We no longer recommend this mouse however if you can’t afford what we do recommend, this mouse is better than a standard mouse.
A normal mouse/touchpad can pose a real danger for those who use their computers/laptop a lot for work, home and gaming use!
What is the problem with a normal mouse?
The danger for most people who use a mouse/touchpad is from the twisted arm posture that is maintained often for extended periods of time. This posture often involves reaching out to some extent which exhausts particular tendons in your arm from shoulder to fingertips and distorts your body’s core stability around the upper back and chest with some muscles underused and wasting and others overused and exhausted.
We are becoming not unlike fiddler crabs in having unbalanced limbs and we tend to pay for this with tendonitis and other RS I conditions!
A vertical mouse – is it difficult to use?
The characteristics of a truly ergonomic mouse are that your hand should grip it as though your hand was in a handshake posture.
To do this the mouse buttons need to be on the side of the mouse rather than on the top and this is what you find with a truly vertical mouse. Most people find that it only takes a few minutes to get used to this new type of mouse and can often feel pain relief immediately (compared to a normal mouse).
Anker TM137G ergonomic vertical wireless mouse
The Anker TM137G ergonomic vertical wireless mouse came to our attention recently. It has a near vertical mouse design and at less than £15 (USD$20 CDN$35) we had to take a closer look!
There has been a real affordability barrier for RSI sufferers as the market leading true vertical mice from Evoluent and DXT are expensive at over £80 (over USD$100 CDN$150). The Perixx Perimice-713, is very similar to the Anker TM137G and the Perixx one has a slightly finer DPI specification.
We contacted Anker to see if they would let us have a mouse to review which they happily did.
Review
The Anker TM137G ergonomic vertical wireless mouse has been designed in Germany to a high specification.
It’s optical resolution can be altered between 800DPI, 1200DPI and 1600DPI by pressing the DPI selector button near the upper ridge of the mouse; a convenient place which is unlikely to be pressed by accident. The mouse has an on/off switch under its base and we believe it also has an auto-off facility, in case you forget to switch it off, however we can’t confirm that.
We like wireless a lot as it avoids the potential problem of the mouse cable dragging the mouse backwards over the desk as a wired mouse can do. Ours came well packaged with its low profile USB plug-in 2.4G nano wireless receiver (which stows away in the mouse base when not used).
Product dimensions: 101 x 82 x 80 mm; product weight: 3.4 oz (100g).
Our’s installed straight-away on both Windows 7 and Windows 10 PCs straight away. It says it’s compatible with Mac OS, Linux, and Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10. It is partially compatible with Mac OS X with the two thumb buttons not being recognized and isn’t compatible at all with the Mac OS X El Capitan.
It has next/previous buttons which provide convenience when webpage browsing. The mouse enters power saving mode (power is cut off completely) after 8 minutes idle and is awakened by pressing the right or left button. Powered by 2 AAA batteries. It comes with an 18-month warranty.
The mouse shell has quality feel in the hand and is a good weight. It is near vertical but not fully and should be held in the usual handshake way for a vertical mouse. It feels light enough to move about easily without a drag on the wrist but not too light to cause unwanted movements.
Our Summary
This mouse could be a great ergonomic mouse and is better than many but it is let down by these factors:-
- It’s less vertical than we like and so some arm twisting is still going on
- It’s a large mouse in the hand and its buttons require more pressure than we’d like so tendon fatigue may result
People with small hands will struggle! If you have an active RSI problem now you may struggle! For those with large hands, wanting an improvement on a normal mouse, this might be a cost-effective solution for you with the above provisos.
Our recommendation remains the DXT vertical mouse which is great for hands of any size.
Ergonomic Mouse & Keyboard Buying Guide
UK Suppliers
Note for Evoluent mice size see sizing tab above
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DXT02 Ergonomic Mouse
Less expensive, wired version. Easy to use, hold like a pen. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed.
View UK Supplier -
DXT02W Ergonomic Mouse
Excellent! Easy to use, hold like a pen. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed.
View UK Supplier -
Ergonomic Penguin Mouse
Hold a bit like a small glass with your arm resting on the desk. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed. See [Penguin Size] tab.
View UK Supplier -
Evoluent Vertical Mouse L/H-Normal
Left-handed normal-size version (consider DXT02 instead if you have small hands)
View UK Supplier -
Evoluent Vertical Mouse R/H-Normal
Right-handed version (their normal size is for larger hands)
View UK Supplier -
Evoluent Vertical Mouse R/H-Small
Right-handed small-hand version (normal size is for large hands)
View UK Supplier -
Perixx compact keyboard +2USB hubs
Inexpensive but effective compact wired keyboard with 2 USB Hubs
View UK supplier -
Perixx Mini Keyboard
Cheap and cheerful, slim compact wired keyboard. No USB sockets.
View UK supplier
This website operates ‘not for profit’ with our costs being supported through the small commissions (typically 1 – 2%) that we receive from suppliers
USA Suppliers
Note for Evoluent mice size see sizing tab above
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Bakker Elkhuizen Mini Keyboard
Well made, slim compact keyboard with 2 USB ports
View USA supplier -
DXT02W Ergonomic Mouse
Excellent! Easy to use, hold like a pen. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed.
View USA Supplier -
Ergonomic Penguin Mouse
Hold a bit like a small glass with your arm resting on the desk. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed. See [Penguin Size] tab.
View USA Supplier -
Evoluent Vertical Mouse
Select from left-hand, right-hand, small-hand, wired and wireless options
View USA Supplier -
Perixx Mini Keyboard
Cheap and cheerful, slim compact wired keyboard. No USB sockets.
View USA supplier
This website operates ‘not for profit’ with our costs being supported through the small commissions (typically 1 – 2%) that we receive from suppliers
Canadian Suppliers
Note for Evoluent mice size see sizing tab above
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Bakker Elkhuizen Mini Keyboard
Well made, slim, wired, compact keyboard with 2 USB sockets.
View Canadian Supplier -
DXT02W Ergonomic Mouse
Excellent! Easy to use, hold like a pen. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed.
View Canadian Supplier -
Ergonomic Penguin Mouse
Hold a bit like a small glass with your arm resting on the desk. Ambidextrous – for left/right-handed. See [Penguin Size] tab.
View Canadian Supplier -
Evoluent Vertical Mouse
Select from left-hand, right-hand, small-hand, wired and wireless options
View Canadian Supplier -
Perixx Mini Keyboard
Cheap and cheerful, slim compact wired keyboard. No USB sockets.
View Canadian Supplier
This website operates ‘not for profit’ with our costs being supported through the small commissions (typically 1 – 2%) that we receive from suppliers
The Evoluent VerticalMouse 4 regular size models which are sometimes called 'large' (Right Wireless, Right Mac, Right Bluetooth, Right and Left) are for hands at least about 7 inches or 178 mm from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist crease. Hands shorter than 7 inches/178 mm may be more suitable for the VerticalMouse 4 Small.
How to use a Vertical Mouse
- Your arms and shoulders should be relaxed with your upper arm vertical by your side and your forearm horizontal.
- You should maintain a neutral hand and wrist position, similar to a handshake.
- You should be able to move your arm and shoulder freely.
- Hold the vertical ergonomic mouse lightly but touching the skin between your thumb and forefinger. Don’t grip it as you might have done with a conventional mouse. You gently push it towards the keyboard with the flat of your hand and pull backwards with your thumb.