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After using traditional PC mouse for most of my computing life, I decided to finally see what all the fuss was about with a Vertical Mouse and I'm sold.

I've been through a lot of mice over the years from cheap stuff with no branding, to the "gamer" stuff full of RGB lighting and more. Not only that, I've used Trackball mice before and found them interesting to try but thoroughly weird and just too bizarre to keep going with. After growing up with the likes of the Amiga, I've pretty much seen it all when it comes to inputs like this.

Why the change? Well, a little known fact is that I have a permanent injury in my main hand (skateboarding hurts, kids). Often it causes issues and longer periods of using a traditional mouse really quite badly brings out the pain. After researching for some time and gathering some opinions, I went for a Vertical Mouse to see if it would make a difference — and I'm a little bit blown away.

The model I went for to test the waters was the CSL TM137U from CSL-Computer (Amazon), which only cost £13.99 so it felt like a reasonably entry point to try one out.

As it turns out, there's a lot of variants of this design and model, with Anker being one of the most well-known and both the Anker version and the CSL were highly rated, so I thought I couldn't really go wrong with it. As it turns out, it seems CSL simply have an unbranded version (sold out) of what Anker sell so they're pretty much the same. CSL was just the cheaper option at the time.

The benefits of using a Vertical Mouse are surprising. Instead of flattening your arm which twists your muscles around (causing some strain), it gives you a nice handshake-style grip that just feels so much more natural and ends up reducing the strain often felt using a traditional mouse. You don't feel the need to clinch your fingers up on the main buttons because there's no need with how your hand rests on it too. I don't want to jinx anything but honestly, it's completely stopped any hand and wrist pain I was having - it's absolutely marvellous for that.

So it sorted out my main issue but is the mouse overall any good? After using it now for a few weeks I have a few thoughts on it. Overall, it is a genuinely good mouse. However, there's a few points for me that go against it:

  • The size - it's a bit bigger than what I am used to (small hand problems) and so if it was a bit shorter and thinner, it would have been perfect.
  • Retraining my brain for clicking in the middle button is still a work in progress. I keep going to click it directly down like you would a normal mouse, but flicking against it to the side is the sweet spot for this model. It also feels at times a bit too sensitive and feels like it can double-click sometimes.
  • It's a bit slippery. A nice texture due to how you grip it would have been much nicer

Minor gripes aside, overall it's a good choice to start with if you're looking into picking one up. With a single-click button to switch it between 1000-1600 dpi it works well there for different uses. Two extra buttons by your thumb are ideally placed too, makes switching back and forth in your browser easy and using them in games is great too. On top of all that, it looks pretty nice too.

I've enjoyed using it so much that my Razer DeathAdder Chroma is going off to the retirement home. I shall continue using this, at least until a find a slightly smaller version.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware, Misc, Review
23 Likes
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36 comments
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shawnsterp Aug 4, 2021
Okay, I'll try one. I'm old, and would love no strain lol.
beko Aug 4, 2021
Welcome to team Vertical, Liam 😀

Did basically the same some years ago. I also had the choice between CSL and Anker for starting out and read that they are basically the same. After some weeks of getting used to this I noticed that my always sour wrist would feel a lot better. I didn’t like how light the Anker feels tho (and I smashed it all over the table on various occasions due to the unusual height).

Eventually I settled with an Autley, that is a somewhat heaver and a lot larger, fitting my hands better. The internal batteries can be recharged via micro USB connector (and also operated while charging) and can go for days. I’m very very happy with that model.

This one has some really weird plastic tho that sometimes feels very yuk and moist. No idea what this is. I guess the quest for the perfect Vertical will never end.



Originally noted at: https://beko.famkos.net/2021/08/04/on-vertical-mouse/
Zlopez Aug 4, 2021
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I'm using vertical mouse for a few years and it took me some time to get used to it, especially in FPS games, but now I wouldn't go for anything else.

I recently got myself Logitech MX Vertical, because wireless mouse is better fit for my ergonomic solution and it's a really good mouse. It fits my hand almost perfectly and I didn't had any issue with it for the last few months.

And the pain I had in my wrist from using the standard mouse for long times is gone now :-)
SirLootALot Aug 4, 2021
I am using a different CSL vertical mouse for a couple of years now and wouldn't go back to a traditional one. Only criticism I have is that the back and forth buttons are not programmable. However programmable buttons more often than not have no Linux driver to actually program them so maybe that is a good thing I guess.
The driver Situation is still the reason I have not settled for a ergonomical Keyboard yet. ergonomical keyboards need to be easily programmable and the only one i found with (open source) Linux drivers are ones to build yourself and the Dygma Raise.
Keyrock Aug 4, 2021
I've been #TeamTrackball for decades, once I got past the initial weirdness of the change, which lasted roughly 1 day, I found them way more comfortable to use. To be specific, I prefer trackballs where you move the ball with your index, middle, and/or ring finger, rather than your thumb.
BielFPs Aug 4, 2021
Playing fps on this mouse must feels like it's playing an arcade game
Mal Aug 4, 2021
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I started using that Anker 5 years ago. The office premises were awful and I was kept being moved from desk to shittier desk as my team was being repeatedly demoted thus moved here and there at whim.

Eventually my wrist started to be in pain. Alarmed from the perspective of getting carpal tunnel syndrome in my early 30ies I bought it on Amazon for 20 euros. Pain disappeared after a few days.

Now I have the same model at home too for gaming. Even got a wireless one for the lapboard. Ofc I changed employer as well and ofc I bring my vertical mouse with me wherever I go.

I'll never go back using a regular mouses.


Last edited by Mal on 4 August 2021 at 1:08 pm UTC
Mal Aug 4, 2021
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And FYI, Trust also recently started to sell one of these but it's a bit smaller than the CSL and personally for this reason I find it less comfortable than CLS even though I have relatively small hands.
kemra102 Aug 4, 2021
I recently got myself Logitech MX Vertical, because wireless mouse is better fit for my ergonomic solution and it's a really good mouse. It fits my hand almost perfectly and I didn't had any issue with it for the last few months.

And the pain I had in my wrist from using the standard mouse for long times is gone now :-)

I've been using this model Logitech too for the past year or so and I can't imagine going back to a non-vertical mouse.

Also it has a "rubberised" grip so that may help keep it in your hand easier. It certainly helps me, I can grip mine very delicately and I have no problems moving it around etc.
M@GOid Aug 4, 2021
Skateboard injuries hum? The most fun way to discover that physics is a harsh mistress. One small rock and suddenly the skate is not under you anymore...

Ah the youth, when you could fall all the time and stand up right away. These days I even hurt my back just lifting a aluminium ladder...
GeoGalvanic Aug 4, 2021
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Arehandoro Aug 4, 2021
I used that Anker for a while, and it was pretty comfy and nice. Although, mainly due to gaming, I ended up with a logitech MX Master 3 a few months after that, and never went back.
TheSHEEEP Aug 4, 2021
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My GF is using a vertical mouse as well as her hand strains very easily (and always did). Really helped her with that.

I don't really have that problem, so I just don't feel the need to try it out.
Who knows, though, like most other people, I don't get younger.
Salvatos Aug 4, 2021
I bought an Evoluent vertical mouse a few years ago and gave up on it after a while. The size made it inconvenient and was slightly too big for my hand, the middle click was uncomfortable for similar reasons to Liam’s, and I never could get the same precision as on a traditional mouse. It was like it threw my x/y axes off-kilter, plus I had hard time setting the right movement speed. I pulled it out to give it another shot a couple months ago since my hands were doing poorly, and within an hour I felt them get even worse, so it’s dead to me now.

Maybe another model would serve me better, but I’m not the kind of person to keep buying tech and throwing it away until I find the right one. Currently I alternate between a standard mouse and a graphics tablet, since holding a pen/stylus also changes the arm rotation. I’d be curious to try a trackball someday, since I find using my laptop’s trackpad reasonably comfortable.
Purple Library Guy Aug 4, 2021
I recently got myself Logitech MX Vertical, because wireless mouse is better fit for my ergonomic solution and it's a really good mouse.
Lefties need to remember that vertical mice are definitely not interchangeable between hands. And of course we lefties are an afterthought, if a thought at all. So for instance, that website lets you add one of those to your cart--simple, easy, no fuss. And no left-handed option. Left-handed ones of those may exist, but they're not making it obvious.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 4 August 2021 at 4:53 pm UTC
jens Aug 4, 2021
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I went for a Wacom tablet as mouse replacement several years ago also due taking off some strain off my hand. Works cool once you get used to it, also for lefties :).
Obviously it is not suited for gaming with the exception of the likes of Civ or point & click things (absolute positioning!), but therefore I’ve settled with a controller (or wheel).

(Tbf, I hope at some point that tablets with a 21 by 9 aspect ratio become available, haven’t seen any yet)
whizse Aug 4, 2021
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And of course we lefties are an afterthought, if a thought at all.
Well, to be fair. Left handed people are sinister...


Last edited by whizse on 4 August 2021 at 7:38 pm UTC
cookiEoverdose Aug 4, 2021
Using the CSL wireless version for years now, love it just 2 complains:
The coating will slowly flake off after 2 years or so, I need more thumb buttons for gaming...

Edit, actually a 3rd one:
1 of my 3 mice so far had scrolling problems after ~1 year, sometimes up registers as down for just 1 tick and vice versa which makes for jerky scrolling. Cleaning could mitigate it but not fully remove it.


Last edited by cookiEoverdose on 4 August 2021 at 9:20 pm UTC
STiAT Aug 4, 2021
Waiting for a vertical mouse with 12 buttons by my thumb...

For working I use a trackball ... just gaming I need to be more precise and ... I need buttons!
TheRiddick Aug 4, 2021
If there was one at the quality of my G604 mouse I'd be interested. But it looks like price would be quite a bit higher.
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