Review: The Evoluent Vertical Mouse

The Evoluent Vertical Mouse, just like anything you use that is different, takes a couple of hours to get used to it, and then a few days to become proficient. If you are looking for a low-cost way to improve your comfort at the computer, this should be your first step. This vertical mouse embodies the essence of ergonomics.

You can try the difference right now as you read this. Hold out your hand like you’re using a regular mouse where your palm is facing down towards a desk surface or keyboard. Now tilt your hand clockwise (if you’re left-handed, tilt it counter clockwise) until your hand is perpendicular, like you are about to give a handshake. Continue to rotate your hand back and forth between the two to feel the difference in the tension in your wrist between the two positions. Think about how often you use a mouse and how important it is to keep your hand, wrist, and arm in this handshake, or “neutral position”. A visual demonstration can be seen here.

This ergonomic mouse has a strong, durable feel to it. There are 5 buttons overall- most people generally use 3, but there is an added button on the bottom of the main side which you press with your ring finger that moves you forward or backward online, in files, etc. There’s another button on the opposite side you press with your thumb, but it doesn’t come programmed. If you want to reprogram the buttons on the mouse, you need to install the included Evoluent software. The basic functions of the Evoluent mouse will work on any operating system, but the programmable functions of the five buttons are limited to the operating system being used (they don’t work on a Mac). There are 59 selectable features to give you a wide variety of options.

The Evoluent vertical mouse is by far my most favorite mouse and I highly recommend the Evoluent to anyone who uses a computer frequently. Before using this mouse I didn’t realize how uncomfortable conventional computer mice could be.

For even more information, you can read this blog post, or check out the product listing.