Evoluent – World's Original Vertical Mouse, Wired Ergonomic Mouse for Right Hand, Medium to Large, Helps with Carpal Tunnel and Wrist Strain, Customizable 6 Buttons, 4 Speed Settings, Comfortable Grip

This replaced my previous mouse from the same company after it died. This version upgrades several things. Grip is even more comfortable, which I didn't expect. So it continues to keep away wrist pain for me. An extra button is fantastic. And the sensitivity level switch is more user friendly than before. I have only good things to say about the ergonomics and quality as an office mouse. If you want this for gaming, be aware that there's an adjustment period to a vertical mouse. But the number of buttons and customization software are excellent. I only have one gaming complaint. The mouse will spin out on very fast motions. So if you game with low sensitivity and make large fast motions from the shoulder, this may not be the mouse for you. For everyone else, it should be a great option. Oh, and for hand size, my fingertips extend past the buttons on the XL size. I have normal-ish tall person hands. This isn't a problem, since pressing against the front edge of the button works fine. But you might want to consider one size larger than you would expect.

I've been using the Evoluent mouse for about 3 months now. It works well and is quite comfortable. The vertical hand orientation used with the mouse has definitely improved hand and arm issues I was having when using a traditional horizontal mouse and would recommend it to anyone having repetitive strain type issues as a result of too much mouse/computer use. I'm using the mouse with an Apple Macbook Pro. Since the mouse doesn't come with drivers that work with a Mac, I've used the recommended third-party USB Overdrive drivers that can be downloaded. When used with USB Overdrive, the mouse is fantastic. The mouse has 6 buttons (the scroll wheel doubles as a button) that can be assigned a variety of functions, including keyboard shortcuts and menu selections. With USB Overdrive, the mouse can be configured to do different things in different applications, customizing how the mouse works dependent upon which application one is running. I've found that ability allows me to work much faster and allows me to reduce the number of sweeping mouse gestures that are required to select menu items on opposite sides of the screen. In summary, I'm quite pleased with the mouse and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting increased mouse functionality and/or anyone having repetitive strain hand and arm issues from too much mouse work.

The Evoluent Vertical mouse 4 is fantastic. As my job involves nearly all day computer use, I've begun developing wrist pains and burning forearms on a regular basis from constant mouse usage. I had tried several ergonomic solutions before the Evoluent including, but not limited to: Trackballs Adjustable mice (Such as the R.A.T. 9) Trackpads (Such as the Apple Magic Trackpad) Pen based (Wacom tablet) and other vertical mice (LuguLake Vertical Mouse) I also make use of a slanted mousepad to increase the natural position of my hand on all these ergonomic solutions. It wasn't until I tried a vertical mouse (LuguLake) that I began feeling relief from my wrist pain. I initially was going to purchase the Evoluent mouse, but was a bit put off by the price. When I saw the LuguLake mouse at only $10 I thought that would be the perfect test of a vertical mouse. The LuguLake worked very well for my ergonomics, but the cheap construction and only 3 buttons made me reconsider the Evoluent. I'm very happy that I did. The VerticalMouse 4 has a fantastic solid feel. The materials used are of decent quality and ergonomically the shape is far better than that of the LuguLake. It also tracks better, has adjustable DPI, and much nicer button feel. I particularly appreciate the 6 customizable buttons. The software for configuring the additional buttons is decent. It's a smaller utility without the extra bloat you find in a lot of other mouse configuration software. One nice additional feature is the ability to use one of the buttons (by default the lower thumb button) as an "alternate" switch. Meaning, you can configure any of the regular buttons as dual purpose. One for normal click and one for while the thumb button is depressed. This expands the "usable" number of buttons from 8 to 12 (if you include the scroll wheel). I couldn't be happier with my VerticalMouse 4. I'm glad that I bought the LuguLake and was able to test a vertical mouse for an inexpensive price, but ultimately if I could do it again I'd simply buy the Evoluent mouse first and not only save some money, but start with a better product.

Evoluent has left some room for improvement to this mouse, but it is by far the best I've used. I've tried several pointing devices to relieve repetitive strain injury in my wrists and forearms, but haven't been satisfied with any of them. The Logitech Trackman Marble has a nice action and is good value, but the buttons are poorly placed and it lacks additional features. The Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball has slightly better features but I can't get the necessary precision with the thumb-controlled ball, even after months of use. Most importantly, the trackballs, like almost all mice, force your hand into an unnatural, palm-down position (I took to propping up the inside edge with a spare palm rest, which helped a lot but was far from ideal). Graphic tablets are pretty good for navigating around, but you can't easily type while holding one, so they aren't practical for my daily editing work. The RollerMouse Free2 looks like it would be great but is beyond my budget. I should say that I haven't tried the V4's direct competitors, such as the Goldtouch Ortho Mouse . I chose the V4 over those partly because it got slightly better reviews, but mostly because second-hand ones in very good condition were available for about $75 on Amazon, with free shipping. The main benefit of the V4 over a regular mouse/trackball is obviously the angle. My wrist and arm felt instantly better when placed on the mouse, and I get much less soreness from extended use. If that was the only difference from a regular mouse it would still be worth the money, but there are some other excellent features as well. The 6 programmable buttons allow you to keep your hand on the mouse more than usual, and - very importantly - require much less force to activate. The ability to change pointer speed with the click of a button is not something I had even thought of before, but has also proven very useful. I still have a few gripes, though: 1. The name 'VerticalMouse' is a bit misleading as the back of the wrist is not entirely vertical when placed on the mouse - more like 80 degrees. I still get some pain in my wrist as a result, and have to frequently take my hand off the mouse and rest it at a vertical or obtuse angle, so I would much prefer it if the mouse provided a full 90 or even 100 degrees. Of course, unlike a trackball, you can't put something under the mouse to achieve the desired angle. 2. The low-force buttons are great, but could perhaps require even lower force - after extended use, I still get some pain in the tendon used to left-click while dragging. Also, the scroll wheel button is actually very high-force, making it uncomfortable to use with sore arms, and the wheel itself is stiffer than those on some regular mice. 3. I would prefer the bottom thumb button to be placed further forward. I have to take my hand partly off the mouse or extend my thumb uncomfortably far to press it, which defeats the point. 4. Even though my hands are smaller than average for a man (about 7 1/2 inches from tip of index finger to crease of the wrist), the mouse feels a bit small to me. I'd prefer it if the near side fit solidly in my palm rather than being held with just my fingers. I'm guessing it was made to fit the average user, including women of course, before they released the smaller model. Maybe next time round they can make this 'large' size even bigger, since they have an alternative for more petite users. 5. The shiny plastic used for the thumb rest and buttons makes me sweat more than usual, giving a sticky, slimy sensation. I don't see why they don't use the nice matt material that the main body of the mouse is made of, or something else with more texture. 6. More generally, the mouse has a cheap, flimsy, plasticky feel, which you might not expect from such an expensive product. I doubt it would survive many drops (unlike my other mice and trackballs, which have taken several tumbles with no serious damage). 7. There is no official Mac (or Linux) driver. The third-party USB Overdrive software works fine for Primary Functions, but it doesn't seem to allow the Secondary Functions, where you click Button 6 (lower thumb) and another button at the same time to carry out a pre-programmed action, such as opening Applications or exposing the Desktop. 8. It would be good to have even more options for mouse actions, e.g. Control-left click could copy and Control-right click could paste, or Shift-click could select the paragraph and Alt-Shift-click could select all. Allowing you to make actions for any combination of a modifier and a button would open up a huge range of really useful, tendon-saving functionality. 9. The Evoluent logo is lit up in bright blue when the mouse is plugged in. This gets annoying when you aren't using the mouse, e.g. when watching a movie or trying to sleep. Of course, you can easily unplug it, turn it round or put some tape over it, but an option to switch off the light would be ideal. Overall, though, I am happy with the V4 so far and would recommend it not only to RSI-sufferers but anyone who wants more functionality than provided by a standard mouse. Those with wrist or arm pain should also consider an ergonomic keyboard such as the Goldtouch V2 or Kinesis Freestyle2, and maybe a forearm massager like the Roleo or Armaid.

I am totally sold on the Evoluent Vertical Mouse, in all forms! I have been using them for years (since version one) and it is a wonderful mouse! If you have pain in your mouse-hand and -arm, do yourself a big, fat favor and buy this mouse. I know it seems expensive, but the price is justified: it is cheaper than surgery. Besides, it is a stylish and very high-quality item. It's easy to learn to use - and it is the most comfortable and attractive ergo mouse I have found. I had horrible pain in my mouse hand and arm, that didn't go away even after hours or days of rest. I am a computer professional, and I play computer games as well. To go without the computer completely, for me, would mean a devastating total lifestyle change - but that was the choice I was looking at. That, or surgery, or both. I started using this wonderful mouse, and felt relief immediately. Better than that, long term use healed me! I can work or play for hours without pain or fatigue. These guys should get a Nobel prize or something! Yes, it's expensive. It's worth it. I tried several other ergo mice over the years, looking for a cheaper alternative, and they were always inferior and in the end a waste of money. If you splurge on the Evoluent Vertical Mouse you will see that it is not an indulgence, it's an investment. I will never again be without one.

This is an evolutionary improvement over the Evoluent 3, which I used happily for several years [since Jan 2010] before the mouse wheel began to have intermittent failure to register movements. I find the changes made in shape not too problematic to adjust too, though I prefer to keep contact with the mouse pad using my smallest finger so the "shelf" to support it is unappreciated by me. Fine movements of the mouse are easier for me with that contact maintained. The additional button on the thumb side is appreciated. The software that can be downloaded to manage the mouse appears to work fine, though I miss the choice of "aero-mode" document flipping that I used to have available [maybe that is a Win 7 operating system issue, I'm not sure], Also, the middle mouse button appears to be recognized differently by my game software, I don't understand why : I had to assign MB6 to it's function in Elder Scrolls Online. I had no such problems with mouse button recognition using the Logitech G5 (my previous and still back-up mouse) I originally purchased this mouse to relieve repetitive motion pain symptoms in the right wrist when using the computer for extended periods of time. It completely resolved the pains. After using a regular mouse for several days when the mouse wheel began to malfunction, I could feel the wrist symptoms returning. As of now the symptoms have again resolved, and did so immediately when switching back to the Evoluent VerticalMouse 4. I should mention that the switches used on the mouse are responsive and seem to work a little better with the upgraded device. I actually use the mouse for gaming, these things are important to me. An all-in-all sound investment, one I would be in real trouble without having made. I have never tried other brands of "vertical" mouse products, and the reviews of them don't encourage me too change. This was my first and remains my only choice for ergonomic computer mouse.

I started using this mouse not because of carpal tunnel syndrome, but chronic tennis elbow. My doctor first suggested a wrist brace to try to limit the effects of work (programming) on elbow pain, but that got old in a hurry, so I decided to try a vertical mouse and adjustable keyboard. Positives: It feels quite natural, and takes little time to get used to. The hand position is rotated some 60-70 degrees from horizontal, and this should help with RSI concerns. There is a middle mouse button! I haven't had one of those for ages, but it's great, especially in Linux where "button 3" is the preferred way to do a quick text paste between windows. For most mice, the scroll wheel doubles as the middle button, but it can be difficult to press a wheel without turning it at the same time. This is much easier for me. Sensitivity is adjustable on the mouse itself, in four steps (high, medium, low, extra low). I find that either of the middle settings works okay for me; high is out of control, and extra low makes it hard to get across the screen. So the range of adjustment seems pretty reasonable. I can conceive of situations where I might want to change sensitivity temporarily - say, when doing fine detailed graphics work. This mouse will let you do the adjustment without messing around in the operating system's control panel. Negatives: The mouse body is lightweight plastic, and on a smooth surface the thing moves too easily. Why do I care? Isn't easy movement a good thing? Well, not necessarily. It matters in this case because the buttons are actuated horizontally. I cannot click a button without jiggling the pointer. A mouse pad of the right texture might help here, but what the manufacturer really needs to do is put some inert mass into the mouse body. Or, they should provide a compartment to let the end user add weight "to taste" without having to take the mouse apart and void the warranty. The wireless version of this mouse probably avoids the problem by virtue of containing batteries; keep that in mind when making your choice between them. **LATE EDIT REGARDING MOUSE WEIGHT** More than a year later, with the product well out of warranty, I finally looked into this issue. The bottom plate of the mouse can be detached via 4 screws: two are under the middle product label (feel around for subtle indentations, and stick a small phillips screwdriver through the paper) and the other two are under the front-edge slider pad, which is easily peeled away to expose them. Once the bottom is removed, you can see how much central space you have to work with. My solution was to take a handful of metal hardware (mostly computer case screws, but anything will do if the pieces aren't too big), put them in a plastic bag to prevent disturbing any electrical connections, tucking them into the mouse body, and then reattaching the base. It makes a night and day difference. The added mass makes all movements more positive, less squirrelly. I'm not using a pad, but putting it directly on a hard desktop surface. Because this works so well and is such a simple modification, I'm increasing my review rating to 5 stars. This is now an *excellent* mouse! A tip just for Linux users: Firefox, at least, expects any extra "back/forward" navigation buttons to be reported as numbers 8 and 9. On this mouse they are unconventionally numbered 8 and 10, 9 being reserved for the mouse wheel (scroll-up=4, scroll-down=5, wheel-press=9). Depending on what desktop environment you run, you might have a graphical control for button assignment, but the following command, as part of my X session startup script, fixes it for me by swapping 9 with 10: xinput set-button-map "Kingsis Peripherals Evoluent VerticalMouse 4" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 9 11 12 13 14

Works nicely for months to a year, then the buttons have issues We've had three of these mice and they have helped us to minimize carpal tunnel + similar tendon pain issues when using our home computers. I do amateur design and digital art on the PC and this mouse - while bulky - has made it easier to keep my hand in a less damaging pose than similar, competing models which are typically smaller or less comfortable. However, the downside is that button switches on these mice have always failed for us within the same year of initial use. The most significant problem is when a single click for any button starts to instead create unwanted double clicks - this gets to be maddening after awhile and a new mouse is required, because this is truly a hardware issue. We have also noticed that the click sounds in any button may become more pronounced while the click force required sometimes feels greater, as if a greater force threshold must be reached to click than before. By contrast, I still have years-old mice from various manufacturers (i.e, Logitech, Microsoft, Targus, etc.) which have never developed double or sticky click problems. So, while we appreciate the overall design for health reasons, the switch quality on these mice seems subpar. I'd easily pay more money for better quality, if it existed.