Over the next decade or so, I used the Evoluent mouse nonstop, to the point where its buttons started to malfunction and the whole unit started looking grubby. By that point, around 2022, vertical mice were more common, and so I replaced the once-costly Evoluent (around $100) with a relatively inexpensive model from a company named Nulea (around $20).
The Nulea vertical mouse showed me how even small differences in the design of any mouse, but especially a vertical one, can have major impacts. For one, the buttons on the Nulea were positioned differently. The “back” button, directly below the thumb in the Evoluent model, was above the thumb on the Nulea model. It took more flexing and stretching for my thumb to reach that button. Consequently, I didn’t use it as much, but I also didn’t accidentally smack it anywhere nearly as often. The Nulea’s more asymmetrical footprint also meant it was much harder to accidentally tip over by merely brushing it with a waved hand. Or if one of my three cats decided to get frisky on my desk.
The future is vertical
I’ve evangelized for the vertical mouse experience with friends who also spend a lot of time in front of a screen. Not everyone is inclined to try it, but those that do are surprised both by how quickly they adjust—and by the payoffs. A friend who works long hours in a doctor’s office bought a vertical mouse for her PC at home and found her carpal tunnel issues cleared up in short order. She’s now angling to get one to replace her work mouse, as well. The total time spent adjusting to the new form factor is about one day.
