Review: Using the Logitech MX Vertical Ergonomic Mouse with Mac
Reading Time: 4 minutes When looking for a mouse or trackpad to use with their Macs, many Mac users will choose an Apple Magic Mouse. While some may like the Magic Mouse, many others, myself included, do not. I personally like having two separate left and right buttons to click and a scroll wheel. I also never really got good at using the gestures available on the Magic Mouse–I would struggle with the gestures I was trying to use and, at other times, activate a gesture I didn’t want.
If you are a Mac user who also doesn’t care for the Magic Mouse, fortunately, there are many other options to choose from. I recently decided to try out one the ergonomic options from Logitech, the MX Vertical.
The Logitech MX Vertical ergonomic mouse
The MX Vertical mouse is tilted 57º so that your hand is in a “handshake” position while using it. The different positioning may be more comfortable for some people. Other than the position, the mouse works like many others; it features left and right click buttons, a (clickable) scroll wheel, a cursor speed switch and forward and backward buttons. You can easily switch between three Bluetooth connections and the MX Vertical charges quickly–and the charge seems to last forever.
The vertical position
If you are used to a regular “horizontal” mouse, the MX Vertical will take a little getting used to. At first, using it was felt kind of strange (and fun). After a couple of days, I didn’t think anything of it. My hand rests comfortably on the mouse as there is a nice, large surface for my thumb to rest on and a soft, grippy texture.
Moving the mouse side to side is nicer than with a standard “horizontal” mouse. To move the mouse side to side, you flex your wrist in the “palm to back of your hand” direction, which is easier for most people than the standard “thumb to pinky” direction.
The one thing I will say is that, at least for me, I strongly prefer to use this mouse with a low-profile wrist rest. (However, I also use one with “horizontal” mice.)
The buttons and scroll wheel
I won’t own a mouse without a scroll wheel, and the one on the MX Vertical works well with a nice tactile feedback. You can also customize the scroll wheel click along with the forward and backward buttons, choosing from a large list of possible actions. I personally haven’t set my scroll wheel click; however, I use the forward and backward buttons (located above the thumb) to switch between virtual desktops, which is extremely convenient.
One feature I didn’t know I wanted was the scroll speed switch. It is the button on the top of the mouse that changes the pointer speed. This is great when I am writing. I can press the scroll speed switch to slow the pointer speed while I am editing–making it easier to accurately place my cursor within the text. I press the button again to get the faster pointer speed when I need to move the pointer accross the screen between apps.
Conclusion
I find this mouse to be comfortable to use, and I enjoy the buttons and features. I don’t know that I prefer it over my Logitech MX Master 3S, as they are both quite comfortable and share many of the same features. If you get wrist, hand or even shoulder pain when using a “horizontal” mouse, you may definitely want to try this one. One thing to note is that the MX Vertical is designed for medium to large hands. If your hands are smaller, you may want to try the Lift or Lift for Mac, which has a very similar vertical design, but in a smaller size.
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