Everybody who is using a computer in our age also has to use peripherals and next to the keyboard, you can usually find a mouse. There are some generic mice out there and others that come with a specification. There can look for a mouse to use in the office, for gaming, or possible a mouse that has a focus to be portable to work with laptops that are carried around a lot.
Today we are looking at a special mouse from Logitech which is best suited for office usage. When you’re looking at mice to get work done you want to focus on comfort and performance so you can go through your eight-hour day without feeling too much pain or getting strains. If you’re in pain after a long work day and think it might be coming from your mouse, have a look at this one.
Checking out the Logitech MX Vertical
I tested the Logitech MX Vertical for a couple of weeks before preparing this review. I used it in my common eight-hour work day in my office to get a true feeling for it. This is not a common mouse and its primary feature is that it is designed vertically to be operated in a “hand-shake” position rather than the traditional horizontally operated mouse. With this special design they target to make the mouse more ergonomic and comfortable to use.
On the Logitech MX Vertical product site, you can find their claim, “Rise above discomfort with a mouse designed to reduce muscle strain, decrease wrist pressure, and improve posture.” But does it work out like that? I first thought that one would take perhaps a week to get used to a fully different operating experience for the user but actually, I was just fine with it after a single day. So, it takes not much time to get used to.
The mouse can, of course, be connected to your computer wirelessly. You can do that through Bluetooth or via the classic tiny Logitech USB dongle. You can easily charge the mouse via USB front port and quickly get it loaded up for not days but weeks to come. Even though the MX Vertical is built in a way different shape, it still has all the relevant buttons that you’d find on other mice for enhanced productivity. All around the mouse, there’s a nice texture that improves the haptic of grabbing and pushing the mouse around a lot.
Is it all gold or are there cons?
There are a lot of pros here but are there cons too? I found very little to complain about and the things that I did find are more of a personal opinion really and don’t necessarily mean a problem to you as well. The Logitech MX Vertical mouse wheel does apparently not support smooth scroll, also known as infinity scroll. You can use the mouse wheel only in the default notched scroll mode and not swap between both modes like you can do on other mice from the MX product series. The other minor thing is the fact that I often crash the mouse over while moving my arms around the desk space. As I am used to flat horizontal mice, this sometimes happens as an accident when not thinking of the height of vertical mice.
Looking for keyboards? Check out our “Comparison of Logitech Multi-Device Keyboards“
Not the first but maybe the best
I don’t know a lot of vertical mice and while it is somewhat similar to using trackballs like back in the day, the experience of using the Logitech MX Vertical was novel to me. The concept of a vertical mouse is not an innovation itself though. There have been similar designs around since at least 2013 such as the Anker Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse, or the CSL TM137U Optical Mouse in the vertical version, but the haptics and comfort of this Logitech variant is superior in my opinion.
Certainly this mouse could be used for gaming as well but I see it to be a better fit for office or digital creative work. I am a person who uses computers a lot and I get muscle strains and while I think that the MX Vertical does not completely remove 100% of any pain, I am confident to say that it hurts less than using a horizontal mouse. It is also recommended to use a mouse mat with a gel pad to make the experience even more comfortable and less painful. I like the mouse mats for gaming such as the Razer Vespula (v2) or the ROCCAT Alumic but I’m sure that any generic one will also help to support your wrist.
Tech specs
Of course, many of you also want to know technical specifications and details of the Logitech MX Vertical. Here are the official facts and figures for you:
- Height: 3.09 in (78.5 mm)
- Width: 3.11 in (79 mm)
- Depth: 4.72 in (120 mm)
- Weight: 4.76 oz (135 g)
- Sensor nominal value: 1000 dpi & 1600dpi
- DPI (Minimal and maximal value): 400 to 4000 dpi
- 4 Customizable buttons: back/forward, DPI, middle click
- Scroll Wheel: Precision wheel
- Battery: Li-Po battery (240mAh)
- Wireless operating distance: 10m wireless
Conclusion
In summary, I can say that, despite the look of it, it’s not odd to use the MX Vertical at all and that you get used to it really fast. The pricing is currently at $82.99 which is several times the price of budget mice with a vertical design but a normal pricing if you’re thinking about the Logitech MX product range. As the target buyer group for this mouse consists of professionals who are using it to do their work in the office, I don’t believe that this price is too expensive for what the product offers you. If you can, I’d recommend you to try the product out before you’re buying but I don’t see a reason how this could possibly fail anyone for is looking for an ergonomic design alternative to traditional computer mice.
A just claim?
To pick up the earlier question, if the product lives up to its claim, I can say that the ergonomic design helps to feel less painful about working long hours on the computer but does (at least for me) not remove 100% of the muscle strain, which is ok, as this is absolutely in line with the Logitech marketing and claims. How do you feel about vertical computer mice? Did you ever try one out? Share your experiences with us below in the comments. Thanks for reading!
YouTube: Logitech MX Vertical Keynote Video (Delphine Donne-Crock, General Manager and VP, Logitech Creativity and Productivity)
Photo credit: All media used is owned by and has been provided by Logitech for press purposes.
Editorial notice: We received a test unit from Logitech to do this test. The reviewed product was tested for multiple weeks before the review was composed. Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. Without additional cost to you, we might earn a commission, if you decide to purchase something.
