What mouse ? the MS natural mouse ?

Hello !
I started a thread last month about graphic tablets and the feedback has been really usefull to choose one.
Now i’d like to buy a mouse: i use a ball mouse with a cord, a compaq one, probably 10 years old. The ball doesn’t roll very regularly, the cord annoys me, and the ergonomy leads to wrist aches: a must !
So i thought i’d buy a new one but the choice is almost infinite !
I’d like to get some feedback from you. I’ve searched the web, especially cgtalk, but i couldn’t find anything really usefull concerning the use of this mouse in a 3D environment. Especially the use of the middle button, so usefyll in our favourite App !
It is called Microsoft Natural Wireles Laser Mouse 600.

Does someone own it ?
Is it nice to use within blender ?
What about the middle button / wheel ? Doest it click nicely ? I pan with it, so i use it a lot
What about the precision in 2D Apps ? (But i use my tablet there ! :p)

Thanks for your feedback !

I’ve found ms mice to be very heavy and syrupy. I now use a logitech mx440, and it’s really comfortable, light quick and precise.

I would really recommend it.

I dont find something like that or i have to say that i never tried for such kind of thing.

Just any optical mouse will do. Hopefully you have the sense to get a lightweight one with a smooth shape.

@IanC: Hi ! It seems you are wanting to help me on all fronts ! thank you for that…
Mmmm “syrupy” is a nice adjective indeed !
I am open for logitech as well: it is just that this MS seemed mighty confortable: i am a violin maker: my wrist and fingers are my best tools. The more i can take care of them, the better !
@better: yep it looks quite strange !
@Tynach: i always fear that the mice with the scrolling wheel capable of lateral scrolling are not that good for blender because the middle-click seems more complicated. Is it so ?

And does someone else
have experience with the Natural wireless Laser Mouse 600 (!) from Microsoft ?

Oddly I found exactly the opposite of IanC, but maybe we have experience with different models. I found logitech stuff too heavy, ms was lighter. Also, personally I dislike wireless mice because of the added weight of the batteries and such.

The big reason I would always pick ms mice… They work A LOT better on uneven surfaces. Pretty much any table top will work with an ms optical mouse. Even the lightest mirroring/woodgrain thwarts logitech.

@IanC: Hi ! It seems you are wanting to help me on all fronts ! thank you for that…

Hehe, no worries man, happy to help where I can.

Mmmm “syrupy” is a nice adjective indeed !

:slight_smile: not for buttons though. Slow, unresponsive and very hard to press middle mouse button. Really hurt my hand, that’s why I bought a new one.

it is just that this MS seemed mighty confortable: i am a violin maker: my wrist and fingers are my best tools. The more i can take care of them, the better !

See if you can try some out. I use mine all day, and need my hands too. I can’t program or earn without these babies. I have had no pain in my hand over the year I’ve had this, but did with the ms intellimouse (I think it was that) because the buttons were so hard to press.

Macouno, odd! I found my MS mouse awful even on a mousepad, whereas my laser logitech works on everything. Wood, fine, crisp packet, fine, hell I can even use it over my keyboard.

microsoft put a funny thing on their middle mouse button that lets you scroll left and right. unfortunately on my one at home this means that when pressing the middle mouse button it takes a good 1/2 a second for it to respond, otherwise the mouse is perfect. just need a middle mouse button that works.

I started using a Razer Diamondback gaming mouse a couple of years ago and it quickly became my favorite mouse. It’s symmetrical, so it doesn’t matter if you’re left- or right-handed, and the buttons have a good feel. The middle mouse button is a bit lighter than on some Logitech wireless mice, and the side buttons click in solidly, not ambiguously, like Microsoft mice. That’s my main beef with MS mice – they’re well made, but the side buttons are usually awful.

It’s very sensitive, though, so it’s important to set up the acceleration curve the way you want it.

Arf… Lots of mixed feelings about MS mice here…
I guess i should wait for an opportunity to test one before i buy !

That was exactly my problem. My logitech has the same feature, but responds instantly.