Logitech Lift Ergonomic Vertical Mouse Impressions
So-called ergonomic or vertical mice have been around for nearly twenty years. For some people, the idea that there is another form factor for the humble mouse amounts to heresy. Others are anxious to relieve their tired hands from the sometimes uncomfortable position that a traditional mouse demands. For me, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So I picked up the new Logitech Lift.
Logitech has been releasing vertical mice for several years. They’ve just introduced the Lift, a reasonably priced vertical mouse that’s geared towards folks with medium to small hands — however you want to define that. The Lift comes in both right and left-handed versions. Considering the dramatic design, it would have to. For users with bigger mitts, there’s the MX Vertical.
Traditional mice force your hand and forearm into a flat position. Over time, this can lead to repetitive stress issues like carpal tunnel syndrome. The Lift moves you into a “handshake” position that is less stressful to your arm and hand and even subtly changes your posture for the better. But is it comfortable?
Sometimes Change is Challenging
Before we get into the build of the mouse, let’s talk about how it feels and how it works. The Lift feels radically different, but not in a bad way. It’s just a challenge to your muscle memory that has been holding a regular mouse for thousands of hours. All that said, gripping the Lift feels natural and comfortable. The right and left mouse buttons and scroll wheel are on the side but lie intuitively under the fingers. Using the mouse buttons takes some getting used to. You’re not pressing down but diagonally. On top of that, the Lift’s mouse buttons have very little travel. They’re also virtually silent.
A traditional mouse almost invites you to press your weight into your arm, but the Lift nudges you into keeping the arm in a more elevated position. It takes pressure off your wrist as well. The only comfort issue I had related to the height of my desk. When the mouse was on my keyboard tray, it felt great. When it was 3 or four inches higher, on my actual desk, it was less so. At my specific desk height, the Lift’s position put some pressure on the heel of my hand. Moving the mouse forward on my desk seemed to fix that problem.
Other than that, the Lift fit my “medium-small” hand very well. Like adapting to a new hand position, Lift users need to learn a new way of mouse pointing. It’s not less precise, just different.
Simple Quality
Although it’s not built to be a lightweight mouse, the Lift is reasonably light. Its made of plastic with a rubberized grip to keep it from sliding in the hand. Build quality is excellent and it’s aesthetically attractive. It comes in matte black, rose and white.
In addition to being wireless, The Lift is not probably ideal for high-end gaming that requires a lot of programmable optional buttons and macros. While there’s some programmability via Logitech software, the Lift is pretty basic. There are no flashy, colour-changing LEDs. Still, it’s a smooth gliding and responsive mouse that is super quiet to use.
The Lift connects wirelessly via Bluetooth or Wifi using the included Logi-bolt USB dongle, and both worked flawlessly with no latency. It also pairs with up to three devices in both the Windows and Apple ecosystems. Logitech claims that the Lift gets up to two years of service from a single AA battery. There is no way to connect The Lift via a cable.
So, Time for a Change?
Like keyboards, mice are not just pieces of gear. They’re extensions of our bodies and either help or hinder our comfort and productivity. I don’t know if, in the long run, the Lift will become my permanent input device. I do know that I have two mice on my desk right now and the Lift is what I’ve been reaching for. I’m not to the point where I don’t notice it as being different, but I’m getting there.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
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