3M Ergonomic Mouse EM500GPLLARGE Reviews

• Perfect for those with wrist pain

  
  By A3L6ZOSDKO48LU on 2004-06-10
  This 3M Ergonomic Renaissance Mouse is great for those with wrist injuries or discomfort because it keeps your thumb pointed in the upward direction, eliminating pressure within the carpel tunnel area. I was pleased to find this new version that uses an optical sensor, a USB connector, and a new graphite color.

  Mouse model number EM500GPS is supposed to be for those with palms 3.5 inches wide and less and EM500GPL is for those with palms 3.5 inches and larger. My palm is exactly 3.5 inches wide, I tried both, and the large size was much more comfortable. My fingers were much too cramped with the smaller mouse. I think the recommended cut-off between the two sizes should be about 3.0 inches.

  Unfortunately, there are a couple of drawbacks. First, it's for right-handers only. Secondly, it is not quite as precise as a regular mouse because you can't use your fingers to fine tune the position of the pointer, so I occasionally miss target areas and have to reposition the mouse and click again. However, I still highly recommend this product because it helped eliminate my wrist pain, and that is the first priority! You can find info and drivers at the official 3M website: 3m.com/ergonomics/ergonomicmouse.jhtml
  
  

• wonderful for tennis elbow

  
  By A6J0SNOWI2ZWP on 2005-07-17
  I tried many input devices, before being recommended this mouse by physical therapist. If you are having tendon issues in wrist and elbow this will be a big help in getting back to work without going tingly/numb again. The thumb button is very easy to use and the rest of the mouse is moved by upper arm/shoulder. You can wear a splint to make sure you don't bend your wrist if needed.
  
  Seems a lot more user friendly than the quillmouse.
  
  It installed itself without a hitch in xp and depending on the mouse pad you use doesn't skip around at all.
  
  

• On my 3rd one, but still happy

  
  By A2L0ITJUBOUUW1 on 2006-04-20
  It's true, if you use this mouse for many hours a day then they have about 3 or 4 months of life - they start to double click like crazy, so you have to throw it out. I'm on my 3rd one, but it has allowed me to get my work done without pain. This seems like a small price to pay to reduce pain and allow me to keep working. I just purchased 3 of them so that I have about a 1 year supply. Maybe 3M will read these reviews and actually make a durable product, but why would they want to sell fewer mice?
  
  

• "Double-click" problem apparently resolved as of January

  
  By A3PU5YAQ8Q9IPJ on 2006-05-24
  My birthday mouse from last August (which really is as nice on your hands as others suggest) developed the dreaded double-click problem (where all single clicks start to register double) a week or so back. One phone call to 800-332-7483 later, and I have a replacement and an assurance that the problem is fixed as of January (and hey, my two-year warranty should run a while yet).
  
  It really does click differently now. Clickier.
  
  

• If it fits just right

  
  By A1XF5FO0RXPOW7 on 2006-08-11
  My hand was too big even for the LARGE version, which made my thumb rest in a very awkward position. While my forearm felt more relaxed using the mouse, my hand itself actually started hurting.
  
  Plus the drivers are old NT4.0 version drivers. They work with XP, but just barely. No support from the manufacturer.
  
  
  
  
• Cheap plastic construction
  By A1QTPU5NMWHKNO on 2006-09-04
  I had pretty bad hand pain from my microsoft wireless mouse. I bought three of these based on the reviews I read here. The day I started using it the pain disapeared, however I gave my teenage son one too and that is when the bad news arrived. Within a week he had snapped the mouse in two. I figured he was just being a teenager until a month later when i broke mine in half. I took the third one and guess what, same exact way the third one broke. The base and the handle are connected with a plastic snap like joint. The joint occurs in the very place torque is likely to occur and there are three little tabs of plastic that are less than 1/8th of an inch thick keeping it together. Its amazing an engineer at 3M could think this was a good design. Oh well. I just threw them away, not sure if i could have returned them to 3M. They work so well ergonomically, once you get used to them, that I will probably buy more.
  
  
• Comfortable, but not that user friendly
  By A2NKQJ8YUKB2KJ on 2007-03-08
  I purchased this 3M Ergonomic mouse and the Evoluent Vertical Mouse2 at the same time to compare.
  I really enjoyed the feel of the 3M mouse, but it is limited in what it can do. I need to scroll often with my kind of work. The 3M mouse does not have a scroll wheel it has a scroll button. When you push the scroll button, you then have to physically move the mouse up and down to scroll.
  The Evoluent Vertical Mouse2 is pretty comfortable. It seems a bit light at times, so it takes a while to get used to it. I really enjoy the scroll wheel and the 5 programmable buttons; Left, Right, Middle, Wheel button (for your fingers) and a Back button (by the thumb) and the scroll wheel. Of course you can program each one to do what you want. You might want to visit Evoluent's web site to get the most up to date driver.
  Although the 3M is slightly more comfortable then the Vertical Mouse2, with my type of work I need the functionality of the Evoluent Vertical Mouse2. If 3M had a scroll wheel I probably would have kept it, but I'm going to stick with the Evoluent Vertical Mouse2.
  
  
  
• Superb mouse! Actually works. Solid design.
  By A1WP41FDE5ONYU on 2005-08-26
  The 3m Ergo mouse is the best mouse for ergonomics on the market. The picture is misleading though. I thought that perhaps it was some sort of joystick type of mouse (which would still require moving the wrist, which wouldn't help really). It is one solid piece that does NOT move at all. The picture also hides the fact that it has 3 buttons, a left click (on top for the thumb), a right click (also on top), and one on the side (not shown) for the other fingers.
  
  What you'll immediately notice about this is that when you start to use it, your wrist will not move at all and you will be using your arm to move the mouse.
  
  I have no problems with the mouse treating a single click as a double click either. Perhaps the other people simply had a defective unit (or more likely, 3M was producing it poorly has revised their design to have it fixed).
  
  In my own experiment with this mouse, I intentionally did NO other therapy for my wrist to see how much the mouse actually helped. My hand went from nearly totally unusable to not having hardly any pain (unless I use a regular mouse again, and/or type for extended experiods again) in less than 20 days. Clearly, healing has already started, and it's also happened in less than 1 month with this mouse.
  
  For people that play first person shooters, I also use this mouse for games with no problem at all. And it took me about 1-2 days to get used to it. It's very "natural". Highly recommended.
  
  
• Works OK, but this isn't for me.
  By AQ76APOA5S73F on 2006-03-11
  I used this mouse for several days before deciding it wasn't for me.
  
  While it does alleviate wrist pain, it didn't perform up to my expectations.
  
  The software (which you need to download from 3M) is five years old and is not a driver update. The mouse uses the standard drivers included in Windows. I was unable to use the 3M software because it conflicted with the Logitech software I already have installed. I use two mice simultaneously-one for my left hand and one for my right (sounds crazy, but it works really well for balancing the work load). Consequently, I needed to keep the Logitech software.
  
  Since I was unable to use any software to modify the control of the mouse, I found I had to move my arm excessively to move the cursor. Left to right was annoying enough (I have a 20" Dell WS LCD monitor-lots of real estate to cover), but trying to go up and down was a real bear. I expect to be able to move the cursor with just the movement of my wrist and fingers-not my arm.
  
  Another issue was price. The quality and lack of features on this mouse is something I would expect from a mouse costing $10-$15, but I realize this is a "specialty" item.
  
  All things considered, I give this mouse a 4 because it does what it says. I felt no pain in my wrist while using this mouse. However, I normally don't have a lot of wrist pain-I just get fatigued after a day of use-so it wasn't worth it to me. I think it probably is a good product for someone having a lot of pain and using only one mouse ;-)
  
  
• Rapid cursor jump problem
  By AU3ABEQ7PUU on 2006-07-02
  A few other reviewers mentioned that the cursor sometimes takes wild jumps using this mouse. I had this problem too, but using the mouse on top of a blank sheet of paper solved it. As for the shape and feel of the mouse, one thing you can't tell from the pictures is that there is a contoured region at the top of the handle in front designed for your index finger. My hand is right on the border of the 3.5" cutoff between the suggested sizes. I bought the large version, and find this grip contour a little high up for my taste. I don't know whether it would be better with the medium version. Otherwise I find the grip size comfortable. The USB->PS/2 converter works fine, too. I run my mouse into a KVM switch using the converter, and it works on all my machines (Mac and Linux). This looked like the best ergonomic alternative to a standard mouse that I saw, and I'm happy I bought it.
  
  
• It Solved My Carpal Tunnel Issues
  By A25O4PHTIAA3E2 on 2004-05-19
  This mouse has been a godsend for me. A little background....I used a regular mouse until my right hand couldn't take it anymore and then I used my left hand and the same occurred after about two years. After that I tried a trackball and a gyro mouse but neither helped much. If your problem is like mine where its the clicking and wrist position of a regular mouse that cause the pain, consider this mouse because it sure did the trick for me.
  
  
• Poor durability
  By A37KZZMKDK2MJR on 2006-03-21
  I liked this product, but the top thumb button stopped working within 3 months. It will start double-clicking with increasing frequency anytime you single-click until you get fed up with it.
  
  And it isn't un uncommon problem. I purchased this mouse on recommendation from a fellow co-worker who had just purchased it and told me that it helped keep his wrists relaxed. After I threw mine away for the annoying double-click problem my co-worker sympathized with me and complained about the same problem that was just starting to rear its ugly head on his mouse.
  
  
• I stand behind it!
  By A2EAKQERUUQIWH on 2006-08-07
  It is absolutely better for you than a traditional mouse! It may take a small period of adjusting for some, but many will take to it right away. Some reviews say it can stress the user's upper arm/shoulder, so be sure to adjust your seating position and keep your elbow in close to your body while using it for long periods. The 3 buttons work on the Mac, but only as a left, middle, and right click -- the programability and scrolling features don't work on Mac platforms. This is the ONLY reason why I didn't give it that fifth star! It's light, it's smooth, and it's very ergo.
  
  
• Expectations
  By ABJFO63NAC73U on 2005-11-12
  Ok folks, here is the deal short and sweet. I am 23 years old and have never had any RSI's until my first office job. Pain in my elbow started from a cheap mouse I was using 40+ hours a week at work. This mouse is the answer for people who live and make their living on a computer full-time. It's pretty good overall and make for a very good everyday mouse. However, don't expect it to be good for anything but work. Games are so-so and graphic design would be tough. For everyday desk jockies like me this thing has got me back to work and pain free. If you expect these results from this mouse and nothing more, this is the mouse for you!
  
  
• Best of breed
  By A1VPIMN9U4K90A on 2007-07-12
  True, it does not have a scroll wheel. There are utilities you can download that will make the third button work as a scroll wheel.
  
  But it is best of breed for a few reasons.
  
  One, it allows your hand to assume the most vertical position of all the ergonomic mice (mouses?). The natural position for your hand is the so-called "handshake" position, with the palm facing toward the other hand, and the knuckles positioned vertically. The Renaissance Mouse allows the most vertical position of all the ergonomic mice.
  
  Two, it has a base to take the weight of your hand and arm. With the other ergonomic mice, your hand rests directly on the mouse pad, meaning you have to use your bicep muscles to lift your hand off the pad. With the Renaissance Mouse, the base takes the weight, and you can use your arm muscles just to move the mouse.
  
  True, there is a learning curve, and it takes a while, perhaps a week or two to accustom yourself to it. Also, it is a little less fast and accurate, at least for me, than the regular mice, since you are using the the larger and less accurate arm muscles instead of the small wrist muscles.
  
  But for me, it works great. No more wrist pain or numbness, even after a 14-hour day at the computer.
  
  I did have a problem intially with the cursor jumping and stuttering, but that turned out to be a problem with the mouse pad. The optical sensor was apparently confused by the hexagonal pattern etched into the pad (that came included with Dell computers a few years ago.) It caused me to intially write a not-so-positive review of the optical model, since my older rolling-ball model had no such problem. But switching the pad resolved the issue.
  
  Some people have complained about durability, but I have dropped both of mine, optical and roller ball, many times without any problems.
  
  I love mine.
  
  
• yay best mouse ever!
  By A1NDORMJ3508NJ on 2004-07-13
  This is my 3rd 3M Ergonomical mouse. While it may seem silly to keep on buy the same mouse over and over, it is the best mouse out there! a little back ground about me: I use my PC all day for work, and then at night I play PC games all night long. As a result my mouse gets about 12 hrs/day and 7 days a week of abuse. My previous 3M mouse died about after 3 years of usage each but I keep on buying new replacements because of the superior design. It is truly ergonomical! Despite using my mouse for prolong period of time I don't feel any discomfort that I get with other "normal" mouses. In addition, the previous model was the traditional mouse with a ball at the bottom where as this one is optical! I was so pleasantly surprised when I open the box. They should mention it in the product details!
  
  
• Great aid for reducing repetive stress
  By A3PL56TUP5B2RH on 2005-02-18
  I have been using this mouse for over a year. It is easy to get used to and has really reduced discomfort in my elbow. I am at my keyboard for over 8 hours a day. As a programmer, this mouse has the added benefit that coworkers are less likely to want to push me aside to work when collaborating.
  
  
• Great mouse but lacks durability.
  By A32WJ62MN3J0HC on 2005-02-21
  I am a 3d Modeler/Texture Artist and work on computers for 8-12 hours a day. This Mouse does a great deal to improve issues that I have with wrist pain that have been developing over the years. I really do love this mouse but, even still, there are two large flaws with this mouse.
  
  There are three buttons total on this mouse.There is a button on the handle that you can comfortably press with your middle finger, and one on top used by your thumb for right and left click.
  
  The top button rocks back and fourth so you can only click on either right click or left click, not both at the same time. In some programs I work with right and left click must be pushed at the same time for certain functions. You can assign RClick + LClick to the trigger button but, in programs I use, I have to assign that to middle mouse button. Does not work well for a program like Unreal Ed where you have to push many different combinations of Left Right and Middle mouse Button Clicks together. To get by this I just keep my old mouse plugged in at the same time when I do need to use those functions. I am using it with Maya and 3ds Max and it and It feels and works great.
  
  The other flaw?
  On the frequency of once every 10 minutes, the mouse loses It's tracking and will teleport, Causing my mouse to move erratically for a split second. It doesn't happen too often but it is annoying when it does happen.
  
  I reccomend this mouse highly if you don't need that button combination functionality, anything is better than carpal tunnel.
  
  (this section is a follow up review 08/21/2007)
  Six months later the mouse buttons became unreliable. It would sometimes register a single click as a double click, and would have problems with staying in the clicked down for dragging. My mouse degraded in functionality over time. I threw it away when it became unusable. I would give it 3 stars now.
  
  
• Bought 2. Same problem both times
  By A16201LCZ04Y89 on 2005-04-27
  This is a nice mouse for a couple weeks, but like another posting I read, I had the same problem- it treats single clicks as double clicks. This can be a pain, as I've accidentally closed windows, and opened things I didn't intend to. I replaced my first one because I liked the mouse, and thought it was just an isolated case and that the one I'd replace would be different. But now my second one is doing the same thing!
  
  
• Works Like a Charm - Play video games for hours without fatigue
  By A1XTV2LSS3JXDC on 2005-08-28
  I bought this mouse before it was manufactured by 3M, 3 years ago. Then I rebought it after my first one broke one year ago. I can't use any other mouse for an extended time while playing my favorite PC game. With this mouse, I play for hours with no discomfort at all.
  
  Using a regular wrist bending mouse, my right hand begins getting sore and inflamed within an hour.
  
  It doesn't take a lot of time to get used to using this mouse, when you consider the only other alternative is carpal tunnel syndrome pain.
  
  Yes, it's expensive, but so is a hospital bill.
  
  I'll buy it again when my current one breaks.
  
  I swear by this mouse.
  
  
  
• 3M Ergonomic Mouse
  By A1E8EB211Y2NZN on 2005-10-14
  I got this mouse because I was having trouble with pain in my wrist/fingers after several days of very extensive mousing. I first tried one of these mice that our safety department loaned me. The mouse was excellent at relieving the stress on my wrist - after about two-three weeks of using it, the pain definitely diminished. Based on that experience, I order this one from Amazon. It arrived in about a week. Not great timing, but they met the shipping expectation that they set. From the beginning, I found that the thumb button on the new mouse seemed to work differently than the loaner. I found my thumb getting sore, so I would trade back and forth between using the new ergonomic mouse and my old standard mouse. After two weeks of using the new mouse, it abruptly starting registering single-clicks as double clicks. When the problem wouldn't go away, I called 3M. They were very helpful, and very prompt in sending me a new ergonomic mouse (and the prepaid label to return the old one). The new one they sent feels much better on my thumb, and registers single clicks properly.
  Pros - mouse definitely provided the ergonomic benefits, excellent warranty service from 3m
  Cons - I wish that I hadn't had any problems with the mouse. The software for programming the third button to alternate behaviors than scrolling doesn't work with Windows XP.
  
  
• Give it time.
  By A1K5VCWE6F3GZY on 2006-04-28
  I absolutely hated this mouse when I first installed it. It took about a day to get used to it. Also, I had to recalibrate the mouse rotation to get it working well. Now that I have it adjusted to my liking, I use it every day and no longer experience hand or wrist fatigue. I still keep a regular optical usb mouse attached to the pc for editing photos and other apps requiring precision mousing.
  
  
• Screws up your Thumb - get the "Ergonomic Quill Mouse" instead!
  By A38HMHGUWGLMNM on 2006-10-27
  I developed tendinitis on my right wrist due to computer mouse problems, and decided to buy this product.
  
  This mouse helped a bit with my wrist tendinitis, but GAVE ME PROBLEMS WITH MY THUMB!! That part of my right hand where the thumb meets the wrist ached so much that I had to quit using this mouse. The pain disappeared soon thereafter.
  
  I now use the "Ergonomic Quill Mouse", and it works like magic! Although a bit more expensive than this one, it is well worth the money.
  
  
• Instant Comfort and ease of use.
  By A38DLKU95G75RQ on 2007-10-31
  As soon as I connected it was up and running (plug and play, Windows XP). It has "3" buttons. With your thumb you click right and left, and with your third or 2nd finger you press the middle button (which is great in Firefox to open new tabs, you click the link and it opens a new tab).
  I don't know about Gaming so I can't say if it's accurate enough, probably isn't. For normal use, it's excellent.
  
  I play the piano 7 hours a day, and use the computer 2-4hs so my hands are very important. Normal mouses made my hand stiff, fingers from scrolling and clicking, etc.
  You can use it from your laps if you want to.
  I'm open to try new mouses do, because if this is This good, why not can there be any better?
  
  
  I definitely recommend this mouse to anyone who wants to try something that's healthier even if you don't feel you have a problem with your present mouse. The importance of Seeking is made easier with internet.
  
  
• A Flaw Away From Perfection
  By A23G3Z4HE3Y90W on 2008-05-08
  Due to using the computer at work & at home, I developed a horrible case of wrist and finger pain. It got so bad, I literally could not use my old mouse. After reading reviews on Amazon, I dedided on the 3M mouse even though most people said it was cheaply made.
  
  Within a few days of using the mouse, my wrist & hand pain disappeared. Now one month later the mouse took a two foot fall from my keyboard tray to the floor and it snapped where the handle meets the base. I plan on using some superglue so I can get back to work. I may even order a 2nd mouse as a back up. Even though it's cheap, it works wonders to keep the wrist pain away.
  
  If 3M would strengthen the plastic joint where the handle meets the base, they could create the perfect ergonomic mouse.
  
  
• Size is important -- Righties only
  By A39ONSNY261F2L on 2005-09-27
  Size is important, so why doesn't Amazone provide a sizing guide... Note taht large fits better if your hand is 3.5 inches across the knuckles. Otherwise get teh small-medium. Also note taht this item is only for right hand mousing. But it does feel good. Almost immediately. No drivers enclosed, but it is plug and play. They say that specific drivers are downloadable.
  
  
• Great Mouse For Carpal Sufferers!
  By A2GGBFEPJ90KU6 on 2006-02-16
  I have been using this mouse since 2000. I work in the I.T. profession. Having worked on all of the "Y2K" updates of all of our computer systems for so many hours caused me to get a very bad case of Carpal. I thought for SURE I would need surgery! Switching to an ergonomic keyboard and this mouse made a TREMENDOUS difference!
  
  I still suffer from carpal, but the symptoms have subsided considerably! Symptoms reappear within 30 seconds of using a "regular" mouse!
  
  
• Really worth it
  By A329ZURBG40E2F on 2007-07-04
  I was recently diagnosed with tendonitis in my index and middle finger,.In less than a month of using the 3M mouse, I can feel the difference. It completely removed the stress from these fingers and allowed them to heal. I happened to use my old non-ergonomic mouse for a day and my fingers were hurting really badly. Also, as my thumb gets stressed too because of the work I do, I was concerned about buying this mouse as the clicking is done with the thumb. The ergonomic design circumvented that problem.
  
  
  
  
• Met My Needs
  By A37935RTXICIS5 on 2007-09-13
  My job requires about six hours a day on the computer. For the past few years now I have been ignoring the fact that my wrist was constantly irritated. The right hand would bug me, so I would use the left to control the mouse. After a week, the left hand would bug me, so I would switch back to the right hand. Yikes! What a lame routine. Since switching to the 3M Ergonomic Mouse at work (Company Purchased -- Check your companies policy as many have accounts set aside for these kinds of purchases) and at home, I have experienced just short of a complete relief from my wrist discomfort. I will get the occasional tinge of irritation, but it is not the kind that sets off all the red flags in my mind telling me that I'm goofing up my body for the long run. The mouse took me about a week to adapt to, and now navigating pages is a thoughtless exercise.
  
  Pragmatically: The product seemed about twenty dollars more expensive than I would have liked to pay for it, but I couldn't realistically put a price on the relief that I am getting.
  
  
  
• Excellent! I've used it for years!
  By ANAL5CFO5OOPA on 2004-08-20
  I love the 3M Ergonomic Mouse! It has helped to eliminate the pain I was having in the back of my hand. Add the Microsoft Natural Keyboard to create a truly ergonomic environment for your hands.
  
  

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