Best Mouse

[Cicco]

Wanted to ask the expert users.  Whats the best mouse to use with Affinity.  What about a tracker ball mouse option.  

[Leigh]

I guess whatever you feel comfortable using. I personally hate Apple's Magic Mouse. I use a basic Microsoft mouse and it works a treat ;)

[anon1]

I´m extreme happy with the Logitech MX Master http://www.logitech.com/de-de/product/mx-master

- it´s not cheap but the ability to scroll in two directions is huge for photo and video editing and there is a nice button to enter app-expose so this mouse really fits for me. It also has a handy scroll wheel the changes between discrete and continuous scrolling and back/ forward keys which work a treat while browsing the web.

 

There is also a smaller version that is the MX Anywhere http://www.logitech.com/de-de/product/mx-anywhere2?crid=7

 

You could probably also use their predecessors and buy them used to save some money.

[R C-R]

Apple's original Magic Mouse (the one with the tiny trackball) is not too bad until the trackball cavity collects enough dirt that it can't be cleaned out by the 'rub on your pants' method Apple suggests. After that happens, it starts not working reliably in one or more directions, making it practically useless. The new MM2 version with the touch sensitive surface in place of the trackball eliminates that problem, but I find it frustratingly difficult to use for anything because it is too easy to scroll when all I want to do is click. (Try one in the store to see what I mean.)

 

What I have used as a pointing device for 15+ years is a Kensington "Expert Mouse" trackball. Unlike a mouse, you roll the trackball to move the pointer on the screen, so you don't need the extra space on your desk to move around a mouse. The trackball is large & weighs enough that you can flick it to start it rolling to transverse large areas of the screen & then stop it where or very near where you want to click -- I never have to pick up a mouse & move it back to do that. The "TrackballWorks" software that comes with it allows you to set it up so slow movements of the trackball move the pointer only short distances while fast ones move it long ones. This can take some time to get used to & find the settings that suit you, so it isn't for everyone.

 

For scrolling actions (like zooming in Affinity) it has a scroll ring that surrounds the trackball. It works very well for that, but being only a one dimensional controller, you can't use it for two way scrolling like you can with some other devices (unless you hold down the keyboard shift key for side to side scrolling). The TrackballWorks software also lets you customize the actions of the four buttons, which you can do on an app by app basis if you want.

 

It is a desktop device, not well suited to portable use -- the trackball isn't secured to the case, which makes it easy to remove to clean but something you probably would not want to toss into a computer bag.

[Ben]

I'd second that.  I have the Logitech Anywhere MX 2, and it is a really good mouse.  I'd have gone for the Master, but I wanted a portable mouse.  Might still buy a Master anyway if I see it for a good price.

 

Both of the Logitech ones are 1000 times better than the Apple Magic Mouse.

 

The Magic Mouse is a totally flawed concept, and it is completely style over substance.  I used one for a few days and my hand started to hurt.

[R C-R]

"I used one for a few days and my hand started to hurt."

 

I think this will happen eventually with any flat "bar of soap" shaped mouse, not just Apple's. The big problem is the flat, inward rotated wrist angle needed to hold it securely with the thumb. Ignored, that can put enough strain on the wrist to cause serious RSI problems.

 

It is something anybody that uses a computer for hours at a time needs to take very seriously. A friend of mine's very promising career at Apple was cut short because she developed RSI problems so severe that she could not even hold a cup of coffee with her mouse hand, much less use a mouse or any other pointing device. At the time, she was in her early twenties, but even decades & multiple surgeries later she still has very limited use of that hand.

[Hokusai]

Apple's original Magic Mouse (the one with the tiny trackball) is not too bad

R-C-R,

 

I agree with you about the mouse with the trackball but I think the name is "Mighty Mouse" and the Magic Mouse is the gesture enabled mouse. I have both and while the Magic Mouse was okay for surfing the net and what not but it was horrible for production work. I went back to my Mighty Mouse and when it dies, I will probably get a Logitec one. 

 

Hokusai

[Gear maker]

I quickly got rid of my Magic Mouse when I got into drawing on the computer.  It seemed like every time I made the slightest movement of my hand the cursor or image jumped.  When my hand came off to hit a key, jump.  When my hand went back on the mouse, jump.  When my finger twitched, jump.  Not necessarily a big jump...  The shape wasn't very comfortable.  It knew where my fingers were but my fingers weren't always in the right place with it's smooth surface.

 

Also I was replacing the batteries every month it seemed.

 

I bought the Logitech cordless laser MX620 which I don't think is offered anymore.  It looks about the same as the Logitech M705.  But I have no idea if the spec's are anywhere near the same.  It works excellent with AD and AP.  And the 2 AA batteries last well over a year with a lot of use every day.  It's got 3 configurable buttons that I don't use, but should.  Also one under the wheel, also not used.  The main thing I was after was a high resolution so it would be responsive to minor moves.

 

I also found that any mouse was wearing the surface off my desk.  But a small mouse pad was too restrictive.  I bought a glass kitchen cutting board 12" x 15" with small rubber feet.  I then covered it with a self adhesive cork shelf liner that has a fine texture.  It works great, it's large, and I can resurface it if I ever need.

[jmac]

I have used the Apple Magic Mouse since buying my 27" iMac 7 years ago. I have never had any of the problems other users mention. I don't mind the shape and I love the way it scrolls. I don't use a mouse to draw with. I have used other devices, several by logitech and can't say I have any complaints with them. I just don't really like scroll wheels and I never seem to use the extra buttons, though I suppose that is something you have to force into your workflow until you don't think about it any more. I use rechargeable batteries and keep a fresh set ready to change out as needed. The only issue I have had, and this is recent, is the mouse drops the wi-fi connection from time to time. I have read this is due to a slight design flaw not holding the batteries securely in place. In the end I think you should think about how you work, what kind of work you use a mouse for and what features are important to you. Even then you may end up trying 2 or 3 until you find the one you like. Then they will probably discontinue it! :)

[Asha]

I have been using Logitech M500 corded mouse for probably 12 years now. There are wireless versions with the same shape and capability, but I have found the corded mouse lasts longer. I also use an angled mouse pad--I find the combo of mouse and pad is better on my wrist.

 

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/corded-mouse-m500?crid=7

 

http://www.amazon.com/Allsop-26226-Wrist-Circular-Mouse/dp/B00006I51C

 

Needless to say, I was using this combo well before I got Affinity, but it works for that too!

 

I also wanted to add, that when I got my iMac 5K, I got the trackpad instead of the magic mouse. I think the trackpad has a lot of potential, especially the newest one that has force touch (which I don't have). But it is worth a look for times when a mouse isn't quite right.

[R C-R]

R-C-R,

 

I agree with you about the mouse with the trackball but I think the name is "Mighty Mouse" and the Magic Mouse is the gesture enabled mouse. I have both and while the Magic Mouse was okay for surfing the net and what not but it was horrible for production work. I went back to my Mighty Mouse and when it dies, I will probably get a Logitec one. 

Hokusai,

 

Of course you are right about the one I described being the Mighty Mouse, not one of the two Magic ones. Sorry for any confusion that might have caused.

 

I have taken a few of the old Mighty ones apart to see why the trackball eventually stopped working (destroying them in the process because they are glued together) & from that it is obvious Apple did not give a high priority to keeping contaminates away from the optical encoders that transfer movement of the ball into digital signals. So I suggest that if you want to preserve the life of yours, you keep it as clean as possible.

 

Gear maker,

 

The jumping problem you described is the same one that makes using a Magic Mouse 2 so frustrating for me. The problem is even very brief, light contact with the touch-sensitive surface is enough to activate the scroll function, causing whatever I am trying to target with the pointer to scroll out from under it. Apple could fix that in software with a sensitivity adjustment or with a very brief delay before the scroll function activates but they don't seem interested in doing that.

 

I have read that this is more of a problem with the MM2 (the new one with the non-removable rechargeable battery) but never having used the first version I don't know if that is true.

[Nazario]

I still use a Mighty Mouse at work (the one with the physical scroll ball). While it does clog up very easily it does also clean quite easily too if you know how ;)

 

Many people think once its clogged thats it. Its not.

 

What you have to do is get a sheet of paper - Recycled jotting pad paper is best as its quite absorbent and its roughness helps scrape crap off the ball better than most other paper (do not use a coated paper as it will make things worse) - drip or spray a small amount of water or surface cleaner on the paper, just enough to make it damp in an area about the size of the base of a cup something but not enough to soak it through - one squirt should do. Let it soak for a few seconds. Unplug the mouse then roll the it upside down in all directions in the damp bit. The dampness and paper will pick off all the crap from the ball after a good few rolls. Make sure not to over do the water/spray as the paper will tear and then you have to get that out too as well as the excess liquid will get inside the mouse and take even longer to clear.

 

Sometimes a stubborn particle may mean it takes a few minutes to clear completely but it works over time and I've been using Mighty Mouse from day one.

 

Doing this you can actually see the dirt come off in lines on the paper and even individual particles as end up on the paper. 

 

I often go and make a coffee and while its brewing take my mouse with me and give it a good clean in the canteen, when i get back to my desk its good as new.

 

On the flip side the Mighty Mouse (and pretty much all Apple Mice) give me really bad RSI. What are logitech ones like? Are they simple enough to set up in OSX regarding drivers etc?

 

Whats the 'Trackman Marble' like?

[Gear maker]

On the flip side the Mighty Mouse (and pretty much all Apple Mice) give me really bad RSI. What are logitech ones like? Are they simple enough to set up in OSX regarding drivers etc?

 

Nazario, I really like my Logitech MX620.  The shape is very natural to the hand.  I have only used a track ball for a week or two at one job then swapped it for a mouse (I don't remember the make and model), found my finger was held above the others which seemed cause me to have less control using only a finger to move.  Using the MX620 I rest the heel of my hand, little and ring fingers on the mouse pad.  My thumb and other two fingers have dedicated and shaped areas on the mouse.  My hand just naturally cups the MX620.  Knock on wood no sign of RSI even with 8 to 10 hours of intensive mouse work a day.

 

The drivers for the MX620 work very well.  I could configure the peripheral buttons to do most any keystroke.  I can control the responsiveness of the controls.  These are the preference panels which work in addition to the Apple Mouse adjustments.

 

[Nazario]

Yeh the ergonomics really appeal to me but i think I'd miss 360 degree scrolling too much. 

[R C-R]

Believe me, I have tried all the suggested methods & more for cleaning the Mighty Mouse, but this has nothing to do with what collects on the ball itself. Once something lodges in or around the slots in the optical encoder wheels, no amount of rubbing the trackball on anything will clear it -- the ball isn't in contact with the wheels, which are at the ends of a pair of shafts in little wells that isolate them from the ball.

 

The slots are very narrow, so it doesn't take much to clog them. Once that starts happening, the encoder begins to lose track of which way & how far the ball has rotated, leading to jerky response & eventually to not responding at all to one or more directions of rotation.

[Nazario]

Once something lodges in or around the slots in the optical encoder wheels, no amount of rubbing the trackball on anything will clear it -- the ball isn't in contact with the wheels, which are at the ends of a pair of shafts in little wells that isolate them from the ball.

 

When that happens I use a bit more surface cleaner so it seeps inside the ball hole a little bit. This takes longer to unclog as obviously its stubborn stuff your trying to get at and also there is extra liquid to dry off after. If its not dry the ball will just slip on the wheels and they won't rotate. 

 

Obviously as you say it does matter what crud you are getting in there but I can clean mine out every time. One time I thought Id pressed so hard (frustrated) I had given the ball a flat spot trying to free the ball. Thinking it was a fruitless task but worth a shot I still managed to bring it back and get all the crap out, just took a few minutes longer.

 

Not that we should be having to do this but thats Apples shoddy design again.

[sabbir]

I use a bit more surface cleaner so it seeps inside the ball hole a little bit. This takes longer to unclog as obviously its stubborn stuff your trying to get at and also there is extra liquid to dry off after. If its not dry the ball will just slip on the wheels and they won't rotate. 

[R C-R]

The ball doesn't ride on the wheels. It rides on four rollers, with an encoder wheel at the end of each shaft, as shown in the last picture in this iFixIt teardown guide. Some versions are slightly different from the wireless version shown (& some use glue plus the tabs to hold the case halves together, making disassembly without breaking anything almost impossible), but the layout is about the same for all of them.

 

The problem is dirt that gets lodged in the corners, near the wheels. If it is the least bit sticky or (more often) includes fibers that wrap around any of the rotating parts, it is just about impossible to get it all out, even if you flood the little chamber with any cleaner safe for plastics.

 

It only takes problems with one of the roller shafts to make the trackball quit tracking reliably because it is the timing of the output pulses of opposing pairs of encoders that is used to sense which way & by how much the ball is being rolled.

 

Note: Once again I was thinking of the wrong Apple mouse when I said these were slotted optical encoders. I'm fairly sure Apple switched to some form of hall effect magnetic shaft encoders in the Mighty Mouse -- much higher tech but still problematic as implemented, in part because the magnets will attract tiny ferrous particles in dirt, making it that much harder to remove.