That thread is about the factual question of why they are hard to find. But there’s clearly a lot of interest in actually buying them. So i thought I’d create this thread, in IMHO, to talk about the options that exist and their pros and cons.
To be clear:
This thread is not about wired mice (although having an option to use wired is fine).
This thread is not about Bluetooth mice.
It’s also not about wireless mice with a usb-a dongle that can be charged with a usb-c cord, which is what a lot of my searches pull up.
It’s about wireless mice with a dongle that works in the usb-c port of your laptop or desktop computer.
Just to be difficult, i also prefer a mouse that is ambidextrous and rechargeable, rather than using a disposable battery.
I’ll go pull over suggestions from the other thread in a few minutes.
And i think this was the last (or really first) option listed.
For what it’s worth, i don’t think any of them are also ambidextrous and rechargeable. But it’s more options than i found last time i looked for this product, so perhaps it’s becoming more common.
Besides the Lenovo mouse linked earlier, these look to have USB-C dongles
(Weird, that second link doesn’t go to the item when copy/pasted off the webpage. It’s the " ThinkPad USB-C Wireless Compact Mouse")
There’s also a unified receiver that works with other Lenovo mice but I’m sure buying an extra $8 gizmo isn’t anyone’s first choice. Still, it does open more options (like their vertical mouse)
(And now link doesn’t resolve correctly either: “Lenovo USB-C Unified Pairing Receiver”)
The dongle is USB-C (but not small, so not great on a laptop). It can also be plugged in C-to-C or A-to-C and used that way (though the wireless is great, so why), or used in Bluetooth mode (via a switch at the bottom) in a pinch.
It has a rechargeable battery built-in that lasts quite a while (200 hrs, according to the mfg), and can be recharged via the same USB-C cable. It’s light and fast.
Probably my favorite mouse ever. I use it for work and gaming.
As a result of this thread (and being in the market for a better mouse) i bought two of the mice discussed here.
The steel series mouse
And the matias mouse, with a really tiny dongle
I had some trouble getting the steel series one to talk to my Mac. The Mac thought it was a keyboard and wouldn’t use it without an impossible-on-a-mouse keyboard set up. But a software update from steel series (which included updating the firmware on the mouse!) resolved the issue.
I like this mouse a lot, but the dongle is really big. It blocks access to whatever port i put it next to, and it’s awkward to carry around a laptop with a giant dongle on the side. I have taken to leaving the mouse and its dongle in a cup near my gaming screen. Except for the size of the dongle, this is a super mouse. Ambidextrous, comfortable to hold, and gives me very precise and easy pointing.
The Matias was plug&play on my Mac. No set up, the Mac didn’t even comment on seeing a new mouse, it just used it. (Possibly, it looks like some previously-used mouse to my Mac?) I just started using it last night, and i think i need to fiddle with the controls a little, because a small motion from my hand produces a larger motion on the screen than i want. I LOVE the tiny dongle. That can live permanently in my Mac without causing any issues. My only real complaint is that this mouse is handed, and i think only comes in “right handed”. I use my right hand on the mouse when I’m gaming, but use my left hand for everything else. But… now that I’ve retired, i don’t use a mouse for much other than gaming. So not a deal breaker, but it makes me sad.
Still, if you are right handed, and want a wireless mouse with a USB-C dongle for a laptop, this is a great choice.
Answering this post here, not in the FQ thread, since the poster is asking for my opinion:
The Matias has a very nice build quality. It feels solid. Once i fiddled with the settings, i was happy with its performance. I love how easy it was to use with the Mac, how easy it is to charge, and how long it seems to last on a charge. (I’ve only charged it once, and I’ve been using it quite a lot.) And i adore the teeny tiny dongle.
I’m still not wild about its handedness. And it really wants to be held in a way that isn’t how i want to hold a mouse. I’m sure it’s meant to be more ergonomic, but i find it less comfortable to use for a long gaming session than a mouse that’s more simply shaped. But I’m getting better at holding it the way it wants to be held, which does make it more comfortable to use. (It wants you to just drape your hand over it, and move your arm, rather than really hold it in your hand. That’s taking some getting used to. Not that your can’t hold it, but it’s less comfortable to do that than a traditional mouse, and way easier to use it without gripping than for a traditional mouse. I’m not really sure how better to describe it.
Thanks for the reviews! I’ll probably end up getting one when the budget allows. Though probably the ambidextrous one, not the handed one – I checked with their support to make sure you can mix & match peripherals and they’d still work with the same USB-C dongle.
And from the other thread (@pulykamell, moved it here by puzzlegal’s request):
Really? That’s the ONLY mouse I’ve ever used that doesn’t give me long-term hand and wrist pain. But I have tiny hands that don’t fit most mice for humans. All the other ones, even and especially the ergo-specific ones, hurt after just a few hours. By contrast I can use the Magic Mouse for 8-10 hours a day, months on end, without feeling any pain at all… it’s been a lifesaver. Maybe Apple only tests on small-handed people, lol.
Even the Aerox that I love so much (above) hurts after a few hours. I use it only for gaming, because the Magic Mouse has no scroll wheel or middle click. But I really really wish there something in that Magic Mouse form factor, just with a wheel and middle button =/
Oh, and despite using a Mac, i don’t have a magic mouse, so i can’t compare. I am mostly a touchpad user, and 98% of my mouse use is gaming, so a mouse with no scroll wheel or middle click isn’t something I’m interested in.
(Most of my computer use is not gaming, but i almost never pull out the mouse and take a hand off the keyboard except when I’m gaming.)
Yeah, that damn thing kills my … looks it up … extensor tendons? Whatever it is, the top of my hand absolutely kills me when I use that mouse. And worse is using my fingers to swipe the top of the mouse to scroll (I have similar problems with laptop trackpads – can’t use them for more than a relatively short period of time at a time. I need my external mouse.) It’s just brutal on them. I have a Logitech MX Master 3 that my wife had leftover from her last job, and that one works great. The Magic Mouse, for me, literally is the absolute worst mouse for hand pain I’ve ever used. I’m not exaggerting in the least. A close second is that Apple mouse with the small ball as a scroll wheel. (Mighty Mouse, was it?)
Interesting. I liked the “erasorhead” pointer embedded into some laptop keyboards until i developed wrist pain. I cured that completely by moving to a track pad. I can use a regular mouse without pain for a reasonable amount of time. But i can use a track pad forever.
Something about the tactile nature of it gets to me, I think? Not sure what it is, but it freezes up my fingers and makes the left side of my index finger kind of feel numb. It’s annoying as all hell. It’s weird, because otherwise I use that pointer finger a lot – it’s my finger for taking photos (my profession), it’s what I use to navigate camera menus, I play keyboards, guitar, and some bass, on my phone — hmm, now that I think of it, I usually swipe up and down with my thumb. But using my pointer (or middle) finger on the phone doesn’t feel as bothersome to me in general for some reason.
I’m gonna go with the SteelSeries. On the website, the usb-c receivers are listed under mouse accessories. Do I need to buy the receiver separately or does the mouse come with it? If it’s separate, which one am I supposed to get? There are 5 different usb-c receivers listed under accessories…
Those are replacement dongles, like if you lost the one that came with your mouse originally. If you buy one of their USB-C wireless mice (like the Aerox 3 Wireless), it comes with a receiver already and you don’t need to buy anything else separately. (But make sure you get the wireless version. Some of their mice have both wired and wireless versions.)
I know the Aerox 3 is already USB-C (because I have one), while some other mice (like the Rival 650) might be USB-A. Their website doesn’t make it super clear which are which, but you can look in the “Box Contents” dropdown at the bottom of each mouse’s page and check for USB-C there or download the product information guide PDFs from that section to try and get a visual. Often BestBuy and/or Amazon will also have more information and better customer pictures of the actual dongles.
Mind you, the USB-C receiver is pretty big though. The one for my Aerox 3 is an inch long and half an inch wide. It looks like this, or see it next to a cable. It’s only the leftmost piece that’s the actual USB-C receiver. The cable and rightmost piece are just an optional extension cord, like if your computer is on the ground but you want the receiver to be closer to your desk (for best reception, though it’ll probably work fine directly plugged in too).
