Freedom for my People: The Contour Rollermouse Free

Unfortunately, yes, we do have to charge for the Contour Rollermouse Free. Ironic, right? So what’s so free about it anyway?

That question is easiest to answer in the context of its close cousin, the Rollermouse Pro2, which I discussed within the last few weeks. The two operate on the same principle. A movable bar positioned directly in front of your keyboard lets you move the mouse cursor without gripping anything. Buttons are positioned so they may be pressed with any finger on either hand. These two things combine to make this a great choice for avoiding repetitive stress. The two ergonomic mice even look similar to one another; here are the differences:

The first way the Free is a little freer is in terms of free space. The Rollermouse Pro2 is a one piece monster by comparison to the slender, scalable Rollermouse Free. The Free features a detachable palm rest, which you will probably want to use anyway. If not, though, the Free only protrudes a couple inches from the keyboard at the thickest place, only about an inch for most of its length. Contrast that with about four inches on the Pro2. On the other side, the Free uses a much more compact set of rubber spacers to angle the keyboard for easier use, and even those are detachable if you do not want them on. The Pro2 has a large attached plastic plate.

Another of your new-found freedoms will be the bar, which is exposed for its entire length, unlike the Pro2’s bar. It is only exposed in front of the space bar of the keyboard. This is not a major flaw, but if you find yourself wanting to manipulate the bar when your hand is on the numeric keypad, it’s better to have that option than not.

Neither of the 2 differences between the Pro2 and the Free are giant, but for a couple extra touches that make it great, try the Contour Designs Rollermouse Free.