Evoluent VerticalMouse: Great mouse, great service.

[dotancohen]

In October last year (8 months ago) I bought a wireless Evoluent VerticalMouse. This thing is great: middle mouse button off the scrollwheel (Linux users use the middle mouse button often), soft easy to click buttons, and variable tracking speed. Plus, the shape is very natural to hold and even makes my time at the keyboard more comfortable because I no longer need to twist my arm every time I use the mouse. I cannot recommend this device highly enough! Notice that your palm moves easily up and down, not side to side, so rotating it and using the 'up and down' motion (sideways) to move the mouse makes a big difference.

One problem that I do have is that the scrollwheel stopped functioning properly, and has been slowly getting worse. Now after 8 months it sometimes scrolls backwards! I wrote to Evoluent to let them know and within the hour a representative offered to ship to me a new replacement mouse, even though I am not in the US. They don't even require that I ship the defective mouse back (which is rather expensive from here), they only want a photograph of the destroyed device. I have to say that I have had trouble with hardware before, of all types from computer peripherals to automotive, and very rarely does one find a company with that level of service.

I will add that I did not take them up on the offer of a replacement mouse as I would have to destroy the current mouse _before_ the new one ships. I really don't want to be without the device for a few weeks while I wait for the replacement, so I decided to just live without the scrollwheel. I just got an email back from the rep: they are sending me a replacement mouse and I can destroy the current mouse when I receive the replacement. All is well in the world today!

In any case, I highly recommend the device for anyone with wrist pain or arm pain for anything but graphical work. Everyone in my office loves the mouse, but my graphics designer feels that he cannot control it well enough in Photoshop. That was the only complaint I heard about the device after people get over the first five minutes of holding it.

[dotancohen]

Wow, that sounds like an advertisement! It's not, I really just love that mouse. So much so that I won' even be without it for a few weeks in order to get a new one!

[keymaster]

How big is the mouse? Would you say that it can fit a rather large hand with comfort?

[dotancohen]

How big is the mouse? Would you say that it can fit a rather large hand with comfort?

When I'm holding it, the mouse levels out at the level of the top of my hand. I guess that makes it a perfect fit for me. My graphics designer, the guy who didn't feel that he could control it, is a big guy. Everyone else here is my size or smaller, and they had no trouble with it, even one of the girls who stands 160 cm and weighs less than 50 kg. For reference, I stand about 172 cm and weigh about 75 kg. I'll take some pictures and post them, but not tonight.

[keymaster]

I just checked their size chart and this thing would be a bit small in my hand. Thanks for your review

[nubbinator]

My friend had one of these mice (it might have been a similar one, but pretty sure it was an Evulent) and it was fantastic.  If they made one with a slightly better sensor and a couple of gaming friendly features like more precise DPI adjustments, I'd be all over it in a heartbeat.  So comfortable to use.

[TD22057]

I had one for a while several years ago - but it died very quickly.  It was a great mouse while it worked but it managed to fail just after the warranty ended of course.  I switched to left handed mousing for non-gaming purposes after that.

I wonder if the new ones are better made?  I might need to try one again...

[DubbTom]

I had one for a while several years ago - but it died very quickly.  It was a great mouse while it worked but it managed to fail just after the warranty ended of course.  I switched to left handed mousing for non-gaming purposes after that.

I wonder if the new ones are better made?  I might need to try one again...

I have one of the older models but am not sure if it's exactly same as the one they currently sell(my dads is buddies with the guy that started evoluent so he came home one day with the mouse). I also have a slightly newer model (still a few years old) and I can say that the oldest model is definitely my favorite, the newer one that I have is really light in the hand,where as the older one feels more dense and has a better shape in hand. The rubber on the older model is also significantly better feeling and is only where the thumb and fingers are placed whereas the newer model I have has a more plastic feeling  coating and has rubber covering most of the mouse. I am unsure as to if they have a newer version out but I prefer the older model, however this may not be for everyone as my sister swears by the newer model, if you can try to snag one of the older ones as I'm sure if you like the current one then you'll love the older one.

[dotancohen]

I had one for a while several years ago - but it died very quickly.  It was a great mouse while it worked but it managed to fail just after the warranty ended of course.  I switched to left handed mousing for non-gaming purposes after that.

I wonder if the new ones are better made?  I might need to try one again...

When I use a regular mouse I also do it left-handed now. Interesting that we both came to that conclusion. I would recommend that if the warranty had just expired to contact them anyway. I had a Ducky keyboard that had the USB connector fail 2 months out of warranty. The company repaired the keyboard anyway. It does them better to service a slightly-out-of-warranty product than to have people saying that their products fail right after the warranty expires. If Ducky sells one more keyboard due to having serviced my keyboard, then it was worth it to them and certainly more cost effective than advertising.

[dotancohen]

I have one of the older models but am not sure if it's exactly same as the one they currently sell(my dads is buddies with the guy that started evoluent so he came home one day with the mouse). I also have a slightly newer model (still a few years old) and I can say that the oldest model is definitely my favorite, the newer one that I have is really light in the hand,where as the older one feels more dense and has a better shape in hand. The rubber on the older model is also significantly better feeling and is only where the thumb and fingers are placed whereas the newer model I have has a more plastic feeling  coating and has rubber covering most of the mouse. I am unsure as to if they have a newer version out but I prefer the older model, however this may not be for everyone as my sister swears by the newer model, if you can try to snag one of the older ones as I'm sure if you like the current one then you'll love the older one.

If I ever come across an older one I will definitely look into that. How would I tell the difference?

I do not that this mouse has a rubber coating which is absolutely phenomenal. The rubber is missing from the buttons, and from the 'thumb well'. My right thumb does not work and actually hurts when I use it, so I actually do really appreciate the dedicated thumb well. I suppose that the lack of rubber on the buttons is so that they won't be 'sticky' when moving the hand off and onto them, and that the lack of rubber in the thumb well is to make it easier to 'get into' and 'get out of' the mouse when switching between the keyboard and the mouse. I could see that as being an issue for those who approach the mouse from the top as with a conventional mouse. I actually recommend approaching this mouse from the front.

If we are already on the subject, I would prefer that there were stickier rubber on the scrollwheel, or a larger scrollwheel. If the scrollwheel could be replaced with a four-way fingertip joystick to simulate a four-way scrollwheel, I would be in pointing-device heaven.

[dotancohen]

I just checked their size chart and this thing would be a bit small in my hand. Thanks for your review

I just tried to simulate a too-small mouse by holding the mouse with the fingers fully extended. I agree that this mouse would not be so comfortable if it is too small. I'll ask the company about releasing a larger version. In fact, I think that I would also enjoy a slightly larger version that keeps the side of my hand off the mousepad. That would facilitate more full-arm motion than wrist motion, which is the real RSI-inducer.

[DubbTom]

I am not sure of the differences between the two mice, vertical mouse 1 & vertical mouse 2, but they do have their differences. Overall shape is pretty much the same it seems that the vertical mouse 2 is a bit more rounded out and has a bigger feeling in the hand. I have small hands and I prefer the vertical mouse 1 as does my dad, but my sister (even smaller hands) prefers the vertical mouse 2. Here are some pictures I took of the two mice along with an evoluent keyboard.

[dotancohen]

Here are some pictures I took of the two mice along with an evoluent keyboard.

I don't think that either of those is the Vertical Mouse 2. Mine has two thumb buttons (one above, one below), and has a small lip on the right side to go under the hand so that the pinky does not drag on the mousepad.

[dotancohen]

evoluent keyboard.

How is that keyboard? Could you check how much pressure is needed to hit the keys (how many nickels need to be stacked on a key for the keypress to register). I love the left-handed keypad, I did once have an A4 keypad set up like that. Also, I like that the arrow keys are so close, like in the Race keyboard.