Does a mouse really matter?

deohboeh

My mouse isn't working so I am returning it. So I was wondering if a costly mouse is really worth it. Does a gaming mouse make any sense? Is there any benefit from getting a gaming mouse? How does the mouse affect my work? The more I think about it the more it makes me feel like I should get a $1 mouse.. Could you change my mind?

Dazz3r

All mice matter, and although I do have a gaming mouse, I've never got much sense out of it but it was worth it..!!

In all seriousness, I find the mid range gaming mice work much better on a variety of surfaces...case-in-point, I bought a cheap Microsoft mouse a few months back and it would jitter all over the place because it didn't seam to like the surface of my mouse mat. It worked ok on other cloth-like surfaces, just not my mouse mat. I decided to get a Razer and it works really smooth so...I guess it is worth avoiding the ultra-cheap mice, and in terms of of productivity, yeah, you just want something that works smoothly so, dont break the bank but dont go ultra-cheap either.

Anchang-Style

Well there are mice which are just not well designed. I loved my old Intelli Explorer which just was perfect for my hand and i snagged the rerelease a couple of years back. My brother got a madcatz mouse which is fantastic...more for work than gaming. It feels like it is made from actual material and has a lot of options i would kill for...while i absolutly can't deal with most logitech, most that are advertised as gamer mouse or stuff the like the arch by MS.

EarthQuake

If I use a shitty mouse I get terrible wrist pain after working for prolonged periods. I use a Logitech MX518 which is very comfortable to me. I would say mice matter, but mostly in terms of comfort/ergonomics, so find something that feels natural to you.

Torch

I got a bog standard Belkin mouse that I've been using for years now, don't do a whole lot of PC gaming but when I do (or for work) its absolutely fine, don't think you need anything 'cutting edge' or expensive!

unit187

I don't think some super gaming mouse is neccessary. Just pick something you like, something that feels comfortable in your hand. I like Logitech mice, using G400s atm. Had WoW Cataclysm mouse, but besides actually playing MMO it is useless and not really comfortable when working whole day long.

deohboeh

EarthQuake wrote: »

I use a Logitech MX518

Hey! My last mouse was a MX518! Brilliant mouse well weighted and perfectly fits in the palm. I have a cooler master sentinel advance storm 2 now but it middle mouse button has not been working properly.

Anchang-Style wrote: »

My brother got a madcatz mouse which is fantastic...more for work than gaming.

I never thought the madcatz could be comfortable. It's broken into so many parts and looks so clunky.. I guess you really cant say until you try it.

beefaroni

My only recommendation is a mouse that does not require too much force to click the LMB. Having a really stiff mouse can cause hand pains pretty quickly.

SuperFranky

I stopped using a mouse in my work altogether a few months ago. I just use my tablet for sculpting and modeling and everything else.

Progg

I havent actually used a mouse at home or work for 4-5 years. Intuos 4 all the way

deohboeh

SuperFranky wrote: »

I stopped using a mouse in my work altogether a few months ago. I just use my tablet for sculpting and modeling and everything else.

I would really like to do that but it becomes a problem when combining MMB with other keys. That is holding the pen in one hand the MMB with the other and keyboard with the other...

SuperFranky

deohboeh wrote: »

I would really like to do that but it becomes a problem when combining MMB with other keys. That is holding the pen in one hand the MMB with the other and keyboard with the other...

You can bind MMB to one of the buttons on the pen and use that instead of the mouse. That's how I do it. One hand on keyboard for hotkeys and other hand is holding pen.

deohboeh

SuperFranky wrote: »

You can mind MMB to one of the buttons on the pen and use that instead of the mouse. That's how I do it. One hand on keyboard for hotkeys and other hand is holding pen.

Oh yeah. I tried it out and one of the reasons I do that is I like to use one button as LMB.

Click LMB with sensitivity.
First button LMB without sensitivity.
Second button RMB.

That leaves no place for MMB. I could put MMB on the tablet but then again it becomes a stretch from tablet to keyboard... :poly122:

SuperFranky

deohboeh wrote: »

Oh yeah. I tried it out and one of the reasons I do that is I like to use one button as LMB.

Click LMB with sensitivity.
First button LMB without sensitivity.
Second button RMB.

That leaves no place for MMB. I could put MMB on the tablet but then again it becomes a stretch from tablet to keyboard... :poly122:

I use pen touch as LMB. First pen button as MMB and second button as RMB. Everything else is on keyboard. I don't need to use mouse for anything.

Shiniku

Cheap mice have always been fine for my work. At work I have a gaming mouse that is a bit more comfortable with a few more options (cursor speed controls on mouse, free scrolling toggle for wheel) but it makes no real difference at all to me. Mapping specific commands you use a lot to mouse buttons could be beneficial, but I've gotten so used to using keyboard hotkeys it's not really worth it to me.

deohboeh

SuperFranky wrote: »

I use pen touch as LMB. First pen button as MMB and second button as RMB. Everything else is on keyboard. I don't need to use mouse for anything.

I have really gotten used to using the first button as LMB. It helps get strong lines out and saves me from scratching on the tablet. It's quite integrated into my system.. I wouldn't want to change that.. Unless the pen has a third button I will have to get a mouse..

SuperFranky

deohboeh wrote: »

I have really gotten used to using the first button as LMB. It helps get strong lines out and saves me from scratching on the tablet. It's quite integrated into my system.. I wouldn't want to change that.. Unless the pen has a third button I will have to get a mouse..

Maybe there is a pen with three buttons somewhere, I never saw one myself. But the question should be this: what is more important to you, your workflow as it is now or your hand's health? I'd take not having wrist paints and cramps ever again

adam

My only requirement when choosing a mouse is whether or not the middle mouse button clicks comfortable. If it sucks, is hard to do, is loose in movement, etc. etc. then I am out. I use it too much in my workflow to settle on 'decent'.

Torch

Although you don't need a 'state of the art' mouse, I would still look into getting something that feels comfortable. A mate at Sony recently injured his hand using a crappy mouse for extended periods of time.

The manager even managed to break the LMB on one of the other mice because they were so poorly made (to which he gained the nickname 'The Claw'.) They should really get better mice XO

rino

i use very cheap mouse, it's like 5 usd, i sculpt with a mouse too so it lasts around 6 to 12 months. i'm happy with cheap mice.

SuperFranky

rino wrote: »

i use very cheap mouse, it's like 5 usd, i sculpt with a mouse too so it lasts around 6 to 12 months. i'm happy with cheap mice.

You really shouldn't use mouse for sculpting...

Two Listen

I used the basic 3 button (including mouse wheel) Dell mouse for nearly a decade and loved it. Eventually it died and I had to buy a new one, bought a couple cheap mice in the $10-15 range, one Microsoft, one something else - one of them felt terrible and died in a couple weeks, the other started double clicking or not clicking at all in a couple months. So I bought a Logitech M510 at a sale price, paid like $30 for it, and it's been great ever since. Sort of just wish it was all plastic instead of having these silly rubberized sides that get far dirtier than plastic would, but as a whole I'm happy. It's the right size and the buttons do what they're supposed to, that's really all I want from my mouse.

Don't think I'd ever pay $70+ for a mouse, really seems like diminishing returns after a certain point price/performance wise.

DireWolf

Some mouse are just too small to use comfortably.

Bruno Afonseca

EarthQuake wrote: »

If I use a shitty mouse I get terrible wrist pain after working for prolonged periods. I use a Logitech MX518 which is very comfortable to me. I would say mice matter, but mostly in terms of comfort/ergonomics, so find something that feels natural to you.

This, and on my side, I assign maxscripts or keystrokes to those extra mouse buttons. I have one that toggles between world and local coordinates, one that's ctrl+backspace, etc.

throttlekitty

adam wrote: »

My only requirement when choosing a mouse is whether or not the middle mouse button clicks comfortable. If it sucks, is hard to do, is loose in movement, etc. etc. then I am out. I use it too much in my workflow to settle on 'decent'.

I've learned this with my latest mouse (Logitech G700s), I love the shape and comfort of the mouse, except the MMB needs too much pressure. That and the charging cable makes it really front-heavy while in 'wired mode'.

I had it replaced a while back, the first one had issues, and the second one feels harder to click the middle button, I haven't decided if I want to frankenstein with the old one.

Marine

adam wrote: »

My only requirement when choosing a mouse is whether or not the middle mouse button clicks comfortable. If it sucks, is hard to do, is loose in movement, etc. etc. then I am out. I use it too much in my workflow to settle on 'decent'.

Shitty middle mouse is the reason I go with Logitech's Performance MX, I rebind the zoom thumb button to replace middle mouse and everything is better.
Every other mouse either doesn't have the third thumb button or has a million of the fuckers.

thomasp

same here, thumb for middle mouse button all the way. those combined scrollwheel/buttons feel just nasty in comparison. plus, i like the 4-way scrollwheels on my mice for - well - scrolling. but as far their use as MMB's go they are even more terrible.

my only thing to add would be that if you find a mouse that really suits you - get some spares. eventually that model will be discontinued and you will be crying.

if i had a time machine, i'd go back to the early 2000's and buy a boatload of those intellimice with the sidebuttons.

deohboeh

SuperFranky wrote: »

Maybe there is a pen with three buttons somewhere, I never saw one myself. But the question should be this: what is more important to you, your workflow as it is now or your hand's health? I'd take not having wrist paints and cramps ever again

Man that is a difficult choice. :poly142::poly122: That said who says a pen is always the most ergonomic?

NegevPro

I don't think it matters what peripheral you use, as long as it's comfortable for you. What one person finds comfortable may differ from what another person finds comfortable.

I've been using a Logitech G9x for years now, and it's the best mouse I've ever owned. Perfect shape, size, and weight for me, but a lot of my family members hate it because they think it's too heavy or too big for them.

Only way to really find out if a certain mouse is good for you or not is to try one yourself, but if your current mouse is comfortable but just broken, then I suppose you could just replace it.

SuperFranky

deohboeh wrote: »

Man that is a difficult choice. :poly142::poly122: That said who says a pen is always the most ergonomic?

My hand doesn't want to fall off after a full day of work in 3ds max. At that point I don't care if it's the most ergonomic solution or not :poly142:

Dave Jr

I've used a mouse for all my 3d work (including zbrush sculpting) for the last couple of years. I have a Wacom tablet, but could never get used to it . Don't have any issues with my hands or wrist.... yet

I don't believe I've lost out on quality due to using a mouse, probably slower if anything.

MrOneTwo

Dave Jr - I can't really imagine you didn't loose on quality. Who knows though... Maybe you are one unique snow flake ;P

Mouse is important to a point. If it's comfortable and nothing in how it works annoys you it's ok. Also fuck those crazy weird gaming mouses.

Millenia

I opted for a slightly more expensive mouse (Logitech G502) because the extra buttons make for excellent Max hotkeys. Got Bevel/Extrude/Chamfer/Inset all bound to mouse buttons

But like the others said, comfort is key. Get one that doesn't get in your way.

marks

Can't imagine using a mouse that isn't a logitech MX5xx series. Practically a decade of use has made it feel like an extension of my hand

Noors

Yeah logitech MX 510/518 shape is the one i prefer. I've filed down the sharp angle on the right side. The middle click is comfortable and that matters a lot to me. I've abandonned most expensive mice because of the pain caused by a too hard middle click. Now sadly they're not sold anymore, i think equivalent is the more pricey g400s.

ZacD

I wish vertical mouses would become more popular, I'd love to try one, but there isn't any with the features I want.