but I expect it to last me long enough for the cost to be justified. If I buy a $70 mouse it better last me close to 10 years (or maybe only 5 if it's extremely comfortable and/or has convenient features).
I'm starting to get wild ideas of just buying the $6-$7 AmazonBasics 3-button mouse, taking it apart, and putting the internals into a custom made, 3D-printed shell that is more comfortable to hold. Maybe I'll design my own vertical-style mouse shell and finally have a comfortable mouse that will last me a good 1.5 years or more before needing an inexpensive repair/replacement.
And my experience with short keyboard lifespans has been similar, though not quite as drastic. I really loved the
Logitech K800, but didn't like paying $100 every 3 years when the keys started failing just after the warranty expired.
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